Grogee's spannering (Maestro , Corsa & Avensis). PIMP MY PARTNER

[grogee]

Low-impact car jobs today, because I'm worth it, but also because I'm procrastinating fixing the tumble dryer (drum support wheels). 

Took the front wheels off the Beemer for their s/h Continentals to be fitted. 

Then moved onto Maestro front speakers. They're not the ones shown earlier in thread because I'd forgotten I'd snipe bidded on some Rockford Fosgate ones on the bay. TBH I don't think they're as substantial as the ones I sent back but they're a brand that the audio sniffers get excited about. 

They will need to be good to overcome the cacophony of squeaks and rattles from inside the cabin. 

Of course nothing is simple on old cars so I've been glueing and repairing broken trim along the way. 

Have a bonus pic of me standing next to a Pingu bin. 

[grogee]

Well the 'Stro Audio Install has been partially completed. The amps can wait for another day. But I've successfully put in this baffling "period" Blaupunkt radio/cassette. It would have been the nuts in the early 90s I reckon, but it's not exactly simple to operate. 

Behind it is a hidden DAB receiver which squirts audio up the FM antenna, which is good because the original aerial is bust for unknown reasons (open circuit between pole and earth). 

The white cable is an aux input which I'll be able to connect to my iPod. 

The reason this install is a bit challenging is because the DAB unit displays text using RDS, and I couldn't get the Blaupunkt to simply display the 'station name' which the DAB unit uses to display menu options etc. 

So I used another more modern unit to set it all up then refitted the Blaupunkt and I've got 6music in the car now. 

The speakers sound good enough, there's not much bass with 4" drivers but that will be solved at a Later Date with a (removable) sub & amp. Having said that I haven't tried it while driving yet. 

In other news my knocky Delphi diagnostic reader has arrived from Ali Express, all £30 worth. I can't say I desperately need it right now but I'm sure it'll come in handy. The laptop I'm using is sacrificial so it doesn't matter too much if the supplied software has AIDS. 

[grogee]

Oh and also I cut the over-long exhaust tailpipe and fitted this chavvy chrome trim. Haters gonna hate. 

[grogee]

Today I waited until the Maestro was dry enough then put it in the garage. It's been a crap day weather wise. 

Collected the BMW wheels with their 6mm Continentaaaals and stuck them on the front, had a passing glance at the front brakes which look fairly new. 

Then jacked up the rear to commence bumper removal for parking sensor fitting. Usual ballache of rusted fixings but also the battery tray boot floor bit is pretty ripe and the spare wheel well is on the go, too. I'm giving this zero attention. 

Bumper came off easy enough but I was scratching my head wondering why I couldn't find the live feed to reversing lights but like a numpty I was checking the (clear) indicators. 

Of course the reversing lights are mounted on the tailgate, which is a pain in the ass because now I've got to drop the headliner to find the reverse light feed. Like all good mechanics I gave up at this point and had a cup of tea. 

I'll be using a relay as I've had trouble with direct feeds before, plus the battery is in the boot so easy enough to find a 12v feed. 

[grogee]

Continuation of Project Reversing Sensors today, I finally managed to find the reversing light wire in the D-pillar harness. Which is good because the situation above the headliner was not conducive to finding the wire I needed. I did spot roof mounted rear speakers which would partly  explain why the sound system is more than adequate in terms of sound quality. 

The Spur on the reversing light wire switches a relay which feeds a fused battery +12v to the reversing sensor module. Handy having the battery in the rear corner for this. 

The kit came with a cheesy LED display but no way am I pulling out the trim to fit it on the dash, it looks shit anyway. 

After this job is complete, it'll be under the bonnet to fit the intake hose to hopefully cure the lean running engine light. I'm not familiar with how to remove the engine covers and things on a Beemer so this will be a voyage of discovery. 

I'm pleased with the colour match and they draw the eye away from the giffer scrapes. Saying that it's not hard to match retail silver. 

[grogee]

We're not going to be having 9pm daylight forever so after me scran I went back out, this time to the other end of the Beemer. 

Changing this intake hose was a bit of a logic puzzle but I got there in the end, there are a few strategic removable bits and pieces that help with access. Sure enough the old one was "sealed" with silicone goo which had probably let go after a few hundred heat cycles. 

There's plenty of evidence that muppets have been let loose on this car. I mean it's fine as it goes and stops but taking stuff apart revealed plenty of broken off clips and rounded screw heads. I think some of the harness routing under the bonnet is a bit fishy, too. 

There is a minor oil leak, I think on the lhs of the engine. It doesn't seem to be dripping out but it's quite grubby down there. Do any bmw lickers eg @Tepper have any thoughts as to the culprit? It's an old-skool M54 I think. 

[Tepper]

Oil filter pedestal gasket is a favourite on the M52, not sure if these have a similar setup but if so, that seems a likely candidate.

[grogee]

No real progress to report other than a machine polish then wax for the Maestro. No pics yet as the next job is Back to Black the trim bits. Tomorrow's weather is frightful so I've put it back in the lockup away from elements. 

I would have had more to report but the weekend was busy with non-car things like putting in a shower screen and listening to first match of the season (PAFC 3-1 Huddersfield). 

I did find time to lob in a speculative query for the Beamer re: LEZ compatibility. I can't remember who posted the info but basically the car meets Euro IV emission limits even though it's not classed as such. So you can appeal by emailing the relevant authorities. 

Anyway I dug out the details from the V5 and enquired with the Powers that Be, and sure enough it's now cleared for take off in most city areas. No big deal for me as we live in Bumfuck but might appeal to the next owner. 

[grogee]

Southam car show spots. A guy up the road who runs the local taxi company has bought himself a black Maestro Turbo so we were comparing/contrasting. Said Turbo has been breathed on; his son reckons it's producing 200bhp - if that's true, it won't be doing so for very long. 

There were a couple of 928s there too so hats off to those owners for bankrupting themselves. 

[grogee]

In other news, I fitted a (removable) subwoofer to the Maestro for maximum bass while listening to Death Row's Greatest Hits. 

I still need some more midrange though but I don't want to cut the parcel shelf, so I'm on the lookout for a donor. 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

Southam car show spots. A guy up the road who runs the local taxi company has bought himself a black Maestro Turbo so we were comparing/contrasting. Said Turbo has been breathed on; his son reckons it's producing 200bhp - if that's true, it won't be doing so for very long. 

There were a couple of 928s there too so hats off to those owners for bankrupting themselves. 

Good spots, thanks

[grogee]

I haven't done much to the Maestro recently so with a quiet day at the 'working' from home station I found a window of not-rain to do some spannering. 

Mechanically, the clutch is the priority. Biting point is high although it's not slipping. The pedal weight isn't actually too bad now and seems freer after having been used. 

With this in mind I completely ignored the priority and set about upgrading the audio system. You might think this is desecrating a sacred piece of history, but hear me out, all this is reversible and there's next to no cutting up stuff. 

First up was the shonky standard Phillips radio/cassette. It works after a fashion but doesn't really play cassettes in any meaningful way, I think the belt(s) has gone and it's not playing at a constant speed. Anyway it looks nice and period so has been kept for show use. 

I do like a cassette, they remind me of simpler times and the object itself is a marvel of engineering. So I've been on the lookout for a period(ish) cassette radio. 

Finding a bang-on period one was out of my budget but this Blaupunkt popped up and I managed to get it for £50. I imagine it's mid-90s vintage and is packed with features I won't be using and don't know how to use. 

Hidden behind it is a DAB receiver that squirts its audio into the head unit via FM aerial. 

However with 4x 4" speakers it wasn't particularly pleasant to listen to, especially competing against the loud exhaust. 

That means an amp and sub was needed. I have a home-made amp and sub combo that was doing duty in the Puma. Being removable I just had to wire in power and signal to get it to work. 

Luckily the Maestro trim isn't hard to remove and I found a spare grommet to feed 12v from the battery through the bulkhead. 

Having wired it in, I discovered my amp remote wire wasn't getting through so I had to route another wire through to do that job. 

The amp on the sub is actually a 4-channel so capable of driving some 6x9s as well as the sub. So I bought some 6x9 boxes (unfortunately not in the correct grey carpet finish) and set about carefully modifying the parcel shelf to take the weight. My intention was to be able to return everything to standard but I did have to drill a few small holes in the shelf to attach some 1/2" ply. 

Plan A is to find another unmolested shelf but plan B would be to strategically plug the holes with grommets if needed. 

The speaker boxes have a long bolt mounted in them which goes through the shelf and board and is sdcured with a wing nut. It's very solid but easily removable. 

I need to fiddle with the settings to get it just so but initial impressions are there is plenty of power and bass, just what I wanted. 

[grogee]

When I do eventually get round to the clutch, there are a host of other upgrades to go on at the same time. 

To get the drive shafts out, I need to at least partially dismantle the front suspension. So that seems like a good opportunity to change the struts for the adjustable Leda rally jobs I have in Stores. I've got new bushes for the lower arms, new ball joints, new wheel bearings (if needed), new strut top mounts and bearings... Basically a complete overhaul of the front end. 

I do wonder if my car has incorrect bottom ball joints. Early cars had a 'symmetrical' type but it was later modified to an 'offset' to change the castor angle. My steering is very heavy, perhaps just 'of its time' but maybe because wrong ball joints are present. 

[Soundwave]

Must admit, I find car audio utterly bewildering, so hats off to you for getting that lot set up!

[grogee]

31 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

Must admit, I find car audio utterly bewildering, so hats off to you for getting that lot set up!

It's really not too bad. I'm shit with 'lectrix but it's just power and signal most of the time. Newer stuff is harder - getting an AUX port for my Beamer is like cracking the Enigma code.

If you can fit an exhaust to a 9000 then you can install an amp & speakers... 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Jeez that's an audio setup I'm envious of. Must fit subwoofer to one of my own shite offerings instead of fixing the broken bits.

[grogee]

Simply couldn't be arsed to tinker today despite the fine weather. There is other stuff going on such as Master Grogee's swimming lessons, and a trip to a charity outfit called TWAM who sell on 2nd hand tools. 

I went to collect one of those slightly shonky pillar drills which clamps a normal electric hand drill into a frame, but it had gone by the time I got there. The lads there were great though and they found another, much better one but it wasn't tested. They PAT tested it then checked out the bearings and said I could have it for £15! I gave them £20. Check them out, they are making the world a better place: https://www.twam.uk/

Then I decided to fix the BMW battery. It's had a way-too-small one floating about in the battery box unsecured and it was bugging me. I have a selection of spares including a nice AGM one which I've now fitted. 

The correct spec is an 019 battery but this one will do, it's in good health and has plenty of oomph for winter starting. Because it's too short I engineered bodged some wood to fill the empty space, but it's properly clamped down now. 

Of course whenever I try and do something good to my cars it comes back to bite me. Turned on the ignition to be met with the airbag warning light. Luckily my code reader was able to tell those high/low voltage codes to FRO and now we're back to 'only' one warning light for lean running. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

somebody has been to Rugby perchance?

[EyesWeldedShut]

5 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

somebody has been to Rugby perchance?

Never mind sport - I've got bench and screwdriver racking envy  

[grogee]

9 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

somebody has been to Rugby perchance?

I have. What a nice bunch of human beings (TWAM, not necessarily Rugbarians)

[grogee]

3 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Never mind sport - I've got bench and screwdriver racking envy  

If you ever do this, don't get this plastic hook type wall tool board. Every time you lift a tool off, the hook comes with it. 

Otherwise, my 'system' of Keeping Things in the Same Place seems to be working. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

25 minutes ago, grogee said:

Otherwise, my 'system' of Keeping Things in the Same Place seems to be working. 

My sytem usually involves a plethora of cardboard boxes, stolen tupperware and jars all stuffed with tools. At infrequent periods they get sorted out back into the toolbox/drawers they should live in.
More often I am forced to buy another - a man can never have too many 10mm sockets after all.

 

[grogee]

The Maestro has been running a bit lumpy lately. Well it's fine with a decent stab of throttle but that barely open/light cruise is causing it to miss and stumble. We're dealing with a sophisticated* electronic fuel injection system here, so I can't just tweak carb to fix it. 

My suspicions lie with the throttle body. Having read up on it, apparently these are fussy about the exact voltage from the throttle position sensor at idle. And also they can get gummed up in the bypass/idle valve area. Mine hasn't been idling smoothly at all, though I'm not sure how great they were from the factory. Idle speed is set at 650rpm which feels a bit slow for a 4-cyl but it's set in stone by the ECU. 

@Cluffy and I had trouble with this in our 1990 XJ40 (a vehicle also blessed* with Lucas electrics) and luckily managed to find a working TPS for not megabucks. 

I obtained a used throttle body a while ago and cleaned it up, greased the spindle etc so it's good to go on. 

Swapping them over is a little complicated because it's in the coolant circuit and the breathers and vacuum feed etc but once disassembled it's reasonably easy to swap over. 

I can report that the symptoms... are exactly the same. Except now my idle is too high. 

I've alternately been wondering if a failing coil is struggling to ignite a lean mixture: had similar symptoms on a Mini once that loved to backfire on the overrun but changing the coil fixed it. 

Theory 2 is that it's not happy on 95 RON. Yes I know it's meant to have leaded 97 but I was too tight to buy that last time and just threw in some extra redex to compensate. 

Anyway I've just put a load of 99 Tesco juice in plus a splash of Redex so that may eliminate that possibility. 

As well as all this faffing about I received a new (used) clock through the post today. Unfortunately it was the wrong type: as has been discussed, there were 3 or 4 iterations of Maestro dash, making spares hunting tricky. 

To cut a long story short, I managed to fit the old clock into the new dash by using some ingenuity and old brackets. Turns out the older clock is much brighter and easier to read, which is nice. 

Also the camshaft I ordered from Spain arrived. I'm fairly certain this is NOS judging by the waxy stuff all over it. This is the missing puzzle piece for Project Ported Head - I've found a company willing to fix my cam seal problem, so I'll drop this and the head round to them tomorrow. 

[grogee]

Discussed earlier in my boring thread is the new cylinder head and camshaft mismatch. 

Despite both being 2.0 O-series heads, for whatever reason the carb-fed Montego (and SD1?) uses a different camshaft to the MG Maestro and Montego. 

If you put the MG camshaft in the non-MG head, you get this: distributor side of the camshaft has next to no room for a seal. My initial thought was to machine out the head to accept the 'proper' seal, but after speaking with a porting company they've suggested machining down the cam seal face so it works with whatever seal the standard O-series uses. 

Anyway, this cam is apparently NOS for a catalyst equipped MG Montego. I'm about 75% certain this doesn't matter and it'll be the same as a non-cat cam. 

[Mr Pastry]

25 minutes ago, grogee said:

Despite both being 2.0 O-series heads, for whatever reason the carb-fed Montego (and SD1?) uses a different camshaft to the MG Maestro and Montego. 

Quite possibly different valve timing and lift for injected and carb engines.  Have you checked?

[grogee]

48 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Quite possibly different valve timing and lift for injected and carb engines.  Have you checked?

Both my camshafts are for EFi engines. One is for a non-cat version, my newest one in the pics is for an EFi cat version.

I'm pretty sure they are the same.

As you say, carb-fed and injection camshafts are likely to be different.

[grogee]

Popped round to see these guys, SC Porting near Rugby. https://www.scporting.co.uk/

They are going to get my cam seal face ground down so the standard (40/52mm) seal fits over it. 

They are also going to check the valve seat inserts for hardness: if they're not up to task then they will replace with hardened seat inserts and machine the valve seat.

Interestingly I noticed quite a lot of pitting on the exhaust valves of the existing head so it's not been happy on unleaded presuming that's what it's had. 

Once that's sorted out they will smooth out the ports a bit, there's not huge gains to be made but it can be flowed to give a bit of a power hike. 

After that I thought I'd give the BMW some love. I noticed the ARB bushes had some play and there's a clonk when going over bumps. I ordered some Meyle replacements a while ago so with the sun shining I replaced them. What a nice easy job for once!

With the front up in the air I also took the osf brake off to have a closer look at the bearing. It's not obvious with the wheel on, but once I was able to get my hand on the hub it felt pretty crunchy. No play yet but that must be the source of the noise. 

[grogee]

Operation Clutch. I really couldn't have asked for better weather, gorgeous day. Too hot really but I much prefer this to the grey unpredictability of July and August. 

The plan is to strip down the Maestro front end and swap in some Leda adjustable struts. There's a whole host of rubbery and ball-jointy bits on standby should they be needed. 

So far it seems to have behaved itself apart from a rounded out disc retention screw which I've drilled out now. That said, I'm not exactly working at breakneck speed, mainly because I'm writing down where all the nuts and bolts go. Also attending to silly things like pads seized into caliper bracket. 

Surprisingly the drive shaft isn't seized in the hub, it's moving freely which bodes well for the next steps. Unfortunately the caliper piston seal is FUBAR so that'll have to go in the Bits To Buy list. I was going to swap over discs and pads for new items but there seems no point, the current ones are fine. 

Unfortunately I was treated to a dirty protest from the Maestro this morning. It's wet itself around the rear, almost certainly my half-assed 'repair' to the fuel line return spigot. I think I'm going to treat the pinhole leak with some JB Weld and possibly heat shrink (not using a lighter). 

[grogee]

Moar progress, if disassembly = progress. Left side basically stripped out. I've got the springs and brake shield marinating in some rust juice. They're a bit flaky but solid enough so should be OK after some paint. I know MoT testers now seem to have a hangup about rusty springs, which they never bothered about before. 

Found a cute little BL bodge above the gearbox. There's a short 6" speedo cable that goes to a little gearbox (I think) and then the 'normal' speedo cable connects to that. Reading between the lines this is a result of using the Honda gearbox with the standard Maestro and Montego instruments... How pointlessly expensive was that? 

Existing struts turned out to be Sachs/Boge which is a name I trust, however I suspect they might be generic 'whole Maestro range' shocks as they feel pretty weak. Either that or worn out. 

Blimmin hot on the drive though. Keep having to stop and wipe my face, clean my glasses because of sweat. 

[grogee]

Other side suspension is orf now. 

Discovered a split cv boot on the offside outer. Luckily I had a stretch boot left over from something or other which looked more or less the right size. Got my Cone of Shame greased up then a couple of HHNNNNNGGGGs and it slipped into place. 

More serious is the worn out wheel bearing on the offside. I did buy some spares but there's like three different types so I'm hoping mine will fit. 

I do have a press (good) but I'm not sure of the metalwork required to support knuckle while I push the hub out. Also it's buried in one of the sheds while we're doing Shed Renovation at Grogee Towers. 

I may dig it out this evening as it'll be a job I can do in the shade of the garage. 

Also been splodging some Smoothrite onto the springs and disc shields. Not strictly necessarily but this was always going to be an extended 'while you're in there' type job rather than a sprint. 

Ironically it's sort of too hot to drive this Maestro or anything without A/C I think. Either that or I've got a low heat threshold. 

I've done some part number homework and I think I've managed to find some Rover 25 hub nuts (M22x1.5) that'll fit. They're the sort that you bash with a chisel after torquing.