1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L - (1)33,333 achieved - see page 47

[Peter C]

29 minutes ago, Rod/b said:

Probably just rotted out and dry (or missing) bulkhead grommets and whatnot at this age to be honest. 

I had a good look at the bulkhead (engine bay side) and everything looks intact. The rubber seal that sits on top of the bulkhead, beneath the bonnet, is also all good. 

What I don’t get is, if the air that passes into the cabin via the dashboard vents comes in through the plastic grille under the windscreen, where there’s no smell when the car is stationary, why am I getting smells from the engine bay into the cabin?

[Peter C]

29 minutes ago, Conan said:

there's no obvious tick tick noise?

Nothing, silence, no ticking or blowing anywhere.

[Rod/b]

19 minutes ago, Peter C said:

I had a good look at the bulkhead (engine bay side) and everything looks intact. The rubber seal that sits on top of the bulkhead, beneath the bonnet, is also all good. 

What I don’t get is, if the air that passes into the cabin via the dashboard vents comes in through the plastic grille under the windscreen, where there’s no smell when the car is stationary, why am I getting smells from the engine bay into the cabin?

Brake servo to bulkhead gasket maybe?

[Zelandeth]

19 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Nothing, silence, no ticking or blowing anywhere.

...Bloody editor.  Accidentally quoted that post and now can't delete it.

Cabin vent isn't actually a bad shout now I think about it.  Isn't the outflow on the saloon hidden down behind the bumper behind the rear wheels?  Conveniently right by the tailpipe.  I seem to recall it has some flaps on it which are meant to act as a one way valve - but who knows how much grime may be in there or how warped the plastic may be by now.

I may also be thinking of completely the wrong car with regards to where the cabin exhaust is!  Last time we had a Sierra was in 2002.

[Peter C]

@Rod/b

@Zelandeth

The smell is only coming through the dash vents, when the fan is on and the car is stationary. At all other times, no smells find their way into the cabin.

[Missy Charm]

9 hours ago, Peter C said:

@Rod/b

@Zelandeth

The smell is only coming through the dash vents, when the fan is on and the car is stationary. At all other times, no smells find their way into the cabin.

Could it be something as simple as a crack in one of the heater ducts?  It does sound like the heater fan is somehow sucking air in from the engine compartment rather than outside (as it should).  Could even be a hole in the fan housing or similar, causing the fan to draw in 'dirty' air in a way that forced ventilation (air pushed through the heater ducts by movement of the car) doesn't?  

[Peter C]

14 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

Could it be something as simple as a crack in one of the heater ducts?  It does sound like the heater fan is somehow sucking air in from the engine compartment rather than outside (as it should).  Could even be a hole in the fan housing or similar, causing the fan to draw in 'dirty' air in a way that forced ventilation (air pushed through the heater ducts by movement of the car) doesn't?  

I’ll have another look but the bulkhead and all the heater gubbins seem ok to me.

[Peter C]

@DVee8

Could you give our Marketplace buddy another nudge please. I will message him and explain that you can collect the mag on my behalf.

[DVee8]

15 minutes ago, Peter C said:

@DVee8

Could you give our Marketplace buddy another nudge please. I will message him and explain that you can collect the mag on my behalf.

The last message from Tuesday, saying I could collect it on my way home hasn't been read.

[Peter C]

8 minutes ago, DVee8 said:

The last message from Tuesday, saying I could collect it on my way home hasn't been read.

Thanks mate.

Nothing more we can do until matey responds.

[Zelandeth]

Scuttle/heater intake drains...

Wondering if these should have the same sort of V shaped non return caps on them that always block up with crud and tend to end up getting removed or falling off over time?  That could hypothetically allow fumes to be drawn into the heater via there when the airflow through the engine bay is low.

[Peter C]

@Zelandeth

This is the bulkhead, in all its glory. Everything looks totally original and intact.

Air, and fumes, can get from the engine bay behind the bulkhead, where the heater box is located, via:

On the passenger side, where the rubber seal ends but doesn't fully seal the gap.

Via the bulkhead drain hole.

Whilst my Sierra doesn't see any rain and won't get wet that often, it's not a good idea to start blocking bulkhead drain holes! 

Around the speedo cable (daylight is visible around the cable). This wouldn't be difficult to seal. 

It looks like Ford did not design the bulkhead and the engine bay to be two fully separated and sealed compartments. 

The heater box is located centrally behind the bulkhead and air gets inside inside it via the side openings.

Right side:

Left side:

Image taken from a Google search, of a Sierra heater box.

Once air gets inside the heater box, it goes straight through the dashboard vents, inside the cabin.

The top of the heater box is only partially covered and the shape of the openings along the sides is very irregular, which makes the openings difficult to seal. Theoretically, if I could seal the sides of the heater box and cut an opening in the centre of the cover and attach a short duct, which would extend to the underside of the scuttle grille, that may solve the problem but sealing the sides of the air box completely and neatly is going to be very difficult and I don't want to start cutting original parts. I'd rather solve the problem properly by eradicating exhaust smells from the engine bay. 

 

 

[Peter C]

I filled the tank this morning, first time since the trip to Salisbury. Quick calc, the Saph managed 43MPG, which is amazing.

I have an idea how to improve the cabin ventilation, time permitting, hopefully more later.

[Peter C]

This is not the exciting* update that I had planned for you.

I got home earlier today with the intention of modifying the heater box, to prevent exhaust fumes from being passed into the cabin.

First thing I did was release the bonnet catch.

I noticed that the lever was not in its resting position and pulling it did not cause the bonnet to pop up. Bugger.

Something was wrong with the release cable.

I had a look under the car, between the bumper and radiator. Fortunately, my Sierra has a lovely big void here and the underside of the bonnet release mechanism is nicely accessible. 

The release mechanism is secured with three bolts.

By removing the bolts, I managed to free the release mechanism, which came up with the bonnet, once I removed the front grille.

Further investigations revealed that the plastic ball at the end of the release cable had somehow got past the lever that operates the release mechanism.

The mechanism, despite being filthy, works absolutely fine, nothing is tight or seized.

I put a couple of strategically placed cable ties, which will prevent (hopefully) the problem from occurring again.

I reassembled the mechanism and tested it a couple of times by closing the bonnet, with the grille still off, to make sure all was well. All good.

Unfortunately, whilst wrestling the grille off, it's a tricky bugger to remove, a small piece of filler dropped out from where I previously repaired a crack.

I applied a bit of chemical metal, which I find is better for detailed repairs than ordinary wob.

Once painted and re-fitted, the job was done.

As for the heater box, I had an idea.

If the sides of the heater box are shaped too irregularly to enable me to seal them properly, I thought about sealing up the inside of the heater box.

According to this diagram, there is a rectangular shaped intake.

My plan was to take the cover off, cut a piece of plastic, with four hoses sticking out of it, secure it over the rectangular opening, refit the cover and extend the four hoses to the underside of the plastic scuttle panel, where they would suck in fresh air into the heater box.

Unfortunately, once I removed the cover, there is no rectangular opening. The odd shaped metal side panels form the upper part of the heater box.

I wonder if the diagram that I got from Google shows the heater box upside down and the rectangular opening is located along the bottom of the heater box.

Bugger, again. 

I'm taking the Sierra to Tadley, Hampshire tomorrow, a 75 mile return trip. Should be fun.

[egg]

Good stuff. It's interesting* that in the Mondeo Ford shrinks the size of the bulkhead area in comparison to the Sierra, and pushes the heater box further inside the cabin which depending on your view is an advance in design. Part of its 'cab forward' low bonnet look.

[Wibble]

1 hour ago, Peter C said:

This is not the exciting* update that I had planned for you.

I got home earlier today with the intention of modifying the heater box, to prevent exhaust fumes from being passed into the cabin.

First thing I did was release the bonnet catch.

I noticed that the lever was not in its resting position and pulling it did not cause the bonnet to pop up. Bugger.

Something was wrong with the release cable.

I had a look under the car, between the bumper and radiator. Fortunately, my Sierra has a lovely big void here and the underside of the bonnet release mechanism is nicely accessible. 

The release mechanism is secured with three bolts.

By removing the bolts, I managed to free the release mechanism, which came up with the bonnet, once I removed the front grille.

Further investigations revealed that the plastic ball at the end of the release cable had somehow got past the lever that operates the release mechanism.

The mechanism, despite being filthy, works absolutely fine, nothing is tight or seized.

I put a couple of strategically placed cable ties, which will prevent (hopefully) the problem from occurring again.

I reassembled the mechanism and tested it a couple of times by closing the bonnet, with the grille still off, to make sure all was well. All good.

Unfortunately, whilst wrestling the grille off, it's a tricky bugger to remove, a small piece of filler dropped out from where I previously repaired a crack.

I applied a bit of chemical metal, which I find is better for detailed repairs than ordinary wob.

Once painted and re-fitted, the job was done.

As for the heater box, I had an idea.

If the sides of the heater box are shaped too irregularly to enable me to seal them properly, I thought about sealing up the inside of the heater box.

According to this diagram, there is a rectangular shaped intake.

My plan was to take the cover off, cut a piece of plastic, with four hoses sticking out of it, secure it over the rectangular opening, refit the cover and extend the four hoses to the underside of the plastic scuttle panel, where they would suck in fresh air into the heater box.

Unfortunately, once I removed the cover, there is no rectangular opening. The odd shaped metal side panels form the upper part of the heater box.

I wonder if the diagram that I got from Google shows the heater box upside down and the rectangular opening is located along the bottom of the heater box.

Bugger, again. 

I'm taking the Sierra to Tadley, Hampshire tomorrow, a 75 mile return trip. Should be fun.

Wow! If you have the time and don’t mind, I’d love for you to pop in for a cuppa whilst you’re in Tadley. That’s where I’m based, for now, until the business is wrapped up and I’d love to see the Sierra in the flesh and meet you.

[Peter C]

3 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Wow! If you have the time and don’t mind, I’d love for you to pop in for a cuppa whilst you’re in Tadley. That’s where I’m based, for now, until the business is wrapped up and I’d love to see the Sierra in the flesh and meet you.

Where in Tadley are you?

I’m there tomorrow from around 9:30am until late morning.

[Wibble]

Tadley Services Group, Whitehouse Farm, Silchester Road, Tadley, RG26 3PY.

I’m in all day tomorrow, this would make my week, with all the bad news we’ve had🙂

[Peter C]

4 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Tadley Services Group, Whitehouse Farm, Silchester Road, Tadley, RG26 3PY.

I’m in all day tomorrow, this would make my week, with all the bad news we’ve had🙂

That’s 1.9 miles / 5 minutes away from my client’s property. I’d be happy to pop over for a quick brew and show you the Sierra.

PM me your phone number please. And your real name too, I assume that your work colleagues don’t call you Wibble.

[Wibble]

1 minute ago, Peter C said:

That’s 1.9 miles / 5 minutes away from my client’s property. I’d be happy to pop over for a quick brew and show you the Sierra.

PM me your phone number please. And your real name too, I assume that your work colleagues don’t call you Wibble.

lol, amazing, thanks so much, will do.

[mercedade]

14 hours ago, Peter C said:

That’s 1.9 miles / 5 minutes away from my client’s property. I’d be happy to pop over for a quick brew and show you the Sierra.

PM me your phone number please. And your real name too, I assume that your work colleagues don’t call you Wibble.

Go say hi to my parents too - they're Sierra lickers of the old school.

Previous include an A reg 2.0 GL that Allen's Garage of Tadley once did a full fibreglass+wob tide line around every door, and a G reg galaxy blue Sapphire that my dad put over 200k miles driving to Southampton and back on before putting through auction. The buyer managed to track him down and wanted to confirm the mileage, because he couldn't believe that the clock had been round twice.

[Peter C]

@Wibble Great to meet you and your colleagues today.

@egg I suggested that the three of us (and anyone else who would like to join us) should meet up. It would be great to see a Cortina, a Sierra and a Mondeo parked alongside.

How about we meet at Brooklands?

[egg]

It's a very good idea @Peter C, I'll cogitate on this - as I haven't been out of Kent for some time. Like, pre-pandemic, so might get a nose bleed.

[Wibble]

Nice to meet you too @Peter C and thanks again for taking the time to stop by. Really cheered us all up and we all thought your Sapphire looked amazing. I’ll be posting your visit in my thread shortly🙂

@egg, whilst reminiscing about Sierras, Peter mentioned you and us meeting up. I had a Mk1 K reg Mondeo company car back in the day and I agreed it would be nice to get all 3 together to illustrate the evolution of the Ford for this segment of the market.

I’m up for Brooklands but will need some time to pull my finger out and get the Cortina capable for the journey.

[Peter C]

@egg Good to have you onboard.

@Wibble How soon can you be up and running?

[Wibble]

6 minutes ago, Peter C said:

@egg Good to have you onboard.

@Wibble How soon can you be up and running?

🤔let me assess it over the weekend. As you know, my car mojo has been pretty low this year and I haven’t even started it since October and the Senator is in the way, which hasn’t been started since before Christmas.

Shouldn’t take too much but I’d like to try and resolve its existing issues first. I know you’ve got things coming up, so I reckon sometime in September would work.

[Peter C]

@Wibble Ok, good luck.

[N19]

If others are welcome, depending on dates, I'd be happy to bring along my mk2 mondeo...

[Peter C]

@N19 More the merrier!

[Peter C]

The first and only time that I've washed the Sierra was on the 30th January, the day it came into my life. Since then, it spent weeks in the garage whilst I was tinkering with it, then it has lived under the car port and I have only been using it in dry weather conditions. Consequently, apart from a bit of dust and the odd splattered inspect that needed scraping off the front end, the Sierra has remained clean.

A friend, who owns a car valeting business, swears by this stuff.

 

He gave me a couple of sachets and I used the first one to polish my BMW E46's MV2 wheels. The wheels came up shiny and fresh so I used the second sachet to polish the BMW's bodywork. There was enough of the stuff left afterwards to do the Sierra.

I applied the polish over the bonnet, roof, boot lid and down the flanks.

Once dry, I wiped and buffed the polish off. 

This product is supposed to protect the paint but in the Sierra's case, it has also made the paint significantly glossier. How long will it last? We'll see but the process only took about half an hour and I am pleased with the results.

Win.

I wonder how long I will manage without having to wash the Sierra again.