1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L - Completed it mate - see page 46

[Peter C]

MoT @ 9am.

Poo count: 4

[MJK 24]

It’ll be fine!

[Peter C]

LIVE updates!

Good news, made it to the MoT station.

[Peter C]

Heart rate high!

[Peter C]

Good for another 12 months, no advisories.

[danthecapriman]

Just now, Peter C said:

Good for another 12 months, no advisories.

There’s always that element of worry with the MOT on old cars,

but, how could you have been in any doubt with a car that nice!👍

[Morris 63]

Hopefully you had the mandatory "Used to do loads of these, don't see them now. It's a credit to you" chat? 😄

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

There’s always that element of worry with the MOT on old cars,

but, how could you have been in any doubt with a car that nice!👍

I checked all the usual stuff and I was happy with the condition of brakes, suspension, etc, however the engine has never idled properly and I was hoping that a fiddle with the CO screw would have it running right, hence my apprehension. 

 

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, Morris 63 said:

Hopefully you had the mandatory "Used to do loads of these, don't see them now. It's a credit to you" chat? 😄

The owner of the garage told me about how he was a manager at Godfrey Davies Ford back in the 1980s. He was impressed with the Sierra.

Another customer came in, to have his Lotus Elise tested, he also admired the old Ford.

[Peter C]

On top of the usual MoT fee and tip for the tester, I had to pay the Khan tax as my preferred MoT station is located in west London.

 

My main concern was related to exhaust emissions. The Sierra never idled right.

According to my research, the max CO reading for a pass would be 3.5% and HC at less than 1,200ppm.

 

 

The first reading showed the CO was way too low.

 

But a fiddle with the CO screw got the engine idling sweetly and the final result was good enough for a pass.

 

My mechanic friend turned up to have a look at the Sierra. He liked it. I told him that I am looking for a nearside rear tail light and, to my amazement, he said that he's pretty sure that he has one in his workshop. I went to see him after the test and it turns out that he had a nearside headlight. I don't need one but I gave him £20 and took it anyway.

 

Much happiness that the Sierra passed. I will be celebrating with Mrs Peter C tonight.

 

 

[Peter C]

Whilst the Sierra's interior is in remarkably good condition, the driver's seat squab had an annoying crease in the fabric.

The seat is very comfortable and the foam doesn't feel saggy. I suspect that the fabric has stretched over the years.

I removed the seat to enable a repair.

No coins under the seat. Oddly enough, not much filth either.

I dismantled the seat as much as necessary to get to the side of the squab foam.

My 14 year old son acquired these four pieces of foam with the intention of sound proofing his bedroom. Considering he has a double bedroom, I'm not sure what improvements would be gained by sticking a square foot of foam on a wall.

I cut two of the pieces of foam and stuffed them carefully along both sides of the squab. By making the squab a little wider, the material gets stretched.

The original metal clips that secured the fabric were a nightmare to remove. They went straight into the bin.

Instead, I re-fixed the fabric with good old fashioned cable ties.

And job done, with the seat re-assembled and the fabric stretched, the squab looks brand new.

I wanted to check the gearbox oil level. As previously mentioned, the gearchange, particularly from second to third, is a bit notchy.

As the gearbox filler plug is not accessible with the car on the ground, yet again I had to lift the Sierra. To make sure the gearbox (and therefore the oil inside) is level, I had to lift the front and back to the same height.

The Type 9 gearbox doesn't have a drain plug. Stupid.

Here is the filler plug.

Research on the internet suggests that the Type 9 gearbox has an appetite for 75W90 oil. Ah well, all I had in my workshop was a bottle of 80W90. I can't imagine it's very different.

When I removed the filler plug, nothing happened. However, as soon as I squirted some fresh oil into the gearbox, oil started running out and down the side of the gearbox housing. Evidently, the oil level was fine. I was rather hoping that the gearbox was low on oil and a top up would have sorted the gearchange issue.

Finally, I removed the smelly fuel lines. Nice and easy.

I have loosened but left the third bottom hose, which extends from the supply pipe to the fuel pump, as fuel started pouring out of the supply pipe. I've checked the hose, it's the same diameter as the other two.

I will buy the new hoses and clips tomorrow, which will hopefully sort out the smelly fuel issue.

 

[grogee]

20 minutes ago, Peter C said:

I was rather hoping that the gearbox was low on oil and a top up would have sorted the gearchange issue

You could try some Molyslip snake oil, I've used it a few times although there was nowt wrong with the boxes it went in anyway so I can't vouch for its fixing powers. 

The clips that hold the seat fabric on are called 'hog rings'. And are horrible. 

[Peter C]

2 minutes ago, grogee said:

You could try some Molyslip snake oil

Has crossed my mind but I have no way of draining enough oil from the gearbox to make room for an additive. 

[Dyslexic Viking]

25 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Has crossed my mind but I have no way of draining enough oil from the gearbox to make room for an additive. 

Oil change pump and pump it out?

My uncle drilled a hole in the bottom of the transmission on his Sierra and threaded it and made a drain plug. So that is possible if wanted to.

[lisbon_road]

For the gearbox additive, I'd just jack it up on one side so that you can get more in and pour it in.  I don't think gearbox oil levels are that critical - though thinking about it, you might be able to jack it up one way, get some out and then add the additive.  Not completely convinced by additives, so might be better to get one of those pump things and get as much out as possible and replace it.  That oil is probably original.

Aside: does this car know how lucky it is to have you as an owner?  So much patient fixing of issues, just very impressed.

[Wibble]

I’ve used washer tube and big syringe in the past. Love this car.

[Peter C]

I have a hand pump that might work.

Is it possible to add oil into the gearbox by removing the gear stick and pouring it through the shift mechanism?

[Peter C]

1 minute ago, Peter C said:

Is it possible to add oil into the gearbox by removing the gear stick and pouring it through the shift mechanism?

Just checked the internet, definitely not an option.

[Bren]

The molyslip will more than likely help due to the age and heritage of the box - not so modern boxes with their synthetic oils.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, Peter C said:

My 14 year old son acquired these four pieces of foam with the intention of sound proofing his bedroom.

I'm wondering if he's trying to keep sound in, or out? 😀

[Peter C]

I purchased new fuel hoses this morning.

My local-ish parts supplier only had these in stock. Apparently, they are E10 friendly.

The hoses were easy to cut to correct length and they went on nice and tight. I fitted new clips too. 

Hopefully problem solved.

The fuel gauge, which previously read between almost full to full or nothing at all, is starting to come back to life, although I'm not sure today's reading is correct. Either way, nice to see it back in action.

I looked more into the gearbox oil additives that we discussed yesterday. I didn't realise that they come in such small quantities. This is good news, as squeezing in a small tube of the stuff should be easy, with the nearside of the car lifted high enough for the oil inside the gearbox to move over to the right side and away from the filler plug, as per @lisbon_road 's suggestion.

I have ordered a tube of this stuff from ECP.

According to ECP's website, the product coats moving parts, making gear changes smoother, which is precisely what I am hoping to achieve.

Unfortunately, my E46 is now in my workshop and up in the air, supported on the only two axle stands and ramps that I have.

I'm not going to crawl under the Sierra with just a 20 year old Halfords hydraulic jack keeping it in the air, so I've also ordered a pair of £15 2 tonne axle stands from ECP, which will, no doubt, come in handy in the future.

If ECP don't fuck up the order, I will collect the bits later today and put the snake oil in the gearbox, however I won't get a chance to test drive the Sierra properly until Thursday. 

 

 

[lisbon_road]

Be interesting to see if that stuff helps the gearbox.  I'm currently teaching my daughter to drive in my Astra and it is a shade crunchy into second, so whilst I'm a bit sceptical, I might see how you get on.  On an Astra, there's no drain but there is a big plate on the bottom and I have previously changed the gearbox oil.

 

[Zelandeth]

What are the markings on that hose?  Looks like R6.  You're looking for an R9 suffix on the approval number to be fully ethanol safe.

Sadly I found that absolutely none of the motor factors I spoke to had any idea about the subject - varying from "That's absolutely fine" on hose that wasn't to claiming that ethanol proof hose simply didn't exist.  

That's why I just gave up trying to buy fuel hose in person anywhere, as I'd wasted a full day on it only to be offered either the wrong stuff and/or be told nonsense everywhere I went.

Printing on that looks identical to the crap they sell at Halfords as well.  I'd trust it long term about as far as I can throw it.  Last time I used that stuff it started disintegrating well within six months.  At least that's in an easy location to keep an eye on there though so it's not the worst issue.

I just really can't get my head around why there is still not fully ethanol safe hose even being sold anywhere given how long virtually all pump fuel in the UK has had ethanol content in it now.  Well I can, because it's cheaper.  That's really not an excuse though!

[lisbon_road]

6 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

What are the markings on that hose?  Looks like R6.  You're looking for an R9 suffix on the approval number to be fully ethanol safe.

Sadly I found that absolutely none of the motor factors I spoke to had any idea about the subject - varying from "That's absolutely fine" on hose that wasn't to claiming that ethanol proof hose simply didn't exist.  

That's why I just gave up trying to buy fuel hose in person anywhere, as I'd wasted a full day on it only to be offered either the wrong stuff and/or be told nonsense everywhere I went.

Printing on that looks identical to the crap they sell at Halfords as well.  I'd trust it long term about as far as I can throw it.  Last time I used that stuff it started disintegrating well within six months.  At least that's in an easy location to keep an eye on there though so it's not the worst issue.

I just really can't get my head around why there is still not fully ethanol safe hose even being sold anywhere given how long virtually all pump fuel in the UK has had ethanol content in it now.  Well I can, because it's cheaper.  That's really not an excuse though!

My local factor tried to sell me EPDM for fuel hose.  For anyone that doesn't know, EPDM is good for coolant hoses and no use for any mineral oils.  It is a minefield without a doubt, with no doubt plenty of counterfeit stuff for even when we've worked out what we want. 

[Peter C]

@Zelandeth

This is the text on the offcut.

It's a fuel hose but it's marked R6.

 

[Peter C]

@Zelandeth

According to the internet, R6 hoses are  Resistant to all modern fuels including petrol containing ethanol up to 15% (E15) and even E-85, but not for biodiesel

What's the problem bud?

[Peter C]

@Zelandeth

And a bit more: The R6/7/8 Standards represent the drive to cut vapour emissions on carburatted cars in the 1980s & 1990s, with the R9 Standard building on this to cater for the introduction of fuel injection and bio-enhanced fuels

 

[Conan]

Yeah, no, the issue is not with the SAE Rating. You cannot really judge how good a hose will be purely by that as it's just a rather not at all difficult to pass standardised test. I've had extremely good R6 and shit R7/8/9. With you being very attentive it won't be an issue.

It's not even the ethanol that's breaking down the really shit hose, usually just the engine heat is enough.

[Peter C]

Put some snake oil in the gearbox, they said, should be easy...

I got a 65ml tube of this stuff.

I jacked up the nearside of the Sierra and placed my brand new axle stands underneath to prevent death by squashing. 

The tube came with a nozzle and a length of rubber hose. I screwed the nozzle on and fixed the rubber hose on the end of the nozzle as tightly as possible.

I squished out all the contents and removed the tube and nozzle. But not the rubber hose.

The rubber hose must have got stuck on the inside of the gearbox casing and dropped off the end of the nozzle.

The rubber hose is this (not very) big:

Looking at the Haynes manual cutaway diagram, the gears and shafts are located directly beneath / alongside the filler plug.

I'm hoping that the rubber hose makes its way somewhere where it won't interfere with anything inside the gearbox. However, if it does, I expect pray that it will get chewed up pretty quickly and won't cause any issues.

As I sprayed parts of the underside with fresh underseal only a couple of hours ago, I don't want to take the Sierra for a drive now and we will all have to wait until Thursday to find out whether I've fucked up or got away with it.

Bugger. 

[Peter C]

Never mind the underseal, I wanted to know whether I’ve fucked the gearbox. I took the Sierra for a spin around the block and all seems well, all gears engage ok.

Whether the snake oil has made any difference remains to be seen.