Consolidated fleet thread - End of year update

[dozeydustman]

Sod waiting for oil to find a level. I grazed the sides of the sump plug square thing with the angle grinder.

Which meant this:

then this:

Some swarf on the drain plug, but not worrying amounts. Every suitcase engined car I’ve owned has some small amount of swarf on the sump plug, possible due to gearbox-in-sump design.

Oil filter was properly tight. New on on right. Different sizes but the thread matches and as shown below it fits.

The disadvantage of this engine is you can’t prime the filter with a glug of oil, so I disconnected the coil and turned the engine over for a few seconds. Not having a working oil pressure light is a bummer.

Coil reconnected and we have lift off. Sorry for potato cam, I had a smear of muck over the lens.

 

[dozeydustman]

There’s still bearing rumble. Great.  Decided video would describe things. I’m such a natural* presenter.

 

[dozeydustman]

Another quick drive after checking various torques and unfortunately it’s the bearing I changed. I’m for the minute hoping I just don’t have the hub torqued up enough. I need a torque wrench which goes over 150lb ft. I’ll even up the track rod ends as well.

The bearing was a make I’ve not heard of, and with a couple of decent branded bearings only being around a tenner I may just order another, but this time I’ll use a proper press. I really wasn’t that impressed with the bearing extractor and fitting kit. I’ll order a new hub as well.

[dozeydustman]

Ordered a window switch and another bearing for the Peugeot. Cheaper to get the switch from a breaker in Ireland and posted here than from a UK breaker.

[dozeydustman]

The hub I ordered for the 205 3 weeks ago arrived today. The clutch on the C2 is in dire need of changing now so that will be the next thing to do. I'm hoping just a day or so's work (hashtag foreshadowing).

[dozeydustman]

Having looked up how to do the clutch on the C2, and given we’re also playing cam-belt roulette, it may be easier to send this to a garage. I have the parts and gearbox oil, need to order coolant though. Because of this I took the wife to work in the Saab which decided screenwash is now an option. The reservoir has wash in it, the rear one works but no squirty-squirty at the front. Popped my head under the wheelarch and all connections are good so I’m hoping the pump has failed.

This morning a proper tap-type battery terminal arrived for the 205.

The one on the car was missing its cup. Swapped over and we have a secure negative connection. Next I was greeted by this:

No nails in it, but it’s badly perished, dated 2009. Managed to get the spare out and that’s dated 2006 but hold air at least.

With now at least 3 tyres in dire need of replacement I’ll order 4 when I get paid. Incidentally the bearing rumble was quieter with the spare on. May just be tyre noise..

I also ball-parked the tracking using a ruler from a given reference and the rearmost mid-point of each front tyre. There was 1.2cm difference with the driver’s side toeing out. The difference is about 1mm now and the steering is much straighter but still not perfect.

 

[dozeydustman]

I've been over the wiring faults in the Saab. Changing the window switch hasn't fixed it, there's no voltage going to the switch pack for driver's window. I've poked around the engine bay and wiring loom looking at the fan faults. All wiring has continuity so it's a component somewhere for the fans. The squirt squirt for the windscreen also has continuity so it's either the pump or the switch.

Given I also get random faults show up on the SID I think the ECU might be shot. I need a tech 2 to really look at it.

Given that I need to change the suspension arms, brakes and a few other things it might be time to get rid.

[dozeydustman]

Viewing another car this evening.

[dozeydustman]

Went to view another Saab 93 wagon. It's in better nick and slightly higher spec than this one but it's had some Barrying including twin-exit fart cannons and cone air filter. I'm a bit concerned about the modifications as it's another diesel. Thankfully local and not much time wasted.

[dozeydustman]

 Viewing a car on Wednesday with my dad. Won’t be a collection caper as seller will be putting a new clutch and fresh MoT on it, but hopefully it’s worth a trip to Planet Thanet.

[dozeydustman]

Given most of what we had planned to view as a replacement for the Saab has either been sold before we got there or been an utter dog for £lots we’ve decided to keep the Swede and sell the C2. Whether or not I do the clutch or we farm it out is another thing. It’s within my capabilities but time is precious.

Today I treated the 205 to new tyres and tracking.

Kumho Ecowings at ~£55 a corner. It seems a lot happier on new rubber, with 4/5 of the old tyres either perished or starting to go that way it’s not before time. Steering is lighter but more positive feeling. I could have gone cheaper but why save £20 overall for some make I’ve never heard of, gets generally bad reviews over a reasonably decent mid-range brand. I wanted Uniroyals but had a lot of trouble getting them at what I could afford at the time.

[dozeydustman]

Having a couple of spare hours at work I had a poke around the Peugeot’s paperwork and started to organise the loose receipts.

I may have gone a bit OTT, but those sleeves were just going to be binned.

It would appear the car was taken off the road in either 2013 or 2014 and not used again until its next MoT in 2019, having covered only around 1500 miles during the gap.

The garage which adjusted the mixture I think have leaned it off too much. It was on 4% CO when they measured it and wound it down to 0.5% but that is too lean as it was pinking a touch this morning and the hot idle is a bit chuntery. Looking on Autodata it should be around 1.5% CO +/- 0.5% so I’ll unwind the mix screw a tad later. Once I have a timing light I’ll check that it’s correct, maybe retard it a touch for 95 octane. 86-onward suitcase engines are suitable for unleaded according to all resources I have found, but the exhaust valve clearance should be a little looser at 0.35mm instead of the usual 0.25. Again it’s not tappy so I’ll leave this until next oil change.

[dozeydustman]

This afternoon I gave the mix on the 205 a tweak, making it a little richer until the uneven idle became smooth. The idle speed seemed a little low so I knocked that up a notch also.

On the test drive the car pulled much better and didn’t pink, so I’m calling that a win.

[dozeydustman]

I popped over to @Stanky this lunchtime to a) see if we could get Delphi working on my laptop and b) see what codes were on the Saab given its recent electrical problems.

These are what showed up. Despite having continuity when I disconnected the ECU to test the wires to the fan relay, when it’s connected there is no circuit. I have no idea what control it’s looking for so I’ll have to have a search on Autodata shortly.

The parking lights have also gone open circuit so I think there are a couple more breaks I need to find. Unless the LED strips have packed up.

Stanky managed to get Delphi running on my gifted laptop and has loaned me his USB to OBD cable until I can get one. Thank you for your help today!

[dozeydustman]

I’ve removed the front hub carrier of the 205 (again!) and have passed it to the tame ex-fitter at work, he’s going to press the old one out and the new one in for £beer. No photos taken as they’re a repeat of earlier in this thread, although I have at last managed to get the track control arm off the anti-roll bar after a good soak with penetrating fluid and cleaning the threads again with a wire brush. I’ll clean them again and apply the tiniest smear of grease as it does look like for the MoT I’ll need new bottom arms both sides. The rubber bushes around the ARB are in very poor order.

This afternoon I was playing with my diagnostic laptop. I did install Lexia on there but it doesn’t recognise the VCI. So I plugged in the VCI I borrowed from @Stanky and ran Delphi. The mystery random electrical faults are more than likely caused by code P1676, which is something to do with alternator control. I can get a recon alternator for around £50, given I’ll be doing the timing belt when the clutch has been changed it’s probably worth it to maximise the resale value of the car, it’s still worth roughly what we paid for it, and the wife has done less than 6000 miles in 18 months we’ve had it.

I think the failure of the sidelights on the Saab is caused by a bad earth as they were working again this morning and by the afternoon had stopped. I’ll investigate this next week as next few days we have a lot on.

[Stanky]

Did Delphi talk to the C2 OK? Did it give you as much info as on the Saab, or was it a more limited set of diagnostics?

The alternator refurb bloke I have used in the past has shut up shop, which is a shame but understandable. He was a bit of a grump, but did good work in my experience. An exchange one for £50 is probably about the same price as he'd have charged for the work to renovate your existing one.

Did you have any luck getting Fan #2 to play nicely on the Saab or not had a chance yet?

[dozeydustman]

1 hour ago, Stanky said:

Did Delphi talk to the C2 OK? Did it give you as much info as on the Saab, or was it a more limited set of diagnostics?

The alternator refurb bloke I have used in the past has shut up shop, which is a shame but understandable. He was a bit of a grump, but did good work in my experience. An exchange one for £50 is probably about the same price as he'd have charged for the work to renovate your existing one.

Did you have any luck getting Fan #2 to play nicely on the Saab or not had a chance yet?

It did talk to it but it kept thinking it was a 1.4 and not a 1.1, the options I had were 1.4 or all engines, so I selected ‘all engines’ but still thinks it’s a 1.4! Managed to clear some historic codes with it. The Lexia VCI doesn’t work with Delphi, I can’t get it to work with Lexia but it may need a separate driver. I didn’t have a full explore.

Haven’t looked at the Saab yet, I want to get its mechanical maladies done first, which I can’t do until the bearing is back on the Peugeot, having only 1 working car between me and the wife is a bind, although with her currently having lurgy she’s not going anywhere at the moment. I also have a couple of small MoT jobs on the Kia, which involve siezed track rod ends and changing springs, neither of which I am looking forward to!

I’ll be ordering a VCI on Friday so I can pop yours back once it arrives. 

Still in 2 minds about doing this clutch myself or getting a garage to do it. £300 if the garage does it labour only as I have the oil and new clutch kit already.

[dozeydustman]

On Friday I collected this from the tame ex-fitter who pressed in the new FAG bearing. He said the old one just disintegrated.

Seeing as it had only been in for less than 100 miles wasn’t good. There is still bearing drone but I think this may be either the other side or a rear one now. Turning the roadwheels on the car there is no grumbling so I’ll probably just change the other three corners when time and money permits.

The C2 is booked in for a clutch change, then I’ll do the timing belt before offering it for sale.

[dozeydustman]

Clutch was done on the Citroen on Wednesday, so next job before sale is to do the cam belt, after which I can do the MoT jobs on the Kia and the Saab.

If anyone fancies the C2 let me know before I risk Facebook etc

[dozeydustman]

The C2's light faults on the display were coming back in anger over the weekend, so wife took the Saab to work and I had a look. I noticed all the offside rear lights were much dimmer than the nearside. Took the unit out, noticing the retaining nut was loose, so that's a potential dodgy earth. 

The bulb-board revealed more. The bulbs were all in but sloppy. Diligent use of a screwdriver to prise the bulb holders a bit narrower has resulted in a bulb which is now nicely gripped. Unit back in and the retaining nut now nipped up to sufficient, we have full brightness restored.

Next job cam belt then sell it.

[dozeydustman]

Having moaned earlier on grumpy thread I couldn’t get the jack under the Citroen a neighbour of mine has a C3. The jack is identical as to what should be included with a C2 so the car is now on stands.

Gotta nip out for a T50 key as the last engine mount bolt is in too narrow a space for my 3/8th Torx set.

The belt is not in the best of health so I’m glad to have started this job now. I have seen worse on cars but as we intend to sell the C2 once this job is done it’s all adding value. There is no history of this car having had a belt done so I’m banking on this being the 2006 fitment from new!

[dozeydustman]

At the point of no return now.

I do think this may have had a belt in the past as the tensioner hex hole was mangled, however I think only the belt was done as the pump is dated 2006, same age as the car (see below)

The is a little play in the spindle so it’s a good job I have a pump, tensioner and belt ready to go on. Just waiting for the last of the coolant to drain out and then I’ll refit stuff.

[dozeydustman]

Boll-ox

[SiC]

5 minutes ago, dozeydustman said:

Boll-ox

Is it stuck in there or just the top sheered off and it's now loose?

[dozeydustman]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

Is it stuck in there or just the top sheered off and it's now loose?

Top sheared off. Thankfully ⬇️

[dozeydustman]

Had a rummage through my various M6 bolts and found something suitable. My 3/8” torque wrench is very out of calibration - I sent it to 10nM on a test piece and my 1/2” clicked at 30nM.

Meanwhile…

I turned it over by hand 5 rotations on some marks I had made and they stayed where they should be so I bit the bullet and cranked it over. It runs.

Just the ancillaries to bolt back on then job jobbed. I can then have a shower, some dinner and get it valeted for sale.

[Christine]

I'm in Chichester  tomorrow . If you conk out , call me!  

[dozeydustman]

1 hour ago, Christine said:

I'm in Chichester  tomorrow . If you conk out , call me!  

Will do Noel. Though the wife is taking the Saab to work and I’ll be taking the Peugeot as I want to check everything over as on the test drive there was a bit of belt screech, hopefully just the alternator belt!

[dozeydustman]

We hadn’t realised until this morning the Kia ran out of MoT yesterday, and not booked in until Tuesday 1st.

I had an examination of things.

Thankfully TRE and not the strut top, bottom ball joint or wheel bearing. I don’t know where madam has been driving it but for a taper to break with the nut & split pin retaining it must had taken some doing.

After a lot of heat, plusgas, swearing, plusgas and more heat, I finally got the seized TRE off.

I’ve wire brushed the threads clean and applied some anti-seize. Other side is now waiting for the plusgas to seep in and I’ll do that. I can then straighten up the slightly wayward steering this car has had since we got it. With grandchild cooking nicely this car has got to be bob-on.

Moar progress to come after lunch and a mug of tea.

[dozeydustman]

The passenger side put up much less of a fight, only requiring a good soak with PlusGas. Whipped that off easily, taper took a bit of a good whack to break but it went.

Again I cleaned up the threads as best I could and applied anti-seize before fitting the TRE. One thing of concern on this side is a lot of what appears to be CV grease. Both boots are smothered in it, and wiping them down doesn’t reveal any tears so they must have pinholes. Whether these will pass or fail I can’t say, hopefully the worst will be an advisory for poor condition.

Both TREs were wound on the same number of turns with the steering wheel centred. By eye, the front wheels look straight, bearing in mind beforehand the N/S was visibly toeing out. A quick drive around the loop my cul-de-sac is on reveals a tiny pull right, which is much better than the heavy pull to the left prior to that, though when madam last checked her tyre pressures is an unknown. Also fitted a new passenger side wiper.