Consolidated fleet thread - nothing to report at the moment

[dozeydustman]

Rather than run 4 separate threads for the family's various automotive gems, I've decided it's now time to consolidate stuff. Aside the from the 205, none are really project cars just daily porridge.

If you want to see the history of each car, then here are the links:

SAAB 93 the second - https://autoshite.com/topic/31181-saab-93-the-second-auspuff/

Citroen C2 the second - https://autoshite.com/topic/45862-dustman’s-smoll-french-fancy-vol-2-i’ve-been-knobbing/

Kia Rio - https://autoshite.com/topic/53006-the-child’s-kia-riken-tyres-seem-okay/

Peugeot 205 - https://autoshite.com/topic/58445-journey-deux-cent-cinq-en-retour/

 

 

[dozeydustman]

Jobs on each car to complete.

SAAB

• Renew front discs and pads
• Renew rear discs and pads
• fit new sliders to front callipers
• Find out why radiator fan has packed up.
• Investigate intermittent operation of Driver's door window.
• Find suspension knock.

C2

• Cambelt, water pump and coolant change
• Change clutch
• find source of electrical gremlin plaguing O/S/R light cluster - Done

KIA RIO

• free off and replace both outer track rods.
• Check wheel alignment

PEUGEOT 205

• Full service
• change front wheel bearing - Done (almost as of 26/6)
• change CV boots - it looks like just outside left needs doing, I may get a garage to do this as I hate doing CV boots.
• locate a better phase 1 interior, mostly the dashboard surrounding the instrument binnacle and glove box.

[dozeydustman]

Last night I looked through the paperwork which came with the Peugeot. Until 1998 it was serviced by the dealer which sold it new, Bridge Motors (Bocking) near Braintree, Essex. I don't have the original receipts but the book is stamped with their name up to 60,000 miles, which is about the mileage it had covered by then. Sadly Bridge Motors closed up in 2018, I'd have loved to have taken the car there and let them know 37 years on the car they sold new is still going with low miles.

Then there's a gap. I found a receipt for a service at an independent in North Essex for 2010/11 (it's hastily written), and it had only hit 91k by this time, and then there are annual receipts for an MoT and service and repairs up to the current day.

My guesses, being I'm keeper number 12 this was used by the original owner until 2000 ish, then was a second car for a good number of keepers, given that between 2006 and the current day it's covered just under 30k miles

I'll edit this later with some photos.

[dozeydustman]

My bearing winder-outer has arrived so hopefully, between other house jobs, I can do that this week.

I must also order a clutch for the C2, it’s now started to slip.

[dozeydustman]

I had a run up to my folks today, the exhaust didn't fall off the Saab which was good, and the new system appears to have improved the fuel economy. Beforehand I was struggling to break 52mpg on the journey to Kent and back, I averaged an indicated 54.1 which is an improvement.

I've also been using Esso for the last few months as opposed to supermarket fuel as it's the nearest station, there's no difference in price per litre and I have found there is less smoke and fewer DPF regens, so I can only assume this to be a good thing.

[High Jetter]

Liked for the exhaust retention.

[dozeydustman]

I noticed the headlamp aim on the driver’s headlamp on the 205 was dreadful, so I went about looking at why.

The clip hooks being bent flat against the mounting flange might have had something to do with it. Bulb was, in my late grandfather’s words, slopping around like a turd in a piss-pot.

A pair of pliers and we have a fix. Free fixes are the best.

Bulb is secure, so I reinstalled its rubber gaiter and reconnected the plug. And it works. Pattern looks ok but I may go and get it checked on a beamsetter.

[dozeydustman]

The 205 has started making a knock from the O/S/F suspension. Given the steering feels a little stiff either a ball joint or strut top is failing. It sounds like the latter as it's not a metallic noise. I will be giving this a service next week and if I can find my circlip pliers I'll change the bearing at the same time. 

[dozeydustman]

The source of the C2’s electrical gremlin may be found. Used it last week and took the spare key. Just a key on its own, no fobs or other danglies. Put it in and no error messages at all. We went out in it later and used the wife’s bunch of keys and error messages aplenty. Took all the fobs, surplus keys and tat from the main keyring to leave car, front door and her dad’s front door and no more error messages!

I looked online and apparently some ignition barrels get sensitive to heavy bunches of keys, so again this looks like a free fix!

[dozeydustman]

Today I set about giving the 205 a service as it’s booked in to have the mixture checked on Friday.

First air filter.

Okay….

New one whacked it and the airbox done up.

Next the plugs.

Yeah that’s running rich.  Howevere they are the correct NGKs.

Next I noticed the spin-off negative terminal was loose. Freed off the big wing nut and crimped the spindly onto the battery terminal as best I could with a totally* suitable* pair of pump pliers.

It’s not perfect but it’s no longer loose. I seem to remember there should be a second part which squeezes the 'jaws' into the battery post.

Put up on ramps ready to drop the oil and I discover the sump drain key from my previous 205 is too large at a square 8mm. All my previous suitcase engined cars have used this key, as did the 505 we had years ago. This plug looks 7mm or possibly even 6mm, also 3/8th socket driver is too wide and 1/4” is too small. I may yet grind the key down a touch with a flap wheel so it fits. But I’m hungry and need food + cuppa.

[dozeydustman]

I decided that I would tackle the grumbly wheel bearing today.

Hub came out easily enough but had the inner race attached to it, I should be able to get that off easily enough, even if I have to cut it.

To get the hub carrier off I needed to remove the entire strut. 37 years in place nothing wanted to play ball, thank goodness for plusgas and ugga-dugga gun.

When I managed to get the hub out, the circlip was firmly rusted into place. 

Turned it over and all the bearings fell out!

Judicial use of a punch and eventually it pinged out.

Trouble is I’m now left with a seized in place outer race, and my bearing extractor can’t move it. Also the best part of an hour trying to drift it out had no success, so have left it at that for today.

There are a number of engineering firms locally, I’ll see of one of them fancies trying to press it out for a few beer tokens, else I’ll be ordering a new one from Germany for ££££

 

[dozeydustman]

Found a new hub carrier on eBay for around £40 delivered from Europe. Ordered it but I’ll still see if a garage can press out the old outer race, otherwise I’ll have to cancel the carb tweak booking for the morning. 

[dozeydustman]

My hub carrier order got cancelled so I took this to the garage where it is booked for a carb tune tomorrow.

nearly 5 tonnes pressure before the old shell gave way. The guys there were appreciative for a little toward their tea fund and a case of beer to share with the footy this afternoon.

[fatharris]

This motor is in good hands now, was the 205 really running without an air filter?

 

[dozeydustman]

23 minutes ago, fatharris said:

This motor is in good hands now, was the 205 really running without an air filter?

 

I’m afraid so!

[dozeydustman]

Managed to cut the old inner race off without causing too much damage to the hub.

And I’ve spent the last hour or so rebuilding this twat.

I really should have bunged the garage an extra few quid to press it in. The roadside face of these carriers isn’t parallel to the road surface, it angles out a bit. Getting the bearing sleeve kit to centre properly was a ballache, and the roller bearing which you drive down on didn’t last a few turns so I mangled a few washers in the process, even using hand tools. I had to gently drive the bearing in with a hammer and one of the plates from the kit to get it started square.

[dozeydustman]

Going to stop for a spot of lunch and then reassemble the front driver’s side of the car.

[dozeydustman]

I’ve wrestled for an hour trying to get the bottom ball joint in the hub carrier. Calling it a day at that. Strut is in with the hub carrier attached, driveshaft stub is in and hubnut on loosely. I just cannot make the lower arm drop enough to get the taper in!

Got to pick the Mrs up now so I’ll try and complete this tomorrow. I may need some skilful use of bottle/trolley jack to push the strut up….

[dozeydustman]

I’m absolutely at my wit’s end trying to get this bottom ball joint back in. I’ve managed to mangle the dust cover, and The nut holding the lower arm to the anti roll bar is jammed on, so I can’t even follow the method in the HBOL. 
 

I have a feeling I’ll be dismantling everything again shortly.

[Mr Pastry]

19 hours ago, dozeydustman said:

I just cannot make the lower arm drop enough to get the taper in!

Not teaching you to suck eggs, but have you got both sides jacked up?  If so, the opposite side suspension should drop, and the ARB will pull the lower arm down. 

[dozeydustman]

22 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Not teaching you to suck eggs, but have you got both sides jacked up?  If so, the opposite side suspension should drop, and the ARB will pull the lower arm down. 

Good point well made. No the N/S is on the deck. Rather than tempt fate I’ll install the new dust cover for the balljoint before I try again, they won’t be here til this afternoon at the earliest so I will mow the lawn while I wait.
 

It did come apart that way without too much of a struggle and I have done suspension work just one side at a time with the other wheel on the deck with no trouble getting things back in the past. 

 

[dozeydustman]

New dust boot is on. Getting the retaining rings back into place was a real faff with my huge sausage fingers.

However it doesn’t matter in which configuration I put things back together I cannot get it all assembled as one unit, the bottom joint pin circumnavigates the hole it’s supposed to go in but no amount of whatever will get it back. Hub on the strut or off, I still cannot get the bottom arm low enough to engage.

I’ve got the other side off the deck and both suspension arms are now at the bottom of their travel. The ARB nut won’t undo fully, so I can’t get the bottom arm off no matter what I do. Being an 18mm across-flats nut I don’t have an impact socket for the ugga-dugga machine. I just ordered a set a coil spring compressors from Screwfix, hopefully relieving some of the spring pressure will allow for a bit more room to manoeuvre and get things lined up. I need to do the front springs on the Kia at some point so I’m not getting them just for this job, plus I may need to change the top mounts on this at some point.

I seem to remember this being an utter ballache when I had to do a similar job on my XS 20 something years ago.

[dozeydustman]

Can’t find the keys to the Saab. Wife has taken them to work with her. Madam is out so I’m effectively stuck and can’t get the tools I need 🙁

[dozeydustman]

While waiting for someone to return home so I can use an car I disconnected the other end of the lower arm. I can get the balljoint a tad lower but not low enough, and the other end fouls against the driveshaft. Still no joy in getting the ARB nut on the lower arm to unwind any further, and being an M11 thread I can’t split it off and wind on a new one, as not a common size and there are no old fashioned ironmongers around any more who would stock such a thing, so would be mail order only and more delays. Could recut down to M10 but that would entail even more ballache.

 

[dozeydustman]

The current hot spell means I need to sort the A/C out on both the Saab and the Kia. I think the latter just needs a re-gas m8, but the Saab is a little more complicated. EML came on after being in heavy traffic and this is related to no radiator fans working according to my £5 TEMU code reader. Would explain the lack of A/C as it won't be able to cool the refrigerant. 

Had a look on SaabWIS online and found the wiring diagramme, so much better than the 'typical' example in the HBOL. I checked the fuses and they are good, and neither fan is seized, so next job is to trace the wires and check the connections throughout. Hopefully just a relay

Also I picked up my spring compressors so as I'm not in work tomorrow I'll get the 205 finished (I hope!), tidy the garage and shed and start looking over the Saab's wiring.

[dozeydustman]

Update. Bottom pin is in at last. A little spring compression and fannying around with various mounting points, plus the assistance of a long lever got it in.

However in trying to put the track rod end back in the thread has a collapse on it. Also the TRE is seized into the inner.  I can get a whole new inner and outer track rod + bellows for around 40 quid, but Imve had another expensive month and don’t have much spare cash (I get paid mid-month, which has both advantages and disadvantages.

I did try running my M10 die over the taper thread but it jammed and the ball joint just spun round. Popping over to a friend’s as he has a threading file and a thread recutter I can borrow, hoping this will be enough just the get the nut back on.

[dozeydustman]

Update the second. Popped over to my mate's place, forgot phone otherwise I'd have taken a photo of his delightfully shonky A40 pickup. Borrowed some thread files and 2 pairs of Stillsons just in case TRE was seized. It was this morning but regular sprays of plusgas must have helped, as with a 16mm open spanner once I found the hex on the inner tie rod, and a stillson on the balljoint it cracked off with an almighty bang and now it's off.

[dozeydustman]

TRE below.

I can’t see damage to the thread which would stop a nut going on it, I tried the nyloc which came off it, and various odd nuts and new nuts from a Lidl selection box but no dice. So a new one has been ordered from GSF for an impressive £4.44 and I’ll be getting it in the morning. Meanwhile I’m going to put the disc and calliper back on and see if I can drain the engine oil - I must have lost a good litre from when the driveshaft came out, plus it’s old and dirty and stinks of petrol.

But I’m hot, sweaty and smelly so I may just have a shower instead!

[dozeydustman]

I had a cool shower and a snooze instead of messing about further. It was too hot. Luckily It should be done and dusted in a couple of hours tomorrow.

[dozeydustman]

And we are done and torqued up.

I don’t have a torque wrench which goes up to 250Nm but my ugga dugga does 200 on top setting, so I did that plus eighth of a turn with a breaker bar. Waiting for oil level to settle to see how much is needed to bring back to dipstick.