Maxi 1750 WOD389S draughts and knocking sound

[stuboy]

looking good

[boobydoo]

Keep up the good work. I too love a nice Maxi....but you rarely see one at all these days even at cars shows. Interesting that a 16 year old lad thought it suitable transport back in 1990...I bet his mates took the piss.

[theorganist]

I am thinking now that this Maxi may only be suitable for spares!

 

I took it for a mot at the garage last week, well they did a pre-mot and found twenty problems, mostly minor ones so I was quite relieved. However they discovered there was not oil in it, I had put oil in it previously! They put two litres in and overnight it all leaked out onto the garage floor, this was without the running the engine. Apparently they have found a few other problems which the mechanic is going to speak to me about on Monday. The mechanic who works on the car is an Austin fan he has two Landcrabs and two AD016's so I do trust what he says and the garage have always been very interested in my old tat. They basically told me it was not worth doing the work on it

 

I think due to the scruffy non-original nature of the car that I may strip it for spares and buy another Maxi off e-bay and use the parts to keep another one on the road.

 

I do have a conscience issue though, the chap I got it from offered it to me for free as long as I did not scrap it, which I said I wouldn't. I did give him £100 for it in the end but that was still a steal as there are loads of spares with the car. I did promise him a drive in it when I got it on the road so now I feel rather guilty that I may not be able to fulfill his hopes for it, it was his first car. I do feel that I have "bitten off more than I can chew" with this one!

 

Plus I have somehow never managed to directly scrap a car in my twenty years of driving, and I have owned some shockers!!

[Craig the Princess]

I took it for a mot at the garage last week, well they did a pre-mot and found twenty problems, mostly minor ones so I was quite relieved. However they discovered there was not oil in it, I had put oil in it previously! They put two litres in and overnight it all leaked out onto the garage floor, this was without the running the engine. Apparently they have found a few other problems which the mechanic is going to speak to me about on Monday.

 

If there isn't loads of welding needed I'm sure an engine could be located to replace a bad one witchout spending too much. An FWD BL engine change isn't too bad either.

[John F]

Alternatively, you could have a go at finding the oil leak in the engine you have.

 

A cracked sump is a likely candidate, since it spilled all of its oil without the engine running.

[theorganist]

Will have a look when I get it back, I assume it is a cracked sump. Waiting to see what other problems they have found!

 

I believe there is an engine and box available to me in Devon, although I think it has been sitting around for twenty years!

[Albert Ross]

Sumps don't wear out with sittting. Get the Devon engine and sort it out.

[Craig the Princess]

Could it be the driveshaft seals? A very common leak spot, but that is a lot of oil to lose.

[purplebargeken]

Love the Maxi in black. Please don't give up on it. What was the list of problems? I am sure the Maxi OC could assist with whatever is required. Most BL cars of this era had electrical issues due to crappy connections and poor earths as mentioned previously. Servisol is a good product to use on 'lecky stuff.

 

Don't give up on it!!!! Please!!!

 

Ken

[Cavcraft]

[theorganist]

What was the list of problems?

 

Have not got the list to hand but that was not the problem as they are small problems, ball joints, tyres, dashboard not secure etc. It is the oil leak and whatever else the mechanic is going to tell me about on Monday. Maybe they will not turn out be major problems. When I know exactly what the problem is I will see about the spare engine!

[Craig the Princess]

[theorganist]

Don't give up on it!!!! Please!!!

 

I will do my best, just that resources are thin on the ground atm especially with the mot on the 14 due in a couple of months.

 

 

Thats very good!

 

Pete.

[purplebargeken]

Fingers crossed for you.

 

Ken

[Lankytim]

My allegro has just spanked its oil out a shaft seal randomly, bet its that

[theorganist]

My allegro has just spanked its oil out a shaft seal randomly, bet its that

 

Hopefully, seem strange loosing two litres without the engine even being turned over!

[Lankytim]

Sorry, my I tapped that last message out on the wife's mobile!

 

My Agg had been parked up for quite a while, save being moved about onto trailers and pushed around workshops being worked on then randomly pissed all of its oil out. When I removed the engine I found that the leak had been coming from one of the drive shaft seals (the engine fell over in the back of my trailer, and the rest of the oil from below the bottom of the drive shafts came out ).

 

I'd imagine a pair of drive shaft sealsshould do the trick, failing that it could be the gear selector seal thing. Both are pretty easy jobs I think, although a bit of spannerwork is needed splitting balljoints and removing driveshafts to do the seals. If you do find the sump has cracked or something I may have an engine kicking about you can use.All is not lost!

[theorganist]

Okay, many thanks Tim for the info.

 

I am not giving up on it yet!

 

Pete.

[theorganist]

Update this morning, not too bad it seems:

 

Tim was right it is a driveshaft seal that is leaking, apart from that the mechanic (Ade) didn't seem to think the car was too bad, says the bodywork is very good.

 

He did say it was very smokey although since he fitted the new exhaust it is not so bad!!

 

It has the wrong distributor fitted (from a Metro he reckons) it was running very badly he has improved it but I think I will need to change it.

 

I am going to try to tackle most of the (twenty) jobs on the MOT list myself as most are fairly simple!!

[Cavcraft]

Nice one, Pete. Hopefully there'll be a happy ending here.

[dollywobbler]

I know fitting a Metro dizzy to early A-Series motors is considered the done thing, because it does away with points. No idea whether that works if you put a Metro dizzy on a non-A-Series motor though! It would seem not - though has it got all the vacuum piping that the later distributors have? If it hasn't, no wonder it's running badly.

 

Glad the oil leak wasn't critical!

[theorganist]

I think the previous owner (who's father was a mechanic) was a bit of a bodger. One of the Hydrolastic displacers is upside down!! Lankytim had great fun crawling under the car to connect his pump when he came over to pump me up!! The series 1 HRW and Hazard switch panel has been removed and been replaced with a series 2 Hazard switch panel. Therefore my heated window doesn'st as I don't have a switch for it (yet)!!

 

Thanks to everyone for their advice and encouragement. I still plan to get the Maxi road legal by the end of July as that is when the 14 tax runs out (MOT in August), that will be sorn for a couple of months as it needs a bit of welding to the offside sill.

 

Pete.

[theorganist]

I thought I would post if anyone is interested the list of items needed for the mot and the status of them:

 

1) Battery insecure

 

Only because in the hurry to get it to the garage I forgot to put the clamp on

 

2) O/S Headlight Aim

 

Obviously a minor adjustment

 

3) Side and Headlamp Switch - FIXED

 

I did get these working many thanks to METROBI of this parish (he lives down the road) who came and helped me on a Sunday afternoon. It was very interesting meeting him and we had a long chat about cars and buses. However they had stopped working again by the time I took the car for the MOT! To save messing about trying to coax the switch into life again I bought a new one from the owners club. So that is the second job fixed. The switch looks strange as it is shiny black with clear white markings next to the rather grimy, dusty and faded atmosphere of the rest of the car. I had a doofus moment when I could not work out why the lights were on when they should have been off and vice-versa. Then I realised I had installed the swich upside down. In my defence the spades are arranged slightly differently on this new switch.

 

4) Indicators not working

 

Again Metrobi managed to get these working however they have given up the ghost again, probably a dirty switch although I have suspicions the flasher unit is not faulty.

 

5) Hazards not working

 

We could not get these to work at all, I found I had a spare switch and they still don't work. I have tried a couple of different flasher units and still no joy! I do have one question - I seem to have what looks like two flasher units one rectangular and one cylindrical, does anyone know why, the Haynes manual makes no reference to these.

 

6) Rear light faults

 

The indicator and stop light work together - I do have a spare rear light unit so will try that

 

7) Washers working in wrong direction

 

GR9 for showering pedestrians!!

 

Offside front tyre showing canvas

 

9) Offside rear tyre bulged and worn

 

10) Nearside steering rack bush worn

 

Will probably get a new rack

 

11) Offside front lower ball joint worn

 

12) Exhaust and mounting rubbers - MOSTLY FIXED/b]

 

New exhaust fitted by the garage (ex Craig the Princess) although it needs a couple of new mounts

 

13) Offside front brake hose leaking

 

14) Nearside rear wheel cylinder leaking

 

15) Front brake seized on (can't turn the wheel!!)

 

16) Offside rear brake binding

 

17) Brake pipe across flitch (bulkhead?) to nearside front wheel corroded

 

18) Corrision on offside top flitch

 

It is only a small hole so not serious

 

19) Offside suspension hose front to rear needs securing to body

 

20) Switch panel insecure on dash

 

This is where the series two hazard switch panel has been fitted. It is held on by one screw and swivels round. Quite useful and the moment as it is easier to extract the hazard warning switch

 

On the way home the speedo stopped working so that is number 21 to add to the list - I do have a spare instrument panel (well a whole dashboard) and I think I may even have a cable.

 

Also the offside driveshaft oil seal needs replacing and the alternator is from a different car.

 

The chap who mot'd it said it was solid car and Ade (the mechanic who owns the Landcrabs and ADO16's) described the bodywork as in good condition.

 

So not a total disaster, the steering rack is probably the worse failure item, the driveshaft oil seal is probably the most important as it is leaking like a sieve. Unfortunately there do not appear to be any on e-bay so will be on the phone to the owners club next week.

 

Ade has managed to make the car run better, it was idling at around 2,500 rpm before. Despite the seized brakes and lack of lights I enjoyed driving the car home, the engine sounds quite healthy.

 

I am planning to do as much myself as possible as I am slowly getting more confident, although I am leaving the brakes well alone as last time I tried to fix the brakes on a car it nearly turned into a complete disaster!!

 

Will try and keep you all up to date with progress, if anyone is still awake by this point and has not given up!! Not sure I will manage to match volksangyl progress on the Princess, he has been inspiring though.

 

People I would like to thank so far in particular order:

 

Lankytim for coming and pumping the suspension up

Metrobi for giving up a Sunday afternoon to get some of my electrics working

My friend Jamie for bleeding the brakes, his only car (it is also the family car) is a tatty white C reg Mercedes G Wagon of which he does all the work himself, he should be on here.

The autoshite community for their interest and encouragement, especially when I was thinking of giving up the other week.

 

Anyway going for a lie down now!

 

Pete.

[e287yba]

Well, that's not a disaster - it's mostly stuff you can sort yourself, being mechanical rather than bodywork repairs plus the bods at the garage are saying the bodywork is in good condition which is always reassuring...

 

With the electrics, I would say try the simple things like checking for 12v feeds and good earths as appropriate, before you start replacing stuff wholesale. I bet the faulty back lights (point 6), for example, will respond well to new bulbs and making sure the earths for all the bulbs are intact within the unit and on the earth connection to the car bodyshell.

 

And with regard to points 17 and 18, 'flitch' usually means the inner wing.

 

Good Luck . Let us know how it goes.

[theorganist]

Finally she/he has finally gone to the garage and should hopefully emerge in a few days with an MOT, the first it has had since 1997. I have accumulated the required bits and fitted and fixed the items within my capability. I had an interesting drive to the garage at twenty to seven this morning as the indicators are not currently working, the drivers side suspension has gone down again and one brake is stuck on!!

 

It is good timing as the Megane has just been condemned needing a subframe as well as other assorted bits of welding, a clutch, engine mount, drive shaft, suspected blown headgasket and various fluid leaks!

 

I can't believe it has took seven months from the last post to get this far and fourteen months since I aquired her! Hopefully more updates to follow!

 

Peter

[Wilko220]

Great news Peter - good luck!

 

Is it still matt black?

[theorganist]

Many thanks. Yes, it is still Matt Black (well most of it) it seems to be slowly coming off on its own accord!!

 

Someone suggested a couple of high pressure jet washes and most of it would come off, may try it, much quicker than sanding it down!!

 

Pete

[catsinthewelder]

Best of luck with it, look forward to seeing you out on the road

[theorganist]

Thanks, getting excited it has been months since I last drove a "old car", well old as in older than the Megane and not having things like Power Steering and Central Locking!

 

@Cats in the Welder: I play the organ once a month in a couple of villages vaguely in your direction (Stockton on Teme or Lindridge)!

 

Pete

[Lord Sterling]

Great news Pete! I was well pleased to see the 14 and Maxi in the metal. Hopefully it'll be on the road soon.