April 2004
I`m looking for diagram , details and explanation for the carburettor and all the associated parts for with the carburettor system fitted to a 1988 BMW 316.
I believe that it is a Solex 2BE.
My son is visiting for Easter and is having problems with intermittent lumpy acceleration and suspects that it might be an unidentified unit that seems to be an equivalent of an accelerator pump....but is having difficulty deciphering how it works. It appears to be electrically operated .
He possesses a Haynes manual but has left it at home 150 miles away from our house!
Any suggestions re website or advice most welcome.
Thanks Read more
Does it use the same cylinder head as the normilly aspirated diesel?
Where can I get an uprated head gasket (increased boost) Read more
A friend of mine bought an up-rated head gasket for his 405TD recently.
It is all metal, apart from the sealing beads, and is made by a company called Payne.
He got it from a company here in N.Ireland called 'Engine and Truck'.
I presume that it would be an identical gasket to the 306TD, and is available in differing thickness to account for head skiming.
Hope everyone is having a lovely Easter weekend. So far I have managed to avoid doing any work at all!
Back to the topic in hand... the Passat Driver bought me a bike today!! :)
It's lovely (pink!) and is very comfy with lots of suspension type gadgets and a gel saddle. I haven't ridden a bike since I was about 9, so the 21 gears are taking a bit of getting used to - I struggle to use 5 correctly in a car...and there's no reverse!!
Unfortunately my as yet un-named bike doesn't come with an airbag, but I do have a very fetching helmet and gloves.
I'll give you all fair warning when I'm feeling brave enough to ride it on the roads!
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Well, it is motoring in respect of one effect.
I feel so pleased that I can still put one or other pedal hard to the metal, rather than painfully try to twiddle two in a rotary fashion as I have not for about 60 years!
I have a 1990 mk2 golf 1.3 with about 61k on the clock. Had the fanbelt changed a few months ago but recently once the car has been driven for a few miles there is a whining sound coming from the engine which is noticeable at idle. Had a look under the bonnet and the sound is coming from where the fanbelt is. The sound is not there on starting the car up but after a few miles.
Does the fanbelt need tightening? Or is the tensioner on its way out? Why does it not whine on startup? Read more
I doubt a 1.3 would have power steering, I would think it would just be the water pump and alternator on the belt.
do as robert says and take the belt off and see if the noise goes (only for a short while as you'll have no water pump)
Drew
I have acquired a couple of good condition Continental tyres from the scrappy. They have 7mm of tread left and are 185/55 VR 15" size. One of them has a puncture repair patch in the middle of the tread (not the sidewall). The patch is round and approx 1.5 inches diameter. Is it ok to use this tyre or should I return them for replacement / refund? Read more
You pays your money and take your choice........
If these tyres have come from an accident damaged car - as I think they have - who knows what they've been through.
Still.....for £20 it's pretty tempting!!
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
Dear All,
Any tips for driving in New South Wales and Victoria?
Regards
Vercin Read more
Hi
SHMBO have been driving 3 types of Toyota: Corolla to Landcruiser via Baby Lexus. All indicators on right. For some reason (probably senility) we've been flicking the windscreen wipers on before changing lanes!
Doh.
Regards
Vercin
Does anybody know if I can replace a 1995 1000cc FIRE cylinder head with one from a 1988 model? What mods would be needed to accommodate it? And if so what new head bolts should I get - for the age of the block (95) or the head (88)?
Finally, the 95 car has a warning light on the instrument panel which is not in the book or the Haynes manual. It looks a bit like a petrol pump nosel with a spray coming out of it - it occasionally comes on whilst driving but does not seem to be a low fuel light?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give. Read more
"Porter" suggests that the split collets (the 2 semi-circular 'fixings') should remove when the valve spring is compressed sufficiently.
There is no mention of difficulty with this step, other than loosing the collets.
Further comments are:
keep valves in the correct order by placing them through (numbered) holes in a cardboard box... could be fun if you're mixing and matching.
if the valves don't slide out of their guides cleanly because of carbon build up or burring where the collets fit - it can -usually- be cleaned up with wet and dry. If you don't you may score the inside of the guide.
the valve seats in "unleaded" engines are so hard that valve grinding paste will not make much impression on them.
it can be tricky to re-fit the collets - dab of grease on the collet , and a screwdriver and "stick" it to the valve stem with the grease.
Valve clearances are shown as
0.3mm inlet
0.4mm exhaust
both plus or minus 0.05mm
Note this information is transcribed with best accuracy, and in good faith.
Regards
John H
A post by Cardew on small automatics, in which it's suggested that a £1,000 or so premium for an autobox is too steep, reminds me that the typical £1,000 or more for a leather interior is the same.
I once heard a guy who?d previously been a big-cheese in the motor industry say that the leather interior is a rip-off at the sort of money charged. He said go down to your local furniture supermarket and you'll see that leather sofas etc cost pretty much the same as those finished in fabric.
OK, it might cost the factory some more to match up a different interior with the intended bodyshell, but not that much. And anyway, they seem to manage it OK with paint.
So why do punters keep on paying over the top for leather? Is it because they are mainly company car drivers for whom the extra cost is not felt directly?
In fact the same ex-motor exec said that metallic paint cost less to process than non-metallic. I find that a tad hard to believe but maybe it?s so. And really, most of the options list ? like the £100 armrest ? is a rip-off, whereby option choosers subsidise their fellow buyers.
But if the market will bear it, why not? But then would the market be the same if people knew how much they were being fleeced?
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I've recently got my second car with leather upholstery - Honda Accord Exec. It looks lovely, and I think it's much better than cloth trim.
My first car with leather was an Austin A60 Cambridge. I bought this secondhand a few years after leaving university. The leather was blue and had certainly worn well. It was soft and comfortable.
Daughter is trading in her old Clio against a new one which she picks up at 9am tomorrow. While checking the documents that she will hand in she revealed that she has two V5s for her old Clio. Both are identical except for a)serial number at the top and various other ref numbers and b) the date of issue - one is dated a week after the other. Obviously some mistake at DVLA when she bought it (second hand in 2000). But does it matter and what do we do? Hand both in to the dealer? Hand one in and send of the red bit with the second copy? Rip one up and chuck away (not likely I feel since she would still be the owner of "ghost car?)
She says she told me at the time and I said "don't worry about it" but I have no recollection (that is happening more and more frequently!!)
Advice please - and thanks in advance
Phil Read more
I would suggest the contrary - the replacement was issued as the original was deemed to have been lost. Use the later one.
My '95 Mondeo TD suffers from a vibration around 65mph in 5th.
I think this is something to do with engine mounts, but would appreciate any advice.
Russ Read more
Could be wrong but would be inclined to check out drive shafts. Under power could be out of balance foot off accelerator not under as much torque so balance out.
Another case of BMW re-inventing the wheel. Instead of the traditional mechanical pump giving a simple squirt as you stamp on the accelerator pedal the 'boffins' decided to fit a complex electronic gizmo that actually electrically snaps the cold start choke flap shut to enrich the mixture under acceleration, crazy.
Check the elctrical connections, that there are no air leaks under the carb and all the vacuum lines are intact. The symptoms you describe could equally be of an ignition nature so basic checks there should be done. Personally I'd fit a Weber replacement with manual choke if available but I feel it will probably cost more than the car is worth.
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!!