October 2004
Due to the weather the Peugeot 205 cabriolet has just been taken off the road for the winter - I feel I ought to try and rustproof it with waxoyl or similar. Does anyone know where I can buy blanking caps, and is there a source of information for where to drill holes to get the wax into the right cavities? I saw a website with data sheets some time ago but can't find it again.
Many Thanks
Hugh Read more
Interested to find out informations i.e. specifications and driveability from someone who drives one as company car or private use.
Anyone able to give opinion on this car? Read more
I got my car back from the body shop on Thursday after having a new door fitted and sprayed in metallic paint, and i presume a coating of laquer on top. Will the respray be hard enough for me to wash the car now, if not how long should I wait.
Thanks Read more
Thanks to both of you
Alan
I've just changed the headgasket on my Megane ('98 1.6 8v K7M engine). The job wasn't too problematic, and I spotted the headgasket problem very early, so I expected no knock-on problems with it. However, since I've started to run the engine since the repair the engine is sounding a little noisier than before. Sounds like some extra tapping sounds in time with the engine revs. I'm not sure whether it is just me being paranoid or there is something not quite right. Any ideas what is might be, baring in mind what has been done to the engine?
I also think there's a whiff of petrol coming from the engine, which I'm pretty sure I didn't notice before. There doesn't appear to be any weeping from the fuel rail, as I did have that off. So I'm not sure where that is coming from either.
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I was pretty careful do to that. In fact some of the exhaust valves were a little overtight, so needing opening up a tad.
Indeed, I think this device is not of great benefit.
The multi-million pound investment made by universities and motor companies in test equipment, in testing, in employing people with planet sized brains, in developing computational fluid dynamics, computerised combustion models, not to mention the huge efforts taken to optimise engine control strategies in software is clearly all wasted.
They should stick some pellets in the tank, a windmill device in the intake, and a resistor in series!
I know that manufacturers don't always get things perfectly right - but that doesn't mean they are incompetent - far from it!
number_cruncher
Just been chatting to a pregnant, distant cousin who recently had someone drive into her car, trapping her in it for half an hour.
She's got a couple of broken ribs but thankfully the baby appears to be fine. Now here's the real scary thing.
The car didn't have an air bag. She was told by the doctors that if it had, it may well have killed the baby.
I'm absolutely shocked by this, but when you think about it, it makes sense. You would deactivate a passenger side airbag if a baby was in its line of fire because of the obvious danger, and you wouldn't sit an infant on your lap in its explosion zone either.
Does anyone have an idea of the best way round this, or if it really is the risk that it appears.
--
Lee
MINI adventure in progress Read more
PoloGirl - thanks for the angle, you perhaps hit the nail on the head in that I've never had occasion to think about this too hard.
I've always thought I was up on the things to worry about in a car but this totally, totally escaped me.
--
Lee
MINI adventure in progress
Daily Telegraph, 1 October
"Speeding is not the main factor in more than 80 per cent of fatal and serious accidents, according to DoT research . . . 'loss of control of vehicle' was the key element in 43 percent of accidents, the highest single cause . . . Excessive speed was involved in two fifths of loss-of-control accidents, suggesting that it could have been the prime reason in no more than 18 per cent all all crashes causing death and serious injury.
The research called into question the dominance of anti-speed measures such as cameras and road humps in recent road safety policy.
The study was published as the Government released figures showing that, despite the investment in cameras, road deaths rose by two per cent last year to 3,508, the highest level for six years."
Now there's a surprise, not. Read more
Ah. Didn't check the speed-camera thread because this item is not
speed-camera specific.
However, the majority of the discussion was regarding cameras, which is why it got plonked there.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=24...2
My astra a 94 model 1.4 the problem i had is just recently when i was negotiating the rounabout the engine cut out.
the ignition lights and oil light lit up, after a few churns of the key the car started, my question is wat caused it>
This has happend b4 but i thought it was a one off
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Hi sajid
Does it cut out when you take your foot off the throttle while still in gear, or only whne you dip the clutch while your foot is off thrrottle? Take it you've cxhecked the obvious, loose HT leads for instance? Make sure they're not just being held in place on the dizi cap or coil by the waterproof rubber grommets.
From the Car-by-car Breakdown:
"September 2004: Worldwide recall of 500,000 S60s, V70s, XC70s and S80s built 1999 - 2001 because radiator fan could overheat and start and engine compartment fire."
Anybody got any more info on this? Read more
Don't know anything about the recall, but a few weeks ago there was an article in Auto Express about a couple who had a Volvo Convertible that "set itself on fire" while parked outside their house.
Coincidence?
thought I would share my experience I\'ve just had, changing a corsa 1200cc r reg 8 valve timing belt. A simple job, a job Ive done hundreds of times before. When I got the job stripped found the water pump weeping, so got a pump and a tensioner, the pump was a Veco pump and the belt a deyco along with a Quinton Hazel tensioner. Fitted all parts but when I came to tension the belt via the eccentric pump, the pump came to its max stop without even moving the tensioner pointer. So ordered a 2nd pump and belt just to find it the same. Informed supplier, who told me its the most common belt and pump and have sold loads,I ordered a Quinton pump which was no better, I spoke to Quinton technical who confirmed all the parts were right and could not come up with a answer. He said the only similar thing was an Astra which had a different crank gear.I then ordered vauxhall parts thinking this would sort it, no chance same problem. I refitted all the bits i had originally taken off i.e. the leaking pump, old belt and tensioner, same problem unbeliveable. Spoke to vauxhall about problem who confirmed there was only one pump and belt etc. By this time I was really annoyed, so I opened the timing belt book and knew the Corsa had 111 teeth on belt, I looked down the list to find a belt with 110 teeth and same pitch and profile and came up with a belt for a Montego and maestro petrol. So I ordered this one and hey presto first time pointers started to move up when pump turned then backed off till pointers aligned. Job done, glad these jobs are few and far between.
Big Davey Read more
The relationship between cam angle and crank angle is only dependent upon the number of teeth on the gears on the shafts. The timing will not drift.
I have not had trouble myself with tensioners on these engines, but I know of some colleauges where I used to work who have struggled. IIRC, they said that it is possible to fit, or tension the tensioner in either of two directions. One works OK, and the other doesn't. It is possible that this has happened here - although there may be something else...
number_cruncher
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If the car is more than a couple of years old there is a danger of some internal rust already being present. If you inject waxoyl (or equivalent) it will sit on top of the rust layers with little effect. When restoring cars in the past I have cut through many a underseal, multilayer crispy rust and waxoyl sandwich. My tried and tested method is to inject an oil and warm waxoyl mixture, (have you ever seen a rusty oily engine bay!) the oil soaks into the rust and the waxoyl put preserves.
I used to use a modified waxoyl pump, discard the useless spray attachment attach long plastic pipe (fuel pipe?) plug the end of the pipe with a bolt and drill 4 holes into the end of the pipe, puncture the top of the pick up pipe. This carries the mixture down the pipe and splatters it around using the added air bubbles.
Any underside external rust should be painted with an engine oil/waxoyl mixture followed by something like waxoyl underseal, and yes it does cover on top of oil!
Squirting light oil into seams through drain holes etc helps(ie door bottoms/boot lids etc..)
A Moggy Minor I did in 1988 for someone still remains rust free, most cars that were new then are now in the scrap yard.
PS DO NOT USE OLD ENGINE OIL.
PPS IT makes an unbelievable mess.