August 2009
Anyone else having problems.
When I went to Backroom I got in the centre of the page a long black column headed cars for sale on the right, and a shorter red column to the left. Had to keep going back to the Back Room heading, and then got to Discussion.
The same thing has happened when I have clicked on one of the headinhgs. This has happened three or four times. Read more
I`m presenting the pic of the 1.9D again for a new test of detective work by the technically interested.
It seems (not 100% sure)a bodge to me and there`s evidence of it if you click and expand the photo up to full size.
It`s not the EGR blanking plate - it`s visible not hidden.
I was going to present this as a straight technical debate on the issue but thought if it gives a little interest, why not do this first?
Half marks for identifying it. Full marks for explaining why it may have been a less than satisfactory job.
www.oilrag.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/engine.jpg Read more
The court entertainer, AKA jester, should be free from harm as he attempts amusement.. ;-)
I`ve considered the (hot) coolant reservoir and having a go at me for choosing a Fiat (engine) and attempted to address these points in my original image link - In my first post in this thread.
All images in all recent threads will be deleted shortly - to make way for new `entertainment`
oilrag
What's the present price of 95 unleaded in the UK? We arrive Wednesday morning for a brief visit and I'd like to know whether to do what I did earlier this summer, ie wait to fill up until we get off the boat.
At the moment its about 1.25 euros a litre in France - roughly 1.07 sterling.
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Looks like a system error - Rob's got it in hand
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At the popham airfield bike show yesterday, I was amazed by a Kawasaki V12 - made from a kawasaki 1300 straight-6 with an additional block.
I couldn't figure out how the exhaust exited from the rear blcok - and I didn't hear it running.
I think the same guy has previously built a kawasaki V8 - from two 750 straight-4 blocks.
I did hear this runnig at Beaulieu, and thought that was very impressive.
I know other road going V8s (e.g. the Boss Hog !) have been built, but I've not seen any other road-legal V12 bikes.
I wish I had the engineering capability - I'd love to put a small capacity V12 or V8 into an Elise ! I prefer my bikes to be V-twins.
Just google Kawasaki V12 for pics/more information Read more
Yes, the builder is a bloke called Allan Millyard, well known in classic circles for making incredible engines.
There was a lengthy article and a road test of the bike in Classic & Motorcycle Mechanics in 2005. To make the V12 crank, he had new master / slave conrods fabricated with a secondary rod and big-end forked off the main rod. Huge issues with camshaft timing etc too.
The exhausts for the rear bank are siamesed into the pipes from the front bank, under the engine.
In contrast the Kwak V8 was relatively simple, he just milled the rods so that a pair would sit side by side on the same crankpin, and turned up some offset liners for the cylinders.
Simple, did I say? It absolutely boggles the mind.
He started out by making 4, 5 and 7-cylinder variants of the Kawasaki 2-stroke triples.
Hi everyone,
I have a VW Touran 2.0 TDI SE, 2008 58 plate that I bought last October at the height of the discounted offers available through the various internet brokers. It is in black metallic and I optioned a few extras such as rear sensors, 17" alloys, MF leather steering wheel, winter pack, convenience pack, leather seats, 3 services free package, etc. I paid £19k in total. 6 months ago I also had the factory fit sat-nav system fitted (RNS510) at a fraction of the cost it fitted originally, once I sold on my RCD510 that was in it to compensate.
It seemed a good idea at the time, two babies, etc. so I sold my E39 saloon (520i SE) and thankfully I was able to buy the 'bus' without any finance needed.
However, I hate it. It now has 10k miles on the clock, and I can't get my E39 out of my mind. In comparison the Touran is noisy and the ride quality is nothing to compare! I thought I could live with it but it's annoying and I've realised I don't really need all the space either.
In short I want to go back. I find myself drooling over ads for nice 530i sport tourings (still E39), and I'm seriously contemplating getting rid of the boogie bus and heading back, and most probably end up with £10k cash in the bank to boot. I don't do much mileage around 12k a year, so I would/should be able to afford any increase in running costs.
It was an expensive mistake to make and all that but life is too short and thankfully I can swallow any financial loss that making such a tardy move has meant.
I will have exclusive use of my parents volvo estate for about 6 months from November onwards, so I'm planning on selling the Touran mid November-ish and then sitting on the cash until May at the latest, so I have plenty of time to look for a good 530i or 530d. Hell, I may even go for one of the E61s.
Anyway what to do - sell mine privately which could be difficult as at this age most people would tend to buy from the dealers, or use the services of sure-sell.info especially as the recent HJ report from the BCA auctions had a similar car go for just under £16k. All depends on what the difference in money I get back would be!
Any suggestions, insight, criticism (!) much appreciated!
thanks
valmiki
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hi i have just had a towbar fitted to my 1997 406 2.1 td can any one tell how it should be attached to the car as it bolted through the spare wheel well and behind the bumper will this be capable of towing a caravan or not lokked at some one else car and its bolted to the chassi and looks safer thanks bryn Read more
The better tow-bar manufacturers liaise with the vehicle makers and all modern towbars have to be "e" marked anyway for which considerable testing of the bar and mountings is required.
I had the use of a basic KA while My Mondeo II was beeing serviced.
Although it seemed quite peppy I did not like it.
The trendy white rims of dash gave awful reflections in the screen and windows.
The non matt centre section on top of the dash reflected in the middle of the screen.
That was before it even moved! I found the footwell was cramped and my smallish feet fouled the centre bodywork.
Seats were OK as was the gearbox.
The the road noise was not good, a constant drumming at all speeds - choice of tyres?
I accept I am used to larger cars - Focus, Yaris , Mondeo but I would not be in the marker for this little Fiat.
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I had the use of a basic KA while My Mondeo II was beeing serviced.
I would not be in the marker for this little Fiat.
Neither would anyone else Henry ;-)
For the great majority of people driving is a chore and the car is no more than a wheeled washing machine, a domestic appliance. However, I'm sure that among most members of the backroom, there is a deeper appreciation of motoring and its nicities and perhaps even a genuine enthusiasm for driving. For the most part though, driving is indeed a chore and nothing more than a means of getting where you are going. Heavy traffic, dull roads, boring cars and general stress ensure as much.
It seems to me that for those who find it possible to derive pleasure from driving, it is best to have a separate car for recreational use. The trouble is, what form does this 'recreation' take? Discuss the relative merits of; owning a classic that can be enjoyed on Sundays and taken to shows etc, owning a pukka performance/sports car eg elise/boxster et al, getting involved in some kind of club level motorsport eg national saloons/FFord/stage rallys etc or simply having a track day toy like a caterham/ex-race car to throw on a trailer of a Sunday morning. Read more
>>>Their motto seems to be "Happiness is ignorance is bliss"<<<
Being an ex biker, I drive 'on the defensive' and can see potential accidents before they happen (usually) 'Young bloods' have always been fearless with an "it won't happen to me" attitude ... until :-(
My car is a 1999 Ford Focus 1.8 (petrol) which has done 81k miles.
Yesterday whilst I was driving and doing about 40-50 mph I changed down from 5th to 4th gear and as I attempted to do so I heard a grinding noise like when you don't shift it properly. I have a suspicion that the reason I heard a grinding type noise as I attempted to find 4th gear is because I may have accidentally briefly engaged reverse gear (!) so I am quite concerned that I may have done serious damage to the gearbox.
Do you think damage now or later is likely from this sort of mistake ? Read more
I've done that probably once or twice in every car I've owned at some point (11 cars of various ages and makes over 12 years) and have never had any gearbox problems. Given some of them a good grind sometimes too.
Mike.
"if you can't find it, grind it!"
On the M8 last week there was a car transporter on hard shoulder with 2 cars behind it, one facing the wrong way and the mechanic working on the transporter round about the rear wheel area.
Obviously they have had to remove the last 2 cars to access or fix the problem but wondering what sort of problem would this have been?
Surely not needed to fix a puncture?
GB, presume you have had experience of this - any clues? Read more
I like it!
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Thanks we know about it. Rob is contacting the site people.
Rob (the other one)