Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

11011

General Discussion Area / Re: evil/painful thing ...add your own to the list

« on: 23 October 2011, 10:06:35 »

I broke my leg when I was 11.
It still hurts now, 30 years later.

I'd recommend that everyone keeps out of the way of women towing horseboxes!

11012

General Car Chat / Re: Are manual cars dangerous?

« on: 20 October 2011, 16:12:51 »

I've recovered lots of cars embedded in parked cars/walls/conservatories/road signs/gates etc, or off low walls and on one memorable occasion out of a swimming pool. All have 4 things in common: low speeds,  OAP drivers, auto gearboxes and "I don't know what happened" statements.

Anyone who is confused enough not to back off the throttle when something 'unexpected' happens is unlikely to be managing a clutch and gearshift effectively, and will tend to stall the car.

This does not make either more dangerous, but autos increase the chances of operator error.

At least with an auto there's a 50/50 chance of hitting the right pedal [/quote]


When you've already floored the wrong pedal, and fear keeps it pinned there, that isn't going to help very much!

11013

General Car Chat / Re: Are manual cars dangerous?

« on: 20 October 2011, 15:22:56 »

i'd be interested to see stats on crashes of auto cars vs manual ones. relative to the amount of manual / auto cars on the road of course

Bound to be more auto crashes due to them being driven by the old and infirm 

I've recovered lots of cars embedded in parked cars/walls/conservatories/road signs/gates etc, or off low walls and on one memorable occasion out of a swimming pool. All have 4 things in common: low speeds,  OAP drivers, auto gearboxes and "I don't know what happened" statements.

Anyone who is confused enough not to back off the throttle when something 'unexpected' happens is unlikely to be managing a clutch and gearshift effectively, and will tend to stall the car.

This does not make either more dangerous, but autos increase the chances of operator error.

11014

General Car Chat / Re: French shouldn't build vehicles, just a fact

« on: 16 October 2011, 20:13:01 »

Well, we' ve tried the keycard and it works (till next time). Keyless go? Yes, no key - no go. Please DO buy a CAR next time. With keys. More keys - more go

Lets be accurate here, they're not 'keyless', it's just an electronic key rather than a mechanical one. And as NO manufacturer, including Mercedes or Saab,  has come up with a reliable electronic key yet, what chance did Renault have? That's Renault who have been renowned for their high quality electrical and electronic systems since, er, well I'll let you know when it happens!

11015

General Car Chat / Re: Breaking cars.........

« on: 14 October 2011, 22:07:37 »

I used to be able to strip a Capri to its component parts in a day. Cut the body in to 6 bits, and dump it in the skip at work. I'd then sell/trade all the usual stuff - trim, running gear etc - to make the money back.

We've recently got rid of the last load of junk out of the garage over 7 years after the last car I broke. It all went down the tip, apart from the panels.

It's amazingly easy to end up with lots of bits you will never use, and just get in the way for years. It's even more amazing just how much space a disassembled car actually takes!

11016

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 14 October 2011, 20:58:54 »

Washed the mud from Goodwod off it, that's only been there a month.

Then decided to change the plugs to try and sort the slight misfire.

Driver's side went well, plugs were knackered, but barely any oil in the holes.

Then went to the passenger side. What cretin decided that putting the wiring loom directly above the plugs in a rigid tray was a good idea? It only needed to be routed slightly differently. Then the really bad news started; I broke one of the plugleads as soon as I tried removing it. This was at 16:45, cue frantic running around to get a new set as I need the damn thing to get to work in the morning. Finally found a set at the fifth factor I tried and finished fitting them in the dark. Turns out these 3 plugs were in a  much worse state than the others. I reckon the butcher who was paid to service it last took one look at what was involved, and decided not to bother.

This was after I'd immobilised my other car by putting it's alternator on Deb's Morris so she can use it tomorrow and exchange the faulty one for a replacement.

I knew washing it wasn't a good idea!

11017

Omega General Help / Re: timing belt changing time

« on: 08 October 2011, 21:58:06 »

sorry, not stated clear enough.

 2.2 elecgance(what's called in UK for elegance 2.2? CDX?)petrol z22x 

 headache to change from Kilos to miles. like fahrenheit  and celcius.

Really?

1km is 5/8(0.625) of a mile.

So, 40,0000km = 25,000 miles. (40,000x0.625)

Or you could use a readily available convertor!

11018

General Car Chat / Re: Exhaust design & manufacturing (interesting videos)

« on: 08 October 2011, 21:44:42 »

I was really struggling with oxy-acetylene welding(cutting wasn't a problem) until I did the evening car restoration course at the local college. Most of the class had done no metalwork at all, and Doug started them with MIG welding("Turn it on, point the gun at the metal and pull the trigger. I'll come round and talk to you"!) He sorted my problems in 5 mins(too much oxygen, too close to the metal), and I was doing presentable welds about 10 minutes after that. Those 3 terms were the best money I've spent in over 20 years of working on cars.

Even with MIG, which is the simplest and what you want for car bodywork, it's MUCH easier with someone to point you in the right direction.

As for £400 AC TIGs, are you sure? Mine was £1500, and it was the cheapest I'd seen. Surely those are DC machines, and therefore no use for aluminium.

Personally, I don't find much use for TIG on car bodywork, unless you're doing metal finish on exterior panels. In which case, you already know what you're doing, and can advise us! And even then, oxy-acetylene will do the job.

If you're only going to buy one welding rig, it HAS to be oxy-acetylene. It will do anything you want on a car, plus cut, and heat up rusty bolts etc. And you'll be able to use it anywhere, anytime. Exhaust manifold nuts or flanges are rarely a problem once you've got them red hot a couple of times.

11019

Omega General Help / Re: Replacing Front Shock/Struts on a 2.6 CDX

« on: 08 October 2011, 10:35:11 »

To get the stut off you undo the 2 bolts at the bottom that hold it to the hub carrier, and the anti-rollbar drop link. Disconnect/move the wiring and brakehose as appropriate. Then, firmly hold the strut, and undo the topnut under the bonnet. Be careful; the strut assembly is heavy!

Then you need some decent spring compressors to swap everything over to the new strut. This is the worst part of the job; the springs are big, oddly shaped and powerful. Do NOT scrimp on the tools!

At the very least, strip the strut top bearings, clean and regrease them. Doing this on mine got rid of the awful creak when parking.

Reassembly isn't difficult, just heavy.

Setting the camber accurately is going to be difficult, as the car needs to be on it's wheels. I used a digital angle finder against a shot length of angle iron cable tied to the wheel, and the jack handle in the spokes of the wheel to get them close to spec. Then you need to nip up the strut to hub carrier bolts whilst holding that setting. It isn't easy, needs another pair of hands and you'll still need an alignment done properly. I still do!

11020

General Discussion Area / Re: getting old

« on: 02 October 2011, 17:51:14 »

I've never been a big drinker, but now I get hangovers when I never used to!

I went to the optician last summer for an eye test.
Sat down, and the bloke said "It's only been 18 moths since your last test, and we said 2 years for the next one, has anything changed?"

I couldn't find the previous prescription, and thought I might as well have new  glasses made to an up to date one, but said that I found myself looking under my glasses when doing paperwork in the lorry.

The git didn't even look up from the form he was filling out, just said "That will be your age."

I han't been forty for a week a that point, and it's all I've been hearing since!

11021

General Car Chat / Re: so much for local tyre fitters...

« on: 29 September 2011, 20:15:42 »

Or you could use a tyre fitter that doesn't use air tools, cleans the rim with solvent for the weight, scotchbrites the bead so that it seals properly and does the nuts up with a torque wrench. That they are the cheapest in the area is a bonus.

11022

Omega General Help / Re: How far could you take an MV6 (revs)

« on: 28 September 2011, 20:27:13 »

It may help but you fundamentaly need to get that cooler coolant to the right places.

We know the exhaust headers are pretty poor.....maybe it could be an excuse to fire up my newly aquired TIG set. 

Why would you need TIG for making headers? A MIG would be plenty good enough.  Unless you were planning on making them from aluminuum, which seems unlikely. A mate made new headers for his dad's Ferrari using a £100 MIG and  CO2 , without taking them off the car(over£1200 each new), so it's, more operator rather than tools!

I do have a TIG set, but I bought it because I had the money at the right time and because I plan on making various aluminium radiators and other parts for my hot rod projects. Otherwise, MIG and oxy-acetylene are MUCH more useful for car stuff.

Simple. Tig gives a much nicer weld joint and you could even use stainless.

It does, with a lot of practice. Stainless flows really nicely; the backbox I welded for a mate was done with stainless lockwire as it was all I could find at the time.
But you still don't need a TIG for stainless, it's perfectly viable with a MIG. In fact, you can weld stainless to ordinary steel that way.

11023

Omega General Help / Re: How far could you take an MV6 (revs)

« on: 27 September 2011, 19:12:09 »

It may help but you fundamentaly need to get that cooler coolant to the right places.

We know the exhaust headers are pretty poor.....maybe it could be an excuse to fire up my newly aquired TIG set. 

Why would you need TIG for making headers? A MIG would be plenty good enough.  Unless you were planning on making them from aluminuum, which seems unlikely. A mate made new headers for his dad's Ferrari using a £100 MIG and  CO2 , without taking them off the car(over£1200 each new), so it's, more operator rather than tools!

I do have a TIG set, but I bought it because I had the money at the right time and because I plan on making various aluminium radiators and other parts for my hot rod projects. Otherwise, MIG and oxy-acetylene are MUCH more useful for car stuff.

11024

Omega Electrical and Audio Help / Re: Tow bar electrics

« on: 15 July 2011, 16:43:32 »

....
 As am in France the ...

I didn't notice where you were.

We were not far from you a fortnight ago. We stayed at La Garangeoire 

If you want anything bringing out from UK ...  just shout .. we are down to Royan area from 28 July ..... not very far from there to Rochelle   

Small world isn't it; my parents have a place a little further inland near St Jean D'Angely!

11025

Omega Electrical and Audio Help / Re: Alternator or Battery

« on: 13 May 2011, 12:52:21 »

It's probably worth checking the alternator output on the stud where the wiring attaches to it.

If that's what it should be(over 14 volts at idle), then you have a wiring fault.

If it isn't, then the alternator is faulty.