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76

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

« on: 13 March 2025, 16:40:21 »

It is the V6, OM642 soecifically.

Its the whole glow plug module that isn't talking to the scanner.

Its one of the consistent codes its thrown ever since the car let me down. The other code being to do with the alternator giving 0v. Taken together these are what's pointing me at that loom, but before I get my hand in my pocket I need to get it on some ramps to be sure. Which may be this weekend, depending on how well I get on with laying a load of decking and changing the oil and filters on the family fun bus.

The fun never seems to stop 

77

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

« on: 13 March 2025, 15:59:49 »

Going by the way they build stuff, I wouldn't be too surprised if they are all LHD harneses

Also as a thought, the yank tank may have been a development aid for the W211...

Its certainly a quantity over quality item. That said, despite not turning a wheel in over 8 months it still starts fine and sounds sweet enough (that'll be the mercedes bits), albeit it needs some cranking over as the glow plug unit is currently having a little lie down.

78

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

« on: 12 March 2025, 12:00:19 »

Is the loom NLA from Chrysler? Have you tried Mercedes?

It's a good call and I will check but the fuse box is also a piece of american tat and in a very different place on the Merc e320 so I would be surprised if its available from Merc. Stranger things have happened though...

79

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

« on: 12 March 2025, 07:55:19 »

Does it have a column shifter or console mounted? If console mounted you shouldn't need to go under the car to remove it

Console. But as Roy walker would say 'its a good guess, but its not right'

I finally found a couple of people who have identical issues to my car. There is a wiring loom that runs between the starter, alternator, glow plug unit and the main positive terminal on the front fuse box. This loom contains three fusible links and can chafe through where it runs under the bell housing, this pops the fusible links and delivers the same issues I am experiencing. I'm cautiously optimistic, but it also depends if any other components were damaged when the issue occurred. As you would imagine the loom is NLA, but a second hand item can be had for about £45.

Need to investigate first and then steel myself for the challenge, by all accounts the loom is a total b!tch to fit.  At least it should be obvious to see if that is the source of the issue... 
 

80

General Car Chat / Re: Nissan Cumquot

« on: 11 March 2025, 23:06:07 »

Does anyone by any chance have the engine torque specs for this...

Considering even Nissan don't seem to want to open one up, you may be struggling there Al

81

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

« on: 11 March 2025, 15:53:56 »

Might have had a breakthrough with the big American lawn ornament. Need to get the under trays off to find out.

82

General Car Chat / Re: Nissan Cumquot

« on: 10 March 2025, 11:19:19 »

Honestly that feels like an incredibly lazy 'diagnosis' or another way of telling you to take it elsewhere because they don't want to deal.

Even if the car had overheated, I can't see much worse happening than a badly warped head. I would get it away from the parts cannon wielding laptop jockeys to someone who actually knows what they're doing and get the head taken off. Or its probably 45mins work for a competent home mechanic 

A quick google suggests all 2018/19 petrol Squash are chain driven.

83

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

« on: 10 March 2025, 11:09:22 »

You want to try working on a Smart Roadster  .... just doing the 6 spark plugs is a task in itself 

I'd almost feel better if it was something like that, at least that's an innovative piece of design. Also, I'd probably just take the engine out, I've got hands like shovels and that looks a little 'compact' to work on  .

If you want to make it a full ten minutes, go ahead because that was one of the laziest pieces of automotive design in recent history.

Honestly I'd take lazy, the placement of coolant and AC pipes in the galaxy feels downright vindictive. Also, compelling someone to remove the lower front crash bar just to access the coolant drain on the rad (yes, really!) deserves a few minutes just on its own. 

84

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

« on: 10 March 2025, 08:43:16 »

Changed the aux and timing belts on the galaxy, also did the water pump while I was in there. Probably only an hour's work for a competent home mechanic, but it took me all day 

I wouldn't mind 5mins alone in a room with the man who did the packaging on the engine bay for that car. 

85

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

« on: 07 March 2025, 13:44:37 »

Pressure washed it ready for sale 

86

General Car Chat / Re: Nissan Cumquot

« on: 05 March 2025, 13:33:38 »

Thing is.....I could go out and buy a £40,000 car today if I feel like it. Could you? 
So it's a choice, not a necessity 

If the CashCow is on your list, have you considered the Dacia Duster? Surely must be largely the same underneath, but possibly better value due to lower starting price?

87

General Car Chat / Re: Nissan Cumquot

« on: 04 March 2025, 08:27:24 »

Could be two unrelated issues?

To me, hard starting and stalling when up to temp could signal poor or erratic fuel supply. Has anyone done a pressure test at the rail? I would potentially be looking at fuel filters and pump(s). Someone smarter than me will probably be able to say for sure but I would have thought a failed sensor like that would throw at least a code for the sensor itself and then an 'implausible value' code or similar.

Second failure of the housing suggests it was a) fitted by a gorilla or b) never changed at all...

PS. the first thing I did on seeing this thread was google 1968 Nissan Cumquot   

88

General Discussion Area / Re: Quite a difference in insurance quotes

« on: 02 March 2025, 22:59:45 »

Wifes car insurance is due at the end of the month, been on compare the market, cheapest £255 dearest £1204.00 how on earth can they vary so much but on paper provide exactly the same cover.

The boring answer is that insurance companies look for a variety of risk categories to build a book of business. Some high risk high premium, some low risk, low premium.

The £1000+ means the insurer doesn't want your wife's level of risk. A bit like asking a busy builder to quote you on a job.

89

General Car Chat / Re: Astra J A16XER Cam Cover Leakage to Spark Plugs

« on: 02 March 2025, 22:56:26 »

May be worth cleaning out the oil and seeing if it happens again.

When I did mine, there was oil up inside the coil packs, which drained out into the plug wells. Not much but a noticable amount. Could be the same for you

90

General Car Chat / Re: Getting a bit desperate now

« on: 25 February 2025, 15:37:59 »

Why not another astra/insignia, being as you seemed to get on fine with what you have, before it went sad that is.

Something like this - I like the colour....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502028664794

Fookin ell Jimmy.

£9000 for a 10 year old Insignia.

Ready to go tits up.

Regardless of what anyone else thinks about value for money, it fits the brief, is in budget and is clearly the kind of thing Ste likes as he's had similar before.

Also, I think a lot of people need to take another look at how much cars actually cost these days. I did a search for 7yr old estate cars, up to 50k miles, 1.8l minimum, auto, (cleared out the dacias and skoda fabias that really arent estate cars), not written off. The cheapest thing that came back were passats and leons at £12-13k. Like everything else, cars just cost a shed load more than they did a few years ago. When an astra estate with a poxy 1.2l engine is £25k+ new, they're bound to cost a fair bit second hand.

Its totally mad, but its the reality we now live in.