Car D.I.Y.

[gbb]

Screenwash - a warning! Many years ago our Mondeo didn't emit any screenwash, and on further investigation it became clear no fluid was actually getting out of the container (my first thought was blocked jets or pipe). The container was under the RH wing, accessible from the wheel arch after removing the wheel arch liner. After removing the pump from the container, I found a blue, almost impenetrable 'skin' that had formed. My local MOT tester said he'd seen it happen often, and his advice was to always have very diluted screenwash and never use it to the concentrations suggested on the bottle.

I helped a female colleague once with a very early Modeo, exactly the same problem and solution. Trouble was...I didn't know it was so involved, so slowly got deeper and deeper into what I thought was going to be a quick easy job.

As it is its a bit of a faff, not rocket science. Just one of those jobs you didn't know where the pump was...

 

[Hicky]

Not exactly diy but should have been.
My sons fiesta went in for its mot a few days ago….pass, zero advisories. £50 ta…a new numberplate light and some screen wash was required to get the clean pass though.
All things I asked him to check and have shown him twice. 🤐
Oh to be 21 and lack any hurry or diligence 🧐🙄🤣

 

[Bristolian]

Number plate light replacement day has finally arrived

Continuing Mercedes' long history of making life bleedin' difficult, accessing the number plate lights requires the dismantling of the rear tailgate trim and internal covers. Prising off the two hand-hold covers reveals four T20 Torx head screws and removing those brings us to the end of the easy part of this operation. From now on we are using trim tools to gently (yeah, right) separate panels from the tailgate proper. Now, I'm sure we have all broken those compression clips that car manufacturers love to use to hold trim panels in place and gently does it in order not to break them. Hah! Not these; the trim panel has about a dozen clips spread around it's surface and brute force and ignorance is the order of the day. Each one releases with a resounding pop and at the end I'm amazed that none have broken and the panel is still in one piece

The lights themselves are sandwiched between the tailgate and another external panel held in place by four more of those horrible clips but these have to be compressed from the inside of the car and popped out slightly to give room to get a trim tool behind the panel from the outside. But before you get all excited and start trying to prise the panel out you also have to release the reversing camera mount from inside too. Only then can you get at the exterior panel, pull it out and finally reveal the number plate lights. These are released from inside the tailgate and drop down suspended by the wiring and you can now swap out new for old; checking they work before putting it all back together again .

Reassembly is the reverse of dismantling but making sure all the clips on the big panel line up is a bit frustrating when you can't see what you're doing. The end result though is nice bright number plate lights 💡, no warning one the dash and one less job before MOT day. In fact I'm not aware of anything else that needs doing for the MOT but I expect the tester will find something to spoil my day

 

[sevenfourate]

While I decide if I change cars to something actually useful / practical or not. Or carrying on enjoying the little MX5:

*(Which is brisk’ish, corners like nothing on Earth [Much modified suspension] and cost about 4 pence a year to run)…..it still has to be kept running 😁

So a couple of jobs I’d ’not bothered with or done for fear of it going shortly afterwards - I’ve eventually gotten around to doing in the Holidays:

So: I uprated the speakers in the front door cards. I enjoy my music. And with a decent modern head unit - but standard paper (?) speakers: I wasn't getting the best out of the system….

I bought harness adaptors and new door card clips in rediness for an easy swap.

An hour and a quarter for both sides. Sound much improved 👌

Original handbrake cables were stretching. And needed renewing. So I bought a complete kit of both rears and the single centre-front for £80.

And set about the ball ache job of installing. After much swearing I phoned a friend for help…..🤦‍♂️ Ended up taking 2.5 hours. But seeing as the originals have lasted 12 years - the car will probably die before these need replacing again 😉 🤣

Lastly - I’ve just ordered some Bosch wipers. Last ones the same have lasted 3 (?) years. NOT the place to scrimp on quality IMO…..

So once again the car feels tip-top and as it should: only having bang-on 40k on the clock. For an old / originally cheap car - it continues to amaze……

Stupidly reliable / cheap to run. Build quality is astounding for the price. No interior rattles, creaks etc. Doors shut with a solid ‘Thunk’. And the Ford derived Duratec engine is amazing. Hasn’t used a drop of oil in 20k I’ve owned it. Quiet, tractable, goes well.

Looks like I’ve talked / DIY’d myself into another Summer of top-down useage 😁

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

All Faults Found….

 

[Tom B]

Mrs Bs 'onda Jazz has today failed on her with a sudden loss of drive in gear.

With the clutch disengaged all is normal, however engaging the clutch in or out of gear gives no drive and just a bit of a thump thump thump noise a bit like trainers in the washer.

Clutch pedal feel is fine cylinder and fluid look good, looks like something inside.... one for daylight hours.

 

[CXRAndy]

Sounds like clutch assy has destroyed itself. Or worse 😕

 

[Tom B]

Sounds like clutch assy has destroyed itself. Or worse 😕

Does to get worse ? The gearbox has to come out so if it's that then so be it. Plenty around.

It doesnt help that Mrs B has a habit of dropping the clutch from the moon between gearchanges.

It seems there is a choice of two slightly different sized clutch kits, one at about £150 and one at £300. Sods law it'll be the dearer one.

I think I'm more dischuffed it's the middle of winter and im less than inclined to roll around on the floor with it. Might consider employing the services of the local clutch god but I'll need to borrow a tow pole to get it there.

 

[Tom B]

Now daylight has arrived and the snow has diminished I have had a chance to have a closer look.

I think I have identified the problem....

 

[Fastpedaller]

Wow - but possibly not as big a problem as anticipated? If you are able to source a driveshaft of course.

 

[Tom B]

Wow - but possibly not as big a problem as anticipated? If you are able to source a driveshaft of course.

Ordered the part, £95 delivered tomorrow.

I can only assume it's the awesome power of the 'onda Jizz and the fact she drives it like it's stolen.

 

[Tom B]

Ordered the part, £95 delivered tomorrow.

I can only assume it's the awesome power of the 'onda Jizz and the fact she drives it like it's stolen.

Still awaiting parts but the axle side came apart easily enough, snow stopped play on the gearbox side.

I'm just a little apprehensive about getting the other side out without buggering up the oil seals. Apparently a smart whack on the back of the CV body with a drift should set it free and keeping the car jacked high on the OS will be enough to keep the gear oil in the box..

Handily the nut was 32mm so I had a socket in the bike tools box!

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Tom you should maybe get a new driveshaft oil seal before doing the job. Replace it, don't think it will be that difficult or an expensive part. You don't really want to put a new driveshaft in and find it leaking, then have to take it out again, top-up the gearbox oil again etc. Just I had a Nissan Primera years ago that a garage changed the clutch, must've damaged a driveshaft oil seal removing one of the shafts. Next time I went to use the car found a small pool of gearbox oil underneath it. Wasn't an issue as they replaced it for nothing. Maybe a bit of a pain if you have to do the job twice in this cold weather.

 

[CXRAndy]

I use a pry bar to pop the shaft out of the gearbox. Or you can buy/make 'U' wedge to fit between CV and gear casing.
Edit good idea to change oil seals -sods law they will leak after doing the CV shaft replacement
You will have to tell the wife to stop dumping the clutch for drag starts

My wife's favourite trick which caused a little damage was to literally jump across a set of railway lines. The road tipped up and she would take the kids over like going over a hump back bridge. The Audi dealer said we had oval alloys

 

[Tom B]

Tom you should maybe get a new driveshaft oil seal before doing the job. Replace it, don't think it will be that difficult or an expensive part. You don't really want to put a new driveshaft in and find it leaking, then have to take it out again, top-up the gearbox oil again etc. Just I had a Nissan Primera years ago that a garage changed the clutch, must've damaged a driveshaft oil seal removing one of the shafts. Next time I went to use the car found a small pool of gearbox oil underneath it. Wasn't an issue as they replaced it for nothing. Maybe a bit of a pain if you have to do the job twice in this cold weather.

That's pretty much what happened with my other car. Had a new clutch put in it and the local clutch god reckoned someone had been in it before and messed the seal up, still weeps because midncoviditus we couldn't get a new seal (£7) and I haven't got around to it yet.

Local onda main stealer isn't the best with parts and are trying to figure out when they can get one. £14 + VAT. Experience tells me it's pot luck if it's the right one and they won't take them back without a battle.