Car D.I.Y.

[Scottish Scrutineer]

It has got play ! I was wrong !
I jacked it up and took the wheel off and got my wife to rock it again . I could see movement in the ball joint . Once I had removed it from the hub carrier I could move the ball joint up and down . It must have taken up the slack on the deck .

often at extremes of lock, the articulation on the ball moves it out of the wear area. You need to check it with the wheels pretty much straight. Sometimes you can ease the weight off the tyre with a jack and feel the play by rocking the wheel holding it at 3-9 o'clock position

 

[rockyroller]

while it was raining the other night, I ran out with a bucket of suds & a big sponge. sometimes the rain just isn't good enough to remove the thick pollen we've had lately

 

[gbb]

Service is overdue by a thousand miles perhaps, been cancelling the dash warning daily. Suddenly, tonight after work...sod it, down to Halfords, oil and filter, home, change oil...and finally properly reset the service due light.

No air filter on stock, will pick one up some other time....somewhere.

 

[Badger_Boom]

Looks like I won’t be doing my front discs and pads this weekend. The parts arrived yesterday, but my new jack didn’t despite allegedly being on next working day delivery (I doubt today will count).

 

[Badger_Boom]

Looks like I won’t be doing my front discs and pads this weekend. The parts arrived yesterday, but my new jack didn’t despite allegedly being on next working day delivery (I doubt today will count).

Finally got the car, parts and jack in the same place on Saturday. It took a bit longer than I hoped because when I did the first disc I stuck to my Yorkshire roots and refused to go and buy a longer breaker bar to undo the carrier bolts. A big hammer and the one I had got them off... eventually. Lesson learned, I picked one up for the other side and did it in half the time.

Thankfully it no longer feels like I'm sitting inside a cement mixer when I apply the anchors.

 

[gbb]

Auxillary /alternator/ aircon belt has been squealing lately, it's done 70k.
Ebay, new belt sourced, £8, spent an hour tonight under the car, fitted.
You realise sometimes, you have to do more sometimes to save time, it's easy to take the easiest route...but make it hard for yourself. Limited space, no swinging room for a ratchet to release the tensioner, struggled and sweated, then decided...take the arch liner out. All of a sudden you have sight and space. Should have done that in the first place
Probably a very easy job on a lift...not so easy under the car but I usually enjoy a little tinker. Not often you get chance nowadays.

 

[fossyant]

Son has finished modding his car at the moment. His Fabia 1.2 TSi 110bhp and 175nm torque is now 178bhp & 270nm torque after a rolling road tune which was done today (the car has been there all day).

Turbo was changed by him to a model from a 1.4, induction kit, new performance coil packs, 2.5" exhaust which he's welded, which includes a sport cat to keep it legal.

The garage said they could have got more without the cat, and bangs and pops. Thank god they didn't.

It's lowered with adjustable coil overs. Let's say I don't go in it, it's spine jarring. Young persons car with spongy discs, not someone who is missing half a vertebra and a couple of squished discs.

It "WAS" a nice car when he got it.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Son has finished modding his car at the moment. His Fabia 1.2 TSi 110bhp and 175nm torque is now 178bhp & 270nm torque after a rolling road tune which was done today (the car has been there all day).

Turbo was changed by him to a model from a 1.4, induction kit, new 2.5" exhaust which he's welded, which includes a sport cat to keep it legal.

The garage said they could have got more without the cat, and bangs and pops. Thank god they didn't.

Blimey what's that done to his insurance?

 

[fossyant]

Blimey what's that done to his insurance?

He's with a modified car policy that covers it. Not cheap.

 

[Drago]

I remember perhaps 25 years ago, my neighbours lad was heaviliy intomhis car modifying. He fitted a turbo kit intended for a Saxo VTS onto his Pug 106 GTi (essentually the same car under the skin, so a stright fit).

He contacted his broker, but becuase no insurer lister a turbo conversion for a 106 as a recognised mod there was no increase in premium, only rhe token tenner or whatever for updating the policy with a note. I don't know what happened come renewal time though.

Personally, I could never understand why he didn't just but a faster car in the first place, which would have been easier and cheaper, but some like the journey as much as the destination i guess.

 

[fossyant]

I remember perhaps 25 years ago, my neighbours lad was heaviliy intomhis car modifying. He fitted a turbo kit intended for a Saxo VTS onto his Pug 106 GTi (essentually the same car under the skin, so a stright fit).

He contacted his broker, but becuase no insurer lister a turbo conversion for a 106 as a recognised mod there was no increase in premium, only rhe token tenner or whatever for updating the policy with a note. I don't know what happened come renewal time though.

Personally, I could never understand why he didn't just but a faster car in the first place, which would have been easier and cheaper, but some like the journey as much as the destination i guess.

I was too into riding and racing pedal bikes to be that bothered about cars - I looked after my cars as I used them for the biking/work - I did have a car from 17, but it soon had roof racks etc. I just shake my head now as this modding does break stuff, and he's been off the road a fair bit. It's also massively uncomfortable. He was a bit shocked how well MrsF's SUV went over the speed bumps and pot holes without spinal injury.

 

[neil_merseyside]

a Saxo VTS

Known around here as a Paxo, because if you crashed one you are well and truly stuffed.

 

[gbb]

DILs car Chevrolet Kalos, she wondered if someone had tried to break into it, the door lock has disappeared into the handle..punched in maybe ? Seemed odd.
Door liner off after lunch, quickly realised the handle is held on with two 6mm screws...one of those secures the lock itself.. had fallen off, come loose over a period I suppose.
Fiddly fiddly, all back and working, found the screw in the bottom of the door.

 

[fossyant]

Update, son's car broke same evening after tuning. Seen the state of the turbo internals. Dead engine basically as metal fragment's everywhere. Arrived home at 2am on the back of an AA low loader - I think he can pay for the membership as I won't be getting any no claims discounts, despite my car being very elderly (19 years). I've gone to the caravan before I strangle him (bart simpson style). 'New' engine has apparently been collected but it's a 1.4 TFSI - 150 BHP without mods... FFS.

 

[gbb]

I changed my auxillary belt up post....I still have an occasional, sometimes persistent squeal
Things to consider....
It's not there all the time, it seems to be in the belt/ pulley area.
There is no power steering pump, electric rack.
I've sprayed some WD40 in the tension pulley bearing area, doesn't seem to make any difference.
I've sprayed the belt, doesn't make any difference if its squealing.
When I stop the engine, I usually get a quick 'chirp'

Strangely, if I turn the steering wheel slightly...the squeal stops, but comes back as I straighten up. But I have an electric rack, no power steering pump running off the belt.

Air con...seems to work ok, compressor clutch therefore assumed to be ok.

Brakes ? Mine does have audible warning plates on the pads and I know the pads are getting low...but the squeal is sometimes there when I'm static. Brake backplates discounted for the same reason.

Gearbox is a known issue on some Astras, mine doesn't have the notorious one and my shifting is smooth as ever.

Water pump ? Why would it stop squealing when I turn the wheel if it were the pump ?

Belt is coming off again in the next few days, will probably clean up the pulleys thoroughly in case they've become glazed or dirty. Cant see why alignment of pulleys should be a problem, nothings been moved or changed (other than the belts of course)

Somewhat annoying eh ?

I do need to consider it might be the tensioner losing tension with age, rather than the tensioner bearings.