Random Mechanical Failure Of The Day

[kyepan 291]

Check the simple things first, plugs, leads, water down plug holes etc.

thanks, will do, will also check earths etc, i had the inlet manifold off at the weekend, so will double check all the bolts are tight on that too, and coolant temp sensor.

[kyepan 291]

took me exactly 43 seconds to diagnose, thats about the time it took to start it, open the bonnet, shine the torch at the inlet manifold and prod the first injector connector in with my finger.. don't ask why i did it, it just happened.. engine stopped misfiring, released finger, engine misfired.

 

The injector connector is all cracked and broken, needs replacing, some duck tape will do till my VWP order arrives.

 

I like my car again, we are at one.

 

random mechanical failure of the day - took the bluetack out of the interior light, and now it falls out constantly.. note to self, buy a pack of gum.

Edited February 2, 2011 by kyepan

[GLPoomobile 958]

Your 205 hates you. Accept it.

 

It's like a spoiled child. It craves your attention, you give it, but it still chucks it's toys out of the pram and embarrasses you in public. You forgive it, becuase on the odd occasion it'll make you proud, like when your kid points and shouts "Daddy! Why is that man so FAT!" in a crowded shop, and you can't help but giggle to yourself, even though it's wrong.

 

As Jo Frost would tell you, stop giving in to it. Put it on the naughty step for one week of every year of it's age, and then see if it feels clever. If all else fails, there's always adoption.

[kyepan 291]

he he, you're right, there are so many different adoptive prospects.

 

build the engine, get it running, if it doesn't blow up, put it on bodies..... if it does, break it.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Without wanting to sound like a cnut, some of these breakdowns are of your own making. For example this one, obviously at some point you have put the injector plug back on knowing it is broken. If you had done something about this at the time then it would not have let you down. Multiply this kind of thing by 10 and there you have a hateful piece of crap car that constantly acts up as opposed to an old French car that occasionally has a wobbler but otherwise is mainly OK?

[kyepan 291]

true, but it breaks faster than i can fix it properly, and i hope the slight tongue in cheek nature of this whole thread comes across.

 

for example, this week:

 

The stereo facia completely clapped out, except if you open, then close it.. where upon you have a brief moment to slightly adjust the volume before it goes blank.

It is working this morning, but seems to stop.. working when it feels like it.

 

Front right wishbone bushes have gone, sadly i did not have time to swap them out before fitting the replacement wishbone prior to the MOT.

 

Cheers

 

J

Edited February 14, 2011 by kyepan

[kyepan 291]

Good news on the stereo, took it apart, sprayed libreally with ED209, and it works except a thin band across the display, it also completely refuses to play for stairway to heaven, i'm not sure if this is related.

 

Recently the exhaust has been blowing from the bottom of the 2-1 section of the manifold. and it constantly threatens to fall off. Never ever buy a maniblow, they are made of the mildest steel known to man, and will rot faster than an apple in the compost heap.

 

if i ever get another after market exhaust, it will be stainless all the way through.

 

I have replaced the disintegrating Maniblow with a re-angled standard manifold and standard bosal system, it still blows slightly from the manifold.. but it's vastly better and the induction gargle is rather lovely. I'm hesitant to wind the studs any more for fear of taking them out of the head.

 

It has lost top end, lots actually.. quite surprising, but it's much much much quieter. ahhh

 

 

Also, the right hand wishbone bushes (non standard) have really given up, will be doing them shortly.

 

The right hand track rod end was looser than a bodybuilders bum hole, it was replaced with one tighter than a gymnasts g-string.

the right hand cheapo wheel bearing died died died ..after not so many miles. and was replaced by a decent quality one.

 

the front end feels more stable again.

 

 

finally the car has developed some kind of weird rattle, clunk and squeak after we did the wheel bearing tuesday night, it only happens when it is hot, and on the brakes. sounds rather serious... we thought it was a pad retaining clip... but wasn't. cause unknown as yet.

 

J

Edited August 25, 2011 by kyepan

[kyepan 291]

today, well last tuesday,

 

the rear wheel cylinder leak became apparent, because of very low brake fluid.

 

I changed it over the weekend, and the sight that greeted me was un expected, not only had the shoe disintegrated, the corrosion was un believable. previously the drum had been dry and dusty, the whole thing was a gunky rust filled flake fest. The shoe material had separated half way along.

 

Now the cylinders were lucas, under twr brand, but i had to remove it, go to the shop, show them, because simply, there were too many to choose form. got some brake cleaner / new shoes .. and thoroughly scrubbed all the components with brake cleaner until they were free of loose rust.

 

off and back together in under an hour, not including time to get the part, and bleed.

 

 

i'll put up a pic

 

cheers

 

J

[kyepan 291]

 

the offending mess

[welshpug 1,657]

mmmm nice!

 

beware that it seems the 1.6 brake shoes hardly self adjust particularly well, so winding the shoes out till you can just slide the drum on is the usual way to adjust them up, you can wave a screwdriver through a wheelbolt hole to turn the adjuster if you need more/less clearance.

 

make sure there's no tension in the handbrake cable at this point, and you should get a really nice pedal, then just wind the slack out of the handbrake cable and make sure they drums still dont bind

[stu8v 68 1 Cars]

Today I was driving my mates mi16 pug at Cadwell all going peachy until "BANG"

 

Yup nearside driveshaft went bang big style around the old hairpin............................

 

Game over

 

.......................

[kyepan 291]

a little update.....from the last time I posted

 

right rear wheel bearing

complete rear beam rebuild

o rings on the throttle bodies x 3 times

rear passenger quarter light window seal

gearbox bolts have unwound themselves despite being threadlocked

dip stick refuses to stay put

dipstick tube re sealed

and some other stuff that will probably come to mind

[allye 530 3 Cars]

I've got a good one for this;

 

I bought a van to get around in for the winter in Aus, on a long trip ~400km, the nut securing the main battery earth worked loose and came off, this in turn fried the alternator and eventually drained the battery leaving us on the side of the highway in the middle of no where! Flat bed to services, replace nut and buy a new battery (didn't know alternator was fried at this point) then of course a few hours later it dies again in a small town, amazingly the tiny scrap yard there had a ford econovan in $50 later we were on our way - mental 2 days.

[kyepan 291]

today, was fixing day...

 

out came the old leaky window seal,

as you can see it was knackered and rife with leakage.

 

the leak was coming from the bottom where the tape was

 

next it was time to find the engine water leak

 

found.

 

seals on the matrix unions have gone, matrix also probably on last legs.

 

new ordered.

 

Gearbox bolt (kindly donated by Baz) was bolted to the gearbox..

 

the car also garnered interest from the guy that looks after the block i live in, and his helper dude.. but they said it needed a respray!