[Project] Starting My Xu5T Build

[GeorgeXS 32]

Just read this through from the beginning and wow!

Very very impressed by this, well worth the 2 and a half hour read

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Glad you enjoyed it buddy, I put the car away at the end of November and haven't touched it since, but I'm now gathering up some motivation to do some more to it soon! Next job is power steering.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Well a long overdue update, although not much to write.

 

The car has been in the garage all winter, only coming out on a couple of occasions for me to get something else in the garage for some work.

 

Anyway the other day I got it in up on stands and set about it.

 

The first job was the turbo oil drain. Since I fitted my modified drain pipe the car would smoke when cold, indicating that the drain was restrictive. So I have removed it, drilled the fittings to give approx 30% extra area, and also had the pipe re made to use convoluted pipe instead of solid, as the non convoluted stuff was kinking slightly.

 

I then gave the driveshafts a service with some new grease in the cv joints.

 

So hopefully with a few other bits it will be off for an MOT soon.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Well with a few other things on over the last month or so the 205 has sat with no attention, aside from being moved in and out of the garage a few times. But with the weather starting to look up, I booked it a test last week for this Tuesday. So this afternoon I've been doing a few odds and sods to get it ready. First job was to pop the rear anti roll bar out- when I assembled it I had misplaced the rubber bush for one end, so the anti roll bar has been wanking about since I installed it. With the bar out and the bush fitted I treated it to some new foam seal washers, a smear of grease, and then put it back in. Pleasingly I seem to have now perfected the welding technique needed to successfully shorten and weld a 306 GTI 24mm rear anti roll bar.

 

Next task was to check round the lights etc, suprisingly these all worked, even the rear fog light! In fact the only thing not working is a bulb in the dash for the right indicator, so that will be my final job this evening.

 

I'd had the grille off about 5 months ago for reasons I can't remember, so this went back on, as did the battery which has been on trickle charge and the clamp.

 

Other task was to swap the NSF wheel and tyre for another rim with a new tyre on- Cadwell and the wing lip had left the outer edge looking a bit worse for wear, so to avoid the MOT tester moaning I swapped it out. It still has a good few miles left on it though, so will be going back on the car at some point!

 

So really thats about it, fingers crossed for tomorrow afternoon, this will be the cars first test modified, as last time it was tested was as a standard car just before I took it off the road and ripped it to bits. The tester I use is pretty decent and when I have taken other modified stuff before he is usually more interested in what has been done rather than being an arse.

I'm now looking forward to using it again- when I took it off the road at the end of November, it felt "fast-ish" and my TDI Audi felt slow. After 5 months off the road, the Audi now feels "fast-ish" so I know I've a suprise to come when I start to use the 205 again!

[DrSarty 90 1 Cars]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

[petert 586]

Pleasingly I seem to have now perfected the welding technique needed to successfully shorten and weld a 306 GTI 24mm rear anti roll bar.

 

i'm just about to tackle a 22mm 306 bar. What do you think the secret is?

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Lots of heat input early on with a root run, followed by a high power capping run, then controlled cooling.

[jackherer 543]

In fact the only thing not working is a bulb in the dash for the right indicator, so that will be my final job this evening.

 

Thats not a MOT fail, as long as you can hear the tick from the relay.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

I wasn't sure, in any case I sorted it last night, as it has been annoying me not working since the last time I disturbed the clocks!

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Well, it passed with flying colours the lads at the MOT station were quite interested in what I'd done to it, I mentioned the LSD to the tester so he only allowed 1 revolution per wheel when testing each side, I'm happy that no damage would be caused in this manner.

I can confirm though that running a new tyre on one side at the front versus a used one on the other side makes the diff wind up like a bugger, old tyre back on ASAP I think!

[swordfish210 20]

Nice work Tom. Soooo, coming to Combe any time soon

Edited April 6, 2010 by swordfish210

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

Nice work. How long into the trip to the MOT station was it before it made you grin?

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Swordfish, I doubt I'll be at Combe any time soon, its about a three and a half hour trip from here. I used to get there once a year for the Stroke Association charity day, or the Mini World Action day.

 

Davie, about as long as it took me to find some open road and let it have full beans! I took it the long way round to the MOT to get everything well up to temperature and the brakes cleaned off too.

[petert 586]

Lots of heat input early on with a root run, followed by a high power capping run, then controlled cooling.

 

I thought similar. I was going to normalise the end and then preheat before welding.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Well in the words of James May.

 

OH COCK.

 

Looks like the MOT brake rollers have shafted my plate diff, and to add insult to injury tonight the clutch has started slipping, something it has never done before.

 

So it looks like the gearbox is coming out sooner rather than later. All with a fresh 12 months MOT and 6 months tax ready for the summer.

[Rippthrough 98]

Was it the rollers or running the old tyre with a new one?

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Who knows, although it started it after the brake rollers and wasn't doing it after a 5 mile run to get there. I'll have to get it out and see what is what.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Oh cock.

 

Untitled by Tom Fenton, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Tom Fenton, on Flickr

[GeorgeXS 32]

Untitled by Tom Fenton, on Flickr

 

Untitled by Tom Fenton, on Flickr

Well thats f*cked.

Unlucky mate, hope the spares arent too much!

[shalmaneser 26]

s*it me, do you think the rollers did that?!

[DrSarty 90 1 Cars]

Hmmm...sorry to see this Tom.

 

I do think it's a very important issue to explore, perhaps to act as a warning/guidance for others, as at £600+ a time, we can't really afford to be cocking our lovely diffs when we MoT our cars.

 

I am really interested/concerned to learn about this, as it may mean a certain set of advice when taking diff'd cars to testing stations, i.e. what to say or warn them of etc.

 

Also, did you advise your test centre of the diff being fitted, and could they be liable in any way?

 

Again: very sorry to hear about this.

[Daz_C 8 1 Cars]

Thats bad news.

My MOT tester does the brake tests on our cars (with diffs) on the road with a G-Force tester or something like that ? For this very reason.

If I rcall he said they are allowed under MOT rules to do this apparantly due to reasons such as plated diffs.

Mines a quaife ATB so shouldn't have the same issues as a plated diff i'm led to believe but he said he'd rather do it on the road than take the chance.

 

Worth noting for next time.

Hope you get it sorted mate.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

It is just one of those things, I don't know for certain either way what actually caused it. I'm certainly not about to fall out with my MOT station about it as I usually test 30-odd cars a year there and have a good working relationship with them.

The diff has gone to Tran-x so I'm awaiting their diagnosis on the failure.

[jackherer 543]

My MOT tester does the brake tests on our cars (with diffs) on the road with a G-Force tester or something like that ? For this very reason.

 

Its called a Tapley meter. Testers like them as they sometimes get to have a drive in an unusual car and its good from our point of view as its virtually impossible to fail the Tapley meter test as long as your brakes do something!

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Well after the diff arriving with Tran-x on Monday, and me phoning them up every day this week to check progress, they finally got back to me today.

 

Suprise suprise they cannot possibly explain why it has failed like it has. To cut a long story short after a bit of argy bargy on the phone I managed to not pay any labour charge ("£47 to service it, but we'll do it for £30") {What does that £30 get me then?} (Well we stripped it and will rebuild it) {No you did not, I sent it to you in bits, and I can assemble it myself for nothing!} (ah OK)

And then managed to get 25% off the cost of the new bits needed. Still a pisser at a £250 bill mind you, but fingers crossed it will be back in time for me to put it back together this weekend.