Michel's Motors

[moizeau]

Was just thinking, it hurts sometimes, check the mono shock connection to the swinging arm. Kwak say to remove and regrease every 2 years, no one does. With the bike on the side stand pull the grabrail upwards like you're tryying to lift the back wheel off the ground. There should be no free play / knock. Your bike is a lot younger than mine but this is how my 'dogbone' needle rollers looked like when I stripped it

It now looks like this

Also, while the carbs are off do a static (clear tube method) float level height check then a proper carb sync once on the bike.

I'm not trying to teach you to suck eggs etc. You may know it, just my 2p's worth, makes a hell of a difference

[Michel]

So, Mrs. Michel got home on Friday and told me her car is making a noise over bumps. I presumed she'd simply turned the music down and heard the rattly drop links I knew about and I didn't even bother to look.

We got in it about 3pm on Saturday to go to Basingstoke. I reversed it about 5 metres and decided I'd better not drive it any further due to the godawful noise.

Oh fiddlesticks. How utterly bothersome.

At this point, I had to simply insure herself on the Picasso as I was supposed to be having the op and not driving for two weeks. We went to Basingstoke by Citroën.

After the mess with my op today, I decided I'd remove the suspension leg and take it to a friend to swap the spring.
Bits simply fell out.

Rather surprisingly, it all came apart easily apart from the drop links, which were rusty and seized. As they were being replaced....



Once that was done, I had to remove the scuttle thing to get at the strut tops. They came undone easily.

Finally wriggled the strut out. Now to source a spring and top mount tomorrow.

I even put my tools away and tidied up properly.

Now to coax Matilda out of the drawer.

[mickthemaverick]

Nice work Mike, I bet the strut came out easier than the cat!

[Rp0thejester]

I had a spring go, how did she not hear it!! It scared the hell out of me.

[MattBLancs]

I had a spring go, how did she not hear it!! It scared the hell out of me.

Must not always make that much noise - when my previous C4 spring went (as I set off, about 120 miles from home) the loudest thing was the PSSSSSHHHHHHH as the tyre (now with a spring snapped end through the sidewall) went down rather rapidly!

I didn't really realise what I'd heard - the car stalled and, being towards the end of a fairly long day, I thought I'd tried to set off in third rather than first. Tried again and, nope the car really wasn't going to move!? At the point I hopped out and saw front right corner was definitely lower and the penny dropped.

I thought at that point the tyre had spontaneously burst, went to change the wheel to find it didn't come off that easily (being hooked by the spring inside the tyre!)

At that point there were quite a few loud noises - all emitted by me

[Michel]

Well, so there I was, driving along doing my own thing when I smelt burning rubber and heard a noise...



I still had a few drops to do, so I did the sane thing of ignoring it, doing what I had to do and drove home with no aircon or power steering as the belt was chewed off.

Upon inspection when I got home..



I gave up then and went and had a shower.

Today after I'd finished my morning chores, I thought I'd have a better look.



I think that confirms it's toast
Now, I don't have an impact wrench, but as I sat and looked at it, I decided it would be easy simply to put a 22mm socket on a long bar, and jam the bar against the lower arm and spin the starter.

It worked like a charm, literally 2 blips on the starter and I could take the bolt out with my fingers.

It's caught me out though as I didn't expect it to come out so easily and I've not ordered any parts yet

[CitroJim]

It worked like a charm, literally 2 blips on the starter and I could take the bolt out with my fingers.

Ahh, good to know the old traditional technique still cuts the mustard on a modern Mike! I've used that method so many times pre-rattle gun

[mickthemaverick]

Yep, I reckon that's only fit for putting cheese on now Mike! Good move with the long bar, I've used that in the past before I got my super rattle gun. Works well as long as you make sure the socket is seated properly before twisting the key!! Hopefully the parts will be quick and back on the road asap!

[MattBLancs]

Oh wow that definitely gone! I had one of those give up, with the engine running you could see the outer was not running concentric with the inner - this with the belt on. I didn't try it with the belt off (and it didn't snap it before pulley was changed) - but having seen your belt less pulley dancing about quite violently on the video I'm glad I didn't!

Glad the starter motor trick worked. Never tried it (too chicken!!)

[RichardW]

Def had your money's worth out of that one!

There is a potential issue with undoing it like that ..the cam belt sprocket is floating so you may have upset the timing between the crank and cam. Depending on how it was set up when the belt was fitted it may now be far enough out to give a cam/crank synch error. Hopefully not!

[Michel]

It lives!
New pulley and belt fitted earlier.



Everything works, runs lovely and quietly. Was out for an hour or so in it.

Now the Com2000 is failing ffs. I can't remember what I was filming for, but it just happened as I walked around the car.



Some more investigation.



Oh, and the front washers no longer work. Activating them does the rears.

Further fiddling found that if I switch the sidelights on, it seems to work "ok".

At least it's not randomly flashing people to pull out, which I now realise it may have, as I've been surprised a few times by people just pulling out or across me recently.

I presume I need to remove the airbag, then remove the wheel to find out which serial number and version of the Com2000 I need.

Oh joy of joys!