Falcon's Bargain Basement Motoring

[mickthemaverick]

With the football not being too engrossing I managed to watch all that video, a trifle tedious I must admit!! However I would make three points about improving his methods as follows:

1. Don't push the cleaning brush through the pipes and risk spiking the inside. Instead take a tip from a woodwind instrument cleaner:

Clarinet cleaner

Take the cleaning brush:

Pipe cleaner

and fit the brush instead of the cloth:

Modified cleaner

That allows you to drop the weight right through all of the pipes including the long bendy one and pull the brush through keeping its spike away from the rubber. I would tend to spray the brush with carb cleaner first!!

2. Instead of the oil drip bowl, use a baby bath which will accomodate the entire rocker cover. Then submerge the cover completely and shake in your choice of solvents, hot detergent, plastic safe degreaser etc. That avoids all the messing about with the pump. Rinse off the same way until there is just clean water in the bath.

3. Dry in a warm environment, with airflow through the cover.

Good luck with that!

[NewcastleFalcon]

You did well Mick. It was a bit of a mystery where the PCV Valve was...integral part of the rocker cover as it turns out. I remember giving one of the Corsa's in the maintenance fleet a bit of a hosing of the rocker cover. Perfectly adequate for removing the mayonnaise. A couple of camshafts from a scrapyard sorted out that car's rough running problems!

Another one of my £100 purchases

Neil

[Rhothgar]

Had a little walk round the Middle of Lidl today and came out with a twin pack of Redex for £4.49, could have easily picked up a little Crimping tool and assorted connectors but with no immediate need resisted.



Now these injector/fuel system cleaner things probably due to ignorance I have little faith in them, but at £4.49 treat a couple of tankfulls and really a shot to nothing so I don't mind giving it a go.

Neil

Shame that the cordless ratchet is only 12V. If it was 18V, I'd be jumping on that.

Never forget when Sylv said, "We should get a cordless drill from Lidl" and I turned my nose up. Brushes are getting a bit noisy now but it is 5 years old...

[NewcastleFalcon]

I have used and abused a corded Parkside Hammer/Chisel action SDS Drill for 4 or 5 years now on all sorts of tasks from breaking up concrete to drilling a couple of feet through stone. Did employ it unsucessfully to attempt to remove the clio driveshaft from the hub with the hammer action. That was one job which needed some heavy duty action from a hydraulic press as well as a bit of heat and a bit of Hammer. Very useful though for cleaning the old mortar of the second-hand bricks I recycled to build this...

Neil

[CitroJim]

The fuel vapour smell is definitely a clue Neil. You may have eliminated this already but have you been able to monitor live data via the OBD port and confirm lambda is in range and the coolant temperature sensor is giving a sensible reading? I'm thinking if the ECU 'thinks' the engine is cold due to a duff temperature sensor then it might be running too rich. Ditto if the oxygen sensor is failing.

Is fuel economy noticeably worse than usual?

I apologise if these points have already been covered - my ongoing and deteriorating cognitive issues make it very hard for me to read and digest what's going on over many long posts so I may well have missed many significant points. Sorry.

[NewcastleFalcon]

The fuel vapour smell is definitely a clue Neil. You may have eliminated this already but have you been able to monitor live data via the OBD port and confirm lambda is in range and the coolant temperature sensor is giving a sensible reading? I'm thinking if the ECU 'thinks' the engine is cold due to a duff temperature sensor then it might be running too rich. Ditto if the oxygen sensor is failing.

Is fuel economy noticeably worse than usual?

I apologise if these points have already been covered - my ongoing and deteriorating cognitive issues make it very hard for me to read and digest what's going on over many long posts so I may well have missed many significant points. Sorry.

Your analysis is very welcome Jim, and right to the point.

The petrol niff is very prominent, and the fuel consumption is poor, and the exhaust pipe is black. Saying that I don't trust the EVAP or Crankcase Ventilation System as far as I can throw it which may contribute to that Petrol niff.

As mentioned there is no mixture screw to adjust, so "curing" over-rich running is mainly down to the Pre-Cat O2 Sensor, and the Air intake Temperature sensor and the Manifold Air Pressure Sensor. None of those things are repairable just replaceable. Probably around £70 ish to replace all three.

Thanks for your input very much appreciated. It may well contribute to an all too rare event in car-fixing threads...a successful conclusion!

Neil

[bobins]

As Jim alluded to - live data via OBD is one of the best tools in the toolbox on this occasion. You can monitor live air temp, fuel pressure, MAP, O2, etc etc and narrow down the targets a bit.

[mickthemaverick]

Yes I agree with bobins, to make sense of that data you do need a set of 'correct values' to compare the readings with. Have you got that info Neil?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Yes I agree with bobins, to make sense of that data you do need a set of 'correct values' to compare the readings with. Have you got that info Neil?

Internet wisdom on the Renault Forums may have that Mick, but nothing first hand.!

Bobins mentioned this earlier in the thread which could assist in that direction Mick but at present I haven't gone down the "live data" route.

If.... and it's a big IF you've got a reasonable Android phone, and IF you can get a cheap bluetooth OBD reader (eBay, sub-£20), then you might pair them up along with someting like Torque Lite https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... e&hl=en_GB and that might get you some analytical detail to help hunt down the problem.

In reality the only physical interventions likely to result in a successful conclusion are replacing the most likely sensors, and verifying the fuel supply line plumbing from tank to fuel rail to injectors. A bit of multi metering and back probing at the sensors and physical inspection and cleaning as a prelude to possible replacement may be in order. You tube has a few helpful videos in that regard.

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

I know how to take spark plugs out, I have done it many times on many different cars.

Today however, this simplest of jobs...

Without warbling on...the rubber inserts at the end of the long plastic leads from the coil pack which connect to the spark plugs have remained in situ on the spark plugs 300mm down the spark plug holes on 3 of the leads. Yes and the rubber ends prevent access to the Hex of the spark plug so 3 out of 4 spark plugs are now irremovable.....

Keeping it visual...
The 4 Leads...only one with its rubber insert

Down in the depths of the spark plug hole sits an NGK spark plug with an unwanted tight fitting jacket in finest rubber

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Excuse me, just making acquaintance with Martin again, he usually comes up with some practical solutions, and I have consulted his videos on the Clio many times!



Neil

[mickthemaverick]

You've found that so no need for me to tell my tale about doing the same, however once out I glued my rubber seals into the tubes and they didn't play up again!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

You've found that so no need for me to tell my tale about doing the same, however once out I glued my rubber seals into the tubes and they didn't play up again!!

It has actually turned out to be simpler than I thought.

Just removed the normal rubber insert from the spark plug socket and used a T-bar to exert strong downward pressure and the socket went over the rubber inserts from the leads that were "stuck" and reached the hex for normal undoing.

Here they are and not unexpectedly a nice black sooty residue on them all! Its running too rich!

Neil

[MattBLancs]

I think I'm going to join Mick, Jim end Bobbins - some live data is the best next step.

Air inlet temperature has been mentioned, but is there also a coolant temperature sensor? Either of those giving inaccurate readings could contribute to running rich.

Well done on the rubber thingy problem battle!

[NewcastleFalcon]

I think I'm going to join Mick, Jim end Bobbins - some live data is the best next step.

Air inlet temperature has been mentioned, but is there also a coolant temperature sensor? Either of those giving inaccurate readings could contribute to running rich.

Well done on the rubber thingy problem battle!

Thanks Matt

Coolant sensor as filtering through to the dash temp guage working normally. Air Intake Temperature sensor, if its in the location I am thinking of probably employed by the ECU in the fuel ratio setting.

Just taken the BBClio for a 12 Mile outing there and back. What does this tell?

No engine management light, no P0130 Pre-Cat 02 Sensor code, no other code, pick up in 2nd from a standing start up hill and then on through the gears as normal, the odd "hic" but no hideous hesitation followed by vrooming. It would appear that the basic management systems were lets say reasonably happy on the drive and the Clio ticked over happily on return.

It was a bit different to the normal foot down drive I have normally been engaged in recently as following a disconnection of the battery I was in my own mind teaching the ECU and its sensors to behave, without provoking them too much

Kept the car at 3000 revs and 40 mph in third gear for the majority of the drive.

Maybe Redex is working its magic, or ithe BB Clio appreciated some clean spark plugs!

Neil