DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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CitroJim
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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MattBLancs wrote: 24 Dec 2022, 22:02 That 2.0TCT timing hole design fail is a terrible idea, what were they thinking!?! :shock:
That's just it :roll: Thinking was on strike the day they designed it... Or, it was a quick job on a Friday afternoon after a particularly good liquid lunch :lol:
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mickthemaverick
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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I had a call for help today from a friend with a flat battery. "Could you come and give me a jump start please?" was the call. I duly arrived and connected up the jump leads and went to start the sick machine. Sadly that wasn't going to happen with the error message "Key ID not recognised" or very similar displayed on the info screen. Some online research told us that this was a possibility if the vehicle battery voltage was low, but of course with the jump leads connected we had 14.2V so not the problem. A second possibility was a flat battery in the keyfob, new one fitted two weeks ago and the third was that the fob was too cold!!!!!!!!!!!!!. It had been sitting in the car all day so that was a possibility.

At that point I decided to take the driver and her two daughters home and collect the spare key which was nice and warm. When we got home the key was nowhere to be found and a full house search ensued. I had a cup of tea while that was going on until eventually it turned up. To be safe we fitted a new battery into that one and then headed back to the car while her husband Paul (Bob's son) headed off to find a new car battery.

On arrival the spare fob seemed to be acceptable to the car but we still had to leave my car charging it for 15 mins or so before there was sufficient power to start it. Eventually we got there and it burst into life enabling her to drive it home where we would be able to replace the car battery and rid her of these woes. By then I had learnt that it was the third time the battery had let her down in the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately the car is generally only used for multiple short runs 4 miles at the most so the battery is on a hiding to nothing.

Sadly Paul was unable to find a battery in any of the four places he tried so we had to settle for an overnight charge for the battery and a replacement ordered online!! Hopefully the new battery and my instruction for her not to leave the fob in the cold should see the end of these problems!! :-D
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CitroJim
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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You were their knight in shining armour there Mick!
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Dormouse
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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Cold batteries, short journeys - the Perfect Storm. Well done.
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mickthemaverick
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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Had an interesting day at the man cave where my mate Dave had completed the engine replacement on the Mini Cooper S he has leaving just the electric hood to sort out. Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures during the investigation but here is the result of our efforts!! :-D

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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CitroJim
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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Excellent!
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xantia_v6
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Re: DIY with function over finesse!!

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I was not sure which topic to put this in, but Ivan Dutton has been tuning his 1922 Salmson trials car.

I has an 1100 CC 4 cylinder engine with 8 overhead valves, the camshaft runs in the block, but the inlet and exhaust valves of each cylinder share a single cam lobe and pushrod.

Here he re-profiles the camshaft for more valve lift and takes the car for a test run.
I pity his camera lady in the passenger seat of a 100 year old open car with no seat belts or roll cage (or front brakes?) Touching 60 MPH on damp country lanes.

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CitroJim
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Re: DIY with function over finesse!!

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xantia_v6 wrote: 15 Feb 2023, 06:40 I has an 1100 CC 4 cylinder engine with 8 overhead valves, the camshaft runs in the block, but the inlet and exhaust valves of each cylinder share a single cam lobe and pushrod.
That's clever!
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Re: DIY with function over finesse!!

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xantia_v6 wrote: 15 Feb 2023, 06:40 I has an 1100 CC 4 cylinder engine with 8 overhead valves, the camshaft runs in the block, but the inlet and exhaust valves of each cylinder share a single cam lobe and pushrod.
I'm having trouble getting my head around that :?
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xantia_v6
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Re: DIY with function over finesse!!

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As I understand it, the camshaft, pushrod and rocker operate the exhaust valve, but the inlet valve is operated by the pushrod end of the rocker, with a strong spring turning the rocker to open the inlet valve. The cam has a negative lobe just after the exhaust lobe, allowing the push rod to drop down and the inlet valve to open.
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Re: DIY with function over finesse!!

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xantia_v6 wrote: 15 Feb 2023, 07:55 As I understand it, the camshaft, pushrod and rocker operate the exhaust valve, but the inlet valve is operated by the pushrod end of the rocker, with a strong spring turning the rocker to open the inlet valve. The cam has a negative lobe just after the exhaust lobe, allowing the push rod to drop down and the inlet valve to open.

Ahh, that makes sense Mike! I spent a lot of my 6 mile run this morning puzzling over this and got to much the same answer Amazing how well one can think whilst running :)
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mickthemaverick
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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MOT day for the Subaru yesterday so I did all the pre test checks and ran it down to my local man. 1/2 hour later I got a call to say that front pads were getting thin, rear pads and discs on their way out, would I like them to replace them? As it happens I have rear pads in the garage from the last brake overhaul when they weren't needed so I declined the offer and they said OK if I'm going to sort them it would pass with advisories!!

Now that is the type of common sense I like given that there were no issues with the actual brake tests. So I walked down and collected the car and went on to lunch. When I got home at 3.00ish I went online and ordered new front pads and rear discs. To my amazement both were delivered from different suppliers at 11.15 this morning!! Pads from Arnold Clark and discs from Mr Wiper in Kent. Were I not going to Spain on Sunday that would be my days work but they will have to wait until my return on Saturday week. Nevertheless a pass is a pass!! :-D
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I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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Michel
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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MattBLancs wrote: 24 Dec 2022, 22:02
That 2.0TCT is a terrible idea, what were they thinking!?! :shock:
I have corrected your post.... what an awful boat-anchor of a motor.
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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I've no direct experience of it, so can't really write it off.

But I could never understand the starting point for it - why the 8 valve XU. A whole suite of lovely 16 valve XU to choose from and they instead pick an old 8 valve!?

Start with a ~105? BHP engine and boost it to 150 BHP. Rather than start with a 135 - 155 BHP 16 valve?? Presumably the answer would then make the ES9 V6 look a bit under par?

Very odd
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Re: DIY Car Maintenance with function over finesse!!

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MattBLancs wrote: 03 Mar 2023, 19:34 I've no direct experience of it, so can't really write it off.

But I could never understand the starting point for it - why the 8 valve XU. A whole suite of lovely 16 valve XU to choose from and they instead pick an old 8 valve!?
Start with a ~105? BHP engine and boost it to 150 BHP. Rather than start with a 135 - 155 BHP 16 valve?? Presumably the answer would then make the ES9 V6 look a bit under par?
Very odd
I've had a couple of Activas and an XM 2.0TCT auto estate. The engine characteristics were far more suited to the XM, but it needed more power and torque.

Really not suited to the Activa. Not enough power, and thirstier than <insert current drunken badly-behaved celeb> at a free bar. The TCT in my experience, is less economical than a V6 when "making time" on your favourite country road, and way less economical at a constant 70-75 on the motorway.