Bargain Basement Electric

[mickthemaverick]

Have you treated the BB Micra to a bottle of K-Seal Neil? Could help Northumbrian Water supplies?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Thanks Mick

Never really used stuff like K-Seal and probably have the misconception that if its sticky enough to seal pinholes in the radiator core then is going to clog up other stuff throughout the cooling system from water pumps to thermostats to heater matrixes. I think the leak as it is, is probably between the core and the bottom plastic tank.

This time of year and a bit tap water from our Chinese-owned local water company temporarily is OK, but constantly refilling with the proper anti-freeze mix gets more expensive than a new radiator which is the route I intend to go. Last time I looked, just over £60 from Partsinmotion.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Aah right, if a new rad is as cheap as that then that's clearly the way to go.

Just as a curiosity, as I understand it K-Seal's chemistry is such that it only solidifies when it meets the air so that it will not solidify within the engine galleries etc. I put some in the MX3 about 18 months ago and it has been perfect ever since!! New rad for that was £265 so worth a try and I'm happy with it. Temperature is bang on normal and no other nasty symptoms at all!

[myglaren]

Wisdom regarding coolant leak sealers, particularly with regard to PSA cars is to avoid anything other than Forte Cooling System Stop Leak and Valeo insist on it being in the system or their matrix warranty is void.
Others have been found to clog up narrow waterways and radiator pipes.

[Gibbo2286]

Bar seal pellets are pretty effective for those pesky rad leaks Neil.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Thanks folks. Looks like carpartsinmotion dont have the radiator in stock, but plenty others do. Bahuha's emporium based in Romford have a new one for £35.40 so hardly worth buying any sort of stuff to put in.
-----

Today's activity saw the nearside new cable fitted, and new brake shoes. Following that exactly the same difficulties with the offside cable. Bracket 1, bolt obligingly just snapped off straight away. Initially went straight for the drill but it was wandering off a bit so got the new hacksaw out and sawed off the underside of the bolt, and punched the top bit through.

Middle bracket, retained by a nut and stud, was a bit more corrosion ravaged than the other and a hex 13mm socket was only just tight enough on to move it. Lots of very careful winding backwards and forwards in case it got stuck half way up the thread together with plenty of lubrication.

Then the huge frustration of the day, the short bolt to mount the new handbrake with its bracket to the backplate. Off the car the bolt caught the thread and wound up and down nicely. Spent way longer than was warranted just trying to get the short bolt at the end of my fingertips to thread properly through the hole in the backplate and into the threaded hole in the aluminium bracket. In the end I widened the hole in the backplate to make it easier.

Going to give it another hour or so to put the job to bed finally.

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

The Rechnung...

MOT test fee £40.00
LH and RH parking brake cables...Cleevely Electric Vehicles £105.00 delivered
Misc hacksaw blade, drill bit, 2 bolts, locking nuts £4.44
Days of toil and irritation....no charge.

Roughly £149.44

Final score Irritation 6 Satisfaction 2.

Few more scores on the irritation side, due to bad light yesterday and that fiddly mounting bolt on the backplate, with the satisfaction coming from the Pass which is always pleasing, and the return of the Leaf into the fold of Motoring for Pleasure. Not that keen on the dirty hands contortionist stuff, but its not that often, and I'm even less keen on what I would/could have been charged by the professionals.

Falcon Original

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Well done Neil, a decent result from a week of frustration!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Thanks Mick, always seems to take days for me! Still had a bit faffing about this morning was going to go for a Friday morning retest but when I phoned up they said could I bring it in at one today, and it was 11.00 am when I called. Just took the slot. Meant that 1. I had to charge up and 2 that I had to finish the adjustment job at the charger.

Neil

[CitroJim]

Excellent result Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Excellent result Neil

Thanks Jim, with a bit of luck we will be able to get down to the "drive-in" at Cresswell, and watch a couple more episodes of the Simpsons! Just a bit bigger for anyone who did miss the subtlety in this image first time around, and the homage to the opening credits of the Simpsons which the cloud formation reminded me of ...



Neil

[mickthemaverick]

I missed the label first time but understand the comment from the cloud shape!!

[CitroJim]

Loving the Simpsons clouds Neil

And keep posting pictures of my favourite beach I saw Cresswell featured in a Facebook post yesterday...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Loving the Simpsons clouds Neil

And keep posting pictures of my favourite beach I saw Cresswell featured in a Facebook post yesterday...

Dolphins Jim, Dolphins today at the Simpsons Drive in at Cresswell . Beyond the capability of my camera, and quite unpredictable when and where they break the surface. Best you can hope for is a video capturing them as a tiny dot, but quite easily seen with the naked eye. First time we have seen dolphins at that spot, but they are quite common off the Northumberland Coast with pretty regular sitings.

Neil

[myglaren]

I was very surprised recently when I read this about a gang of dolphins killing a porpoise.