Bargain Basement Motoring

[myglaren]

I am too much of a "fair weather" car tinkerer, to take it any further before a decent bit of warmer weather arrives. Bit of a thaw today but I need well over 10°C and a dry day to even think about it

Regards Neil

Very wise!! Clearing the snow off the Subaru was enough for me yesterday but I needed to take SWMBO out as she was nervous of driving! I was pleased that it started first time having stood for 11 days and endured the weather's attack but I decided to let the MX3 thaw naturally as the battery is old and I suspect a jump start will be called for and it's too cold to muck about with that when there is no actual need!!

[mickthemaverick]

Any news on the start button yet?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Any news on the start button yet?

Micra is fixed Mick, but the Start button has not been incorporated as yet on the basis of "if its not broken don't fix it".

I fitted a new starter motor and renewed a bit of wiring to the solenoid, and the key is functioning faultlessly at the moment so haven't been cutting any wires to fit the start button into the mix as of now.

BBMicra on the road again!

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Excellent news and well done!!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Here's an easy job, to solve a problem of a thermostat stuck shut, and a over-rapidly heating up cooling system.
No real difficult access problem, 3 little bolts retaining the plastic thermostat housing specified at 7 NM, barely more than finger tight. New thermostat purchased, just pop it in with its rubber sealing ring, and bolt the housing back up. Followed all the appropriate draining and refilling and installation stuff as per the official tech manual for the 2005 K12 which I have courtesy of the net.

First attempt.....thermostat housing leak. There is the temptation to just tighten up the bolts a little more...totally ineffective and very probably damaging (didn't stop me gently doing it!)

Second and third attempts followed on using first sparing application of first the instant gasket, then the cavalry of the blue hylomar. The hylomar worked nicely at tick over but at 3000 revs spurting coolant from the housing. Back to square 1.

At this point I began to lose confidence in the new thermostat, and its rubber seal, and the plastic thermostat housing in general. So a plan came together. The original thermostat was a genuine Nissan article, maybe it just fitted better, but of course it wasn't working. Does anyone ever "repair" a thermostat I definitely got it to open with a bit of heat...the sort of heat that a gas ring outputs! but couldn't put up with a sea of frustration "freeing" it off (even if that was possible), reinstalling it and hoping it would work, and returning to square 1.

So what have I done....this, and the cause of the previous failed leaking thermostat housing...
...the new thermostat. Compared to the original which was tight in its recess, the new one was noticeably slack. Looks the same, even took the original in to compare them at the factors, but subtlety different.

Modified original totally unstuck thermostat fitted, no sealant just the rubber seal as Nissan intended, and so far so good, no leaks.

This was the new part...does look identical but didn't fit properly.

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

After a smallish quantity of blood sweat and tears, I presented the BB Clio in the Maintenance Fleet for its MOT today and thankfully it got a Pass

It has a new driveshaft...the ABS reluctor ring being the offending article causing the ABS light to come but just as easy getting the new ring which came with the new driveshaft rather than clagging a new ring on a 20 year old driveshaft.

The major part of the work was one which I hadn't come across before. The splined shaft being struck in the hub.
Had the hub off the vehicle entirely, angle grinded the driveshaft to a manageable length and proceded up the increasing force scale together with drifts hammers and a chisel action hammer drill to get the shaft out of the hub.
So I called for the Cavalry and took the hub and stuck driveshaft up to Les' Workshop where his trusty hydraulic press had removed many a similarly stuck thing from agricultural machinery. Proved beyond doubt that my various manual efforts were a complete waste of time, and the shaft only released after maximum pressure was applied by the press, in conjunction with a bit of heavy duty heat with a gas torch, and finally a belt on the hub with a hammer.
The splines on the hub and the shaft were not rusted in the slightest and perfectly serviceable for installation of the new shaft.

If you have never had the misfortune of such a complication to a relatively straightforward driveshaft replacement this video example does show the type of force which occasionally is required. The splines on the hub and the shaft were not rusted in the slightest and perfectly serviceable for installation of the new shaft. I have started the vid at the pressing out bit.



Regards Neil

[bobins]

The major part of the work was one which I hadn't come across before. The splined shaft being struck in the hub.
Had the hub off the vehicle entirely, angle grinded the driveshaft to a manageable length and proceded up the increasing force scale together with drifts hammers and a chisel action hammer drill to get the shaft out of the hub.
So I called for the Cavalry and took the hub and stuck driveshaft up to Les' Workshop where his trusty hydraulic press had removed many a similarly stuck thing from agricultural machinery. Proved beyond doubt that my various manual efforts were a complete waste of time, and the shaft only released after maximum pressure was applied by the press, in conjunction with a bit of heavy duty heat with a gas torch, and finally a belt on the hub with a hammer.
The splines on the hub and the shaft were not rusted in the slightest and perfectly serviceable for installation of the new shaft.

If you have never had the misfortune of such a complication to a relatively straightforward driveshaft replacement this video example does show the type of force which occasionally is required. The splines on the hub and the shaft were not rusted in the slightest and perfectly serviceable for installation of the new shaft. I have started the vid at the pressing out bit.

Regards Neil

I managed to snap part of the hub casting doing one of those Clio driveshafts in my hydraulic press the past

[NewcastleFalcon]

That confirmation is strangely comforting. Sometimes I think these sods law type of jobs just follow me around and try to give me the message that it would be easier, but not bargain basement granted, sticking it in for a garage to do.

The frustration followed on when the equally difficult extraction of the ball joint, by destructive means was compounded when opening the parts box for the new ball joint. So obviously too wide in the girth to fit the hub, and the job delayed another day chasing round getting the right spec part.

I had renewed the offside driveshaft back in September 2022 ( viewtopic.php?p=730008&hilit=driveshaft#p730008 ). No problem removing that one from the hub at all but my schoolboy error of mullering the shaft end threads did result in an upgrade of the repair to a new driveshaft, rather than just replace the ABS ring.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

After a smallish quantity of blood sweat and tears, I presented the BB Clio in the Maintenance Fleet for its MOT today and thankfully it got a Pass



Regards Neil

Well done Neil! Quite Quaint Questions Quickly Quashed, Perseverance Prevails Providing Perfect Pass!!

Just goes to show what you can do when you look after your Ps & Qs !!

[CitroJim]

Congrats on the MoT Neil Huge fun with that driveshaft! I've been there once on a Xantia and again it was a hydraulic press job. I've been lucky I guess. One of the worst, which I encountered on a scrap one, was a driveshaft stuck in a 4HP20 autobox. They can be the very devil to remove...

[MattBLancs]

Copper greased the living daylights out of it for reassembly I hope?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Copper greased the living daylights out of it for reassembly I hope?

Probably totally (literally!) inappropriately used the red stuff I had lying around Matt New driveshaft slipped in easily, and I fully expect it to not put up much of a fight should it need dismantling any time soon.

Total Multis Complex EP2

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

BB Micra was the horse for the course on the trivia trail today. Did a bit of a running repair en route. After traversing a particularly rough and potholed section of the Northumberland Highway, on came the ABS light. I knew what it would be, the rather imprecise slot in the hub carrier and the femmer retaining clip rusting away down there occasionally result in the ABS sensor wire popping out of its intended home. Sure enough that was it. tried to fiddle it back with the wheel on but couldn't see what I was doing so took the wheel off. Part of the clip was broken so I just used what I had lying around the boot of the car. Yes a tube of exhaust assembly paste. Slotted the ABS wire and end into the slot and clagged a bit of the assembly paste on the plastic side butting against the hub carrier to stick it in. So far so good 60 miles later light still off.




Neil

[CitroJim]

Love the 'get you home' bit of maintenance Neil And a great photo too!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Old Fashioned Motoring for pleasure on a sunny Easter Saturday Afternoon

View from The BB Micra.

On to the Ranges

View From the BB Micra,

Regards Neil