I will have to admit.......I have had a bottle of "K Seal" circulating in Bolt since 23k miles and more than a year ago........
As it is now at 168k and I am starting to see the coolant doing it's "Drop about 25mm and stabilize".......
I suspect it is a minor head gasket leak and due to this stupid quarantine, I cannot get my workshop tools here from Hawaii!
Just by mileage, it seems it ~should~ be due to have a new HG fitted. No tools, no shop, and really cannot trust a garage.
Just keeping an eye on coolant for now. No sign of water in oil, oil in water, or pressurization. Running sweet!
The K seal worked well for me. I chose it as it seemed to have the least amount of "smoke and carbon nanofiber mirrors". (no snake oil) Just Sodium Silicate.
Basically, just try it! I mean.....What could possibly go wrong!? ;)
Cheers!

It is interesting that the light sensor has been installed, yet seems non functional?
Any sign of it in RAVE?
Looks like a plug in module from the photo, thus easy to delete.
I would say it is supposed to auto dim the instrument cluster lights at night?
It is well placed to measure ambient light falling on the cluster.
I have always wondered why the message center display is not dimmable as the back lights are?
Possibly this is something that can be turned on in Becm settings??? Probably need a Test Book tho'

Well.....In the immortal words of Homer Simpson...."DOH!!"
Once I swapped the standard 4 pin relay for the timer relay.......I was of course able to connect to Nano.
Fault showed as "Compressor always on" Which it is not. Cycles just fine, but I will swap the pressure switch just in case it is getting a bit sticky.
Odd that the nano just shut down? It's never done that in the past when I forgot the timer was out.
Just a new behavior to be aware of I suppose.
Also, even though it was in hard fault, when I started it this morning (with 4 pin relay in place) it did it's normal little jink
up and down to level out from the nights cold.
All good for now. Sorry for the false alarm, however, I will be getting a new set of sensors as I believe the ones on it are OEM and with 170k miles, they are probably ready.
Thanks for the help!

This is one of those Things that make you go "Hmmmmm...?"

Actually it is not making me go Hmmmmmmm? any more, it is now making me go "ARRGHHHhhhh!!!"
EAS on Bolt (02) has been flawless for a long time.
It has been cold (28-40F) lately, as well as wet.
Loaded up the wife and mutts and took a run to our favorite Fish & Chips shop. Made it about 2 of the 3 miles back and suddenly got an
EAS FAULT message on the dash. All lights on selector flashing, and extended height indicator on cluster.
No worries thinks I, Just plug in the trusty Nano, and sort this out.....Easy....... NOT easy......
The Nano initialises, I select EAS with engine running and all doors closed, select faults, the fault screen comes up, and the Nano promptly reboots itself!. I tried multiple times and it either reboots, or just shuts down when i try to read faults.
If I try to look at any of the other EAS screens, it simply freezes on that screen, and does not display any data.
I have to unplug the Nano to get it to reboot.
Nano reads engine, SRS, HVAC, Trans, etc no problem. Just throws a wobbly on the EAS.

As it is a dark and stormy night, I did not get under the bonnet, but as it was sudden onset, I am thinking water in connector, but which one?? and why would this cause the Nano to have such a dramatic shutdown?
Any thoughts?
Cheers!
Tom

Ahhhhh, Now you mention it, I recall, I did have to actually replace my rocker switch.
Someone had been into it previously for some reason, and had epoxied it shut.
It was showing either no lights or all lights randomly, and the EAS was not changing up and down.
Swapped in the known good one from Bolt, and all was well!
I got a replacement from the local wreckers for 5 bucks!
I suspect the bad rocker switch assy was the reason EAS was removed in the first place!
Such a simple problem!
I opened the old one.......The Switch is, of course not that simple. It contains a small processor as well as the LEDs.
If erratic display happens to ever be an issue, it could be a place to look.

JMCLuimni wrote:

Jesus GILBERTD, thats not exactly the College Heave Ho thats gonna get me motivated to take this on....

Awww, He's just an old stick inna mud!
Go for it! It's easy!
Heck! What could possibly go wrong?

You need 1 good jack, 2 stands.
I removed each wheel, and jacked the hub up to compress the spring as much as it would go, and used a
ratchet strap to hold the spring under compression whilst I let the jack down.
With the pins and clips removed, the springs were easy to remove. BE CAREFUL releasing the
strap as there is a lot of stored energy there! It took twice as long to get the crappy springs out as it
did to install the bags.
Removing the front wheel arch liners is a pain, but well worth the time invested!
(While the liner is off, is a good time pull the starter and give it a clean up? New brushes perhaps?)

I did this on the Borrego not too long ago.
I had lucked out and found an 02 in a wrecking yard that still had pressure in all 4 bags!
Pulled the bags, compressor, and valve block. Put it all in, fingers crossed, and it worked perfectly!
Took about 2 hours of wrenching, and an hour to remove the bodged bypass wiring.
I have since rebuilt the compressor, but that's it!
Now Into it for about 180 bucks at this point, and have a spare valve block, driver pack and compressor to boot!
I have 4 new Dunlops standing by if needed............
Have fun!

So,
The clip was still there??
On a separate subject, Do they salt the roads there or something?
I had Bolt in Hawaii in the rain, salt air and high humidity, for 13 years, and no rust anywhere?
No rot certainly........I keep seeing photos of your chassis with loads of corrosion? Gotta be salt?
Just curious........
Cheers! and good on ya for tackling the suspension!
Hint: I use a pair of surgical forceps to grip the tubes to give them a good push into the top fittings on the rears.
They let you clamp on to the tube without crushing it, and are lots skinnier than fingers!
Great for removal as well.

If the "Pop" was a significant backfire.........Could this have taken out the MAF?
Possibly caused by dodgy MAF which is now Dead?
I know you say you replaced it, but was it with new? was it a "Really real" Bosch MAF?
When the Maf on Bolt went out, it started with a couple of backfires, then just ran like crap, turned on the CEL and tossed all kinds of codes about rough road misfires, Catalyst damaging misfires, etc.
As it went out very suddenly while I was using it to shift a dozen or so loads only about 200 yards up
and down the property, it never occurred to me it was MAF.
I suspected water in the fuel, or bad fuel as it had sat for 3 years in the shed whilst I played in Oz on the boat.
I did fuel flush, plugs and leads (Plugs did not look good) hoping this was it, but the problem came right back.
First MAF I got said Bosch on the box, but was a knock off and did not fix the issue.
In the end, a new Genuine Bosch MAF and it was instantly fixed!

Do beware, BTW.....I bought a "Certified Genuine Bosch" part from Amazon which upon inspection was missing
the hologram sticker and code to check that it was genuine. It did not work. Returned it, and got another
from fleabay, which was indeed the correct part.....
Something to watch out for although I know all of you are savvy about knock off parts.

Copper?
Possibly there are more than one version of "K-Seal"......The one I used was in a very small blue bottle, and was not lumpy or gritty.......Kind of thin, beige and sludgy.....The orange coolant in my new reservoir (Nicely translucent) is nice and clear, not at all cloudy as I would expect?
No way there were enough solids of any sort to produce the "Turkish Delight" effect.
Actually, the stuff shown in your photo looks more like mineral precipitate from using very hard water for a long time!
Either that, or someone sold you calcium carbonate instead of Sodium silicate??
As I said, I will do an HG job when I get the tools here. Should be instructive.
Meanwhile, It's all good

I know....this kind of thread is definitely "Poking the bear"
I agree about some of the chemical soups out there. I looked long and hard for the least aggressive product.
Since this one comes in a bottle that is only 4 oz., and is very thin in viscosity, it seemed the least likely to deliver unintended detrimental side effects.....so far, so good.
I WILL report any unintended consequences.
Frequently, these products are used by folks looking to flog off a vehicle with a serious problem and they do not care what happens later.
As I fully intend keeping this one, I went with caution, and for my particular issue, it worked....for now anyway.
With a bit of hope, I look forward to getting my shop set up here (I get to build a new shed! I am thinking heated floor....)
And getting my full set of tools over from storage in Hawaii. Then, I can do a proper head job, and probably a new rad as well.

OK,
Full disclosure.
I was chasing a slight weep at the Left rear of the engine on the white 02 "Bolt".....
As I still do not have my full tool set to do head gaskets as they are still in Hawaii due to the virus related lock downs and quarantines, and
the fact that I needed to shift about 600 miles North with all of the kit, and needed to use Bolt to tow with.....
And, as Bolt has 156k miles on the clock, and has been a perfect performer in all other ways......
I very timidly added 1/2 of the small blue bottle of K-Seal to the rad tank....I know: Imminent disaster!!! Overheating, plugged heater core, ruined radiator...Etc....Ad Nauseum....
But wait! The weep stopped!......Then it returned a week later but much less....So I added the second 2 oz of K-seal (The other 1/2 bottle)
I have now done 2 major round trips 1400 mi each, and towing heavy trailers up and down the mountains
on I-5 and doing 75-90 mph in 100+ degree heat with A/C blasting with not a drop of coolant spilled, and no overheating issues!
I was, and am still fully prepared to replace both the heater core (with Audi) and the rad, which is factory......
However, as it is not blocked, and has performed much better than I expected on the towing trips, I will say:
"The stuff seems to work as advertised"
I will admit to being very surprised and expect to find a deep smouldering crater in my parking space sometime soon, but until then,
I am content to let things simmer along as they are.
I felt I needed to post this as the various snake oil quick fix "Mechanic inna bottle" type things seem to get nothing but bad reviews.
Could be I got lucky? Heck, I will take luck any way I can!
Oh, I am sure that some of the stuff will really ruin a cooling system, but hey! Just saying......
Cheers!

When you turn the screws, it will physically move the internals, so nothing to move other than the screw.
I had the same issue and a couple of turns solved it!
Good luck!

I have used this method with very satisfactory results:
Place 1in thick layer of old bath towels down on a flat surface, place wet carpet on towels,
place more towels on top, place 1/2 to 3/4 inch plywood on top of carpet, repeatedly drive over the laminate.
Remove towels, dry, repeat as needed, then it will stand a chance of air / sun drying
and you will not tear up the padding.
If you have access to a vacuum pump and a heavy duty plastic bag, you can also give it a good squeeze that way.

Nothing quite as dramatic! (You didn't by any chance read the can first?) :)
I just did 1400 miles at an average of 70 mph driving down I-5 to San Francisco to pick up a trailer (about 3500#)
and dragged it back up here to Oregon, the current Base of operations for the Waveney.
Used not a drop of water, and used about 1/4 cup of oil (leak from a valve cover)
Towed back in 90-115 degree heat and did the 6 mountain passes in about 95 degree heat.
All ran sweet! A/C blasting the whole way. Averaged about 15 miles to our US gallon.
Only issue was cruise control hose got really hot and started leaking down, so could not hold speed.
Zip tie to the tube at the tee, and back in Biz!
Did the same trip last month but hauled a trailer with 1950 Willies and a lot of other stuff (apx 5500#) back up here
in similar conditions, with the same results! (other than being slowed down to about 50mph on 2 of the short steep bits!)
So, as for this topic, Today, I did an oil and filter change.

What would I put in the boot for a long trip?
Nothing!
I would just be sure to bring Gilbert along! All problems solved!

Over the last 25+ years of traveling to Oz for long drives in the Outback, and beyond into Whoop whoop,
I have always maintained that the only thing needed to get you out of any mechanical breakdown, was my Mate, Russell!
He is engineer and bush mechanic extraordinaire!
The 85 Classic, when we do go bush carries enough tools and spares to recover from anything short of a thrown rod!
Including Mig welder powered by 3500watt inverter, which is in turn powered by dual 120 amp alternators
and a pair of 100 ah agm batts. Good thing too, as I have had to weld up a cracked diff case in literally the middle of nowhere, with NO chance of a tow out. We have also had to have parts (Timing gear) air dropped to us by a pilot friend
who thinks that kind of thing is great fun! They practice air drops by using bags of flour.......
Also carry Uhf / Vhf / Hf radio gear as well as an air band transceiver, and if we are with a group, there will also be a sat phone (rented) Great fun!
To carry the extra weight, Classic has stock Boge strut, and coils with ARB air bags fitted inside. The strut is magic!
Wallows like a drunken hippo, but rides and handles beautifully off road.

Sounds like an nice bit of kit!
These have held up well for 38 years with the odd brush replacement, and as I have spares,
I suspect, as my Aussie friends like to say: they will "see me out"
Also, a few bucks for brushes is probably cheaper than replacements........
Just gotta get someone to ship some here.

Now THAT is a fascinating theory!
Sounds exactly like something a code writer would do!
Has anyone ever been successful in tracking down a member of the team who wrote our code to ask them
questions like this?
Possibly one if the wonks at BBS?

Marty, when you say later revs can be recovered from alarm lock down, I am guessing you mean
the mildly annoying state, not total pull it and solder on wires to unlock type of lock down?

Well, I seem to recall on the 2 that I managed to put into Defcon5, I was not able to even speak to the Becm
let alone read anything from it once they went into full sulk mode??

Hey Marty,
I was perusing the litany of horrors over on the other side......
Found this nugget!:

"If you look in the BECM under SETTINGS -> OTHER If one of the software versions is showing as '153', then chances are it's still in alarm lockout, and if disarming it with the Nanocom isn't working, then it's BECM out time I'm afraid."

Had not run across this previously. Is this consistently the case, or only on later versions?
If this is a constant, it is a fantastic diagnostic to tell if it is in stage 1 lock out or stage 2 Defcon 5 lock down, and needs pulling out.
Could save a LOT of stuffing about trying to get something working.
Thanks!
Tom