Amazingly, I've found somewhere here that has one.
Are you sitting down?
GBP280!
Well, now she drives straight and level thanks to her recycled truck tyre Panhard rod bushes, and the valve train is now silent again due to the application of actual motor oil, it's the turn of the brakes. Been fine up until yesterday morning when it took around two minutes for the warning light to go out and the ABS pump to stop. Same today. It's always been 15-20 seconds or so.
Guessing it's time for an accumulator then!
Quite possible, although I was stood there and watched them open the bottles.
On the other hand, I can buy a bottle of Martell Cordon Bleu, all sealed and boxed, for a tenner here with the contents bearing no relation to the labels. So why not oil?
It was interesting and I didn't give it a lot of thought at the time, but remember thinking that the oil light took a couple of seconds (literally, only that) longer than normal to extinguish.
Anyway, let's see how we get on. I'll be doing a full change, including filter, tomorrow with the guys I normally use.
No, no. I'm not trying to start a hundred page thread on viscosity, but...
Today I did a semi-oil change.
"Whoopee bloody doo" I hear you say and yes, you'd be right, except it's only two weeks and probably 60km or so since the last one.
Last time I came to do this, my usual place was full of dead cars and they couldn't get me in, so I went around the corner to my local Caltex station where they offer the same service. I'm a messy bugger when it comes to oil. Always have been. The other reason is that changing oil in the Pit of Hell that is the apartment parking, ain't no fun.
I normally do changes around every 2,000km at most, as I do a fair bit of short runs coupled with hours sitting in traffic in +30 degrees, both hard on oil. My normal place sells Mobil 1 20W-50 so that's what goes in and for three years she's been happy. The new place uses Halvoline 20W-50, which is actually one of the brands recommended in the handbook. As an aside, 20W-50 is about the only grade you'll see here, we don't need cold weather oils.
So the first couple of days, all is fine and dandy, then I just catch the sound of a small rattle as an echo going up a parking ramp. "Strange" thinks I. The next couple of runs were only short and with no problems. Then, on Saturday, I take her for a fair trip and the noise is back, only louder. It definitely sounds valve train-ish and, of course, you start to imagine the worst. Then I get to thinking, "Wonder if she doesn't like Halvoline?" And let’s face it, always start at the cheap end, eh? To be honest as well, the idea of doing lifters and cam at this very moment does NOT appeal, either financially or location-wise.
This morning I'm awake at 3am and decided to test my theory. I've got 4 litres of Castrol GTX in stock, plus an unopened litre of Mobil 1 in the car so it's time for a Mess-less oil change. Slight problem is that the only thing I have large enough for this task is one of Madam’s casserole pans. Good job she and the Girls are in Tondo this weekend then!
The plan is to drop out 5 or so litres and replace. The filter would just make too much mess and, now 5.30am, I've only got that much new oil. I figure that replacing 76.923% of the oil should prove, or otherwise, my clutching-at-straws theory.
Down we go and under the motor. Carefully place pan and undo sump plug. Oil obligingly goes into pan rather than over the floor. I guess at quantities and stick the plug back in with only minimal arm drippage. So far, so good.
Using Ghetto Funnel (cut off top of coke bottle), throw in the Castrol then, whilst that runs through, place now empty Castrol bottle into pre-thought of carrier bag (to act as bund), gaffer tape the funnel to top and pour oil from pan. Success! Although the bund was a damn fine idea.
Top up with the litre of Mobil to level, tidy up, test drive.
The result? Now been out twice today and so far, not a peep out of it. Let's see how we get on, but I think I'll be dropping the whole lot out, filter and all on Tuesday.
And what conclusions can we draw? Well, it's a tad early to say, but either my ageing V8 really, really doesn't like Halvoline, or the Caltex station is using repackaged chip fat. Who knows?
I think the longest part of this project will be cleaning the pan. It's still got a slight sheen on the water in it.
Orangebean wrote:
Invite away, but...
there is a strict dress code- smart casual and no trainers
:-)
I'd best sit outside then!
Gilbertd wrote:
Been done already
My eyes, my eyes!
Please delete this picture, if my Little Darlings see this, I'm doomed I tells ya, doomed!
Ferryman wrote:
Back to topic, George you are right about the fixing position of the mechanism, I once took my driversdoor apart en when I unscrewed the torx screw you mentioned I heard something falling in the door.
It was the spacer between doorframe and actual mechanism, this is needed to provide the needed space. Without this spacer you let the screw pull to hard on the mechanism and becomes outof position.Item 22 in the drawing, do a search inside your door to find it.
I have item 22 safe and sound. It was just that the screw had come ever so slightly loose and needed a quick nip up. But the symptoms could easily lead to "OMG, I'm superlocked out"
Morat wrote:
But ALL the school run mums are rocking the Evoque!
You could have a white one ;)
Being as the Girls often call me "Mummy-Daddy George" maybe you have a point.
They would insist on hot pink though.
Never had the fobs, only two valet keys.
As I say, I hardly ever lock it anyway. A man with a .45 stood 5 yards away tends to deter the average thief!
If I remember, LRM wanted GBP438 per fob with around five months delivery! Needless to say, I have never used them for anything, although I did naively ask about an exhaust system when I first got it. First problem was that they had never heard of the P38, second was, "Have to come from UK, many, many months" and third was, "You buy new Evoque, special offer this week." No ta.
Just something I discovered the other day.
I rarely lock the vehicle anyway (virtually everywhere I park has an armed security guard nearby) and being as Land Rover Manila want nearly 450 quid for a remote, I've stuck with using the door lock. I have replaced the latch some time ago. So this is for those in the same position.
Anyway, I went to unlock it the other day and whoops, the key wouldn't turn. "Oh dearie me", I thought. Going to turn the opposite direction, and I noticed that the door handle bit with the lock in moved fractionally, and I mean fractionally. By dint of a gentle twist on this, the door unlocked with no problem. This bit is only held on by one torx head screw, accessible with the door open and if that isn't 100% tight, the lock section moves, et voila, stuck.
Positioned the handle section so the key moved both ways, tightened up the screw and problem solved.
It just may save someone panicking and thinking the worst.
Of course, in your case it may indeed be the worst, but now it may not, if you follow me.
Oh and please no, "Get a new fob or you will die" replies in a US accent please. :-)
Gilbertd wrote:
Where in the world are you?
If it's the same Buzz1024 (and there can't be many) as on RetroRides, I think he's up Scotland way.
Orangebean wrote:
I think you've invalidated your warranty :-)
Good fix and a bargain cure for the wobbles...
If these do another 21 years, I'll be happy!
Funny, there is actually a 3 month warranty on these, which is more than you get on most stuff here.
The owner insists I drop in next time I'm passing and have a brew but seems confident I won't be back with any problem. Let's see.
You've got to love the make do and mend mentality you get in this part of the world.
So I pulls in my chosen establishment, tell them I need new panhard rod bushes and straight away he say's, "Yes sir, Peso 350 each and 600 labour" without even looking. On enquiring if he's sure they've got the right size, he looks at me gone out and says, "We make them." Oh, okay then.
A guy dives underneath, rips the rod off and passes it to a young lad who disappears around the back. Twenty minutes later he reappears with a perfectly bushed rod. And what do they use? Truck tyre carcasses.
They inject new material into failed ball joints and remake engine/gearbox mounts as well. I'll remember them.
A tenner for two bushes plus a tenner for the job and so for twenty quid, I've got perfect steering again. Nice!
Aragorn wrote:
Worth checking the front panhard rod bushes? If they're gone, it might look fine when poking about but axle will be flopping around underneath when moving...
Good shout!
GOTCHA!
By the power of technology and balancing my phone on top of a torch, I filmed every joint whilst moving the wheel back and forth and there, on video 4 is the lower panhard rod bush doing absolutely nothing!
I'm off up the road to a little "bush" place in the hopes it's a fairly standard size and we can do a quick swop. Let's see!
So a little update of no importance whatsoever.
Yesterday I whizzed it around the corner to the little place that does my oil changes (they won't let me do them in the "Pit of Hell") and whilst it was up in the air, I swung around on all sorts of things, got big leavers and heaved. The only thing with a tiny amount of play was the ARB bushes and, as I had some in stock, I threw them on when I got home. The old ones were a mite soft, but not what you'd call excessive. There was also no evidence that the bar had been shifting around in the bush. I also checked the tightness of the drop links I replaced a couple of months ago. The result? No difference whatsoever!
So back to square one. I still think the suddenness with which it happened is the clue. One minute all fine and dandy on a dead flat and straight rod, the next trying to tramline its way across four lanes. Just frustrating when there's nothing obvious to see.
Martyuk wrote:
Just sold a couple of my HEVAC screen connectors on eBay...
A bit surprised when I saw that the place I was sending them appears to be the guy that runs Britcar...
At least they'll have two bits that work!
davew wrote:
Again sounds like typical Bush wear but how old is your Steering Damper GeorgeB ?
Nope, damper's all good.
It's the suddenness with which the problem occurred that's got me stumped. Driving happily at 40kph on a completely flat, dead straight road.
Wound up the steering box a tad but a) it needs slacking off again and b) I still have this vague straight ahead steering.
My Thailand trip is on hold at the moment, so I've arranged to get it on a ramp on Thursday.
SpiggyTopes wrote:
Do you still write your stories on the other site?
I think the folks here would appreciate them ....
You mean this?
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/163103/letter-manila-powered-miguel-brandy
or the new blog...
Take ya pick!
Cain include in the appropriate section here, if folk would like?
Sloth wrote:
I found that on screens that have updating information, you have to press and hold the back button for instance, as it only seemed to accept input between refreshes of the data.
Haven't updated mine since I got it - I think I'll give this a go though.
Well worth it. The screens the best it's ever been. When I was doing EAS heights, it would sometimes hang on "OK". If you waited long enough, it would either be alright, or recycle back to start. Now, no issue.