davew wrote:

Richard: Unfortunately it seems the Local Authority system just can't handle anything prior to 2001.

In that case, as it's too old for them, it must be Historic so free....

Obviously it seems the UK Systems are still mainly based on highway robbery ( aka indirect taxation ) instead ?!

I've always said it has nothing to do with cleaner air, it is purely a money making scheme.

davew: What does your local authority want you to provide as proof of CO2 emissions? If they are asking for a copy of the V5, surely you can send yours in and tell them the CO2 figure is zero?

I far prefer the French system. You pay your €4.10 for a sticker for life for your windscreen and send a copy of your V5. From the Euro figure they give you a different coloured sticker. If running on LPG, you get the same sticker as a hybrid. Most of the time, it doesn't matter but at times when the air quality falls below a certain level, they restrict what can enter the cities (which usually means a minimum of Euro 6 diesel and Euro 2 petrol), can go in, the older diesels can't. It's an on the spot fine if you enter without the correct, or no, sticker. None of this 'you can drive any old polluting pile of junk into the cities as long as you are prepared to pay the money' like we have here, irrespective of the air quality at the time. The restrictions in France normally only come in during the summer when there is plenty of sunshine and no wind to disperse the pollution, the rest of the time it doesn't affect anyone.

Then again, maybe I'm just biased as I can go anywhere in France (and Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands) at any time but still have to pay my £12.50 on the odd occasion I have to venture inside the M25.

Painted the wheels and treated it to a new set of boots. Not usually one for doing cosmetics, the wheels have looked pretty horrible for a long time. They were last painted with silver wheel paint but seems to have gone darker in colour over a period but not all by the same amount. I had a can of Plastikote metallic silver that I bought for something else so decided to use that before getting the new tyres that had been delivered fitted. The wheels could really have done with being shot blasted but attacking them with some 80 grit emery cloth and a wire wheel on a drill got most of the rough off, so I masked the tyres and sprayed them. Initially I thought they looked far too bright but maybe not now I've got used to them. Took it in to my preferred tyre fitter to put the new tyres on. Went for the same as last time, Kleber Citilander as they are 3 peaks marked, all season tyres, have a C + C label and are quiet too. Not bad in snow either. The set on it had done around 65,000 miles and were down to 2-3mm left but as I'm driving to Latvia in a couple of weeks, I need to have 3 peaks marked tyres with at least 4mm of tread to be legal in Europe.

Actually looking pretty respectable for a car about to hit the half million miles in the next few weeks.....

This reminded me to do something about mine as a few more segments were starting to only wake up once the interior of the car got warmed up so ordered the RPi strip and fitted it yesterday (inside, on the coffee table, as it was pissing it down so I couldn't do anything outside). Their instructions aren't as good as Marty's so followed that, cleaned the back of the green screen while it was out and also checked all the bulbs. A bit fiddly but got it all done and back in so now have a nice bright display with everything showing.

It really is crap. A 1999 4.0 litre P38 isn't compliant but according to them, a 2000 4.0 litre P38 is but a 2000 4.6 isn't, yet they are all Euro 2 so none should be. Interestingly, I've just put my other half's Merc in the ULEZ checker. It's a 2007 SLK280 which is a Euro 4 petrol V6, but on a personal plate starting R15 and it correctly identifies that as compliant, yet a neighbours 2005 diesel Rover 75 on a K80 personal plate, which isn't compliant, comes back as fine even though putting it's original AE55 plate in correctly shows it isn't. Same car, correctly identified as a 2005 diesel in both cases but two different results just by changing the plate.

If you put in the date of first registration as September 2001 (when the 51 plate started) then fill in the other details (fuel type, gearbox type, Manufacturer, etc), you will only get the one result.

On vehicles later than 2001, it is shown on the V5 as that is what the road tax is based on, it isn't shown on anything earlier. You could take a couple of years off your cars age and show the figure for an identical 2001 model if they will accept that. Or just make up a number.....

Same as some of the London Boroughs charge a diesel more to park and not generate any pollution at all. When I had to drive into the City in my company 2015 Renault Kangoo, I, or my employers, had to pay ULEZ, Congestion Charge and extra to park.

Flashing then going to all 4 means a hard fault. If you have a height sensor out of range it will inhibit the pump so it doesn't damage anything. You probably have a dead spot on the track on one of the sensors so ever so often it will give the ECU and implausible reading.

Since getting it, I've never taken the cable off the Nanocom, I just leave it always connected. I remember seeing something about always connecting to the unit before plugging into the OBD socket too.

Through the screw holes that secure the plenum to the bulkhead and through the pollen filter housings. Make sure the seals on the pollen filter housings are good and not letting water in there (wet pollen filters is a good sign it is getting there) and take the screws out that hold the plenum down, squirt RTV under the screw holes and fit new self tappers.

It's only a 5A fuse so maybe drowning the back of the socket in rainwater was enough to cause it to blow?

Check fuse 33 (5A) as that is the one that supplies power to the OBD socket so runs the Nano as soon as it is plugged in.

So the question really isn't why does it suddenly cycle on for a short period but why does it stop in the first place if the pressure and thermal switches don't change state? My understanding is it should run until the pressure switch changes state so it stops and then only start again when the pressure has dropped. It is inhibited at certain times though which may prevent it from reaching full. Before I changed my compressor mounts so I can no longer hear it, I noticed it would sometimes run when sitting at a junction with the brakes on but stop as soon as I started moving.

As long as the thermal switch stays normal, as you say, it isn't a thermal issue so the only thing left is the pressure switch. IIRC pressure switch state and compressor state are on different pages on the Nano screen, so you can't easily see if the switch changes state at the same time as the compressor kicks in. It might be worth hanging an LED across the compressor so you can easily see if they coincide. That would suggest a lack of hysteresis in the pressure switch but as you have two that are both doing the same thing, that doesn't make a lot of sense unless that is how they go with age? It should be closed at 140 psi and not open until it drops to 120 psi.

Taking them off isn't a problem with an angle grinder and 1mm cutting blade. You just slice lengthways so the two halves of the nut fall off.

Yup, thinner spanner (or attack the one you have with a grinder).

The NNN100660 should be a straight swap for your NNN100600 which is the one used with SAI, you'll just need to copy over the code as detailed earlier. I suspect they are all very much the same just with different firmware depending on whether you have SAI or not. No mention of a different one for auto or manual but if they were different, you'd be hard pressed to find one for a manual, a V8, particularly a late model, with a manual gearbox is a bit into hens teeth territory.

I've actually got a NNN100660 that was bought to try to see if it cured a problem on another car that is from a 1999, 4.6, automatic and is a known good one. If you don't find one, drop me a PM as both my cars are GEMS.

I'd only put a link in as a get me home measure, I once drove through a blizzard at night sitting inside a sleeping bag due to a failed driver's side blend motor, not a lot of fun.

Genuine O rings are cheap (about 3 quid each last time I bought some) and changing them isn't the arduous task that many seem to make out it is. As you say, no point in complaining about it, just get on and do it. You'll have less coolant soaked into the carpet to deal with too.

Draught excluding door foam strips from B&Q. It comes on a roll and has sticky stuff on one side and a foam on the other, much the same as what was in there originally.

Yes, if it will go to the floor without pressure in the system, that would suggest air in the manual hydraulic circuit. Looks like you're going to be bleeding it again....