Nigel: Odd: I would normally suspect damp was getting in... but you are parked in a garage.....
Next: Consider an ANCEL 200BM Pro Remote Battery Monitor (eg. ebay 136923869039) ~£30 !
Thanks Richard; Sorry - I should have explained I already had the info from the RAVE 'Body Repair Manual' p154
It refers to using a wire cutter or reciprocating blade cutter and I have had a quote of £90 to remove it with the latter.. and so I will remove it 'manually' instead. but I wondered what others had done if/when they had this same problem with this window....
PS: I do have a tip of my own though: And for any car... but quite obvious in retrospect..
When any glass is shattered like this but still in the hole, don't close any doors too rapidly..
or the pressure wave produced blows it all out rapidly too....... doh !
That's the same DC Clamp Meter I have : Note it switches off after a few minutes (don't they all ?)
This was irritating as with one case I planned to point a CCTV camera at it and monitor it regularly from indoors...
(and I am not joking). Higher spec. (PSU powered) DC Clamps that stay on exist of course but are £££
(ie. the one on the body not the door)
Any tips/techniques on replacing this appreciated !
Glass appears to be simply bonded onto a plastic surround/frame and this surround.frame is bonded to the body.....
(Council worker helpfully used his strimmer to cause a high-velocity gravel projectile.....)
Peter12345: Thanks for your input: I was quite surprised that car went for £4K+...
Particularly after reading the MOT History (with several years 'missing') !!
Nigelbb: Impressed that after dropping below 3 volts for some time you could even get it to work ok with a Jump Start !
Hankook must be good..
With issues like this - and assuming it is not anything too obvious like the BeCM is not 'waking up' spuriously etc,
the best (only ?) way to diagnose this further is to use a clamp DC meter to look for parasitic drain/s of course on
the +ve feed - the usual way being to lock the car (and spoof the bonnet/catches) and watch and wait !!
These days there are lots of 12V Battery Testers around on e-bay - not the 'load' type - that can provide lots
of useful data StateOfHealth and StateOfCharge in particular.... as batteries age.
PS: As you may know Lead Acid batteries really don't like being below 11.8 volts for a while...
as they will suffer a permanent chemical change. Pulse 7-stage chargers etc can recover these
batteries to an extent but any/the reversal of sulphination is limited....
.
.. Yes, the Greater London ULEZ finally takes its toll on my P38 ownership....
.. as after three years of ULEZ in OUTER London at £12.50/day (or £18.50 with Congestion Charge) it is time to go; SAD !
1995 GEMS 4.0 and I have owned it for 25 years - less than 90K miles; Any suggested ballpark prices ??
(It has all kinds of the usual issues, ding/dongs and lacquer peel etc - as per m/any 30+ year vehicles)
Runs ok/MOT etc
PS: NOT "We Buy Any Car dot Con" !
Good Grief Richard ! And at 33 1/3rd that's definitely a (Long-Playing) Record !
You may not have even noticed if you had not checked the Temperature Gauge.....
(as we all do in such traffic, as well as wondering if the Viscous Fan is behaving) !?
RE: Chassis/Corrosion/MOT:
Thanks for the links Richard: Agree that the (overly pedantic) MOT inspector's remarks effectively fall into the 'so what ?' category.....
as i asked if the 'attention needed' would involve painting underseal over it to hide it.... and/or a 'sacrifical anode' approach...(!)?
Less 'whimsical' however was my explanation that the P38 air susupension uses quite a low pressure over a large surface area
and so that is much less critical that the 'usual' suspension arrangement with more load focused on a smaller contact points...
Worth considering mentioning that (or similar) if any other members also encounter any unusually-pedantic MOT inspectors ....?
Richard: Don't know the details on your Merc but I have used the old approach, basically as used on Bailcast CV split joints but with ball joints, to the satisfaction of MOT testers anyway: I use an 'oversized' (for the car/jpoint) ball joint boot split (cut) and overlapped/glued up in order to prevent the famous "water/dirt ingress" fail problem.
Split boots held in place at both ends with stainless clips of course...... and, if done properly, it stays good for years too.
PS: While you have the MOT Testers book handy what does it say (indicate) about chassis corrosion on P38s ?
I ask as I had this 'gem' for mine last year:
"significant amount of rust and corrosion on under chassis not affecting suspension points or load bearing joints but needs attention"
It was from a very pedantic MOT Tester, who probably does not see many chassis-based 30-year-old cars ?
There was a 'discussion' that followed -mainly about chassis vs monocoque construction - and the EAS too...!.
Corrosion on a P38; Who knew ??
Philip: Yes, Pay-Per-Mile (just for London) has been mooted but Khan denys it so it is most probably on the cards (?)
Not sure if you are also in London and/or if you have seen the ULEZ 'JACOBS' Report (from way back in May 2022..) ?
[JACOBS, reknown experts in the (air pollution) field, produced the 'ULEZ Impact Assessment' had produced predictions that the ULEZ Expansion would only make minor (NO2) or negligible (PM) effects: However the report was leaked from TfL.. and Khan's response was simply to further exaggerate the claims of ULEZ benefits - and so aded the Climate Change Emergency as a key ULEZ issue too... ]
Well Richard the most obvious answer to the question as to where they 'get their information from' is that (far) too often they don't get it from anywhere (in particular) as it is just 'manipulated/fabricated to suit' ! (And that does not mean just 'transforming' 4% to 45% as I mentioned above either...). Some of their 'misrepresentations' are quite 'subtle' too, such as them quoting a NO2 drop as "up to 4.4%" and then dropping the "up to" in the subsequent 'sound byte' Press Release headlines.."Job done" and all c/o of his City Hall £10m/year PR B/S machine !!
There are many such examples and again it is not a mathematical 'misunderstanding'... it is also down to issues like this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66570024 ... and/or TfL paying Imperial College £800K for a favourable report and they claming it was 'peer reviewed' by the Author (only) ! And asking them for their detailed workings out (calculations) is complete a waste of time: Stonewalling !!
So overall it is best not to expect facts and/or anything like consistency or accuracy in any of the TfL deliberations.....
PS: Quiz Time !! (although probably wasted on here as we folks understand ICEs)
I have asked many now "how much less Pollution - 'on average' - a ULEZ-Compliant car
produces as compared to a Non-compliant one"
Hmmmmm..... 'easy enough' but lots of 'interesting' answers emerge for sure;
(Just that City Hall £10m/year PR B/S machine at work again of course... )
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
ANSWER to the Quiz above (?): The compliant cars only produce about half the pollution of the (next band) non-compliant cars
It is both entertaining and revealling to ask folks about all this as, thanks to the PR B/S, there are often clear perceptions that
1) Compliant cars produce 'very little pollution' (!)
2) (Typically) "Non-Compliant cars produce maybe 10 times the pollution of Compliant ones ?" (!!)
"WORKINGS OUT"
ULEZ Minimum emissions standards; For Petrol: Euro 4 (NOx) and for Diesel: Euro 6 (NOx and PM)
ACCORDINGLY:--
PETROL ..........................................
Euro 3 emission limits (petrol)
CO – 2.3 g/km
HC – 0.20 g/km
NOx - 0.15
PM – no limit
Euro 4 emission limits (petrol)
CO – 1.0 g/km
HC – 0.10 g/km
NOx – 0.08
PM – no limit
..........................................
So for the key 'indicator' here - NOx, the limit/level drops from 0.15 to 0.08
.
.
.
.
DIESEL..............................................
Euro 5 emission limits (diesel)
CO – 0.50 g/km
HC+ NOx – 0.23 g/km
NOx – 0.18 g/km
PM – 0.005 g/km
PM – 6.0x10 ^11/km
Euro 6 emission limits (diesel)
CO – 0.50 g/km
HC+ NOx – 0.17 g/km
NOx – 0.08 g/km
PM – 0.005 g/km
PM – 6.0x10 ^11/km
.........................................................................................
So for the key 'indicator' here - NOx -the limit/level drops from 0.18 to 0.08 (g/km) - and for HC + NOx 0.23 to 0.17 (g/km)
Richard: 'Unfortunately' (ie deliberately) TfL have simply focused on Euro 4 and Euro 6 for ULEZ purposes:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/ways-to-meet-the-standard
As we know it is not really about clean/er air though, it is about revenue generation for TfL. Over the last year or so NO2 levels in the Expanded (Greater London) ULEZ have reduced by a few percent... and as the experts predicted - but that reduction has been happening for years anyway. To put this in further perspective the last time ULEZ was expanded (out to the North/South Circ.) Khan claimed it resulted in NOx reduction that was 'transformational' - and 45% - whereas when it was measured (independently) it was less than 4%......and there are many similar examples of such PR B/S from Khan/TfL of course too !
PS: As mentioned above NO2 levels have been steadily reducing for decades regardless of ULEZ, but again that does not prevent Khan/Tfl from taking credit for it - or trying to - obviously !
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-quality-statistics/ntrogen-dioxide
Richard RE: " If you can undo it half a turn, its undone so you don't have a problem "
Believe me, if it the threads are badly corroded the problem still exists ! If so you could well damage the nut by further removing it of course.
even with a 'proper' (flared) spanner.. unless you are going to discard/replace it obviously then it really does not matter either way.
I managed to use the method I described above - half a turn and let the brake fluid leak a little to lube the threads - on a rear caliper to good effect.
(As you will know these juctions -pipe to flexi pipe - are at a 45 degree angle so normal penetrating oil is less effective.) The Nut/Ferrule then turned and came off much easier so that I was able to re-use it.
Richard: Not sure about the Blue Spanners but the language is sometimes ripe as in: https://youtu.be/T8YFxuKrJBI
Mad-as: Not too sure about the vinegar though, my favourite freeing liquid is is Acetone/ATF, but not on my chips, obviously !....
I think the key action may be at the first sign of (serious) resistance with the brake nuts is to use vice grips (notably the Irwin types
with a curved part on the jaws) before 'rounding it off' with a spanner ? Of course it usually does not happen in that order though....
As for threatening the car, a handy john-cleese-type shrub might suffice before the pyrotechnics arise... but if they actually do arise
an accelerant like this https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/nulon-nulon-start-ya-bastard-150g/13169.html might help free it up first ??
On a more serious note even just turning the fitting slightly with a vice grip - maybe half a turn - causes the fitting to leak and brake fluid is a
penetrating oil. Again the key issue then is the patience to leave it a while to leak like that and thus actually penetrate the treads !
Clive603; You may well be right about the finer thread pitch being used as the fitting is a tube :The nearest I have previously heard
as to the likely reason that it is finer than the 'standard' 1.5mm thread is that 'it is more likely to seize so you have to replace it all !!
I like it Richard - Mohammed/ Mountain stuff ! If I get that far (and that irritated) I would just replace it all... pipe/flex. pipe /caliper/pads and probably take the pipe bracket off, clean it up and paint it too etc ....
whilst muttering to the car about 'not being beaten by a mere nut' ?!?
Something else I do when talking to car components that are just 'not co-operating' is to say "Ok, so we are doing that now are we ?!" That works a treat (Sounds crazy yes.... but I know I am not the only one who does that..) !
Yes, that finer pitch thread on the nuts/ferrules - ie. Imm rather than the 'standard' 1.5mm - has puzzled me for years too...
and so far no-one I have spken to (in the business) can explain it either.....
It's up there with the other key question as to why they use material for those nuts that is quite soft - so it is really too easy
to 'round them off' - even if/when using proper 'flared' brake spanners !
That does remind me of a useful tip though that works -when they are definitely 'rusted' on- which is to use an impact tool (gently !) with a blunt end to shock them - along with penetrating oil of course - to assist disassemby; Well it often works !
Bolt: Sounds like bags of fun...!
Ok, If the hissing you hear is 'from the exhaust silencer' (the tank) then yes that does point at the diaphragm (again) of course. And what happens (overnight ?) if you pull out the EAS relay (under seat) and inhibit the sysyem/compressor ?
Double Flares ? I had some problems with the second (hand-held flaring tool) type with steel pipe but some grease on the tool threads - on the Op1/2 parts - helped considerably ! As usual lots of inferior offerings on e-bay with these tools unfortunately..
For steel pipes (off the car) I would recommend finding the local 'Pirtek' (if you have one nearby); Hydraulic specialists.
Alternatively there are 3/16" compression fittings- particularly if like me you prefer to use hybrid steel-kunifer arrangements - ie. steel for the straight/er (and more exposed) pipe runs and kunifer for the bendier parts.
You are definitely right about the mark-ups on parts Richard, and that is definitely close to fraud: Seen a few cases now where the garages charge for genuine (insert marque name here..) components - but then if you see the boxes before fitting they are not 'genuine' at all they are mere 'generics'... It is also outrageous for them to charge folks high-street retail prices for consumables - eg. Halfords prices-per-litre for oil changes. Not exactly a mere 'mark up' either if it means 200-300% ?!
( Bit of an 'aside' here but I recall (some decades ago....) someone looking at how much it would cost to build a complete car just using 'spare' parts, and not including labour for doing that it was seven times more that the cost of a new car.
That now seems reasonable... but I wonder what the 'cost factor' would be now ? Twenty or thirty times perhaps.... )
One of the main problems is that car-owners these days may not have enough technical know-how to challenge any quotes that they are given, most definitely if they just failed their MOT and the car is deemed 'dangerous' of course....
'Captive Audience' prices then apply too ! Some of my neighbours have paid crazy car bills due to their lack of knowledge... Better stop there before I start on what those with EVs can expect to pay in the future as they become the exclusive preserve of the Main Dealers only. ( "I'll just plug in some diagnostics guv'nor - at £500/pop" ) Hmmmmm...
It's good to know there are still some 'old school' craftsmen 'out in the sticks' though: Might ask your mate for a quote next time indeed ! Sadly London has just become an even bigger rip-off than ever over the last decade or so for sure.