Hi Guy's,
I did the annual service on Karen's Astra today, every thing was going fine until I took the rear brake drums off. I have done quite a bit of work to this car over the last three years. We have owned this car since it was a year old and it has been very reliable.
I changed the front brake calipers and rear wheel cylinders two years ago but on checking my rear brakes today I found both cylinders were leaking. This was a bit disappointing I expect a new brake component to last longer than two years. The service schedule states that they are checked every four years or 40,000 miles, I check them every service which in this case meant I caught them early before the brake shoes were contaminated with brake fluid.
Also I replaced the front ball joints back in March for the MOT as the offside one had an advisory from the previous year. On checking them today only seven months after the rubber boots that protect them from dirt and water ingress have started to perish and crack.
Is it me or has the quality of replacement car parts deteriorated over the last few years. I look after my cars when something needs doing I do it, if one side is OK but the other needs doing I replace both sides. Is it too much to ask that new parts last longer than a couple of years.
KBO
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Grass is Greener
I was looking at a blog yesterday for a triumph 2.5 PI that was a great car and I really want one. But with the rover 2.6 engine from the SD1 and modern fuel injection. This was the car that triumph should have build.
I really like my beemer too its like a modern vertion of the PI, its also long black and bad which means its good. Like I say the grass is greener.
I got to visit a Royal Navy ship the other day, evey spare inch of space had some bit of mechanical or electrical kit that need a technician or engineer to look after it. From what I could see thier seniors still get thier hands dirty from time to time. In my service this doesn't happen and I find myself wanting to be back on the shop floor mending things like I used to. Like I said the grass is greener.
Still a Triumph 2600 Mk3 EFI or a black BMW Alpina B8 replica that would but a great project mmm???
I really like my beemer too its like a modern vertion of the PI, its also long black and bad which means its good. Like I say the grass is greener.
I got to visit a Royal Navy ship the other day, evey spare inch of space had some bit of mechanical or electrical kit that need a technician or engineer to look after it. From what I could see thier seniors still get thier hands dirty from time to time. In my service this doesn't happen and I find myself wanting to be back on the shop floor mending things like I used to. Like I said the grass is greener.
Still a Triumph 2600 Mk3 EFI or a black BMW Alpina B8 replica that would but a great project mmm???
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Handling Transformed
Hi Guy's
well the handling of the car is much better now. The car has stoped wandering like it was at speed so new trailing arm bushes were a good buy. However while I was working on the car I spotted one or two things I'll have to do. There some areas on the underside of the car that will need rubbing back to bare metal and painting. I want to get some rust converter, epoxy mastic and stone chip to do this right.
Thats about it folks.
well the handling of the car is much better now. The car has stoped wandering like it was at speed so new trailing arm bushes were a good buy. However while I was working on the car I spotted one or two things I'll have to do. There some areas on the underside of the car that will need rubbing back to bare metal and painting. I want to get some rust converter, epoxy mastic and stone chip to do this right.
Thats about it folks.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Poly Bushes
Hi Guy's
This weekend I fitted new superflex trailing arm bushes to the Beemer. This turned into a bit of a marathon as everything was rusty. The nearside trailing arm came off ok. I put if in the vice burned out the rubber using my blow lamp before sawing through the outer shell with a hacksaw. Have to be careful here that you don't cut to far and damage the trailing arm. The shell was then collapsed using a hammer and cold chisel. The new bushes pressed in easily using a G clamp.
If the offside had gone like this I would have been finished on Saturday but the drive shaft CV joint would not press out of the hub so I couldn't get the trailing arm off the car. It would have to be done in place.
The trailing arm bush bolt was rusted and wouldn't come undone, this wouldn't have been a problem if I had the trailing arm on the bench. Normally I would grind a flat on the nut and split it with a cold chisel but they are recessed by 5 mm so you can't reach the full depth of the nut. I tried anyway but no joy. I tried drilling the head off the bolt its an M12 bolt and my biggest drill was 10 mm. I drilled it to the depth of the bolt head and tried shear it off with a cold chisel no joy and it was 6 o'clock, I gave up for the day.
I went out to get a couple of larger drills an 11mm and a 12mm, couldn't buy them separate so had to buy a set which went up to 13mm. Came in handy in the end because I needed to go up to the 13mm drill before the bolt would shear. Burning out the centre of the bush and cutting out the shell, needless to say, took longer on the car then the bench but we got there in the end.
Both bracket housing's were rusty so I ground them back to clean steel, primered and painted them to keep the rust monkeys at bay. I want to do a better job of this using epoxy mastic but can't afford it just now.
Its not the best job I have done. My original plan was to do work to the car slow time as it needed it but since my job has taken me away from home I can only work on it at the weekends. Now I am commuting in it, jobs turn into a race to get them done before I have to drive back at the end of the weekend. Hence no photo's guys sorry I just had to get it finished.
Still done now on to the next job.
KBO
This weekend I fitted new superflex trailing arm bushes to the Beemer. This turned into a bit of a marathon as everything was rusty. The nearside trailing arm came off ok. I put if in the vice burned out the rubber using my blow lamp before sawing through the outer shell with a hacksaw. Have to be careful here that you don't cut to far and damage the trailing arm. The shell was then collapsed using a hammer and cold chisel. The new bushes pressed in easily using a G clamp.
If the offside had gone like this I would have been finished on Saturday but the drive shaft CV joint would not press out of the hub so I couldn't get the trailing arm off the car. It would have to be done in place.
The trailing arm bush bolt was rusted and wouldn't come undone, this wouldn't have been a problem if I had the trailing arm on the bench. Normally I would grind a flat on the nut and split it with a cold chisel but they are recessed by 5 mm so you can't reach the full depth of the nut. I tried anyway but no joy. I tried drilling the head off the bolt its an M12 bolt and my biggest drill was 10 mm. I drilled it to the depth of the bolt head and tried shear it off with a cold chisel no joy and it was 6 o'clock, I gave up for the day.
I went out to get a couple of larger drills an 11mm and a 12mm, couldn't buy them separate so had to buy a set which went up to 13mm. Came in handy in the end because I needed to go up to the 13mm drill before the bolt would shear. Burning out the centre of the bush and cutting out the shell, needless to say, took longer on the car then the bench but we got there in the end.
Both bracket housing's were rusty so I ground them back to clean steel, primered and painted them to keep the rust monkeys at bay. I want to do a better job of this using epoxy mastic but can't afford it just now.
Its not the best job I have done. My original plan was to do work to the car slow time as it needed it but since my job has taken me away from home I can only work on it at the weekends. Now I am commuting in it, jobs turn into a race to get them done before I have to drive back at the end of the weekend. Hence no photo's guys sorry I just had to get it finished.
Still done now on to the next job.
KBO
Friday, October 8, 2010
Hi Folks
Hi Guy's this blogging thing is addictive I already have a blog about the boat I'm building and now I thought I'd start one about my beemer.
I really wanted a a rear wheel drive car so I could do a bit of tinkering and build something a bit different and use it on the odd track day or sprint. I'm an avid reader of Practical Performance Car and Practical Classics and was inspired by some of the projects I have seen.
I really wanted a Triumph 2000 but couldn't find one so bought a 1996 BMW 323i instead. It drives nicely has some tuning potential and is black so its a good start. I still hope to find a triumph 2000 one day and build the MK3 2600 they should of build but were stopped by that bunch of goons that were running Leyland at the time.
Doom on Lenoard Lord, BMC and British Leyland they killed our car industry. Rant over.
Main problems with the car:
Bushes need replacing.
It has some minor rust spots.
My windscreen crached this week.
It has an intermitant power loss problem only does this if I don't drive it for a feww days My fault coder reader is OBD2 so won't read the cars faults.
Work done so far:
Front wishbone bushes.
Track arms and tractrod ends replaced.
Steering rack boots replaced.
Gearbox output shaft seal replaced.
Front propshaft drive coupling replaced.
Rear shocks replaced.
Brake pipes from the ABS valve block to the rear hubs replaced.
All flexi brake hoses replaced with steel braided hoses.
and thats about it so far.
I have an engineering background started my working career as a motor mechanic on the YTS and then was taken on. Worked as a mechanic for four years but left as they wouldn't allow me to go to college doom on them. I now work in the comms and radar field but still have never paid a garage to service my car.
Thats about it really I'm going to replace my rear trailing arm bushes with superflex ones this weekend.
KBO.
I really wanted a a rear wheel drive car so I could do a bit of tinkering and build something a bit different and use it on the odd track day or sprint. I'm an avid reader of Practical Performance Car and Practical Classics and was inspired by some of the projects I have seen.
I really wanted a Triumph 2000 but couldn't find one so bought a 1996 BMW 323i instead. It drives nicely has some tuning potential and is black so its a good start. I still hope to find a triumph 2000 one day and build the MK3 2600 they should of build but were stopped by that bunch of goons that were running Leyland at the time.
Doom on Lenoard Lord, BMC and British Leyland they killed our car industry. Rant over.
Main problems with the car:
Bushes need replacing.
It has some minor rust spots.
My windscreen crached this week.
It has an intermitant power loss problem only does this if I don't drive it for a feww days My fault coder reader is OBD2 so won't read the cars faults.
Work done so far:
Front wishbone bushes.
Track arms and tractrod ends replaced.
Steering rack boots replaced.
Gearbox output shaft seal replaced.
Front propshaft drive coupling replaced.
Rear shocks replaced.
Brake pipes from the ABS valve block to the rear hubs replaced.
All flexi brake hoses replaced with steel braided hoses.
and thats about it so far.
I have an engineering background started my working career as a motor mechanic on the YTS and then was taken on. Worked as a mechanic for four years but left as they wouldn't allow me to go to college doom on them. I now work in the comms and radar field but still have never paid a garage to service my car.
Thats about it really I'm going to replace my rear trailing arm bushes with superflex ones this weekend.
KBO.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)