Hhhmm, well a frustrating way to start 2014

[Greg VXR]

Well to compound it I had a spill on the VFR so need to get something sorted (bike and I ok mind).....watch this space.

Edited by Greg VXR on Sunday 19th January 08:16

[Greg VXR]

So this resto has been accelerated:



Currently failed its first MOT in 12yrs on Friday on a few minor things. It should be sorted early next week.

I have had to drive the ro round the estate to clear the rust on the discs, washed it and wrapped it up for the foreseeable.



The caddy is my dads, great little run around. The bumper is at his and we are thinking about how to fix it......should be doable. Rubbing down the bumper with all the nooks and and crannies will be interesting

[Greg VXR]

Well I have been really busy and the old cavalier has done ok, just a heater fan failure, a brake light bulb and the need to top up the oil occasionally so I have been helping my dad to other things on his projects. That said he has fiber glassed the broken corner



He has done a great job, mind you we need to rout out the middle bit to get it fitting ok.....still, saves the crazy money for a new one.

[jonnM]

Good effort Gregs Dad

Be careful with that routing!

[Greg VXR]

Cheers John, I'll tell him.

[Greg VXR]

We routed it out on Saturday



The nut dad put in there was protruding too far so we got it out and then put a little more fiber glass in there. A little more tidying and the plan is to finish it Saturday and put it on the ro. I'll paint it once I sort out some more of my Cavaliers. I'll try to get the wheels done at the same time then and get it looking a bit better.

[Greg VXR]

So a couple of weekends ago I got the car in my car into my dads garage


Roger told me my power steering cooler was corroded but its pretty bad.....


So took the worst of the corrosion off, treated it, then hammerite to get it to last until I go for a service


The following bracket seems to have a spinning nut on the back, do I have to drill this out? I didn't have time to investigate by taking the covers off....


We made up some stainless replacements




Its not perfect and its started to crack already so far from ideal but I am back on the roads for now. Just need to put the fog light back in after glueing the lense back on.....might have to get another one.





I will need to graft on a corner from a broken bumper and use a supporting plate behind (rivet and bonded to do it properly). I have emailed Brett.....I should speak to Gary as well I guess.

[Greg VXR]

No one knows about the nut then......I'll ask MF.

It seems that my power steering cooler may have failed. It looks like its gone where it is held below the rad (or are they connector pipes). See below. What are the options please? It looks like a rubbish unit, is it fixable on the drive? I am good at getting the bumper off now ;¬) I don't know if its creamed the power steering pump or rack, as it started to whine a little closer to home. I tried to avoid any severe corner.....I guess its fix the leak and fill it up and see.


Not so obvious from above


Balls.

I have also had safe mode activate on both my last 2 return trips from work (only using it once a week for the 80 miler.....I fear its the throttle body sensor(s) again. Is there anyway of sorting this by cleaning it, or do they just have a set period of life? Are the new ones any better? I will monitor it. No fault codes on the OBII port.

Cheers all.

P.S. EmmaJ my father-in-law spotted you heading between Henley to reading (the nice twisty road) a while back, he knows as he saw your car on my annual trip to MF last summer.....going at a far rate apparently.

[EmmaJ]

Greg VXR said:

P.S. EmmaJ my father-in-law spotted you heading between Henley to reading (the nice twisty road) a while back, he knows as he saw your car on my annual trip to MF last summer.....going at a far rate apparently.

It's rare for me to be spotted

Good luck with the bumper btw

[IXLR8]

EmmaJ said:

Greg VXR said:

P.S. EmmaJ my father-in-law spotted you heading between Henley to reading (the nice twisty road) a while back, he knows as he saw your car on my annual trip to MF last summer.....going at a far rate apparently.

It's rare for me to be spotted

Good luck with the bumper btw

Emma you must have been crawling for that to have happened.... Or he was travelling at warp factor 5 as well

Normally you just see a silver streak with a wiff of rubber and tyre smoke

[VXRocky]

Greg VXR said:

No one knows about the nut then......I'll ask MF.

It seems that my power steering cooler may have failed. It looks like its gone where it is held below the rad (or are they connector pipes). See below. What are the options please? It looks like a rubbish unit, is it fixable on the drive? I am good at getting the bumper off now ;¬) I don't know if its creamed the power steering pump or rack, as it started to whine a little closer to home. I tried to avoid any severe corner.....I guess its fix the leak and fill it up and see.


Not so obvious from above


Balls.

I have also had safe mode activate on both my last 2 return trips from work (only using it once a week for the 80 miler.....I fear its the throttle body sensor(s) again. Is there anyway of sorting this by cleaning it, or do they just have a set period of life? Are the new ones any better? I will monitor it. No fault codes on the OBII port.

Cheers all.

P.S. EmmaJ my father-in-law spotted you heading between Henley to reading (the nice twisty road) a while back, he knows as he saw your car on my annual trip to MF last summer.....going at a far rate apparently.

I replaced mine back end of last year, Monkfish do a Universal one I believe, as do driftworks. Very easy to fit yourself at home, just a bit messy!

[Greg VXR]

EmmaJ said:

It's rare for me to be spotted

Good luck with the bumper btw

Ta. I think I will wait for a refurbed one and respray it and use the current one as a spare. Or I might get just the corner off a smashed one, and sort it when the car is laid up in the winter.

Cheers VXRocky, I spoke to Andy at MF and it will be on order once its restocked. As for messy, I'm not sure that there is much steering fluid left as its been dripping on the drive The cardboard has soaked up some of it at least.

[Paul v8]

Not having much luck at the moment with the ro are ya
Was gutted when you said the other night

[Greg VXR]

Its just another part failure, lets not kid ourselves these cars were cheap for a reason. If I keep replacing the rubbish bits it will come good.

[ringram]

Greg VXR said:

Its just another part failure, lets not kid ourselves these cars were cheap for a reason. If I keep replacing the rubbish bits it will come good.

Yep thats my thought process too.
Never give up

[motomk]

If you are making the brackets yourself....you could probably get a universal power steering cooler that fits loads of cars and fit it yourself. Maybe a small transmission cooler would do? It is the same stuff as transmission fluid.

[Greg VXR]

MF have packaged up a universal cooler they use and its en route (arriving monday).

Any recommendations on which fluid to use please?

I need to get this sorted within the next week as the discs are looking very average and I could well do without a large bill for replacing them again (warped syndrome).

[stigmundfreud]

use whatever was stock, probably atf at a guess

[Greg VXR]

OK thanks, I went for some redline atf. We'll see how that goes, the power steering cooler has turned up (thanks MF) so need to find some time to fit it.

I am guessing that 2013 is not my year wrt the ro, the cat had snuck in as I was putting the cover on it (i didn't notice) and she was in there for 2 days. luckily for her we found her just a bit skinny but cat pee and turds in the footwells and claw marks on the passenger seat......not impressed

Still, been scrubbing the mats to clear the stink so they are coming up nice

[ringram]

Greg VXR said:

pee and turds in the footwells and claw marks on the passenger seat......

That sounds like Stig's BMW! Except in that case I think the action was humanoid..