I'll AX this only once... though there is an Echo in here
Discussion
The brakes have now bedded in beautifully, and feel much better than they did previously (although with a warped disk, that's not entirely surprising....)
Managed to fit in an oil and filter change as its had been about 6000 miles since the engine work.
The fuel economy continues to be around 46mpg in regular use through town and out to the stables. Over 50 on longer runs.
I'm slowly accumulating a list of jobs to tackle when I have the luxury of taking it off the road for more than a few hours at a time, but we're waiting on my wife's new work vehicle to materialise (now looking like 2022).
Managed to fit in an oil and filter change as its had been about 6000 miles since the engine work.
The fuel economy continues to be around 46mpg in regular use through town and out to the stables. Over 50 on longer runs.
I'm slowly accumulating a list of jobs to tackle when I have the luxury of taking it off the road for more than a few hours at a time, but we're waiting on my wife's new work vehicle to materialise (now looking like 2022).
Took the AX up to Durham today to collect a box of fairings that I couldn't strap to the bike I bought last week....
A little blustery, lots of trees, bits of trees and flooding, and a blast was had coming home on the Stokesley to Helmsley road.... You can have terrific fun at under the NSL in such a light car!
The battery light was glowing faintly at idle and part way through the revs, while it disappeared following the Yorkshire TT, I thought I better test it.
The belt tension is good, and there's no sign of slipping. Unfortunately the reading on the multimeter doesn't go above 13.3 regardless of revs, so it's time for a replacement alternator before this one gives up completely.
The gearstick trim had come off (unrelated to the day's frantic cog swapping antics), so I glued that back in place.
Oh yes, and it seemed only right to get some of the mud off!
A little blustery, lots of trees, bits of trees and flooding, and a blast was had coming home on the Stokesley to Helmsley road.... You can have terrific fun at under the NSL in such a light car!
The battery light was glowing faintly at idle and part way through the revs, while it disappeared following the Yorkshire TT, I thought I better test it.
The belt tension is good, and there's no sign of slipping. Unfortunately the reading on the multimeter doesn't go above 13.3 regardless of revs, so it's time for a replacement alternator before this one gives up completely.
The gearstick trim had come off (unrelated to the day's frantic cog swapping antics), so I glued that back in place.
Oh yes, and it seemed only right to get some of the mud off!
Bobberoo said:
That's a bugger about the alternator, are the expensive? I know when I had the one on the old Focus done there was about 4 alternatives it could have been, and as per normal it was the most expensive one!!
For once, it's seems that there are only two options presented - petrol and diesel. This immediately makes me suspicious given things like choosing brake pads, but we'll give it a go! Not too bad price wise, they seem to range from £55 for a second hand unit, up to £90 for a new one. I've plumped for a refurbished unit with a year's warranty for £65 (although typically the battery light is no longer glowing...)However, I trust the multimeter more than I do the light, so I'll try and get the new unit fitted when it arrives.
Access to the alternator is (on the face of it) pretty good. A couple of 13mm bolts at the bottom where the adjustment is, and a large 16mm bolt at the top.
However, if you're winding out the top bolt, you'll need either a spanner or a crow foot socket for the last part...
You'll then find that there still isn't enough clearance to get to top bolt out without loosening 2no. T40 torx headed bolts, or creatively remodeling the inner wing seam with a punch and hammer.... or both.
Having done all of this, you can change the alternator easily... to find the battery light stop glows and the measured output at the terminals hasn't changed.
If you're really lucky, the (now suspect) battery will finally give up at the livery yard 10 miles away having bunny hopped the car the final mile or two!
My other half got a lift back, and my morning cycle ride was to go and collect said battery for testing and (likely) replacement....
On a related note, according to the book of lies, the output at the terminals should be between 12 and 13v, further suggesting that I may have bought a spare alternator for no reason. To be continued....
However, if you're winding out the top bolt, you'll need either a spanner or a crow foot socket for the last part...
You'll then find that there still isn't enough clearance to get to top bolt out without loosening 2no. T40 torx headed bolts, or creatively remodeling the inner wing seam with a punch and hammer.... or both.
Having done all of this, you can change the alternator easily... to find the battery light stop glows and the measured output at the terminals hasn't changed.
If you're really lucky, the (now suspect) battery will finally give up at the livery yard 10 miles away having bunny hopped the car the final mile or two!
My other half got a lift back, and my morning cycle ride was to go and collect said battery for testing and (likely) replacement....
On a related note, according to the book of lies, the output at the terminals should be between 12 and 13v, further suggesting that I may have bought a spare alternator for no reason. To be continued....
Well, the battery was the same price as the alternator, but, having gone out and fitted it this lunchtime, I'm cautiously optimistic....
More Amp Hours and more Cold Cranking Amps...
Most importantly, no battery light on start up (but that could be just because the new battery is healthy and fully charged).
Fingers crossed!
More Amp Hours and more Cold Cranking Amps...
Most importantly, no battery light on start up (but that could be just because the new battery is healthy and fully charged).
Fingers crossed!
InitialDave said:
AHAHAHAHA 
Sorry, I know it's frustrating, but I had that exact problem when I had an AX, and I thought it was just mine someone had used the wrong bolt on.
Sorry, I know it's frustrating, but I had that exact problem when I had an AX, and I thought it was just mine someone had used the wrong bolt on.
- Glad it wasn't just me then!The OH has reported that the battery light has come on - it looks like its absence was down to the new battery and very little drain on it driving home in the light yesterday.... Whether she makes it home the 10m or not in the dark tonight remains to be seen. At least its not raining as well.
So, it's not the alternator, and it's not the battery. Next step is to check the battery cables, earths and wiring - all before heading off tomorrow evening for a shift in London on Sunday.... At least I have Monday/Tuesday off and a fully charged now 'spare' battery, so can swap them out for a limited time!
Managed to crack on with the AX this morning before the weather turned.... This post is more to record what I did in my investigations, so will be rather dull, but reader, I fixed it.
Started with removing the battery to get some access to the wiring loom and tray...
There were some obvious candidates for a poor circuit and earths, so I set about clearing them up first. The connection at the wing didn't look great:
Neither did the wire going to it, so that got a new terminal as well.
Cleaned up the negative lead where it earths on the gearbox
So the negative terminal connections were as good as they could be without ordering new cables.
Next up was to recheck and clean all the alternator connections :
Then all of the wires and connectors at the auxiliary fuse box got a good dousing with contact cleaner:
I'd found a few bits that weren't great, but nothing that made me think 'ah-ha, this is the cause,' so I went back to ie Haynes manual to check the wiring diagram.
After a couple of head scratching moments (no, it's not a GT - which has a totally different arrangement), I established where the output from the alternator meets the input to the battery. It's at the starter motor, at the back of the engine under the air intake and filter. Can I really be bothered to take this apart, my fettling may have already fixed it right...?
I was glad I did, as, while it's difficult to get a photo of, the source of my problems was immediately obvious. A loose nut on the starter motor, and subsequent, or poor starting on occasions and no decent connection for the alternator output to get to the battery.
The positive terminal connection got a good clean up as well:
I can't have tightened it up properly when I put the car back together, and 6000 miles later, the nut had worked loose, giving all the symptoms of a falling alternator. Oh well, at least I have a spare! I'm too paranoid about over tightening bolts and shearing them, so sometimes I clearly err too much on the side of caution.
On a totally unrelated note, while I was under the car, I spotted this :
It was the only loose one, and has now been made good.
All was reassembled in the engine bay, with a healthy coating of ACF50 on any no-friction dependant surface to keep the corrosion at bay :
A positive result on testing!
I also carried out a temporary fix on the reverted off side headlight with the broken sockets for the headlight adjuster. Let's see how long the UHU holds (although I think I've found a supplier of new headlights for RHD cars at a not outrageous price....
Started with removing the battery to get some access to the wiring loom and tray...
There were some obvious candidates for a poor circuit and earths, so I set about clearing them up first. The connection at the wing didn't look great:
Neither did the wire going to it, so that got a new terminal as well.
Cleaned up the negative lead where it earths on the gearbox
So the negative terminal connections were as good as they could be without ordering new cables.
Next up was to recheck and clean all the alternator connections :
Then all of the wires and connectors at the auxiliary fuse box got a good dousing with contact cleaner:
I'd found a few bits that weren't great, but nothing that made me think 'ah-ha, this is the cause,' so I went back to ie Haynes manual to check the wiring diagram.
After a couple of head scratching moments (no, it's not a GT - which has a totally different arrangement), I established where the output from the alternator meets the input to the battery. It's at the starter motor, at the back of the engine under the air intake and filter. Can I really be bothered to take this apart, my fettling may have already fixed it right...?
I was glad I did, as, while it's difficult to get a photo of, the source of my problems was immediately obvious. A loose nut on the starter motor, and subsequent, or poor starting on occasions and no decent connection for the alternator output to get to the battery.
The positive terminal connection got a good clean up as well:
I can't have tightened it up properly when I put the car back together, and 6000 miles later, the nut had worked loose, giving all the symptoms of a falling alternator. Oh well, at least I have a spare! I'm too paranoid about over tightening bolts and shearing them, so sometimes I clearly err too much on the side of caution.
On a totally unrelated note, while I was under the car, I spotted this :
It was the only loose one, and has now been made good.
All was reassembled in the engine bay, with a healthy coating of ACF50 on any no-friction dependant surface to keep the corrosion at bay :
A positive result on testing!
I also carried out a temporary fix on the reverted off side headlight with the broken sockets for the headlight adjuster. Let's see how long the UHU holds (although I think I've found a supplier of new headlights for RHD cars at a not outrageous price....
My other half has just got a new car for work, and driving it has made me appreciate the AX even more. The new addition to which I have access is £30k of petrol/electric hybrid with a diamond on the front and Captur on the boot.
It's 3 times heavier (over 2 tonnes) and therefore unsurprisingly has worse fuel economy (42-odd to the gallon)
It is smaller inside despite its substantial external proportions, and the ride can best be described as 'crashy.' I'll say that is a combination of oversize wheels and weight.
When rolling, the weight is obviously concealed (unless you hit a pothole), but when you need to interact, say by braking or steering, it's immediately apparent. The AX is better in that way in every regard!
I’ll give it this though, it’s probably slightly better in a crash and doesn’t leak as much….
It's 3 times heavier (over 2 tonnes) and therefore unsurprisingly has worse fuel economy (42-odd to the gallon)
It is smaller inside despite its substantial external proportions, and the ride can best be described as 'crashy.' I'll say that is a combination of oversize wheels and weight.
When rolling, the weight is obviously concealed (unless you hit a pothole), but when you need to interact, say by braking or steering, it's immediately apparent. The AX is better in that way in every regard!
I’ll give it this though, it’s probably slightly better in a crash and doesn’t leak as much….
bolidemichael said:
darkyoung1000 said:
On a totally unrelated note, while I was under the car, I spotted this :
It was the only loose one, and has now been made good.
What did you spot? You should make this dummy-friendly It was the only loose one, and has now been made good.
With regards to the CAPTUR, we've spotted loads of these on the autoroute on France. Now I know why they seem more popular than the equally bizarrely named KADJAR.
The other popular car is a Dacia Duster, which by all accounts is an eminently sensible car, which a three pot one litre and equipped with UN Spec white paint and dustbin lid alloys.
The very bottom engine/gearbox connection bolt needed a few more turns to bring the two faces together. Not ideal! I blame the installer...
I agree that the 3-pot Dacia looks like an excellent machine and I've been enjoying reading the 'Throbber' thread.
While it remains true that I'm not really interested in the Captur, as a work tool that can be classed as 'someone elses' problem' if anything goes wrong with it, I'm very happy to have it in our lives. I should mean that I can actually take the AX off the road if I need to do anything more major (or finally get the bonnet painted - yeah right).
bolidemichael said:
I see, thanks. Just as well you re-checked the work of past you
What would you do about the bonnet -- buy a replacement and send it off loose for repainting, or send the entire car for the purposes of blending?
Nothing so upmarket for this one (the Corrado gets the body shop treatment). I have some rattle cans of the correct colour and some lacquer, so I’ll give it a go myself when the weather improves.What would you do about the bonnet -- buy a replacement and send it off loose for repainting, or send the entire car for the purposes of blending?
Then, when I make a hash of it, I’ll consider the body shop!
The whine from the transmission first notable in 3rd gear, is now apparent in others, but for now it seems largely grumpy when you're booting it (pulling onto the A1 from a petrol station for example....). Definitely something to keep an ear on while trying to find out what box this is fitted with, and whether others are compatible/identical.
That being said, we've just done 400-odd miles this weekend, in sometimes atrocious conditions (it's not the best car for a side wind), and that's my only point of note. Fingers crossed that if it is the transmission, it hangs on for a couple of months.
A quick snap of the fording, that should wash the salt off!
That being said, we've just done 400-odd miles this weekend, in sometimes atrocious conditions (it's not the best car for a side wind), and that's my only point of note. Fingers crossed that if it is the transmission, it hangs on for a couple of months.
A quick snap of the fording, that should wash the salt off!
"Hello, is that the automotive Gods hotline? Yes it's about my last post where I implied that there were no real issues apart from a gearbox whine.
My fate will be along shortly you say? Great, thanks."
Things took a turn for the interesting this week, with my OH commenting on the brakes not being 'right' and the change having come about during braking. Further descriptions and a test drive at gentle speeds provided more information, and moved the car into the 'do not drive' category.
The pedal initially seemed OK, but sank to the floor with any serious application of force. Lots of use of the gearbox and gentle braking later, and it was parked up in the yard for investigation last night.
The handbrake wasn't feeling good either, so I initially thought I'd lost a wheel cylinder. Checking the book of lies however, it does have an cross axle braking system, so unless I'd lost both, I should still have something....
I didn't seem to be low on fluid, and it wasn't pouring out of the bottom of the drums though, so onto the servo....
The rubber grommet and one way valve checked out OK, suggesting that it could be the servo itself.
However, the generally tatty condition of the exterior of the servo, where the paint was peeling off and it had started to corrode, made me think it was more likely to be the master cylinder that had finally given up.
Still, I thought I'd get the drum off and check anyway, as the handbrake definitely needs adjusting for the MOT, even if the cylinders are good.
Oh.... best add a handbrake cable to the list then as the outer sheath on this one has broken
Hmmm, beat make that two then, as the lock nut on the other one disintegrated completely when I waved a spanner in its vague direction.
Right, the drums are definitely going to need to come off.... The hub nuts are really well staked on, but eventually. Oh.
Might explain why the handbrake didn't feel great.
More things for the shopping list, but it's safe to say that this might take a little while. Still, I'm on call this week, so if its quiet, I might make some progress in the evenings!
My fate will be along shortly you say? Great, thanks."
Things took a turn for the interesting this week, with my OH commenting on the brakes not being 'right' and the change having come about during braking. Further descriptions and a test drive at gentle speeds provided more information, and moved the car into the 'do not drive' category.
The pedal initially seemed OK, but sank to the floor with any serious application of force. Lots of use of the gearbox and gentle braking later, and it was parked up in the yard for investigation last night.
The handbrake wasn't feeling good either, so I initially thought I'd lost a wheel cylinder. Checking the book of lies however, it does have an cross axle braking system, so unless I'd lost both, I should still have something....
I didn't seem to be low on fluid, and it wasn't pouring out of the bottom of the drums though, so onto the servo....
The rubber grommet and one way valve checked out OK, suggesting that it could be the servo itself.
However, the generally tatty condition of the exterior of the servo, where the paint was peeling off and it had started to corrode, made me think it was more likely to be the master cylinder that had finally given up.
Still, I thought I'd get the drum off and check anyway, as the handbrake definitely needs adjusting for the MOT, even if the cylinders are good.
Oh.... best add a handbrake cable to the list then as the outer sheath on this one has broken
Hmmm, beat make that two then, as the lock nut on the other one disintegrated completely when I waved a spanner in its vague direction.
Right, the drums are definitely going to need to come off.... The hub nuts are really well staked on, but eventually. Oh.
Might explain why the handbrake didn't feel great.
More things for the shopping list, but it's safe to say that this might take a little while. Still, I'm on call this week, so if its quiet, I might make some progress in the evenings!
A box of parts turned up with most of the bits during the week, followed by a parcel from a private seller with the wrong sized brake shoes in. Sigh. In the unlikely event that anyone reads this for information, if you have any regular AX that isn't the GT, you need 165mm brake shoes, not 180mm.
Luckily, one of the motor factors nearby was able to get a set, so in the perfect way to recover from a night shift, I used my rest day to wrap myself up against the temperature, and get busy with a hammer....
The first thing was to get the master cylinder off, as the suspected root cause. Off the the reservoir using a couple of large levers...
Then undo a couple of nuts and you're left with this rather tatty vacuum servo.
The corrosion being most likely caused by the brake fluid leak destroying the paintwork, I didn't want to leave it like that (I really hope that it isn't the servo) after this. A quick wire brush, Krust and hammerite later....
I'll come back to that when it's dried....
Old VS new:
On with the rear drums. The off-side came off easily due to the shoe having fallen apart. The near side put up much more of a fight.
There's some lip on the drum which didn't help, and I had to get the hammer deployed to the back of the drum to finally prise it loose.
Some corrosion to come back to later this year too....
With both drums finally loose, time to actually do something about the rear brakes.
Following the step by step instructions in the Haynes manual has the whole lot apart relatively quickly, and the relevant parts swapped over.
Then came the new handbrake cable, yes! Progress!
What an utter arse of a job. Not necessarily the installation, but the three hands needed to hold it in the backing plate, pull back the spring surrounding the cable and hook it over the trailing shoe. This is described in half a sentence in the Haynes manual of course.
2 hours of attempts resulted in tools nearly being ejected from the yard in frustration.... I confess I then gave up, and now have tomorrow off to have another go.... Wish me luck.
Luckily, one of the motor factors nearby was able to get a set, so in the perfect way to recover from a night shift, I used my rest day to wrap myself up against the temperature, and get busy with a hammer....
The first thing was to get the master cylinder off, as the suspected root cause. Off the the reservoir using a couple of large levers...
Then undo a couple of nuts and you're left with this rather tatty vacuum servo.
The corrosion being most likely caused by the brake fluid leak destroying the paintwork, I didn't want to leave it like that (I really hope that it isn't the servo) after this. A quick wire brush, Krust and hammerite later....
I'll come back to that when it's dried....
Old VS new:
On with the rear drums. The off-side came off easily due to the shoe having fallen apart. The near side put up much more of a fight.
There's some lip on the drum which didn't help, and I had to get the hammer deployed to the back of the drum to finally prise it loose.
Some corrosion to come back to later this year too....
With both drums finally loose, time to actually do something about the rear brakes.
Following the step by step instructions in the Haynes manual has the whole lot apart relatively quickly, and the relevant parts swapped over.
Then came the new handbrake cable, yes! Progress!
What an utter arse of a job. Not necessarily the installation, but the three hands needed to hold it in the backing plate, pull back the spring surrounding the cable and hook it over the trailing shoe. This is described in half a sentence in the Haynes manual of course.
2 hours of attempts resulted in tools nearly being ejected from the yard in frustration.... I confess I then gave up, and now have tomorrow off to have another go.... Wish me luck.
Bobberoo said:
Good luck!!!
Thanks! It worked! 
With thanks to Bart Simpson....
The offside is reassembled at least. Then it was just a matter of putting the drum back on, which of course having been outside for a week or so, had surface rust on it.
So out with the trusty wire brush to clean out the inside before putting it back on:
Then, like a scene from a horror film involving uninspiring French hatchbacks, I watched myself pick up the drum and turn it over.... All the while internally screaming "for God's sake no! You're just trying to get it back on the road for now! What are you doing?"
Oh well. I then went on take off the shoe arrangement on the near side, and replace the handbrake cable. While lying contemplating the underside of the car, I spotted that the rear flexi hoses are perished.... Sigh.
That will fail the MOT I think, however, that is something I'm going to add to the future maintenance pile (next month probably) as I ideally need to get the car back on the road by the end of tomorrow As I'm away at the weekend walking through subterranean London. Also, if I'm going to do the rear flexi hoses, I might as well do the pipes in kunifer right....
Cambs_Stuart said:
Genuinely impressed with the care and attention this cars gets. Makes me want to look after mine better.
I only post the loving care updates.... The rest of the time, it is a stables and dog transport, the inside of which very much looks like a shed..... @spinakerr, yes, there is some scope creep happening.... I have a list of problems for future me prior to the MOT in May, that will involve just doing the bare minimum. Of course bodywork scabs are included in that!
With a day off yesterday, it was successfully returned to the road with a little assistance....
Shoes reassembled and freshly painted drums back on.
The good news was that I had a spare set of hub nuts. The bad news was that they were for the front axles, not the rear.... Different threads of course!
I really didn't want to, but had to re-use the same hub nuts (staked in a different location) which will serve until the replacements that I've ordered arrive next week.
The adjustment of the handbrake cable also needs some looking at.... The cables are nicely routed, but the adjustment lengths on the cables are very different. I want to pull the drums off again soon and take a look.
I'll have the opportunity to do this, due to the brake bleeding fun that was had. The off-side rear wheel cylinder bleed nipple is now somewhere between 7mm & 8mm due to being corroded. An 8mm spanner spins merrily round, and while a socket frees it off, that's no good for bleeding....
Neither, it turns out is the vacuum bleeder. After a frustrating hour of pulling lots of fluid and air through, and nearly convincing myself that the new master cylinder was defective, I gave up. 15 minutes of assistance from my other half later that evening, and it was all bled up. The troublesome corner of course being the one with the corroded bleed nipple. Time to see if I can buy a bag of them to replace them all as I'm sure the nearside one will follow suit shortly!
Maybe I'll do that with the perished brake hoses....
TonyRPH said:
Yes, that is a good last resort, really chews it up though! I think it's probably worth replacing the wheel cylinders if I'm going to be doing the flexis and possibly the brake lines....
That is a pre-MOT issue though, for now, the problem isn't making it stop, it's making it go....
Got about 200 yards from the front door before the accelerator cable snapped. No-one in York has one (no great surprise there), but can't get one either - "obsolete part I'm afraid."
I prefer to use the local factors where possible, however a large well known distributor of car parts, possibly for less money than you'd pay elsewhere (allegedly) has one they can deliver to a collection point for Monday. I must have got really lucky, as they just happened to have a sale on too. Who would have thought.
Still, £20 isn't bad. The next challenge is to pick it up in my infected state....
Bobberoo said:
Oh no, not the dreaded Covid???
Unfortunately so. My 2 year clean streak is at an end! I shall see what the tests say on Monday and if I’m still positive, ask someone who isn’t to grab it for me (as it’s fortunately only collection).Still, this self isolation malarkey means I’m getting the NC30 ready for sale, which I’d been putting off for months!
First part achieved, I have the cable. It was not straightforward....
I took the only bike that was legal to collect it, and the battery gave out when I got there. Still, having broken doorn outside ECP, they did at least have a battery on the shelf, so I was able to eventually get going again (for a price....). This was after the bump start and jump pack had shown beyond a doubt that the existing battery was shot....
So, I have the replacement... and it's not great to be honest. I suppose this is what you get from an aftermarket kit when off the shelf replacements aren't available.
I'll try and build the cable kit tomorrow and install it, here's hoping it's correct....
I took the only bike that was legal to collect it, and the battery gave out when I got there. Still, having broken doorn outside ECP, they did at least have a battery on the shelf, so I was able to eventually get going again (for a price....). This was after the bump start and jump pack had shown beyond a doubt that the existing battery was shot....
So, I have the replacement... and it's not great to be honest. I suppose this is what you get from an aftermarket kit when off the shelf replacements aren't available.
I'll try and build the cable kit tomorrow and install it, here's hoping it's correct....
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