Soot Monster

[Nick Jones]

1 hour ago, thebrookster said:

Dare I say it Nick, but some gym time might be worthwhile? For the last few months, I have started doing some regular gym time (gym for two days, third day rest), albeit only 20 mins to half an hour each session and the difference it has made is staggering. 

I'm reasonably energetic - always do a fair amount of walking and even a bit of cycling again this year.  You certainly won't catch me going to an actual gym but what you say about calisthenics at home is a good shout.  I did quite like swimming and it did alot for my general fitness but pool availability is a bit troublesome.

[JohnD]

I'm surprised you haven't taken up, cycling, Phil, just the thing for getting from one end to the other of one of your ships!

I fear it might not suit your back, Nick, unless you had a 'sit-up-and-beg' style bike.     I enjoy mine - well it was Daughter's but she left it at home at one stage, and has never reclaimed it.   So it's a  smaller frame that my ideal, which is very 'street' just now.      I can push up the saddle and get a longer leg push, but that leaves me with a crick in the neck.     I've ordered a "stem raiser" for the handlebars, see if that helps.   

Must be lots of bridleways around you, Nick, once your back is supple again.

 

[Nick Jones]

I do ride John. Not in younger sons league though. He’s done more than 10k already this year and came 6th in the Portlock hill climb on Sunday. His GF won the ladies.

I have two bikes. An elderly Trek hybrid that is sit up and beg and does tracks and bridle ways, but also a full-on Giant road bike built from hand-me-downs from young sir. That weighs less than 8kg whereas the Trek is twice that. The Giant is way faster but less comfy. 

[Nick Jones]

So, now that I’m only stiff and sore, but not actually immobilised, I thought I better crack on with this.

The second trailing arm bush hadn’t actually disintegrated(though it was working on it), so I had to chop the middle out of it with a hole saw so I could use my screw press. That went ok. Fitting the new one (have to use a long bolt and a random collection of washers and spacers to do that because the screw press is too fat), was a bit of a trial because it kept going in at an angle and jamming. Must have got lucky on the first one.

Then managed to reattach the beam - bit tricky Solo on the drive - but left it dangling while I did battle with the handbrake and exhaust. The handbrake cables are straightforward with the exhaust and heat shield off. One point of interest and a suspicion confirmed is that the long standing clonking noise from below is the the cable splitter/adjuster knocking on the heat shield. It’s the shiny patch to the left of the split......

Not sure why.... I’ve massaged it a little to increase the space. One possible reason is that the cables were too slack (though handbrake action is ok). The new cables are very much less slack - to extent that I had a major wrestling match getting them back on the calipers....... and now the handbrake is permanently on . Remember I said access is easy with the exhaust and heat shield off?  By the time I discovered this they were back on....... The book says it can be done with them in place..... not obvious how!

In between, I attacked that scary looking clamp on the exhaust. It was horrifically corroded but not, as it turned out, to the point of disintegration. It actually put up a fair old fight.....
The remains. The actual exhaust and sealing ring were perfect and have gone back together with a simple manifold clamp. It’s hanging properly for the first time in ages so the original joint must have been displaced at some point (reckon I know when that happened!).

Just got to bleed the brakes and tighten the bush bolts with the suspension at running height - oh...... and sort the handbrake adjustment. If I can actually move tomorrow.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

The wife's Fiesta has started making knocking noises again.

Last time it was a section of the exhaust heatshield but can't be that now as I threw it away!

I suspect ARB or strut bush as it's worse when one side is unloaded in a corner. MOT is also due so it's going to the 'Man' who does all our MOTs.

He's into old VWs and knows his stuff and I really can't be bothered working on moderns - even 11 year old ones. Or maybe that's especially 11 year old ones...

[Nick Jones]

Managed to wrestle it all back together. MoT booked for next week, which it will hopefully pass now.....

However, I have sinned (again), so the A6 gets the winter off for a bit more fettling.

 

[Nick Jones]

Yes..... it’s another A8. But the “junior” version this time. 2.8V6 (only 193hp) and 2wd.

Not perfect but only just over 100k miles (verifiably) and in fair shape bar some cosmetic blemishes.

Nice drive. Very mellow. Is actually deceptively brisk when asked for but lacks the brutal shove in the back of the old 4.2. Does mid 30s mpg too.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

I thought the n+1 rule only applied to bicycles

[Martin]

The 2.8 is a good choice. Especially when it comes to repairs.

Concerning back problems.  I had (and still have) for many years problems with the neck and the lumbar areas. Sport is necessary, but my experience, stretching is essential for success.

Get well soon

Martin

[Nick Jones]

1 hour ago, Escadrille Ecosse said:

 

I thought the n+1 rule only applied to bicycles

 

Oddly enough that was the comment from no2 son......  I think perhaps my “winter banger” plan got a bit out of hand 

1 hour ago, Martin said:

The 2.8 is a good choice. Especially when it comes to repairs.

Seems like a good engine. Smooth and responsive. Can’t really hear it. I’m hoping repairs are not needed.

I have a longish history of neck problems, though that seems fixed for some years now. That was thanks to the chiropractor I think, at some considerable expense. Not so much history with lower back so hoping to avoid the chirp this time. It is getting better - so long as I don’t do anything stupid, like sit in a TT for 90 minutes . I don’t quite know what it is about that car, but it really doesn’t fit me. Almost had to buy the A8 to get home without being crippled!  That was fine. Really comfortable. I think I like the “standard” seats better than the “sport” ones in my previous one, though the sport ones look more impressive.

[Nick Jones]

MoT pass gained this morning. Advisories of corroded fuel return pipe - and it is, plus CV joint gaiters on their last legs, which they are.

Emissions were no drama. Blew 0.7 first try..... The tester was amazed.  I didn’t tell him it’s because all emission control devices are removed or disabled!

Now SORNed in favour of the “new” behemoth. It’ll get some fettling over the winter, mainly rust treatment and cosmetics, but may do something about the turbo, the amount of play in the spindle...... makes me anxious.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Congratulations. 

These things become ever more appreciated as the years go by!

[Nick Jones]

Junior soot monster post...... the silver A4 Avant.... has been putting its abs light on intermittently. Computer said it’s the rear right wheel sensor. So I bought one. Whereupon the light went off for a couple of weeks 

Yesterday it came back on, and the computer still said it was the same sensor. So I changed it.

What a howling bitch of a job.

It’s held on by a single M6 cap-head bolt, through-drilled (so the salt spray has the best chance of doing its worst) and tapped into the vertical link. It’s right in the splash zone and the sensor tag is aluminium, so obviously the chances of it coming undone were always near zero.... I used my best subtlety and all the tricks I know. Still it snapped off. Even then the sensor was stuck fast, wedged in by corrosion. It was pretty much reduced to dust in the removal process...... Access is generally crap and I ended up having to completely dismantle the brakes and suspension to get the link off so as to be able to drill out the bolt and re-tap. To be fair, all the other bolts undid and came out, but I struggled in a couple of places where the OD of the crush tube is set slightly into the adjacent components for location and corrosion had made the location a bit to positive!

Then to recover about 1.2m of flying lead from a horrifically convoluted path though clips, grommets and clamps,  barely visible or reachable until undertrays are removed.....

The complexity of it all is just nuts, especially compared to the older A6, which does the same job, rather better on about 1/4 of the components.  Progress? 

Took me flippin hours..... light is now out and I hope it stays that way. If it turns out to be a random wiring problem (which isn’t uncommon on these) I shall not be amused!

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Definition of better depends very much on your viewpoint. 

I have a mate who is very much into his Landrovers. Had a very nice Defender, then a Discovery which he just traded in after the turbo balance pipe started to go. Fixing that £200 part is a £9000 body off job! His current motor is a 4 year old Range Rover. Electric absolutely everything which he thinks is fun but just daft and totallyunnecessary.

New it was £120,000. He got it for £40k minus the £12k trade in for the Disco. £20k depreciation a year. Crazy.

[thebrookster]

Be thankful it doesn't eat ABS sensors the way Ford Ranger T6's do!!

I'm now onto the fourth sensor in four years, always front wheels. I cheat, the local garage (excellent chap) does them, he says he now keeps them in stock for me 

Afraid all the moderns go to a garage for me now, I used to do the work but I never seem to have the time now!

Phil

[Escadrille Ecosse]

2 minutes ago, thebrookster said:

Afraid all the moderns go to a garage for me now, I used to do the work but I never seem to have the time now!

Yes to this too Phil

[Nick Jones]

There are alot of quite tidy looking B6 & even B7 A4s arriving in scrapyards now.  I understand why....  Fault prone and horrible to work on.  

[Nick Jones]

The ABS light is still off 100 odd miles later...... my fingers remain crossed.

The engine light is on again though.  It seems the little bugger can tell it's EGR system is non-functional (and it's right, it got a new "gasket" with no hole recently) - though I'm not sure how it knows.  Must be some (too) clever calculation based on airflows going on 'cause there's nothing else.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Can you disable the 'clype' function (as it's referred to north of the border) in the ECU?

Colin

[Nick Jones]

I understand it's possible to turn the EGR cycle right down (if I had the full version of VCDS, which I don't), which works in some cases and not others.  Beyond that it's a "remap" which can disable the clype function, but this is beyond the scope of the game.  Apparently drilling a small hole in the blanking gasket may also work, but means that a degree of EGR has been restored with attendant soot deposits.

As it stands, the light is on, but all it's doing is telling me the EGR isn't working - which I already know.  Problem comes at MoT time as you aren't allowed the light on any more (used to just be advisory).  Bottom line is that on these it's probably better not to bother with the blanking gasket, but just disconnect and plug the EGR valve vacuum line so it can be reconnected and the code cleared at MoT time.  Meanwhile the intake isn't being filled up with soot.....

Just watched a video of someone spraying Mr Muscle oven cleaner into the intake of a running VAG TDI   I'll not be doing that!

[Nick Jones]

Not the Soot Monster (still resting), but anther bastard VAG product.

When Chris's Spit took to eating it's valve seats we decided a winter banger was needed.  Actually we had already decided that, it just brought the timing forward sharply.

This resulted in a couple of days window to find something (not the best conditions for banger buying) and he ended up with a welled used 05 Skoda Octavia estate 1.9TDI with 170k.

Not too many owners and plenty of history.  Drove ok. 

First problem was some b'stard cloning the reg, presumably from the facebook ad.  Not really the car's fault to be fair.

Second problem, seemed slower and thirstier than it should be and, after a few weeks, scary scraping noises from the back, worse when brake applied.  Inspection reveals rear pads on one side down to the metal and closer examination shows that this is because that caliper is siezed.  Turns out that the seal kit is the same as the Sootmonster so that was fixable on the spot.  New discs and pads needed though.  Also discovered was that the flexihoses on the back were absolutely hanging.  Worst I've ever seen.  No idea how the thing can have passed an MoT as recently as March or even the previous March.  Changing those was an all-day swearathon due to corroded pipe fittings and access.  The thing has a fairly elaborate multi-link rear end (common with Golf 5, Leon & A3) all hanging off a subframe and it's all very corroded, though the shell itself seems reasonable.  Hopefully it has another MoT in it (maybe if we take it back to the last place anyway, the guy is clearly blind).

It was also noted that the front hoses were almost equally scary - time and enthusiasm were spent though.

So more recently there was a re-match to sort the front hoses.  I wasn't looking forward to this as I had visions of more rusty fitting and snapped/twisted pipes.  However, copious pre-dosing with penetrating oil may have done the trick, or maybe they were just less corroded - but they were despatched without drama.

Except, whilst in there it was noted that the OS spring was broken - bugger!  Then, on lowering the car back to the ground the damper on the same side barfed what must have been nearly all it's oil onto the the floor.

Fortunately the local motor factors had all parts ins stock..... unfortunately, that meant we could fit them.  The car was covered in ice when we started, then it started to snow, then rain.  Marvellous....

This iteration of the common VAG platform uses spring/damper units that attach to the vertical link by pushing through a split collar, squeezed tight with a single pinch bolt.  Turns out that unlike the earlier variants with two bolts clamping ears on the damper body to the link itself, these cannot be removed from the car without also disturbing the driveshaft and bottom balljoint.  And you have to come up with a way of spreading the collar that doesn't interfere with the locating tab that lives in the split..... Genius design.  A clear step forward in maintenance hostility.  A job that could have been done in under an hour a side on a Mk1/2/3 Golf took more than a day.  Not helped by rusty, snapping fasteners it's true, but on the older design we wouldn't have to have disturbed them!

At the least the vehicle is improved.  The old O/S damper was absolutely bolloxed.  The rod falls most of its travel under it's own weight, though probably was doing better until it spat the oil out.

Just maybe the car is MoT-ready now..... if MoTs are still a thing in lockdown?

 

 

 

[GT6MK3]

1 hour ago, Nick Jones said:

 A clear step forward in maintenance hostility. 

As much as anything else, I come here just for these punches from the master of understated truths.

[Nick Jones]

From the heart mate..... High time I swapped to a quality marque. Kia, Hyundai, Dacia even.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

1 hour ago, Nick Jones said:

From the heart mate..... High time I swapped to a quality marque. Kia, Hyundai, Dacia even.

[thebrookster]

2 hours ago, Nick Jones said:

From the heart mate..... High time I swapped to a quality marque. Kia, Hyundai, Dacia even.

I have to confess, my youngest sister has the Dacia Duster 4x4, and it is a remarkably solid and dependable vehicle! Pretty decent 4x4 capabilities for what it is as well, I know a lot of guys in the Farming & Off-Roading communities give it pretty high recommendations.

Phil