Your fleet running reports

[Jimmy Choo]

An evening high speed trip back from Malvern down the B4208 after the demotion of CFXGF to XGF opened my eyes to just how lardy the E60 is. Previous spirited driving down that road was in the Jaaag and that was much more nimble. The car piles on speed like Lemmy used to but mid corner is definately not a point to make any decisions. It needs to be all decided before turn in. Grabbing it by the scruff is not an enjoyable experience. It really needs smoothness more than any other car I've owned.

[nuttinnew]

demotion of CFXGF to XGF

Bah

So, Bilsteins and Eibachs?

[V8Granite]

So after the alarm saga and not feeling the love, the 500e got picked up to go into storage at a facility down south.

This is despite it driving amazingly well, but wondering if it will start pissed me off and I think I need a period away from cars for a bit.

I’ve been given the green light to get an RS6 but I think it’s only being said as she knows I don’t have the money sat there right now

Dave!

what's the alarm saga? Have I missed some 500e updates?

General saga was….

Dave did the car, I went further than planned as the work Dave was doing looked incredible.

Get car back and the only job Dave didn’t do, the diff, had a leak. So I did the pinion shaft seal, then it leaked from the half shafts. Got annoyed and left it in the garage for a couple of months.

Went back to get them done and a mouse had chewed up a load of engine loom so took it back to Dave to be repaired.

At Daves I had the suspension raised at the same time, drove it home and it drove better than ever, couldn’t be happier.

Then 1990s Clifford super fancy alarm was playing up, draining a 100ah battery overnight from full, which is not a 5 minute job to remove.

I’ve a lot going on at the minute and after spending so much getting it how I want it I’m just not in the mood to do anything with it. Pissed off but seeing it at home reminding me is not what I want so away it goes.

Dave!

[Mito Man]

Out of sight out of mind right

[Sundayjumper]

I wondered if you had bought one.

Yeah, I’m pretty predictable

There’s a fair amount of setting up needed, joining hoses and filling & bleeding the system, I just about got it done before it got dark.

IMG_1186.jpeg (87.4 KiB) Viewed 903 times

Full lift is a useful a useful height for working under the car, it’s about 4” higher than the sill stands I’ve been using. Brakes etc will be a nice height for sitting on a stool.

I’m pleased so far.

I think I’ll be able to store them under the front of the Aston when it’s in the garage. That will make them easy to get to. With a bit of practice it should be noticeably quicker / easier than faffing about with axle stands and higher too.

[jamcg]

Is there some way to lock them out so if you have a loss of pressure it keeps you safe?

[mik]

Yeah they lock

[Sundayjumper]

Is there some way to lock them out so if you have a loss of pressure it keeps you safe?

Yeah, they lock in two positions. You raise it just past the stop then press the "down" button to release the pressure until it locks in place.

I've not tried it but it looks like you could probably disconnect the hoses and put the pump away if you're needing the car in the air for a long time.

[mik]

I looked at your link earlier and my brain told me this dude was squeezing a little hand-pump. “That’ll take a while” I thought

[V8Granite]

Out of sight out of mind right

Exactly

Dave!

[speedingfine]

7 update, specialist has done the right thing and is going to pay for a full rebuild. Only the exhaust valves were bent apparently but it needs a new crank as expected. Apparently they've rebuilt two in the last month. Hopefully not due to their handiwork

[Matty]

7 update, specialist has done the right thing and is going to pay for a full rebuild. Only the exhaust valves were bent apparently but it needs a new crank as expected. Apparently they've rebuilt two in the last month. Hopefully not due to their handiwork

I mean, that's fair enough - but have you got to the bottom of how they managed to get it wrong? I'm no mechanic, so it maybe more difficult than I realise, but I'd have thought it was bread-and-butter stuff?

[integrale_evo]

Just did the bottom pulley tight, not very tight at a guess.

Only needs a tiny bit of play for the pulleys to move a fraction and fret away against each other to become a large movement!

There’s quite a lot of weight in the bottom pulley on Ks, and it’s one bolt goes through it and the crank pulley into the crank.

A lot of other cars use a big nasty bolt to hold the cam belt/chain sprocket to the crank and a set of smaller bolts to hold the aux belt pulley to the crank pulley.

Some modern car don’t have anything keying the sprocket to the crank, relying entirely on the bolt torque to hold everything in place. Certain bmw engines seem prone to crank hub slip issues, especially when tuned.

[Sundayjumper]

Some modern car don’t have anything keying the sprocket to the crank, relying entirely on the bolt torque to hold everything in place.

The MINI is like that. The pulley, err, thing, goes through the sprocket without any key & then a big bolt into the end of the crank holds it all together by being done up effin tight. Doesn’t seem great but OTOH it does seem to work.

[Sundayjumper]

Another classic “it might be useful” by me. I have a collection of Becker head units, most are orange/red illumination to suit BMW & Porsche. But back in December 2019 I bought a green one because it was cheap - £75. I have never owned a car with green illumination and have never needed it.

Until now. Or rather, until it arrives next week. This will be the first job

IMG_1202.jpeg (74.37 KiB) Viewed 754 times

[integrale_evo]

Some modern car don’t have anything keying the sprocket to the crank, relying entirely on the bolt torque to hold everything in place.

The MINI is like that. The pulley, err, thing, goes through the sprocket without any key & then a big bolt into the end of the crank holds it all together by being done up effin tight. Doesn’t seem great but OTOH it does seem to work.

I totally understand the logic. The cam pulley on the mito isn’t keyed and to change the cam belt you fit a locking kit, undo the cam pulley bolt, put the belt on, set the tension then tighten the pulley.

Means no judging the timing by eye trying to line up marks, tension is even all the way round the belt with no loose / tight sides. Makes it almost foolproof. As long as the bolts are tightened up properly afterwards!

[speedingfine]

7 update, specialist has done the right thing and is going to pay for a full rebuild. Only the exhaust valves were bent apparently but it needs a new crank as expected. Apparently they've rebuilt two in the last month. Hopefully not due to their handiwork

I mean, that's fair enough - but have you got to the bottom of how they managed to get it wrong? I'm no mechanic, so it maybe more difficult than I realise, but I'd have thought it was bread-and-butter stuff?

Yeah he claimed they torqued it correctly of course, but the crank was 'rusty and already damaged' which prevented it tightening properly. Dan has called bullshit on this but I guess the guy had to say something.

[Sundayjumper]

...he claimed they torqued it correctly of course, but the crank was 'rusty and already damaged' which prevented it tightening properly. Dan has called bullshit on this but I guess the guy had to say something.

Yeah, well, part of the point of paying a professional to do this stuff is that they have the experience to notice it's 'rusty and already damaged' before putting it back together, and do something about it.

It's good that they're sorting though. Full credit to them for that.

[mik]

...he claimed they torqued it correctly of course, but the crank was 'rusty and already damaged' which prevented it tightening properly. Dan has called bullshit on this but I guess the guy had to say something.

Yeah, well, part of the point of paying a professional to do this stuff is that they have the experience to notice it's 'rusty and already damaged' before putting it back together, and do something about it.

It's good that they're sorting though. Full credit to them for that.

Both that, and also that.

[IanF]

What the Jock said .. seems an appropriate response, and I’ll always give time to people who admit when they’ve fvcked up… the others, well.. Scotta/Jobbo them!