Stuff you have fixed today

[Blobber]

Before I can get the new to me hedge cutter off the tractor a support leg needed sorting, no heat to get the bend out of the old one so it was easier to knock up a replacement

 

[Hitch]

What does it do?

Tiny part of a huge setup, basically a routing manifold with lots of automated valves, allows product to go to and from 12 different silos to various machinery.

 

[Keithmac]

Is this a common fault, and should I get a spare now for my 250 Freeride?

From what I can see it's KTM's produced in India that are at fault.

I use modified Champion plug caps now on these and replace the Bosch India spark plugs with NGK's.

You can't buy the OEM plug cap with the coil and lead (for the 125's at any rate) and the caps don't last.

 

[qwakers]

fixed the old (its 30 in 2 years) quad... by making it go away. just as we get the last fault fixed, another one appears. this time its electrical. and one bridge too far.

goodbye...

oooooh. hello beautiful

a 2013 can-am outlander 400cc 4x4, with CVT low high selectable auto gearbox, fuel injection and, most importantly, shaft drive, with a proper front differential with a switchable centre diff. none of this silly mag locks for the front hubs.

registered for agricultural use, so no need for a mot and free tax.


oh and it has less than 500 hours on it.

that will do the job very nicely.

 

[indy4x]

Renault Master starter decided to commit hari-kari whilst we were over an hour from home last Saturday. I managed to bump start it and get home, then got it on ramps on the drive before switching it off, then set aboylut removal.

The damned thing isn't easily accessible - you have to remove the air intake and throttle body first (which are behind the radiator accessed from below), then after you get the 3 bolts out (the easiest bit) you find there's an OTT moulding and clip assembly that wraps around the solenoid, making getting the main live off and getting the motor out if a confined space a royal PITA.

Got a new starter today, and tackled the job tonight as it was at least dry weather. Suffice to say that getting it back in there was a lot more grief than getting the swine out! But - the camper is back up & running

Bugger, ours is occasionally clicking, I've been putting off replacing it, this doesn't give me any encouragement

 

[GRW]

Bugger, ours is occasionally clicking, I've been putting off replacing it, this doesn't give me any encouragement

I think I learned a bit trying to change it. Based on getting the starter back on... I think the best way to do it & save a lot of my attempts. The following is after disconnecting my hab battery +ive connection to the starter battery, & removing the starter battery connections.....
1. Remove the air intake hose, then push it up out of the way and tie it up (it will keep falling in the way otherwise).
2. Undo wiring connector & then the 3 x 10mm headed bolts & drop out the throttle butterfly body & its metal gasket.
3. On the gearbox side, undo the 13mm that holds a bracket to the bell housing at the front.
4. Undo the tickle wire & the heavy +ive, and fight the swine off the starter. Move the cable & the weird plastic part that clips over the solenoid towards the radiator to get it clear of the starter. (Note there is a corrugated cable surround that clips into the bottom of this weird piece for one of the sensors - so unclip it to give you a bit more wiggle room).
5. Remove the 3 x 13mm head starter bolts (there is the lowest one that goes into the bell housing from the starter side (you need longish extensions)) - the other two are on the gearbox side (you'll need longish extensions). Note be very careful of the plasticky clutch cable connector that you have to work around - it looks flimsy & easy to break.
6. Wiggle the starter out and drop it down & out.

I found you have to get the new starter into place & bolts in first - the solenoid clip won't clear all the stuff around & above the area if you try to fit the cables first (like is easier on many starters) (ask me know I know ). Keep the cable & clip as far forward & out of the way as possible while getting the starter into place and lined up to get the bolts in.
Then fight the solenoid half-moon cable thing & the main Live & tickle wire on. Refit the bracket I mentioned.
Then bung the butterfly body etc back on, reconnect power & you're done. Simples!

Note I bought a Bosch replacement from NAPA as they are a few units away from work & I could hand them my old one to save faff with a 45 quid surcharge. Price was OK at £110 + vat (A Napa was 85-quid, but I decided I'd try to avoid doing the job again anytime soon).

I still have to change oil & filter, and do the gearbox oil (gearbox paranoia & got in the recommended Elf stuff) - and fit the aftermarket undertray I've bought.

Oh yes - and my jack point boxes on the front are predictably crunchy

 

[northwest]

Well, I joined in today with the "Car fixers brigade", my pal is under pressure with a lot of work on so I decided not to take the P and give him another job (and jump the que in the process). Tinkerbell's VW had thrown up a fault which was "defective Glow Plugs" or something like that, anyway following the advice I recieved I bought an exact replacement and set to, the biggest job was getting the ridiculous plastic engine cover off. I decided to do as little dismantling as possible and before I started I drove around for a while getting the temp up. Bit of releasing fluid down the hole too, then slowly and steadily apply some force to the 3/8" breaker bar. I wasnt too sure about this orange handle malarkey when I bought it but I know the thing well now and have faith in it. I was pleased when it cracked off and I kept the pressure on and nice and slowly undid it just fine:



Used a dab of ceramic grease before I reassembled the thing and as you can see from the pics I dismantled nothing other than pulling the plug cap off, the less you mess the less will go wrong. All back together and it took me longer to get the air line out than it took to do the whole job. Thankfully.

 

[sparkysy]

Nice!
When I tried to do my vauxhalls injectors I couldn't budge them.
Ended up getting a chap with a hydraulic puller to come and do them, two snapped off and one took 8 tonnes before it let go. Luckily they didn't damage owt round it.
The guy managed to get the broken off ones out as well without removing the head. Top bloke!

 

[Smouser]

I 'fixed' two Parkside grinders today.

The first one failed after probably less than 10 hours of use and Parkside sent me a replacement without me having to return the broken one.

Unfortunately, the replacement did not last long either. On both grinders, I suspected that the fault was on the speed control units as they always felt warm and on one, the magic smoke appeared while I was using it.

The first grinder I opened up.

I couldn't see physical damage/definite signs of damage to the controller but I bypassed it nonetheless. I kept the controller in there otherwise there will be a gap in the body where the speed adjustment dial was.

On the second grinder, the damage was easier to see.

I bypassed that speed control unit too and I now have two cheap grinders (without speed control) in working condition again.

How long they will last this time is anyone's guess.

 

[Brad93]

I've got VCDS, bloody good tool albeit i only know how to use about 10% of its capability

 

[northwest]

Woke up this morning, went to my car (bearing in mind I parked it up after a 110 mile round trip the night before) and it started justr fine, alternator had packed up , again, this is the third one in four years I am fed up with it, unfortunately the alternator also drives the power steering, revved it a bit and it worked so set off, almost made the three miles too but drove back needing the arms of Garth. I had little alternative as I really needed it today, came back well full also. Going to find out exactly when I bought the last one as I am thinking it is less than twelve months ago. Does anyone have a suggestion as to which make to go for this time around?

 

[sparkysy]

What make is the one that's keeled over?
I had the same problem with alternators failing, about 1 a year always just out of guarantee.
It happened last year in December and the previous year.
This time I bought a Bosch one, not cheap but if it lasts longer than a year I'll be happier.

The last one was a NAPPA, never buying one of those again!

 

[northwest]

The last one was a NAPPA, never buying one of those again!

I think this was the same, I will try to find out for certain.

 

[Blobber]

Woke up this morning, went to my car (bearing in mind I parked it up after a 110 mile round trip the night before) and it started justr fine, alternator had packed up , again, this is the third one in four years I am fed up with it, unfortunately the alternator also drives the power steering, revved it a bit and it worked so set off, almost made the three miles too but drove back needing the arms of Garth. I had little alternative as I really needed it today, came back well full also. Going to find out exactly when I bought the last one as I am thinking it is less than twelve months ago. Does anyone have a suggestion as to which make to go for this time around?

I might have a new vauxhall one but will need to try and find some part numbers, you sure it's not the battery?

 

[northwest]

I might have a new vauxhall one but will need to try and find some part numbers, you sure it's not the battery?

Certain, thealternator drives the power steering, or not as in todays fiasco, ABS light was coming on and everything.

 

[qwakers]

couple of small jobs (is there any such thing?) to the new quad. first was making the x-quad frame fit the new quad. dead easy, the rear bolts straight up, the front 2 small brackets.

and second was to weld up the heat shield. its really thin steel, so a bit tricky, but i think it went ok...

 

[Blobber]

Certain, thealternator drives the power steering, or not as in todays fiasco, ABS light was coming on and everything.

Still be worth checking the battery, its battery killing weather at the moment

 

[northwest]

Well its on charge so I will see what tomorrow brings.

 

[GRW]

Yesterday I did some service stuff on my Renault Master Camper (it's only done 3.5k-ish miles since I bought it 14-months-ago as I was converting it, and I'd been told it was serviced before I bought it but....).

So new expensive synthetic 5w-40 & a new oil filter, and I'd already bought the recommended TRANSELF synthetic gearbox oil (the gearbox is reportedly the weak point of the drivetrain, and this is the stuff to use if you want any chance of it remaining in one piece for a while).

Up on 2 levelling blocks to give the tad more room under the bumper, and both jobs were a cinch - a pleasant surprise after the new starter-motor wrangling exercise of last week. Both oil drain plugs easy to get at, the oil filter us at the front of the engine right at the bottom behind a 27mm socket head threaded cap, while the gearbox filler point is also near the front and doesn't even need a tool to remove.
(I did use a 12v pump to get the gearbox oil in to keep it as easy as possible).

While the engine oil was pretty black (not badly broken-down or anything though) the gear oil that came out actually looked good - a slightly darker shade than the new oil, but it looked to be in very good condition... so perhaps it has been serviced well (ex-council so no service history. It should have been regularly serviced - but should have doesn't mean something actually was.

 

[Robotstar5]

I fixed the outdoor storage.

From this.

To this.

Mrs Robo had spotted one at a garden centre, but I found it cheaper to go direct to Keter, plus as a first order I got an extra 10% off

I can recommend Keter products, well made and easy to assemble.