Small (or maybe not) project. 91 elan

[Rambo]

may be we should start a list .......

1. Dico

PS what's it for ?

[Tuga2112]

PS what's it for ?

coal?

[muley]

Now, if only we could get a person in the boot. Has anyone got a picture to show it's possible?


Jim

[Rambo]

Now, if only we could get a person in the boot. Has anyone got a picture to show it's possible?


Jim

I think JohnW might have one

[DeanG]

The kind of thing that can drive one to drink!

[Aoki Magic Pants]

after a bit of a chat with geoff over fakebook. and some mild diagnosis of the xmas show that my dashboard was.

Geoff concluded my problem was likely a bad earth.
considering this issue developed soon after the head gasket change. i looked for the wires that were messed with with my task and found the culprit.

tightened the bolt. and the missfire and all other problems disappeared.

Where is that bolt located?

[Tuga2112]

Where is that bolt located?

if your standing in front of the engine. to your left, near the PAS reservior. going into the side of the intake manifold/plenum (someone will come along and correct with the specific terminology)

its one of those bolts that its easy to see but PITA to reach.

[Tuga2112]

its been a while since my last update.
although those frequent members of the forum will know ive been busy with the car. but i just havent done any writing on the thread.

as previously promised. the interior has been all fitted (a few months ago) with the new seats and gaiters and door panels. made by a friend who's in the upholstery business who is now capable of making the same (or any other) design for the seats if anyone wants something new with a factory feel.

some pictures for the record.







I am very pleased with the end result. this is high grade vinyl instead of leather. reason being as my friend is a vegan, and wouldn't work with leather. After checking the quality of the vinyl i was pleased to proceed with vinyl.

[Tuga2112]

After Geoff posting a picture of he's fuel cap becoming a small pool, Ive decided to confirm mine was in good condition.

this was a morning job. but effectively my L shape tube had a hole in it, so after getting some washer tubing i made use of an existing hole in the wheelarch and corrected the situation in my car.


I also uploaded a video to the facebok page but... im too lazy to extract that and upload to youtube to show the drain process.

anyway. just another small job to add to the log of things done in the car.

[Tuga2112]

I have now realised i have not uploaded a single image of the journey it was to replace the head gasket.

most of the Q&A from that task was over the phone with pinky (big thanks to Pinky... again) so, i didnt ask for much help in the forum.

a few pictures of a engine in bits at multiple stages of the process just for everyones amusement (and prove i actually had it out)

gasket cover out.


top dead centre from the crank pulley (note the arrow and indentation)


both camshafts alighed for the timing belt.


the whole head out of the car. where we can see the damage on the gasket (bottom right corner)


and a straight edge over it to confirm it did not warp. (after a decent cleanup).


as part of replacing the timing belt, i also swapped the water pump and pulleys.
old and new side by side.


I Have plenty more pictures of that process, but i dont think theres much value in them. although if anyone needs a picture of something in that area, i may have something to help.

[Tuga2112]

since my return from Hethel the rear nearside is making a noise that i can only describe as "whynning" it does the noise when moving at 40mph or more, the faster i go the more noise it makes.
when turning to the right, and the car height shifts the noise dissapears, turning to the left does not affect the noise.

i would like to know if you guys agree with my diagnostic ?
and from my 5 minute reading. i believe i need inner and outer from a late 80's corsa ? (assuming rear being a front wheel drive car?) based on the old topic i found with google on the topic

also foudn this on the wiki related to the topic. which i will read carefully soon.
2 years ago i changed the read discs, but as i was unaware it was the perfect time to replace the bearings, i jsut refitted the old ones. i suspect for the 20 odd quid a pair would cost (assuming vauxhal nova 89 1.0 petrol rears on ECP would fit) they are due the change anyway.

[clemo]

Who was the other guy in the carpark that also mentioned something similar .
Azure blue S2 - wearing a chequered shirt. ( i missed him upon my return)

As far as i know a wheel bearing noise is constant just faster as the speed increases . Not a thing that changes with a sharp left or right turn.
Is this not more of a drive shaft noise / cv joint when left to right ?

I think you are right on the GM part . but i think there is some extra part needed can't quite remember what that is right now . it may well come to me whilst laying in bed tonight !.

[Saltire]

Hmmm . . . Assuming Joao is correctly identifying the direction the noise is coming from - and it isn’t always easy - CV joints shouldn’t be an issue unless he has one of the very rare RWD M100s

Seriously, though, if it disappears when turning right (i.e. when the hub is loaded up), I’d suspect wheel bearing or perhaps a caliper problem on that side. I’ve had bearing noise diminish in turns; as I recall, it depends on the bearing construction, what’s failed, and the degree of loading.

Good luck with tracking it down.

[Tuga2112]

i do think the noise comes from the rear... however i could be wrong.
the left/passenger/nearside front CV joint boot was replaced a month ago for the MOT because it was split. i cleaned up best i could and loaded new grease in place. there was no signs of damage anythere, so i would hope its not the issue.

im not sure how to improve the diagnostic approach, i could load the boot with a lot of weight. i guess that would stop (or somehow change) the noise if the issue is in the rear i guess?

[Tuga2112]

continuing in the repair/maintenance log.

since my return from Hethel the rear nearside is making a noise that i can only describe as "whynning" it does the noise when moving at 40mph or more, the faster i go the more noise it makes.
when turning to the right, and the car height shifts the noise dissapears, turning to the left does not affect the noise. my suspicion is that its a wheel bearing wearing out. (which i posted a topic on the subject already)

im planning now to change the rear wheel bearings using the 1998 VW golf ones as per wiki posting

the other thing that has gone wrong (just today) is the RH/driver/offside light pod. which does not move, neither up or down.
i have confirmed the fuse is fine. and based on the fact that theres no noise coming at all from the motor, my suspision is that the module on the bulkhead is faulty.

i will be confirming this tomorow by plugging a 12v and ground supply directly to the motor to confirm its running fine. under the assumption my guess is correct. the plan is to
open up the module and compare to the findings of Paul Beech. and try to fix it miself, if that fails. canibalizing the blue car will be the quick fix in order to have a 34mpg car for work on monday (instead of the 24mpg Celica alternative)

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Joao,

If you need a NEW controller, I have a few. Not cheap, $90.00 + postage but less that SJs price to rebuild yours. Unfortunately, shipping from the US usually takes 7 to 10 days.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

No, just follow the workshop manual: raise the car and spin the wheel. If you hear the noise, then you know which side. Holding the wheel at the top and bottom, rock it up and down or in and out. There should be minimal motion rocking the wheel in and out top to bottom. If you can feel any, the bearing at least needs to be checked re-greased and adjusted - if it isn't yellow to gold colored which means it has run hot and needs to be replaced.

[Tuga2112]

No, just follow the workshop manual: raise the car and spin the wheel. If you hear the noise, then you know which side. Holding the wheel at the top and bottom, rock it up and down or in and out. There should be minimal motion rocking the wheel in and out top to bottom. If you can feel any, the bearing at least needs to be checked re-greased and adjusted - if it isn't yellow to gold colored which means it has run hot and needs to be replaced.

I would not be able to spin the wheel by hand as fast as needed to simulate 40+ mpg speed, also considering the noise changes depending on load, I don't think it's possible at all to reproduce the noise while stationary without a rolling road kind of setup.

I will be Jacking up the car to check for free play tomorrow (weather today is terrible)

[Fredjohn]

As BCN says, if the bearing has gone or is loose, you will be able to tell by spinning by hand and rocking. You don't need to do 40mph!

I can't recall without looking but is there a dust shield behind the disc that a stone could be lodged in?

[Tuga2112]

today i bought a pair of golf bearings. also re-adjusted the one already in the car. will be driving it for another week now to confirm if there was any improvement in the noise. and next weekend may swap them or not, depending on the outcome of today's efforts.