Ade Ray

My wife is experiencing a problem with her Daewoo Matiz (no jokes now). The clutch pedal is a lot lighter than usual and trying to engage a gear other than 2nd or 4th is like trying to push a stick through treacle. I've looked under the car and although the rubber gaiter is broken the cable is still attached and does not feel too loose. If anyone has any ideas I would be grateful. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi J.R. Yes I am interested. Journal diameters would be useful Ade PS Were you ever the scheming boss of a Texas oil company that got shot by an old flame back in the 80's? (i am sorry, this is probably not a new one for you) Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi Greg Thanks for the reply. I have not spotted your advert yet, am I being a bit blind? The only bit I need is the crank as I shall source the replacement conrod from Roger King as he did the upgrade on the engine originally. The crank is the only thing that appears fairly standard so I am gambling that I can do a straight swap on this. I dont know if you are interested in splitting the parts or what a second hand crank is worth, I am open to suggestions. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Perhaps someone who has gone for the all steel internals has a standard cast iron crank they can sell me. The crank that came out of my brothers car can be used but needs to be checked for straightness, crack tested, re-ground and re-tuftriding. The cost for all that means that a second-hand crankshaft (tuftrided or not) might be a better option as long as the crankshaft has a good history. If anyone could help I would be grateful (as well as handing over cash) Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi Simon I have to say that the head gasket seemed very firmly attached with no signs of leakage anywhere. I think an email to Mr. King might be in order!! Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi again Dave Thanks for the tip, my wife is going to love me when I tell her That i am going to be using a couple of gallons of parrafin to clean the engine! How do I dispose of it afterwards? Does the council tip have a place for parafin etc. as well as old engine oil? Hi Jonathan Yes it sounds like the same place. RMS is on the corner of Oliver Street and Edward Street which is indeed just off the Lawford Road. I did pop in to Heathcote Engineering as suggested by sjwb. the guy was happy to have a look at the crankshaft and see what state it is in. He was quite puzzled as to what had caused the problem. He did not think the failed bearing was the cause but rather the effect of 'something' going on in the cylinder. I am not certain but he seemed to be suggesting water in the cylinder and he said it was unusual just to see one conrod bent rather than a pair. He did not even think that a blocked oil way could have been responsible and certainly Simon is confused as to why one bearing should fail and the others be absolutely fine? Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi guys thanks for all the info. I am going to try the place mentioned by sjwb later this afternoon to see what bits they have in and their prices. I plan to leave the head/valve/springs assembly alone other than a general clean up as it is definately fine. The camshaft has not been removed but will be as part of the main clean up process. The cam followers have been checked and are straight and they have been carefully stored and are awaiting cleaning. There is a place in Rugby called RMS engineering who specialise in traditional automotive engineering (they wont touch anything with a management system) and I am going to have a chat with them to see if they can check and carry out the re-grinding. As to cleaning the engine. What is the best stuff to use? Also, the head gasket seems to be a rubberised piece of metal. The conditions seems good but I assume it is better to discard and replace with a new one? Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Thanks Steve I'll pop in there tomorrow Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi Dave I have just managed to get back on to blatchat thanks to the site managers instructions on editing my host file. Simons Haynes manuals turned up this morning and I have been a busy bee. The scores on the doors are as follows: The head is Ok with no damage to the valves or springs. The double timing chain was covered in bits of bearing but was sound aswell as the timing gear. The 244 camshaft is fine as are the piston heads and their seals. Conrods 2,3 + 4 are fine along with their bearings. Number one conrod and its bearing is toast. There must have been some high temperatures and pressures going on as the metal is discoloured and the conrod is bent like a banana. The crankshaft looks generally ok but at the point of the failed bearing there is a thumb-print shaped raised welt as if some of the bearing material has become welded to the crankshaft. The 'welt' is only very very slight but I have a feeling it is going to require the crankshaft to be re-ground if that is possible. My knowledge is very limited but I am assuming I can replace the conrod bits fairly easily and then go for a new set of bearings. Will the high temperature have affected the crankshaft?? There is some burnt bearing material/carbonation on the un-turned surface of the crankshaft next to the failed bearing but I think it will clean off OK. Any comments greatly received Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Dave Thanks for the tips, I think I have got my labelling system sorted out and I think it is wise advice to keep all the bits for each cylinder together. Simon has also been on the phone to me warning me not to take the head off until I get my hands on the Haynes manual he is sending me! I am hoping it is just a bearing that has failed and that there has been no damage to the pistons and valves but only time will tell. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

I now have Simons (brother) sick 1700 engine at home to see if I can get it into working order and then put it into my se7en. Before I start to take it apart I was wondering if anyone had any good schematics of the X-Flow? Although I have got myself organised with respect to taking the engine apart, ie labelling and sequencing of parts, I am not sure as to the correct way to store the bits I will be taking off. Whatever tips that folks can offer will be gratefully received. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi Simon Thread posted by Excess Baggage on 14th May 2001 titled 'Fitting 5 speed box' Ade

Yes - I'm here now Thanks Gordon, my cable & wireless call box thingy was playing up (now removed). K7 JTA - please email me with your address / telephone number or call me on 01926 335060 (work) and we can sort out logistics/cash. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi Buda, hope you (and your blue behind) are well. I would agree that air circulating around a car and being ventilated will dry a car - as long as the source of moisture is finite, ie you are not putting more water on the car. I think the problem we are faced with is that it is not practical to run an extractor fan all the time. So with Ians garage, as soon as the fans stop the continuing source of water will evapourate into the air until saturation point is reached for the temperature of the air and then proceed to condense onto cold surfaces, eg car or walls. With respect to the sub-floor ventilation, the air bricks do assist in reducing wet-rot in floor timbers but they are still vulnerable at the joist ends where they are in contact with brickwork that is below the building damp proof line. The ideal then is that the timbers would be prevented from getting wet AND there is good ventialtion to aid drying and reduce condensation. On houses that have encountered this problem, the normal remedy is to splice in new joist ends that have been pre-treated with a waterproofing agent and to add more air-bricks. Preventative medicine is always the best. Iam not certain that the work could not be taken on now if we are talking about digging out the floor and re-laying with a plastic memabrane. I agree it is not ideal but should be ok if you look at the weather forecast and pick your day. I might be inclined if it was me to try and get it done, particularly if the rest of the garage structure is sound and the alternative is a damp se7en all winter. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent Edited by - Ade Ray on 11 Nov 2002 14:11:50

I'm not sure that ventilation on it's own will cure the problem as any mass of air will have a moisture content proportional to the temperature of the air, so that even if you are replacing the air continually that replaced air will be drawing moisture from your floor or whatever the source of moisture might be and the moisture content of the air will not vary significantly. Heating and ventilating will not solve the problem either as warm air will hold more moisture than cold air. The only answer is to stop the source of moisture AND provide good extractor ventilation. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Good call Mark Although the wires were connected to the right terminals, a loosen of the +ve terminal nut, a twist around and a re-tighten of the nut did the trick. The +ve did not seem to be touching anything else but it was probably close enough to matter. My starter motor clean up has produced better results with the bendix more willing to chuck out but not perfect. I think a full strip down and clean of the starter tomorrow is in order. Thanks for advice Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

On the subject of Haynes manuals: Theyn do a carb manual but it does not have 40 Webers in it. Do they do a different manual for side draught or can anyone recommend a good alternative reference for 40/45 Webers? Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Hi Mark Thinking back to my putting everything back together, I dont think I put things on the wrong terminal, but it is possible that as I was tightening the +ve nut the cable could have been pulled around and into contact with the solenoid to starter connection. I'll check this as soon as I get home. Many thanks Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

I've obviously done something but I'm not sure what! Took the starter motor off my 1600 xflow to clean the bendix and hopefully cure the starting problem. When I came to refit the starter I reconnected the +ve cable and the wire running from the alternator. All seemed well but when i turned the battery master key prior to starting the car, the starter motor started turning over by itself. Can anyone tell me what I've done? Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Thanks for all the info guys. Day off tomorrow so will be under car with torque wrench (if Lisa will let me!). Will report back later. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

I know if I do a search for 'clunk' I will get also sorts of posts come up so I am trying to narrow the field. Driving: 1996 ex-Scholarship 1600 x-flow with Live axle. My car is making occassional very small clunk noises when I change gear, usually when I am changing up. I have also noticed the odd clunk when I have been braking. I am not getting the noise as I go around a bend and have infact had the 1/2 shafts 'done' earlier this year by Caterham Midland. I replaced the live-axle bush just before the last sprint at Curborough and visually it seems fine. can someone please point me to a relevant thread or suggest where my problem might lie. Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

HI All Sorry I have been away a while. I'll check my mail in a mo. The site was the Tamworth Snowdome where my hefty 15 1/2 stone whizzed me down at a cracking rate of knots. The board was fastiduously cleaned and dried afterwards (my wife says I'm a bit obsessive about that sort of stuff as I am the same with Katie Krossflow) Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

Puffy The paraglider is definately NOT for sale!! I dont think even Lisa would try and get me to get rid of that. Anyway, after the snowboarding gear has gone there will be enough space in the garden shed for some garden tools!! Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

I meant Bindings of course!!!!!! Doh! The dreaded shed clearance continues.... Burton 'Motion' snow board. Capped construction, edges sharp - has seen little use. The size is an 84 - suitable for 5'10 to 6'2 boarders. The board is a freestyle board. Condition is very good with no damage. Burton 'Freestyle' bindings. good condition, no damage, nice and clean Northwave boots. White/dark blue nubuck leather, size 10 with removable sock type thermal inner. good condition, clean with no damage. Lack of use is reason for sale as the gear has had few outings (8 I think) since new and all at inside sites. In addition I am saving up for modifications to Katie. £200.00 Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent Edited by - Ade Ray on 19 Sep 2002 12:16:05

Thanks chaps, off to motor factors now! Ade Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent