Paul Deslandes

BTW, that bolt size is taken from the '95 assembly manual and relates to the old style hubs. Before ordering the helicoil you might want to check the bolt thread unless you're certain.

The pillar drill makes it much easier to get the drilled out hole vertical and similarly the tap for the helicoil. Without it it's very easy for the thread to deviate from the vwertical. Once it's drilled put the tap in the pillar drill and turn it by hand with lots of cutting lube. Don't switch it on for goodness sake!

3/8 X 1 1/2" UNF. 22-27 lbft

And, yes, definitely okay for this job.

Re you the Tom in Guildford/ If so Margnor in Jacobs Well do the re thread kits. They're open until 5 or 5.30. Take the bolt with you.

You need to helicoil, or equivalent. Very easy to do although better still if you have access to a pillar drill. Where in the country are you? Paul

My 95 car (2 litre Vx) had green lights which were achieved by a soft green plastic sleeve over the white/clear bulb. I suspect that your white ones were green but the sleeves fell off. I've no idea whether you can get replacement sleeves but a bit of googling might reveal a source. If so, please share. Paul

Might be worth giving BigRed a call. They have a lot of m/c repair kits and will know whether they have one that suits. The home page only mentions calipers but they do kits for both.

The switch should be mounted such that it can be used to stop the engine and/or isolate the electrics and stop the fuel pump (especially a carb car without an ECU) after an accident, either by the driver or 3rd party, e.g. a marshal at a competition/event. Within the windscreen stanchion/triangle on the driver's side is usually chosen for this reason with a large sign showing its location and direction to turn to switch off indicated. Paul

you've probably tried it but in case it helps, if you Google 'ODB2 pinouts', amongst others you get 'Images for...' with lots of ODB2 pin function i/d. Good luck Paul

I tend to start with isopropyl then move up the scale with acetone as a last resort. Actually, apart from the lingering smell, white spirit is an effective cleaner and can also remove sticky label residue when other cleaners usually fail.

Interested in your comment re brake and clutch cleaner JK. Is that environmental, health or risk to paint finish? ditto Acetone which is a very effective degreaser. I thought B&C cleaner was naphtha Paul

Charles, pm sent Paul

Note that the recommendation is not to go more than 85% of the max rated vehicle towing weight. I believe that it's also true to say that it's an offence to tow an unloaded/lightly loaded trailer that can be loaded in excess of your licence class, even if in its unloaded state it's lighter than your limit. Also, for 'older' drivers with pre 97 licences, if you still have your old green paper licence and are coming up to applying for your new licence at 70, you will lose many of your previous vehicle classes, including some of the heavier classifications. To avoid this, apply for and obtain a new photo licence now, before reapplying again at 70 so that most classes will be carried forward after your 70th birthday. Otherwise you'll have to take a test or be restricted as though you passed your test after 1st Jan '97. If you want to drive a 7.5 tonne horse box you still need to reapply and pass a medical. Paul

Towing weight is related to the kerb weight and is set by the vehicle manufacturer. The data for most vehicles can be found here. You also need to consider what weights of rig your driving licence allows you to drive. This will depend on when you passed your test and the permitted classes on your licence. If your licence was issued after 1st Jan 1997 you may need to pass an additional test, here. There was a thread on blatchat a few years ago on this topic which you should be able to find by searching the archives. Not sure if this is the best one but some good info.. The Caravan Club website also carries a lot of this data. Paul

I wouldn't contemplate a single axle trailer having had a tyre go at speed on the A3 on a twin. My Brian James Minnow trailer has served me well for nearly 20 years and I can't fault it. You will of course need one that will take the wider CSR as I'm reasonably certain that the Minnow will only take the narrower S3. Your only other decision is whether to get a covered trailer with lift up lid (very nice but pricey). Even if you opt for an open trailer, get one with a floor deck so that most of the road muck is kept off the underside of the car, And whatever you do, make sure you can securely lock it to your car tow hitch when parked up, even if only for a short stop, and securely clamp the rear axle wheels when it's left anywhere, even (or perhaps especially) when it's in your driveway at home. They do get nicked, with or without the seven aboard. Hitch locks/lockable hitch covers are useless when not attached to the towing car as the bad guys will simply attach a chain and tow/drag the trailer to somewhere they can cut the hitch lock off or drill out the lock. Paul

Not sure what you mean JK. It was a solid state pump that blew the fuse on my car when I was still on carbs (cue weight loss pun). I tried searching the archives for early stuff on this topic but I lost the will to live. Paul

Interesting. Remember though that the fuse is there to protect the wiring rather than the pump.

I used soapy water as lube when I did my Triumph Herald circa 1965 . The bushes have a couple of nibs that locate in corresponding holes in the outer column so you need to get them aligned when pushing them in. I've cut a slight chamfer on the nibs in the past to get them in. Also, make sure the bushes' split nylon inner linings don't fall out or get trapped when you push the inner column through. Paul

Google fuel pump inertia switch and you'll be spoilt for choice Either that or go to a scrappy and get the minitimer connector as well. A local motor factor will probably have one but you may need to give them a car make and model, so make one up. Old Rover 200 and 400 models, and lots more besides, had/have them. Caterham have them but they come with a mounting plate and are at least 50% more expensive than on ebay. Paul

Pity. I've not used them so not sure how they fit. JK should be able to help if needs be. Just don't use a Scotchlock as they damage the host cable. Good luck with it Paul

Well, hopefully they all have the same pump wire and, maybe, the fuse holder. The 95 manual specifies a 15A pump fuse but I seem to recall that a 10A was fitted for some reason. There have been various discussion on BC over the years about the need to uprate to 15A which solves the problem of it blowing. It may be that the average current is low but the peak is much higher and the fuse gets 'tired' after a while. I run both my swirl pot injection low pressure Facet red top and high pressure pumps off the same 15A fuse and have never had one go in 18 years Paul

Assuming they didn't leave the wire out of the loom you might find a white/purple wire sticking out of the loom somewhere around the rear bulkhead where the pump is normally mounted, to the nearside. If it's there it should be fed from a fuse in the main fuse block. It all depends on whether they used a universal loom. You can find the wiring diagram for '95 chassis cars, what may not be the same as yours but should give you a clue here. The Ford engined cars had a mechanical pump like yours so the wire isn't shown on the wiring diagram but if you look in the Vauxhall cars you'll find the fuel pump (item 54) with its white/purple wire. If you mount the Facet on bobbins to keep the noise down don't forget to bridge a wire across to chassis for the 0v. If the wp wire isn't there, take a fused supply from the ignition wiring. Use a 15A fuse as the original 10A would blow at very inconvenient moments. Do consider a cutout switch wired in series with the pump supply and mounted on the engine bulkhead to stop the pump in the event of a crash. Paul

You should be able to get the alternator repaired at significantly less cost than a new one as it will almost certainly be one of the diode packs that have failed. A local automotive electrician should be able to do it for you. The resistor should be located close to the FIA switch and is usually beige, square section and about 2 inches long with a wire coming out of each end. Maybe one wire has either broken or become disconnected rather then the resistor failed. Irrespective of whether racers shut off their engines with the FIA switch, it's a really bad idea, as you're finding out!!! Paul

Does it stop normally if you only use the ignition switch, leaving the FIA switch on? If so it would suggest a problem around the FIA switch and resistor. I suspect that this is not the case but wanted to be clear. Paul