Terry Field

I bow to the knowledge of my peers in matters related to gauges, but have you thought about the baffle in the sump (assuming it still has one)? On my similar 1.8k I had oil pressure issues, albeit a bit more extreme than you are describing, and it turned out to be bits of a disintegrating plastic oil baffle starting to block the oil pick up.

1999 1.8k Jonathan

The current fuel idiocy has got me thinking about E10 again. One of our garages ran out of E5 Super-unleaded strangely, and only had E10 left. Before the advent of E10 I had a TR 6 and I always used an additive for the fuel - in this case it was a product called Ethanolmate It is still available and advertises itself mainly as an anti corrosive, but does not protect against ‘incompatibility of materials’ whatever that means. So, is there any wisdom out there about the use and effectiveness of additives with E10, and, in particular which, if any, are likely to be safe and effective? i

Thanks Jonathan; that bit wasnt in my assembly guide!

Is there such a thing as a headlight adjustment diagram for an S3? One of my lamps has been pulled out of position, so I am trying to realign it against the garage door.

Ian, Many thanks, that is what I wanted to know. The background is that I had a major drop in oil pressure during a long run, and managed to limp to PGM in Sussex. From there it was collected by Sevens and Classics who were the suppliers of the car in February this year. S&C have confirmed that it was a partly blocked oil pipe, but thankfully no damage has been done. I am collecting the car next week and, dependent on what repair S&C have carried out, I will remove the baffle and change the gasket the next time it is convenient. I was lucky that the engine was not wrecked, and many thanks to PGM and Sevens and Classics for both storing the car for a couple of weeks and carrying out the necessary investigations and repairs. Looking forward to picking the car up next week and a long blat from Brands Hatch to Somerset, complete with a new oil system and a flat floor courtesy of PGM.

Just for clarity, I assume that the revised gasket does away completely with the foam baffle?

Thanks Jonathan, that is just what I was looking for

Recently had a problem with the oil pump pick up becoming partially blocked probably by the oil sump baffle breaking up. Problem solved by Sevens and Classics with no residual damage fortunately. I heard that there is an alternative gasket available in place of the baffle which, once installed, does not need replacing. That is all the info I have. Can anyone offer any further advice / info?

Not wishing to teach you to suck eggs, but when you the fuel supply is good, how have you checked it? On a previous XFlow, I had a problem with the pump rod in the Webers sticking and no fuel coming through. All the electrickery bits seem to have been convered above

Can't post

Having just changed my tyres I have 5 spare tyres available for a donation to charity. Four of the tyres are ZV3’s and one is a ZV1. They all have virtually full depth of tread, and are undamaged, but the ZV3’s are date stamped 2010 and the ZV1 is stamped 2002, so pretty old. Might be suitable for a bit of hooning about! Based in Taunton area - collection or local delivery please.

Where on the website do I find the info re tools to borrow/ hire? I know it is here somewhere!

I am changing my tyres and have 5 Avon ZV3 185/60/R14/82H going begging. They are virtually unused with almost all the tread left, BUT they are about 10 years old. Collect from Taunton/Wellington area for a decent donation to the Club prostate charity.

I finally managed to install the replacement gearchange assembly by pulling it together with the bolts - it actually went together quite easily like that. The gear change is now much better, and I think a tight spherical rose bearing was the main problem as John suggests. The next step is to use it a bit and actually get used to it! Thanks for all the advice

The saga moves on. Removing and rebuilding the existing gear lever assembly made no difference at all. Sevens and Classics have now sent me another assembly to try. The new one appears to be a lot looser in operation. I have removed the old assembly again, which comes out very easily, but I am struggling to get the new one in. They are slightly different styles as you can see form the picture below. The 'old' one which I am removing is on the left of the picture and the 'new ' one on the right. The main difference is the shoulder on the housing on the new assembly, which is making the insertion of the assembly into the top of the gearbox very difficult as it is so tight. I have tried some gentle persuasion but am afraid of damaging the alloy on the box. I contemplated using the three bolts to pull it into place but decided that more advice is needed first. So should it be such a tight fit, and if so how do I persuade it into place so that the housing sits flush with the gearbox? Incidentally, there is no spacer on either of the assemblies, so I am assuming that they are both built to 'standard' rather than 'quick' mode.

Jon, Did you go in through the top cover, of through the overflow hole? Sounds like a feasible approach.

I had a’96 XFlow. I am 5’11” and fitted in fine. But the passenger leg room was some inches shorter; I am not sure if this was common to all cars, but is something you might want to look at, if that is important to you.

In trying to resolve the stiff gearchange issues it look as though I may have to change the gearbox oil. Given that there is no bottom drain plug, are there any tips for the best way to remove the old oil? Also, the clutch bite point is a bit higher than I would like. Is adjustment an easy option? Thanks

Hi John, Thanks. I will rip out the saddle and rebuild. Yes I spoke to the dealer (Happy to say now that it was Sevens and Classics) and they were quite happy for me to have a go at it, ( I am 200 miles away from them), and actually directed me towards Techtalk. If there is no improvement once I have rebuilt it, then I will need to talk to them again.

I have now dismantled the gear change and it appears that there is no spacer! It all looks clean and with no corrosion or major dirt. The bearing is quite tight, but moves smoothly. So I now seem to be in a position where, other than the marks on the fork, and possibly a missing spacer, there seems to be nothing wrong. Without a spacer then obviously I cannot change the shift between the two settings of standard and quick. If that is the case, then all I am doing is putting everything back just as it was, and presumably I will still be stuck with the dodgy gear change?

Finally managed to find time in the garage to look at the gearbox. So far, so good. Selector unit successfully removed and ready to be stripped down. 2 minor issues: Using long nosed pliers I cannot get a grip on the nylon saddle to pull it out. I have a new one ready to go in, so is there any harm in grabbing the old one with ordinary pliers and just forcing it out (without damaging the shaft)? I can probably get a good grip on the little tab at the end and the side 'bar' that runs parallel to the shaft. The other thing I have noticed is a wear mark on the offside of the selector fork. It is about 0.5mm deep at its deepest point and has obviously been rubbing on something, but I can't tell what. Any thoughts?

Thanks, that may come in handy. First it is a visit to the dealer as it is still under warranty.

ŷThe quick setting concept does make some sense to me - it is quite a short throw. How do you reconfigure the gearstick after it is removed? i thought about the oil situation, but to be honest it doesn’t feel like a lubrication issue, but more of a mechanical problem, but I will keep an open mind.

Before I raise this with the dealer, I wonder if anyone has any thoughts. 1999 1.8 Roadsport, 5 spd box. I bought it in February and I am now starting to get some use out of it. I have always found the gearchange very heavy, stiff, slow and clunky, certainly not slick. My old Xflow car with a type 9 box was very slick and fast, and I have been hoping that with a bit of use this one might be the same, but it is nowhere near. After a 200 mile trip to Thruxton today, (great weather and racing) I was actually trying to avoid changing gear, such was the frustration. Going up the box is bad enough, although you had to give it a healthy thump, but coming down is painful, especially from 5th to 4th and 3rd to 2nd which really is very slow and clunky, even if I blip the throttle. The effect of all this is that because of the time it takes to change gear, the revs drop right off and it becomes difficult to drive quickly or smoothly. The idea of dropping it down a gear for a quick overtake has to be thought about very carefully. There is no untoward noise when changing gear, it is just hard work. I don' think this can be normal (haven't had chance to test it on anyone yet), but are there any ideas as to what the problem is, and how it might be resolved.