cackshifter

Probably duty payable these days too, would pay to keep the purchase price as low as possible

What colour is the smoke?

One question to ask is did you set the pedal stop at the front of the pedal box. That sets the pedal height

Almost certainly the headiight switch, the studs sink into the plastic and come loose. To recover temporarily, scrape the plastic away from the switch contacts, or sometimes you have to solder the studs to the electrical contact. In dire emergency,cut the wires off the switch , strip them, and twist them together.

Well it used to be.

Maybe it could be a nominee for a forum Bodge Of The Year award. Best Unsupporting Metalwork?

Painless? This has huge promise for something going wrong..... looking forward to the hydrofluoric acid bath or the TNT. I wish you no harm Jeff but the stories of unfortunate events are highly amusing.

Aldi is terrible for that.

If you measure the length of thread on the bolt you will get an idea of the length of the helicoil you need, as Mr V.Bomber suggests, and esp considering what it's doing, rather than stacking them it seems wise to use the longest possible. I'd check the thread on the bolt goes all the way into the block as well before assuming that's the length you need. Helicoils are available in length as multiple of diameter eg Link, Link, so ideally you'd use something like M12 x 1.5 2D. I have seen recommendations to loctite them in to stop them coming out when dismantling.

Looks like the thread pitch is 1.5mm Link, we have been here before.

I think your comments about one or two bolts feeling a little loose when you tried with a 3/8 drive ratchet can be explained as follows. When you tighten the bolt it is both being stretched and is in torsion, effectively a torsion bar as well as a spring. So as the bolt tightens, the thread will lag the head end by the torsional deflection. Once the bolt is still, ie you finish tightening, the head will either spring back to relive the torsional stress or if the static friction under the flange of the bolt is too much for that it will stay as it is - at least it will till you come along with your 3/8 ratchet and give it a helping hand. I would consider putting a smear of molygrease under the flanges of the heads before fitting so that the bolt will turn as easily as possible. Either way as the thread hasn't moved the linear tension in the bolt will stay (almost) the same. But they do feel absolutely terrible to tighten even when OK, it's a horrible job.

I have one of those drill stand things, and yeah they do work I suppose but I think the existing hole will guide you. Make sure it slides easily on the pillars if you do get one. What happens about the helicoil tang? Will you be able to get it out ok?

Oh dear. That is the problem with bolts over studs. So what now, helicolil or timesert?

Yes well done indeed. Many thanks

Hi, Thanks Ralph, it is a bit of a conundrum, and thank you for the kind offer. At this point I don't need spares thanks, but the motivation was I think the O ring might be leaking slightly, so I thought while it is apart maybe I would replace the insides, after all the coolant thermostat seems to have a finite life so maybe this does, and I wasn't sure whether it was actually working, no easy way to find out. Then I looked in the WSM & parts manual and thought strange! Since posting this I have watched the Brittanica Restorations video on it, and I can see I can test the cartridge quite easily, and I don't suppose the spring and washers will be any the worse, I'll probably get a new cartridge anyway for what it costs.

Looks like 200tdi has just one washer according to RR Classic WSM.

Hi, the oil thermostat seems to be ERC5923, but the workshop manual shows a spring and 2 washers with it for which I can find no part numbers. They don't seem to exists in the parts catalogue. All the pictures of ER5923 just show the wax cartridge, except Turners who show a cartridge, spring and one washer. Any ideas? Are these included in ERC5923? Thanks Nigel

Apologies for yet another tyre topic, but I am shopping for some new tyres to replace Cooper ST-Maxx which seem to have perished rather than worn out. We don't do many miles, maybe 6,000 per year max, and journeys are generally solo short and local, but need to be able to done in light snow, but are almost completely on road. But there are also some occasions going to horseshows towing a trailer, which may be up to 100 miles each way, and there are sometimes wet and muddy bits to get through. I don't see the point of having a tyre that is '20% off road, 80% on road' - the mud is still the same. But MT tyres would be overkill 99% of the time. I need to be able to rely on the tyres at all times with the horse. The ST-Maxx has handled it all, and been generally very satisfactory, we have never had to be towed. But I don't like that they have started to show signs of cracking around the perimeter just near the bead. So, I was just looking to see what there was (I like BFG but no point in going BFG as they would definitely time-expire before wearing out), and saw the Falken AT3WA Wildpeak. That seems to potentially fit the bill as well as the Cooper. I am just asking that, if anyone has experience of the Falken AT3WA Wildpeak, could you share experience, good or bad. I have no connection with either manufacturer.

The feed on mine, 300tdi, is fused at 15amp. If you need 50, eg for tyre pump, you need to run new wires, it would need a similar sized earth

In fact, having thought about it a bit more, the seals blowing off proves they are actually sealing against the boost pressure and if they do blow off on the inlet guides may allow boost pressure to leak into the crankcase, probably not helping oil carryover through the breather, or boost pressure. On the exhaust, there must be some manifold pressure as the turbo is in the way of the gases, so again they probably have to resist pressure coming up the guides. It's an argument for not having guides that are too worn, they seem more critical than I had realised. And maybe having something like a honed internal finish to help hold some oil. Turner's performance heads have I believe bronze sleeves in the guides.

DaveW's blowout looked to me like a Cooper ST Maxx, and as I was renewing pads it prompted me to look closely at ours. They have been very satisfactory and are about 10 years old, and we don't do so many miles, so from tread depth still some wear left. But on some there was a crack forming just beyond the bead. New tyres time.

If you think about it, they do a different job than in a naturally aspirated petrol engine. In that, they try to stop excess oil being drawn down the guides by vacuum in the engine. In a 300tdi there should be next to no vacuum, maybe some till the turbo gets going, IE at startup. Mostly, they will be trying to stop air under boost pressure going up the guides into the crankcase. So the fact they blow off is not so surprising.

Good effort! My concern was round whether it would be considered roadworthy and therefore what effect it might have on insurance esp as the op would have been setting out with it faulty.

I think you need to get it fixed, it is difficult to steer without power. One thing to limp to safety like that, another to set off on a 150 mile trip

1.2 transfer box? Elec fan? Didn't someone find closing the gap between bumper and wing helped?