Stripey Technical

BX Tech talk
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vulgalour
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Re: Stripey Technical - Needle bounce

Post by vulgalour »

The pipe in question looks like a fuel line and is the shape of an upturned U, sits adjacent to the strut on the windscreen side. All the metal pipes are free of LHM leak, and this is the only likely place for the LHM to be leaking from. The brake pipes look nice and clean too. If this perished pipe is just for LHM to go back into the system and has no pressure, then that explains why it's still mostly working even in the state it's in. The twin rubber LHM pipes on the other side still look like new, and there's no sign of any leaks on that side at all.

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Re: Stripey Technical - Needle bounce

Post by Dollywobbler »

The pipes the other side are new, so that explains why they look new. ;)

Interesting about the fuel filter. As I knew the previous chap had run it on chip fat, I'd assumed the filter would be a right state when I changed it, but it wasn't. Obviously took a bit longer for all the crud to find its way out.

The strut returns can spray fluid as the car drops down, depending on which pipe has broken. When I first got the Green Tiger back in 2009, it was doing that. When I got the TXD, a different pipe each side had split. One side was spraying, the other side wasn't.
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Re: Stripey Technical - Needle bounce

Post by vulgalour »

When you turn the car off, I've noticed a short, quiet HSSS from the side with the perished pipe and, with the pattern of LHM and small quantity it seems to lend credence to the suspicion of it being that perished pipe at fault. Can I replace it with any sort of pipe, or must I buy a special one? Autosupplies told me (for the first time, actually) that LHM pipes are a dealer only part and they don't stock them.
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Re: Stripey Technical - Needle bounce

Post by Dollywobbler »

AEP direct will sell you the strut returns. You can get them on Ebay but they don't last long. It is possible to make your own - folk on here have done it.

On the subject of needle bounce, the TXD is horrific for it at 70mph, but fine at 80mph. That's my excuse officer. If it's any consolation, my W124 Merc does it as well (at low speeds), with a very loud tick as the needle bounces off the stop!
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by vulgalour »

This might sound a bit odd, but the pipe that's perished doesn't look like the strut return pipe that's fitted to the other side, or that is on offer via AEP (top link, btw). Rather than being a twin pipe, it's just a single pipe that runs from the strut to a metal pipe in the inner arch, the same route as on the other side but I'm not sure how a twin pipe would fit in the same location... I'll e-mail you a pic, DW, you'll know what it is I'm sure as I may have misdiagnosed.
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by Dollywobbler »

The pics are unusual. The 'block' on the nearside strut return (the one that looks good) appears to be facing rearwards. I have no idea why that should be. The offside one does look like the strut return but is incredibly perished for a pipe replaced in May last year. There should be two metal pipes on the inner wheelarch, with two rubber pipes leading to the block on the strut.
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by vulgalour »

On the passenger side, if the wheel face is 6 o'clock, the pipe block sits at about 3 o'clock, if that makes sense? Wherever it's supposed to sit, on this side at least it seems to be doing its job properly. On the driver's side (the badly perished pipe) it sits similarly, but more towards about 11 o'clock.

I tried very hard to recreate the quiet knocking noise on the same roundabout at about the same speed and found it very difficult to do so. A wiggle of the front wheels doesn't highlight it either and there's no oddness in the steering so I'm not sure what's causing that, possibly that engine mount I suppose.
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by Way2go »

Dollywobbler wrote:The pics are unusual. The 'block' on the nearside strut return (the one that looks good) appears to be facing rearwards. I have no idea why that should be. The offside one does look like the strut return but is incredibly perished for a pipe replaced in May last year. There should be two metal pipes on the inner wheelarch, with two rubber pipes leading to the block on the strut.
Two thoughts:
1) The strut return pipes will move position if they are fitted with ty-raps etc as they are constantly flexed with the suspension movement. Only the genuine metal clips are strong enough to keep position and ensure against leaks.

2) If the new replacement return was from GSF then it quickly deteriorates and you're lucky if it lasts from one MOT to the next. (GSF have never sorted this "Quality Issue" in many a year as presumably its a "nice little earner" for them

IIRC the strut base is keyed in the hub assy so the only valid position for the return block is behind the strut as you face it. ie if the hub face is 6 o'clock then the hole is at 12 o'clock close to the hub mount.
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by vulgalour »

New question: Quite often, I'm getting a very grindy reverse gear selection and sometimes first can be troublesome to select. This does not improve or worsen with temperature and use, the only thing I've noticed that helps is to be particularly firm with selection. Could this be down to low gearbox oil or is it endemic of something else?
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by Dollywobbler »

That could be clutch not disengaging fully, but it's a bit of a BX foible. I always select fifth before reverse. It stops the gearbox internals from moving and usually allows a crunch-free change. If it still does it, it's because reverse has no synchromesh, so won't tolerate a bit of clutch drag. The forward gears will be stiff, but will still engage even if the clutch is dragging slightly.
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by vulgalour »

It's really only first and reverse I'm having trouble with, the other gears are, while clunky, at least easy to select. Completely unrelated, but I took a ride in Dad's Omega earlier today and thought it felt crashy and hard... I think I'm spending too much time in floaty cars.
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by citronut »

its usually 1st and reverse that are difficult to engage first if the clutch is not disengaging fully,

try adjusting the clutch cable firstly

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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by citsncycles »

Try going into 2nd before 1st and see if that helps - if so it may that the syncromesh on 1st is worn. Clutch adjustment and fresh oil on the box may help matters, but you may have to either live with it or stick it on the list of things to fix - watch my blog this summer hopefully on how that works as I have syncro work to do on Timex.
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by KevR »

[quote="Way2go"]
Two thoughts:
1) The strut return pipes will move position if they are fitted with ty-raps etc as they are constantly flexed with the suspension movement. Only the genuine metal clips are strong enough to keep position and ensure against leaks.

Not true! I've been happily using tie-wrapped strut return pipes for many years with no problems at all. I use the original metal spreader plate and two top-quality wraps (yellow ones as liberated from the Post Room at my old work - used for closing mailbags).
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Re: Stripey Technical

Post by Way2go »

KevR wrote: Not true! I've been happily using tie-wrapped strut return pipes for many years with no problems at all. I use the original metal spreader plate and two top-quality wraps (yellow ones as liberated from the Post Room at my old work - used for closing mailbags).
I also used good quality wide tyraps that fitted the spreader plate and although any leakage would have been negligible to non-existent Mr MOT man failed the car on this. He also insisted that they needed to be metal for brake security to comply with the MOT.
The point can be debated but I decided it wasn't worth the aggravation at MOT time as this item is checked every time. After-all it's not really a problem to use (& re-use) the metal clips.
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