megadodo

Fully charge and then disconnect the battery. Slightly over fill the tyres or jack the car up off the ground to prevent flat spots (although I don't do that and have never had that as an issue). Make sure the anti freeze mix is correct and not old. If the car was wet when put away then dry as much off as you can including the brake discs. Leave in gear with the hand brake off.

I was lucky and managed to find a complete rear axle via this forum (many thanks Bob, it's very good axle!) for a good price and used the whole thing rather than use my donor axle. I have seen them on ebay as complete units since then so just set up a search for Sierra 4X4 rear axle. My donor rear beam looked the same as if the diff would just swap over but I never actually checked but the swinging arms looked very slightly different with abs sensor holes. The driveshafts were different as well with the lsd ones being bolt on and the donor's being push in. You may get away with jut the diff, drive shaft and swinging arms and be able to swap the brakes around, much easier just to get a complete axle, refurb it off the car and just swap the whole thing over!

Blimey, never ever seen a 4X4 axle of a Sierra with drum brakes! Nobby, is it worth it you ask? Oh yes it most definitely is. Driving on the limit is so much easier. When mine starts to break away you can feel it happen and you can also feel the diff working to counteract it. Using the throttle and steering to then go where you want it to is not a reaction to a problem but just part of the process of going round a corner with a huge grin on your face.

Job done, knocked out the inner race of the broken bearing and that allowed me to drift the opposite bearing out, that of course allowed acces to the remains of the other one. Both came out with a couple of firm blows. I even managed to rig the blade boss back together. Just 2 new woodruff keys for the jack shaft and I'll be mowing the grass whilst sitting down! Thanks for the help folks.

Thanks all, I'll see if I can get the bearings out tomorrow, the new ones had arrived by the time I as home. Mick, thanks for the heads up, I was a bit worried the casting wouldn't take to having the bearings just drifted out! Luckily the shaft is in good condition and the new bearings slide nicely onto it but the part the blade fits to that goes on that shaft has a chunk out of it so that's my next stumbling block assuming I swap the bearings without cracking the casting!

One for you engineering types out there. One of my far too many projects is to get a ride on mower up running from 2 scrap ones. I now have a chassis that I can drive around but it wont cut much grass as the the bearings in the cutting deck are shot. I have, to my surprise, managed to sort out replacements despite them being a mix of metric and imperial in the one bearing? There are 2 but they sit in an aluminium housing that bolts to the deck. I thought about drifting them out but I remember something about the assembly needed to be heated or cooled to allow the bearings to removed more easily but I cant work out which route to take. Which do I do and why please, before my head explodes with the thought process behind it?

Yes, by far the best place, straight in the big mass of oil which is highly indicative of the core engine temperature. Anywhere else will be more prone to to transient variations. Playing devil's advocate, there may be a place in the sump where there is an eddy of oil which may not be the exact temperature of the bulk of the oil given a steady straight line drive but when is that likely in anything we drive!

My 2B plus with EFI pinto has 120 bhp and weighed in at IVA at just under 750 KGs so 160 bhp per tonne! Fun as far as I'm concerned

There are some shocking responses in this thread...............................I'll get me coat!

Hmmmmmm! Decisions, decisions. Thanks for the suggestions folks, leaning towards Tractors' DRL based units. I've seen similar on GBS's website but thought they were a bit pricey! I have bulbs at home which may or may not be the right wattage........... so £45 for the pair seems good to me, now, when do I get paid?

Despite me having had the 2B on the road for over 5 years now, last night was the first time I've driven the thing when it was actually dark. All I can say is the standard sealed beam units supplied by GBS are utter pants. What upgrades have been tried and are they worth the cost/effort?

It does seem repairable, I guess its how much its insured for? As to the root cause, I've noticed that in Cambridgeshire the number of bikers driving like dicks has gone through the roof! I had one "wheelieing" (?) past the house the other day at way more the 60! The dual carriageway by the house has became a speedway of late with very loud & fast moving bikes going up and down it all evening! Glad your alright and give me a shout if you want a hand to strip and rebuild it if that's the way you go, I still owe for your help with my suspension.

I disagree with the ratchet strap for the last bit of tightening, only tighten by hand, its all it needs if the seal is lubricated.

Speedo drive is directly proportional to road speed, not related to the gear at all, otherwise you'd see the speedo change whenever you changed gear!

I can see how it works for an airline where they want maximise seat occupancy and the customer has very limited choice if they want to go from a to b at short notice but for car insurance where there is a huge choice? Sounds risky to me even if I didn't think they were trying it on.

Leaky BMW rocker cover leaks can be fun, shouldn't need any gasket sealant except at the corner of the half moon cutouts. However you must change the rubber washers that fit around the bolts as well as the main gasket and plug rings. I do tend to use a smear of sealant on the exhaust side on my own BMWs though. Check the cover isn't cracked as they can have a hairline one which can be difficult to see. Also the oil recovery system is blocked you can get crankcase pressure lifting the rocker cover up!

I made up my VIN, it was never questioned. The way i read the manual was that it was the builders responsibility to do it, I cant imagine the DVLA issue VIN numbers to foreign built cars that are sold in the UK?

The hydraulics move the piston up a threaded mechanism for normal braking. The handbrake mechanically pushes the whole threaded mechanism and therefore pushes the piston. So, although the handbrake is mechanical it wont work properly if the hydraulics aren't pushing the piston to the correct place. The hydraulics are the "self adjuster" for the handbrake.

Now there's a man who really know his product well! He could have worked for either side on the EU referendum!

Ah! Mowing of stones, that's so familiar! I've seen our garden elf but we must have one as every time I mow I find yet another stone and loose yet more of my blade. I bet its not a garden elf, it must be the same elf who moves my tools and puts all the missing nuts, bolts and washers directly underneath the middle of the car!

Did the loom come with a diagram?

I truly believe it is immoral, wrong and just downright stupid to allow people not to work. Yes there should be a "safety net" for people who loose their job through no fault of their own but it should only ever be enough to keep the wolf from the door. As a society we should be pushing and if required, forcing people to do the work that is offered to them. Training to do the work that is available should be made available and compulsory for claimants. If they have to move to do a job, they have to move. Anyone who refuses this work must get NO benefits what so ever. If we ever get to a situation where there is no more work for people in an area and my "must move" comment above is actually impractical then to earn "benefits" claimants must do something for society. Litter clearance, public space renovation, something along those lines. If there are truly jobs that cannot be filled by residents of the UK (I'm not convinced that is ever the case) then society should look at growing that skill-set internally and only allow temporary visa based immigration to fill the void.

Society does not "owe" anybody anything, people must "earn" both reward and a place in society.

Putting a 40 amp relay in where a 30 amp smoked itself will not solve the problem. Resolve your issue first.

FYI amps=watts/volts, so 2 55 watt bulbs will pull around 10 amps.

That's a real bargain!

What time is the start period of the graph? Could it be is sees the slow warm up very quickly but allows the 1:30 min before going into limp mode irrespective of fault logged? Still, the easiest diagnosis is the sensor swap.