ibrooks

Two possibilities - either the too much current one, the alternator (or more likely the regulator on it) isn't supplying enough power or isn't compensating fast enough when there is an additional drain. Sit somewhee with the engine running and turn on everything electrical that runs constantly (headlights on main beam and keep your boot on the brake pedal). Now blip the throttle - does everything get a little brighter as the revs rise? If so then it's the alternator (or it's regulator pack). It'll probably be fine for ages but these are the first signs that something is wrong so change it or not at your peril (it could also be too small capacity wise but given the small number of electrical stuff on most Hoods this is unlikely - you don't have a heated rear screen or leccy windos do you?). No.2 Same as Wrigty's problem - if there is a bad earth then the voltage on the indicator bulbs can effectively force the earth side of the other systems slightly above 0volts. Since electrical systems only work due to a voltage difference between two points this becomes simple maths - if the positive side of a device is at 12 volts but the "earth" side has managed to get up to 6 volts then you've only got half the intended voltage across the device (in the case of a bulb it will dim). If it's affecting everything then it must be taking ALL the earths above 0v (i.e. the chassis) therefore look at the central connections - the alternator earths to the engine through it's bracket (clean the faces where they contact). Then engine should have an earth stap to the chassis (make sure the connections are free from muck and paint and are tight). The battery should be earthed to the chassis (again no muck or paint to impair the connectios and make sure they're tight). Have fun. Iain

I went to collect my latest Ebay purchase last night and the guy works for the airport. His boss is the one selling the plane but isn't too computer literate so the chap I spoke to is pretty much running the sale. Apparently things have slowed down and yesterday there were only 340 odd e-mails about it. Today there is a guy flying in from somewhere in Thailand to look at it. I beleive the guys at BAe Woodford are watching with interest as they have an operational one that they want rid of. They have to decide whether it's going to be worth the time spent removing the avionics that they can't pass on to a civilian or whether they should just pull it to the fire training grounds and set fire to it. Iain

Just a possibility but I had similar problems on an old Land-Rover I re-wired. Stupid plonker had put a single lamp in for the warning on the dashboard and it was on the lights side of the flashers - when one side was flashing the other was getting a small current through the dashboard warning light. Solved it with a couple of diodes - would have had the same problem with the 2B as I've used the same type of flasher relay but I had been there before so the diodes went in from the word go. Wouldn't be likely to cause the brake lights to play silly bu@@ers though. Iain

Deja Vue - just read that on the Mini board.

Wasn't aware that any of the Sierra's came with four-pots - are they an aftermarket add-on? There's also the question - why? The Cortina braking system is more than adequate. If you can't lock all four wheels then there's something wrong - look to sorting it before throwing money at it just for the sake of it sounding good. Back to the first though if you are determined. If the calipers are from somewhere like AP then they are probably not specifically made for the Sierra but are a suitable set with an adapter to fit the Sierra hubs. If so then check with the manufacturer as there is probably a suitable adapter for the Cortina hubs. Having said that I haven't checked whether they may be a straight swap (not beyond the realms of possibility but doubtful). Iain

According to Salisbury (in it's current form) the axle itself was a special for Reliant. The diff though was an off the shelf part. I don't want to get one from a scrappy as I won't know if it's any better than the ones I have (one confirmed noisy and the one on the floor that's from a car with similar mileage so assumed similar condition). I've found a place in Westhoughton who say they can check it over and re-build it if they can get the crownwheel/pinion pair but they recon they can tell if it's gonna need them by inspection so it's going there for an experiment. Iain

Does anyone know where in the north-west I can get a live axle re-conditioned? It's for the Scimitar so it's a bit of an unusual lump (Salisbury but not fitted to any other car I know of). Unfortunately it's also one of these silly things where you have to distort the casing to get the crownwheel in and out (and I'm a coward). I've tried all the places I know locally and they don't know where to start anymore with something as pre-historic as this. I'm about to start on the Land-Rover places as the Stage-One V8's and the military models got a Salisbury axle but I don't hold oout much hope. Iain

Depends on how they've done the reverse - some of the versions where the motorbike box is used they add a reversing box that just switches he direction of the propshaft with a 1:1 ratio. In practice this gives them exactly the same gears going backwards that they have going forwards - that means that barring aerodynamics it can go as fast backwards as forwards .

You can get more than 160bhp from a Pinto for less than 2 grand but you're having to do bits yourself. Even at 2 grand for the engine though it'd still be a lot cheaper than his Jag and by then just as quick. I'm waiting for a cheap ST24/200 engine to present itself and in the meantime I'm going to megasquirt the 2.1 so that I have a head start on how I can fuel the thing when it appears. Iain

Basically I'm with Rizla on the sci-fi but plus jonboymac's suggestion Salvage Squad. Where can I get paid for doing that sort of thing? - yes ideally with Claire Barrat. Most of the following I'll watch if I happen to be near the TV but won't put myself out for. American Chopper (would be better if it didn't keep repeating itself but each prog would only be 5 minutes long). Scrapheap is OK but seems to get more contrived as time goes by. Top Gear is OK for amusement but like Jim says completely un-realistic for most of us. Coltranes Planes and Automobiles was brill but I've sen them all now. Iain

I've just bought a Palm which was bundled with the GPS kit and the software. It's a collaboration between Kirrio and Viamichelin. Going to play as soon as I get home tomorrow so I'll let you know and you could come and have a demo. The entire UK maps are supposed to fit onto a 256MB card. A 512MB card was around £40 last I looked so that should fit most of what you want for a given trip. Iain

Wotcher folks, I've sold the S7 and the new owner islooking to join. Now I know this (or similar) came up recently but I never saw an answer (I do wear glasses before anyone starts throwing things so I might have missed it). In the past I beleive that people joining partway through a year have either been charged slightly more than one years membership for the remainder of the year and the next year or if it's really late in the year been given one year and a couple of months for the price of a year. Is there a formal arrangement for this i.e. cutoff points because obviously if I join in February I'm paying full whack for that year. If so what stage are we at now i.e. what do I tell him it will cost for membership versus how long will he be a member for. Also who's the area secretary that would cover Devon and could they or someone PM me their details. Yes I know I could probably look it up somewhere but I'm at work and don't have the time to go digging or access to the mags. Thanks Iain

The front hubs from my 87 donor don't even have the threaded hole for the screws on the front. But my 1.8CVH daily driver from several years ago had - go figure. They aren't necessary but would have been nice as it's easy for the disca to come loose when a wheel is off and then some of that rusty rubbish that collects behind the discs drops in between the disc and hub and the steering starts to wobble. If you have them or can get em easily then I'd say fit them but if they aren't there don't loose sleep over it. Iain

Or pay buttons for it whilst assuming that it's going to have to be tested. That way if by some chance it doesn't have to be SVA'd you're on a winner. Iain

Assuming it's a Pinto then the hole it goes into is round the corner from the thermostat hidden under the front of the intake manifold. The old sender has to come out and be replaced by your new one (if they knew it was for a Pinto then it should be the same thread but be sure). The old one should look like the new one but dirtier. Don't be tempted to use PTFE or similar on the threads as it earths through contact with the block and PTFE don't conduct electrickery. They have been known to break off when coming out and then they have to be drilled out. It's also possible to crack the cylinder head if you overtighten one going in (a bad thing). There should be a wiring diagram with the guage - normally they will require two wires for the illumination (earth and power to the bulb) and three for the guage itself (earth, power and a signal wire to/from the sender). The signal wire should be there already for the old temp guage and earth and power for the rest will have to be from somewhere of your own creation (probably there already if you've got seperate guages for other things already. When you take the old sender out some of the coolant will pee out unless you've drained a little off first. Iain

A mate of a mate has made himself a millionaire buying and selling plates. It's one of those things where once everyone knows about it the potential for making money has sort of gone. He used to keep a Robin which just ran to the MOT station once a year so that he could take plates from cars to motorbikes and vice-versa. They've changed the rules now so it wouldn't be necessary. Iain

I'd bet not but that's just a guess. Do you have the xr2 manifold off the engine? If so buy an inlet manifold gasket for the Pinto and hold it against the mounting face of the manifold to see if all the holes line up. If they do then you have a winner - if not then you have a gasket for when you get the correct manifold down the line. Iain

Hefty 12v transformer - like maybe a battery charger? Actually you'd be better running a charger permanently on a battery and run the whole setup from that. Iain

The guys at Blackburn college had this trouble. Jim looked at it I believe but the course disappeared so the car was handed to another department to finish and my course didn't run in the second year so I go to Preston now. Not a lot of help I know but now you know it isn't unique. Iain

It was a wooden dash (walnut?). And it had seperate guages with white faces. Iain

Ford actually made a Fiesta that looked vaguely like that. It was called a Tuareg (spelling). Looked better because it had extended arches. The one I saw was orange and was only 2 wheel drive also crossflow. Iain AHA try http://www.netz-kasten.de/fiesta1/index.php?lan=de&ID=3x2x5

I used to get the invites but they disappeared when we moved. I have re-registered and get the catalogue but no invites. I was waiting to buy my new welder at one of the evenings but it got to the point that I needed it so I had to splash. Was hoping that the invites would re-appear after spending over £200 with them but no joy. Anyone work for them? I'm busy re-building a V6 on mine at the moment - hopefully I can get it done in time for Andy to borrow it for his XE (he's anxious to play with that I beleive). Iain

I fitted a 2B hood to an S7 and it keeps me dry just fine.

Yup - just where the lower wishbone will need to connect. Oh well - at least you don't have to hunt for a Sierra with a Pinto. Iain

Sounds like a topic for a poll How many SVA tests have your mirrors been through?