Babs' Carspaz Thread

[babs]

As Trem will tell you, I am to cars what Mr Clarkson is to International Relations. I'm getting better, but very slowly, my knowledge is severly limited.

As a result, rather than an endless stream of threads going 'omg wtf is this', I'll put them all in here as and when they arise.

If you too are a car tard, feel free to use this thread too.


OK then, the first.

On my way to work this morning the car was a little sluggish (fair enough given the cold), but I noticed as I was changing down and slowing for junctions, the car was roaring like someone had replaced my mighty 1.3 engine with a 4 litre.

Any ideas what it may have been? My first thought was dodgy/broken exhaust, the speedbumps they have here at work are so big it's almost impossible to get over without a scrape so I may have damaged it.



Have pity on my lack of knowledge and car spazziness.

 

[throdgrain]

Does your car have carb(s) or fuel injection? If it was a bike, and I might modestly (or not so modestly) claim some knowledge in that field, I would wonder if the throttle cable was sticking or binding in some way.
Either that or perhaps the clutch is sticking slightly, thus letting it rev up for a second ?

 

[DaGaffer]

Was it only doing it while changing gear? If so, probably your clutch slipping, which can be caused by a variety of things.

 

[Tom]

Clutch slippage is easy to detect - set off from a standing start in 2nd gear. If the engine revs rise, but the car doesn't want to accelerate, you need a new clutch. Try it on a steep hill while in motion, just floor the car in a high gear, the revs will rise but the car won't go. A clutch isn't a big job, normally a couple of hours and a couple of hundred quid absolute max.

The symptoms you describe are very unlikely to be anything to do with the exhaust - exhaust issues usually lead only to a loss of power.

Park on a flat, level surface, open the bonnet, and check all the fluids. Pull the oil dipstick out, wipe it, re-insert it, and pull it back out to get a correct reading. If its low, put some more oil in (tell us what car/engine it is first so we can advise on which oil to use). If the oil is filthy black, take it to a garage and change it.

Open the airbox (will have a massive plastic pipe sticking out of it that leads to the engine, and also to the front of the car. Check the filter - if its disgustingly black and filthy, go to your nearest http://www.eurocarparts.com/ and buy a new one - less than a tenner. Hoover out the crap thats in the airbox while you're at it.

Also, this time of year, check your coolant - it should taste a bit sickly sweet. If it just tastes of water, chances are its going to freeze up as there isn't enough anti-freeze. You can buy a testing kit from Halfords etc, they don't cost a lot.

Open the screws on top of your battery. Check theres enough water in there. If the cells are dry, buy some de-ionised water, and top it up. Batteries are the main reason for breakdowns at this time of year what with the heaters, fans, lights, radio all being used more often.

 

[babs]

Thanks for treating me like an ape, because in all honesty that's how I need talking to when it comes to this Battery shouldn't be a problem, I just bought a new one with a 3 year guarantee.

Death of clutch is a given after a year or two where I live, our house is down a steep lane that opens on (right on) a junction, and the bastards never let you out, so there's lots of revving and lovely smells sometimes.

I'll try the slipping test later, see if it yields anything.

The other reason I though it may have been the exhaust (or exhaust AND something else), was because the other evening I was cleaning it out, and I left the engine ticking over so I could have the radio and light on. When kneeling at the driverside door, I could feel a lot of warmth coming from underneath it.

Oh and for the record, my car is a 1.3 M reg Polo (41k).

I lubs it!

 

[Panda On Smack]

You left your window open!

 

[Whipped]

Drink Antifreeze!!!

 

[oldman]

sounds to me like the exhaust has blown if its roaring and giveing out heat like that ps dont try even sipping anti freeze most now have something called bittrex in it to stop the winos drinking it , even they wont drink that

 

[Tom]

Hang on, do you mean 'roaring' in the 'revving like mad' sense, or 'sounds like a dragster' sense?

Because if its the latter then I misread the question Could indeed be exhaust related - although it would do it continously, not just when changing gear.

 

[babs]

No, it's not revving. Just sounds like a much bigger car. It didn't really do it for the rest of the day which was odd, maybe it's something I can only hear when it's very cold.

 

[Tom]

Ah right then, forget the clutch stuff. Its very likely the exhaust.

Check all the manifold bolts are nice and tight (the manifolds are the pipe bits that exit the sides of your engine), and check the entire length of the exhaust to see if theres any rusty bits with holes in. Chances are that if it only does it occasionally, something is loose, or a gasket needs replacing.

 

[old.user4556]

Kwik Fit will have a quick look at it for free and give you a better answer.

Deffo sounds exhaust related, exacerbated by the fact that the engine is cold and probably the revs are running higher.

My M idles at about 650 rpm, but when you first turn it on its up at 1000 rpm and very loud until it settles down.

 

[Gumbo]

If it was doing it when it was cold it was probably just fast idling, most cars do this when they are cold to heat up and become effecient more quickly, usually for less than a minute though. A dodgy temp sensor to the ecu could cause this to happen for too long, maybe exposed by the cold weather.

Easiest way to check for an Exhaust blow, especially on a small car?
When it's cold, start it up and get a mate to put his hand over the end of the pipe while you get on your hands and knees by the car. You'll hear the hissing noise from where it's blowing.

KwikFit are a big customer of mine, so don't tell anyone, but... They will try to sell you anything. Be very wary of using national chains to diagnose faults, though they are often cheaper to fix them. The 'mechanics' that work for them are the absolute bottom rung of skills and experience. The pay is shite and if you had any skills at all you would not work for a National. They are all target based, and there is enormous pressure to sell. Ask your mates for a recommendation for a smaller local garage, someone will know someone who has been working on their/their families cars for years and will introduce you I'm sure.

Oh, on batteries, I sold 109 today myself, there are 4 of us on the phones in my office. Last years mild winter and this years sharp frosts are really putting the nail in the coffin for a lot of them.

 

[babs]

Right, a new quandry!

I've noticed over the last week that my clutch is acting oddly. Occasionally in the past, as I've pushed it in I hear and feel a small 'clunk' (for want of a better word), which I put down to perhaps the pedal was loose and needed tightening or something. What's also happening though, is that when I start the car from cold, my biting point starts around 2 inches up from the floor. As I drive though, the biting point gets lower and lower, until for example I want to reverse and literally lifting my foot half an inch from the floor has it biting.

Can my pedal/assembly be slipping or something? I noticed today that if I put my foot under the pedal and lifted it to its max, the biting point is fine.

Anyone?

 

[Trem]

Could need a new clutch luv. Don't worry it won't be too expensive on your car and its a easy job so labour will be cheap.

Mine bites lower in the morning and gets better as it warms up, but then again, I know I need a new clutch so it doesn't worry me.

It could of course be a clutch release bearing but I guess you may as well replace the whole thing if its getting stripped.

HAPPY??? -

* Q sets mode: +o babs^
<babs^> trem wtf u doing here
<babs^> u should be answering my fh carspaz thread

 

[Tom]

Take it to a clutch specialist. Could be any number of things, pedal linkage, master cylinder, thrust bearing, etc.

 

[babs]

Thanks lovers.