Soldato
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To be fair a lot of modern cars don't even have a sump drain plug now and the only way is to use an oil suction pump.
Clever ways to economically keep an old car roadworthy
- Thread starter bainbridge
- Start date
You mean plastic coated, so non issue, and yes heat shields around the backbox are overkill. In fact, why do you have brake lines near your backbox?
A T3 torx bit you say. Is it a matchbox car. Don't mistake torque for power. A short ratchet will not provide the same low torque has a breaker bar. You'd be amazed what a long bar will slowly and gently unscrew.
You've been topping up the coolant. Cars don't use coolant (my point) unless there's an issue.
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Well you're obviously an expert so I'll let you get on with ripping off oem heatshields and using breaker bars on alloy torx bolts!
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To be fair I had a VAG specialist refuse to drain my oil without signing a disclaimer because my sump plug had "dissimilar metal corrosion". I bought a Pela oil extractor, started doing my own servicing and haven't looked back since.
Whether that really was the case came into question when the same "specialist" diagnosed a faulty alternator as causing voltage drops on my car when started from cold, despite a stored error code for a faulty secondary air pump which they insisted wasn't the problem... guess what fixed it
I'll admit to having done a bodge or two over the years. That secondary air pump was replaced by a resistor covered in waterproof tape, my wifes old Punto had a corroded battery clamp fixing point "fixed" by using two small ratchet straps instead, also a broken and rattly windscreen vent "fixed" by wedging in a piece of foam. Even my MX5 has a current "fix" for a constant current drain which is to remove the permanent 12V fuse
A couple of great fixes there! In my book if it's still doing it's job after some hard use then it's a solid permanent fix!
Re the mx5 current drain, have you replaced the oem stereo with an aftermarket unit? Apparently there's a bluetooth module behind a panel behind the seats which can cause a drain until it's removed. I've just replaced the oem Bose unit on my mx5 for a double din unit but it's my daily so no obvious noticeable drain.
Cue comments from unimaginative armchair mechanics speculating on how unroadworthy my mx5 is too..
I hate sealed sumps (and gearboxes for that matter), Pela pumps etc. are a compromise for marine applications, not a viable long term solution for a car, you ultimately end up with a gradual buildup in the sump as the pump can’t pull it all out. I remember stripping the sump on my Roadster and being unimpressed that even with short service intervals, using modern high detergent synthetic oils etc. it still had a layer of sludge at the bottom.
Caporegime
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My Saab crapped its 5th gear gear. I bought a second hand box for 150 and a clutch kit for 300. All genuine parts. For most people that would be a scrapped car. That's what bangernomics is to me.
I hate Bodges and have to fix everything. I bought a new washer bottle cap for my Saab because it snapped off due to fatigue.
The OP's stuck sump plug would bother me. I would either try and remove it in situ or get hold of a second hand sump and replace it.
A quick Google shows a brand new sump for a Mk5 Astra can be picked up for £20 but op spent £20 on a pump.
I hate Bodges and have to fix everything. I bought a new washer bottle cap for my Saab because it snapped off due to fatigue.
The OP's stuck sump plug would bother me. I would either try and remove it in situ or get hold of a second hand sump and replace it.
A quick Google shows a brand new sump for a Mk5 Astra can be picked up for £20 but op spent £20 on a pump.
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Does this include the gasket? Probably not, add maybe a tenner for that so £30 in total, nearly double the £18 paid for the pump which will almost certainly survive the car. You're exaggerating the pump spend and minimising the sump job spend you naughty boy!
But it's not just about the money, if it was I simply wouldn't bother with fluid changes, like the majority of people I know who run a used car. They simply don't bother. It's a testament to modern engineering how many cars keep running year after year with no maintenance whatsoever.
What bothers me is.. Changing the oil. When I realised a pump was a viable alternative it had instant appeal because of the oil filter high up on the front of the engine. Start the pump, pump straight into an old oil can (no drip tray involved) and while that is taking care of itself change the paper oil filter and o ring, all done without having to go under the car!
Don't knock it until you've tried it!
Caporegime
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All my cars have oil filter at the bottom of the engine.
Out of curiosity what engine is in the Astra?
Out of curiosity what engine is in the Astra?
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It's an Astra H 1.6.
but, presumably you never end up with an arm full of warm oil, fishing for the sump bolt, or mopping up an oil flood.
recent thread about torx bits .. but quality counts ... I have chewed up bolts because the fit is non-optimal ... some of these (Chinese/cream-cheese...) bolts you only get one chance.
Caporegime
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I am 99% sure a stud removal socket would take out the plug no problem and they cost peanuts for a set.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223761555508
I used a similar set to remove a torx bolt on a gearbox linkage on my Saab as the torx was rounded off.
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I'm sure it's no doubt possible to remove the plug (though your proposed solution was to change the entire sump) and I do have a set of the nut removers you linked to, but I don't think they'll do anything other than mangle the plug. Theres only about 3mm of external plug to bite into.
@jpaul hit the nail on the head, I didn't have an external torx bit so bought a single socket specifically for the job, nothing fancy just halfords advanced, spent a while clearing debris out of the hole to get it fully seated and then it was like cream cheese. I'm no expert and admit I've mangled a few fastenings in the past but the bit just sank through the ridges in the plug.
Careful use of heat, welding on a nut, changing the sump, I looked at various possibilities before settling on the pump option, which in this case was the simplest way imo.
Soldato
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What about trying mole grips (to remove the plug)?
Spending 60 seconds cutting a grove into and winding it out with a chissel or driver would have been easy too. Also, wrenches pull from the side, an impact driver doesn't so that was another fairly simple, inexpensive option
My 12 year (at the time, sold 2 years ago) Corolla was kept on the road economically by doing regular preventative maintenance.
My 26 year old Volvo 850 is also being kept on the road economically by preventative maintenance and finding the causes of any issues (like minor coolant leaks) and addressing them using good used parts (unlike you) or high quality aftermarket parts (also unlike you).
My fiance's 15 year old Corolla gets treated the same way mine did. The only fixes beyond regular servicing are detailed below:
- ABS sensor died, bolt was stripped. Bought used sensor on eBay for a tenner and a brand new bolt from Toyota for 87p.
- Alternator died. Bought refurbed one for £120 with next day delivery as the car was needed for work. Replaced bushings in old alternator, cleaned it up a bit and sold it. Total cost was around £40.
- Drain plug was rounded off. Used a breaker bar with bolt extractors to remove, bought a new one for £1.64. Damn sight cheaper than £18.
- Stuck caliper slider pin, which was corroded due to boot splitting. Replaced pin for 86p, spent £5 on fitting kit and changed all boots and clips all round.
The point in trying to make is that the best way of keeping an older car on the road and to do so economically is proper maintenance. Not bodging minor inconveniences, but addressing them. Stuff like bolts are so cheap through dealers that there is no point in not replacing one. Larger stuff like coolant header tanks are so cheap used or aftermarket that again there is no point bodging your way around the issue.
My 26 year old Volvo 850 is also being kept on the road economically by preventative maintenance and finding the causes of any issues (like minor coolant leaks) and addressing them using good used parts (unlike you) or high quality aftermarket parts (also unlike you).
My fiance's 15 year old Corolla gets treated the same way mine did. The only fixes beyond regular servicing are detailed below:
- ABS sensor died, bolt was stripped. Bought used sensor on eBay for a tenner and a brand new bolt from Toyota for 87p.
- Alternator died. Bought refurbed one for £120 with next day delivery as the car was needed for work. Replaced bushings in old alternator, cleaned it up a bit and sold it. Total cost was around £40.
- Drain plug was rounded off. Used a breaker bar with bolt extractors to remove, bought a new one for £1.64. Damn sight cheaper than £18.
- Stuck caliper slider pin, which was corroded due to boot splitting. Replaced pin for 86p, spent £5 on fitting kit and changed all boots and clips all round.
The point in trying to make is that the best way of keeping an older car on the road and to do so economically is proper maintenance. Not bodging minor inconveniences, but addressing them. Stuff like bolts are so cheap through dealers that there is no point in not replacing one. Larger stuff like coolant header tanks are so cheap used or aftermarket that again there is no point bodging your way around the issue.
does look as though its proud enough to hacksaw a groove
but not to mole-grip
why would they make them of alloy ?
I had eyed up halfords advanced torx bits, sometimes use a 45 for rear seat + seat-belts ... a lifetime guarantee not to ruin bolts would be more enticing.
why would they make them of alloy ?
I had eyed up halfords advanced torx bits, sometimes use a 45 for rear seat + seat-belts ... a lifetime guarantee not to ruin bolts would be more enticing.
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Well that's a very fundamental approach and like all fundamentalists it's "my way" or nothing, with no exceptions.
Manufacturers build planned obsolescence into their cars, from the days of Henry Ford inspecting scrapped cars looking for ways to reduce overengineering. I've found that when a car approaches 100k or 10 years lots of plastic components start to fail: Thermostat housings, rocker covers, battery trays, expansion tanks, you name it. Dutifully changing each part will keep the car in optimum condition, and the cost of replacements will rise as more expensive parts fail, but we're not talking f1 here. It's an old hatchback! A compromise is the most sensible approach imo.
When I scrap a car there's lots of things that have been improvised
All of which is usually easily avoided with minimal planning and using the right tools for the job - it’s not like any of it is unexpected after the first time you do the job.
This is in a mk1 so nothing as fancy as that
I did fit the old Alpine unit out of my wifes car and initially thought that might be the problem so I removed it and the problem remained. I spent a fair bit of time going over everything disconnecting things and pulling fuses one at a time but whatever I did I ended up with a drain of 200mA + while the 'room' fuse was in... which on a car I use a couple of weekends a month became a bit of a chore! I wonder if the alarm may be at fault, when (if!) I get a decent chunk of time in the summer I'll investigate it more.