Clever ways to economically keep an old car roadworthy

[jsmoke]

eBay, you can get anything for dirt cheap if you know how to search thoroughly.

 

[Liquid_Entity]

eBay, you can get anything for dirt cheap if you know how to search thoroughly.

This would be a more important answer than any of the above comments. How do you search thoroughly. Everything I find seems fake or expensive.

 

[bainbridge]

Haha motors at it's best

So after topping up the coolant in a different way because I couldn't get the lid off, which took 3 years to get the the low level, I should now go out and buy a replacement tank, and fit the tank.. When the problem is already solved??

It's quite telling how the same level of scorn isn't being directed at me about not replacing the oil drain plug.. Pick an easy target and stick with it

 

[LeeUK]

Just because a car is old it doesn't mean you're not allowed to spend on repairs.

 

[Iamzod]

I had a seized sump plug on My even older Mondeo. I just bought another sump & plug for £20. Job done.

 

[bainbridge]

I had a seized sump plug on My even older Mondeo. I just bought another sump & plug for £20. Job done.

No gasket needed?

 

[Iamzod]

No gasket needed?

Yes actually, was another tenner on ebay for one someone had bought and then never used so about £30.

 

[Lopéz]

Haha motors at it's best

So after topping up the coolant in a different way because I couldn't get the lid off, which took 3 years to get the the low level, I should now go out and buy a replacement tank, and fit the tank.. When the problem is already solved??

It's quite telling how the same level of scorn isn't being directed at me about not replacing the oil drain plug.. Pick an easy target and stick with it

I solved the problem of my front door not unlocking by only using the side door. Not exactly solving it, is it?

Your "fixes" just sound like Viz Top Tips to me, sorry! A "get you home" roadside repair is something quite different to a workaround because you're too tight to replace broken or worn out parts.

 

[jpaul]

eBay, you can get anything for dirt cheap if you know how to search thoroughly.

not true .. 13 years isn't old, but at 2x that, parts on ebay can be unavailable or exhorbitant, at breakers too, so you have to DIY.
... had had a slip ring that was knack'd, so moved the horn to the windscreen wash arm, which I moved to a new switch on the dash.

if you had the space buying a complete donor car would sometimes be cheaper

 

[bainbridge]

not true .. 13 years isn't old, but at 2x that, parts on ebay can be unavailable or exhorbitant, at breakers too, so you have to DIY.
... had had a slip ring that was knack'd, so moved the horn to the windscreen wash arm, which I moved to a new switch on the dash.

if you had the space buying a complete donor car would sometimes be cheaper

That's a clever fix!

 

[vanpeebles]

If we see an Astra with a broken mirror replaced by a roped on shaving mirror we know who did it now

 

[Building Candy]

Ok, can of worms time........................ What are your tyres like?

 

[vanpeebles]

I have visions of crossed sticking plasters

 

[Orionaut]

... had had a slip ring that was knack'd, so moved the horn to the windscreen wash arm, which I moved to a new switch on the dash.

Did a similar fix back in the late 70s when the combined indicator stalk/horn switch broke.

Fitted a on-off-on toggle switch and a push button to the steering column.

Sorted.

 

[Django x2]

Hi motors

The GFs 13 year old Astra needs a bit more nursing and this got me thinking.. If I share the ways I've managed to keep the car on the road without breaking the bank, maybe others could share their knowledge by adding their clever fixes. Just to clarify, I'm talking actual repairs, not sawdust in the gearbox type bodges just to enable a quick sale, but having said that I'd also be interested to hear about any roadside brainwaves people have had to enable them to continue their journey, pending a more permanent repair.

Back to the Astra:

Just about to head home from a weekend down in Torquay and there was suddenly a terrible rattling sound..

Problem: Exhaust backbox heatshield had corroded away at the fixing points and was wedged between the backbox and the floorpan of the boot.

Solution: Bought pliers, screwdriver and a can of coke from a one of those discount shops for less than a fiver. Fashioned the base of the can into a large cup washer and used the middle fixing point to support the heatshield. Drove home without so much as a rattle and fixed it permanently at home with proper washers front and rear.

Cool story. Instead, next time, rip it off. It's over engineering at it's best and isn't an MOT failure. Save £4.99

Problem: Oil sump drain plug seized.

Solution: Bought a neat little 12v pump from Germany online for £18 that allows the oil to be pumped out via the dipstick hole. Also the oil filter is high up on the front of the engine so oil changes couldn't be easier now! 4 oil changes on and the pump is going strong.

Use a breaker bar. Save £18

Problem: Coolant expansion tank filler cap stuck on. It can be loosened when engine warm and gases escape but can't be removed, it's jammed on.

Solution: remove both hoses at the radiator that lead from the expansion tank (feed and return) and secure above the level of the expansion tank. With a little funnel inserted in one of the pipes, top up the coolant while the other pipe acts as a breather. Then reattach the pipes to the radiator.

The GF loves this little car (I know, it's an old Astra), no doubt something uneconomic to repair will come along, but until then it'll be pumps, funnels and whatever else I can think up.

Please share your clever fixes.

Coolant shouldn't ever need to be touched in a modern (even 13 year old) Astra. If it's dropping low, investigate the actual cause rather than wasting time on bodge fixes.

 

[Scania]

I’m more surprised that over three years you didn’t investigate the coolant leak or top it up never mind replacing it with fresh.....

Has the lubrication system had the same levels of care?

 

[lordrobs]

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

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

I'd question the method of draining the oil via the dipstick.
Over time, oil with tend to collect heavier metal shavings and particle from metal on metal interaction.
Part of the benefit of a sump is that the particles will normally fall to the bottom of the sump and are washed out when you empty the sump.
If you pump out the oil via the dipstick, I can't help but think that you'll probably leave most of the particles behind, which almost certainly result in additional wear for the engine.

I can't help but think that a new sump, breaker bar, or simply asking your local friendly indy to open up the oil sump plug would have been a better use of the £18.

 

[bainbridge]

Cool story. Instead, next time, rip it off. It's over engineering at it's best and isn't an MOT failure. Save £4.99



Use a breaker bar. Save £18



Coolant shouldn't ever need to be touched in a modern (even 13 year old) Astra. If it's dropping low, investigate the actual cause rather than wasting time on bodge fixes.

Wrong on every point made!

Exhaust heatshield: Regardless of whether it's an mot failure or not I was concerned with what it was shielding, and having a look underneath while up on the kerb (we were away) I could see plastic brake lines right next to the exhaust pipe. The manufacturer put it there for a reason, that's why I did the temp fix to get home and did a permanent one once home.

Sump plug. It's a torx plug presumably made of alloy because I took a standard ratchet to it with a t3 male torx bit and it chewed it like cheese. A breaker bar would do nothing.

Coolant. Coolant doesn't last forever, long life should be changed at 10 years, which I did at 10 years.

 

[bainbridge]

I'd question the method of draining the oil via the dipstick.
Over time, oil with tend to collect heavier metal shavings and particle from metal on metal interaction.
Part of the benefit of a sump is that the particles will normally fall to the bottom of the sump and are washed out when you empty the sump.
If you pump out the oil via the dipstick, I can't help but think that you'll probably leave most of the particles behind, which almost certainly result in additional wear for the engine.

I can't help but think that a new sump, breaker bar, or simply asking your local friendly indy to open up the oil sump plug would have been a better use of the £18.

Good point. When I looked into this I read that some dealers will ONLY drain via a dipstick pump. I also read somewhere that anything big in the sump won't get picked up by the oil pickup and smaller particles will be stopped by the oil filter.

Finally I read that only about a teaspoon of dirty oil remains after a pump out. I get just over 4 litres out and put in 4.25 of clean oil, so I reckon about a cupful remains.