forfour.co.uk
Forum => General Smart Chat => Topic started by: minimayhem on November 21, 2016, 07:12:50 PM
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Hope this is OK, let me know if not.
Thought I'd make a thread about my car, and the maintenance and modifications that go into it over what I hope will be many years of ownership.
Although I've owned her for three days, so far this is the only picture I've taken:
(http://i.imgur.com/k5IMFxK.jpg)
But that is Pip. Stands for Pip Squeak. Few reasons for this, namely:
- Her engine is 1/3 capacity of the displacement of my other car, the XF and a 1/4 of the BHP output
- Shes shorter than the XF but still very spacious inside
- I think she's quite cute
- Dat horn
So, two days in and yeah, completely smitten. Car was bought to be a cheaper alternative to the XF which will now become the toy. Buying here was quite an experience, as I only really found out about the ForFour as a viable option to purchase 2 days before actually buying her - Just came across them whilst researching hybrids (shudder).
From my limited experience so far though, I cannot think of a car that delivers better value for money; both in terms of form, functions and the feels.
Anyway, back to Pip.
I have not had a good look over her yet, but from what I understand she's a Pulse with:
- MFSW
- Radio 6 w/ sub
- Comfort pack
- Cruiseline rims
So got what I would like, and especially pleased with the trip computer and sound system.
She also got a complete service in Jan 2016, including sparks, which is nice, but no peace of mind. You never know the quality of others peoples work, and what they used.
And so, a few jobs have already been planned to be done this side of xmas.
- First, she needs a clean. I mean a proper clean. Oh man, she's kinda clean on top but uugghhh under its grim. Gonna take off the exterior trim as much as possible and really tidy her up, then go over with a rotary buffer and polish her up. Swirl marks are a plenty, but not for long.
- Headlights need cleaning as they are glazed over.
- Alternator is chirping away. Power output is OK, but the bearing is a tad noisy. Planning to dismantle and lubricate.
- Bad metal on metal rattle during driving off. Sounds like the exhaust shield. Need to take a look.
- Front pads need to be replaced. Discs too, as I can see potential evidence of warping (you cant feel it at all when braking).
- Rear n/s wheel bearing is rumbling. Needs to be replaced at some point.
- Full service including valve clearances are on the DIY cards. Looking forward to this one quite a lot oddly enough!
And yeah, modifications hopefully. I'm not sure what, but really want to make the car as cozy and comfortable as possible. Pillows have been ordered, the GF is going to make a little car mascot out of wool or something, I dunno how that mumbo jumbo works, but other than completely at a loss on where to take this little car.
So, it begins!
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To guide...
Bad metal on metal rattle during driving off. Sounds like the exhaust shield. Need to take a look.
I took a video of mine when it was doing that here (http://wirralsmarts.co.uk/_media/454_rattly_exhaust_heatshield.mp4). Does it sound like that? I should point out mine was so rotten it fell off whilst I was on the road, thank goodness no one was behind me! :S
Rear n/s wheel bearing is rumbling. Needs to be replaced at some point.
That is fairly easy to do - there is a guide floating around on here that mr.singh wrote when he did his on the 1.1 he had.
I'm not sure what, but really want to make the car as cozy and comfortable as possible.
This would depend. The Strokeline alloys I originally had on my car were OK but I found running with 14" steels to be a nice "pillowy" ride (I say "pillowy", they have a higher sidewall than Cruiselines). Other than that, with the pillows in the car... just a case of settling into the 454's ride and seeing what you think needs work.
Enjoy. ;)
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Yeah it sounds similar to that, but further towards the engine. But essentially the same metal-on-metal exhaust noise.
Its not constant, just when pulling off, I'm guessing its either the movement of the engine that's causing separation of some kind of mount, or its just at the right frequency to resonate. Good shout though!
Had my first proper drive today around Kingston. Stop/start but still managed 45 MPG. So good, exactly what I had hoped for.
Noticed bouncing revs though, going to give the TB/air intake a very good clean tomorrow
Also had a bit of a hickup, seemed like the last person to remove the scuttle plate above the engine bay mis-aligned the front o/s bolt hole, when removing it completely stripped the bolt. Thankfully a few minutes later with a tap-n-die the thing was sorted out and back on!
Question though - the scuttle plate seems to sit about 1.5 inch over the wings on the edge nearest to the windscreen, is that right? I never noticed it before until refitting it today.
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Yeah it sounds similar to that, but further towards the engine. But essentially the same metal-on-metal exhaust noise.
There are a few heat shields from the exhaust manifold downwards so if it isn't the rear most one, it may very well be the next one up the line.
Noticed bouncing revs though, going to give the TB/air intake a very good clean tomorrow
Be warned, if you want to get the TVA (throttle valve actuator) out of the engine bay, which has been known to soot up causing odd things like that, it can get pretty fiddly (though I suspect with the 1.1 engine being a little smaller than the 1.3, you'll be in a better position). I did this fairly recently and it was a absolute pain.
Question though - the scuttle plate seems to sit about 1.5 inch over the wings on the edge nearest to the windscreen, is that right? I never noticed it before until refitting it today.
So long as the bolt holes line up and the plastic tangs on the underside of the scuttle are seated in the slots in the Tridion, then I wouldn't worry too much. Sounds as if they might not be seated correctly but then I would imagine that you couldn't attach the scuttle back. Check for debris and things like that blocking it up as well.
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Re: the scuttle panel... when replacing position it near the wipers and then make sure that you push it down so it slides over the plastic tags. Have a good look and you'll see. Then slide it down towards the front of the car and replace the bolts.
;)
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which XF do you have? there is so much talk about forfours... ;)
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which XF do you have? there is so much talk about forfours... ;)
Ermm , It IS a forfour forum .... you should expect the odd comment or two about cars ...... ;D ;)
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hehe... all in good fun, all in good fun!
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which XF do you have? there is so much talk about forfours... ;)
I have the normally aspirated limited coupe. Absolutely love it, a really brilliant machine. Designed by a brit, built by a german (karmann) with parts from mercedes for an American market. 3.2 V6, spent a lot of money on mods for it, absolutely flies.
Anyhoo, did a bit on Pip last week, but didnt post any updates.
On Sunday I poured over the servicing history. Sparkies had been replaced 3 years ago, general service was due in Jan 2017, but I decided to do a full service anyway. Mainly because you cant trust other peoples work.
First port of call was to clean the car. Spent a good 2 hours on it. This car is very grimey. Not dirty, but grimey. The grime is literatly stuck to the car, I dont think it's had a proper clean out in a very long time. Despite going at it I cant remove the grime properly, it really needs a clay bar.
In the end I stood back and took a look after doubling up the layer of wax and thought 'Looks no different'. The paintwork is dulled by the dirt. A job for mid december me-thinks!
(http://i.imgur.com/z3PXjQh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/QIX1beE.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/3FXxgc2.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/jmPZXtm.jpg)
So went out and bought all the things needed for the service. Air filter didnt look to bad, started to drain the oil and noticed that the sump plug was hardly tight at all, you could seriously undo it with fingers. Thats really worrying.
Came to take off the oil filter and it was stuck on. Some total idiot had torqued it up incredibly high. Took 20 minutes of me using both hands and full strength to get it off. Really, really annoyed me that someone at a garage can be so careless. Luckily no damage to the thread was done, and the new one went on without a fuss.
Next up was the sparkies. Take a look at the picture. The MOT history shows no more than 6K distance travelled since they were changed. To me, these look like they have never been changed, let alone done 6K.
Old:
(http://i.imgur.com/AKeB9mM.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/qZyOIem.jpg)
New:
(http://i.imgur.com/Ptb2GvX.jpg)
Thankfully the plugs had worn evenly, I couldnt see any oil on them and none of them were clean, so the combustion chambers appear to be - on the face of it at least - working well and evenly enough.
Once I did all this I noticed this layer of dirt under the scuttle panel. The same dirt was in mounds by the front shocks. Upon closer inspection it was...nuts! Handfuls of eaten nuts were sitting there, about 8 double handfuls in total. Seems to be a little squirrel had made its home in the cars engine bay. I wonder how long this thing had sat for?
(http://i.imgur.com/NA1346j.jpg)
So, servicing done. Car runs very nicely, albeit it the bearing and exhaust rattle is still going on.
I'm gonna now get the car up on ramps and look at the underside to check the condition out. A job for later, thats for sure.
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Good work. The spark plugs do look fairly used but at least dry so hey, can't be all bad.
Once I did all this I noticed this layer of dirt under the scuttle panel. The same dirt was in mounds by the front shocks. Upon closer inspection it was...nuts! Handfuls of eaten nuts were sitting there, about 8 double handfuls in total. Seems to be a little squirrel had made its home in the cars engine bay. I wonder how long this thing had sat for?
When I bought my current ForFour and took the scuttle panel off, it was like what you are seeing with mud/grime/leaves (no nuts though!). The last owner had bought a Toyota IQ and the ForFour had been on sale for several months prior so I wasn't too sure that it had really sat around for that long. Does it matter now though that it is being used now? A clear out every service will be enough.
So went out and bought all the things needed for the service. Air filter didnt look to bad, started to drain the oil and noticed that the sump plug was hardly tight at all, you could seriously undo it with fingers. Thats really worrying.
Eek. I would assume the washer wasn't replaced when the last oil change prior to this was done.
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which XF do you have? there is so much talk about forfours... ;)
XF = chrysler crossfire not Jag XF as you were probably thinking
JJ
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Update!
Found an hour to work on Pip today. The rattling has been really getting to me, so I put her up on the ramps and took a look.
(http://i.imgur.com/CNt13ki.jpg)
Found what I *think* is the offending item quite quickly.
The engine side bolts are OK, a tad rusty but they open alright, but the exhaust side bolt is buggered! The head is rounded or rusted, either way its now just a circle and contains no flat edges:
(http://i.imgur.com/mdZSa7j.jpg)
Whats interesting is whats happened underneath. Looks like the mounting on the exhaust itself corroded completely away and is now welded onto the bolt. Long-story-short, it will not come off at all.
(http://i.imgur.com/TvvmwO5.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/5h0Z4Os.jpg)
So I think the noise is coming from when I'm accelerating from a stand-still and the shield is pushing/scraping against the exhaust.
Looking at it, there's no feasible way that I can drill and make a new mount holding the heat shield above due to access. That begs the question of how important this heat shield is. What do you all think? On some previous cars I've just removed them, however on this I'm a bit conscious that the exhaust side is facing the inside of the engine bay, with lots of electrics nearby.
Other minor updates are that the pillows and floor mats arrived. Beyond that not much else has happened after the service, as the XF has eaten all my time up. Once that is finished next weekend I plan to get cracking on the remaining outstanding bits.
(http://i.imgur.com/EXL80Xy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/55rDhTQ.jpg)
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Glad you found the problem
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Looking at it, there's no feasible way that I can drill and make a new mount holding the heat shield above due to access. That begs the question of how important this heat shield is. What do you all think? On some previous cars I've just removed them, however on this I'm a bit conscious that the exhaust side is facing the inside of the engine bay, with lots of electrics nearby.
I would rather have it than not. As you say, there is plenty of electrics in the engine bay to not get hot. I'd look at taking the exhaust + manifold off to do this (mine has started going as well).
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could just heat wrap it - its only a few £ on ebay
JJ
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i used an old rear silencer heat shield off a 2009 XK. brake pipes run along the rear bulk head but i figured its best to protect them over not having the heat shield fitted. picture of of reshaped and fitted should be on my things wrong thread.
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i used an old rear silencer heat shield off a 2009 XK. brake pipes run along the rear bulk head but i figured its best to protect them over not having the heat shield fitted. picture of of reshaped and fitted should be on my things wrong thread.
Hmm read through your thread, couldnt find the post in question but saw something about the stabiliser bar. Interestingly enough, I've thought about the mount being worn as when the car is parked with the nose up there is a fair amount of engine juddering felt. This may be normal as higher amount of weight on the bar, but I dont know. When the nose is pointing down, the rattle in question is heard.
One thing I didnt do is remove the heat shield to confirm its the issue, which I'll do tonight.
What I would say though is what the noise is only heard in first/2nd gear when pulling away, otherwise its all quiet (may be quiet over road noise!). When pulling away the noise is heard in 2 bursts: noise - quiet - noise; as whatever is moving is shifting around as I drive away. This confuses me quite a bit to be honest; I didnt think that engine/exhausts rock during moving away.
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The power of the engine compresses the rubber in the stabiliser bar. Overtime the rubber shrinks,hardens and ovals making the hole bigger. This is not always visible unless the bar is removed. This means the engine judders. Our four fours are getting to the age where worn old rubber is beginning to cause issues round the car.
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i do recall posting something here regarding my manifold heat shield... ill have a look and get back.
pictures have now been added
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Well finally after moving between houses/storage units Pip's days of being a van are over. This weekend I spent 4 hours cleaning the interior - it was simply that dirty.
She also got an early service and the engine stabiliser replace. This really has helped with the engine wobble, but I can still feel it on occasion - in time I'll replace the other two engine mounts, starting with the side mount in a few weeks.
Other than that I need to fix the front interior light which has come off (plastic tabs are broken, going to try and remake them).
Also spent a stupid amount of money on car detailing equipment today. The plan is this weekend to:
- Wash the car
- Clay bar the car
- Compound the car
- Polish the car
- Wax the car
I'm hoping that this removes all the light scratches/minor scuffs and gets her looking spankingly clean. Once that's done she's back to being my little economic run-around, and the weeks are being counted down until the MOT!
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Bet it looks fab :)
JJ
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Ooh, yes please - pictures when it's shiny!
I plan to do the same actually, had mine since March, black on black. The paint needs a good polish and wax, it's in good condition for 13 year old, but the birdsh*t has taken its toll here and there. (Any tips for that?)
I plan to get some meguiars to sort the swirling and polish the paint, and some more meguiars to polish up the headlights, followed by a good waxing. If it still needs it, I'll get the T-Cut out.
Unfortunately my front bumper is a bit cracked, it had a slight shunt before I got her. Can't see the damage from a distance but up close... I need to replace the offside and center pieces before I can get my exterior looking perfect.
BTW... Pip is a nice name. I named mine 'Fifi'... cute names seem to fit the Smart F4 well...
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Pics!
Took me a while to get to due to a mess up with the delivery from DPD. But yesterday she got the treatment that was deserved.
I should have taken pictures at each step, but alas, hindsight.
Before.....
(https://i.imgur.com/403jWxC.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Afe3T9r.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eS6peHX.jpg)
And after....
(https://i.imgur.com/vVxCN2E.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WcDFmk4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wtsbiU3.jpg)
So much nicer. Swirl marks are completely gone, as it most (but unfortunately not all) of the tar stuck to the bodywork. But it really is so much better, the shine is back and the paint for the most part feels completely smooth.
Telsblay, best thing to do is get a clay bar and use that to get off as much residue as possible. That'll prep the bodywork for the polish or compound the latter is used to remove paint staining/light scuffs - I had some what looked like some old bird poo and tree sap all over it and thankfully the compound + polish removed that and a lot of general light scuffs around the car. Also did what your planning compounded+polished the lights too, so they are so much clearer now! Compound is best to use at first because its more abrasive.
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Do a trick that I do. Wash tyres, rinse with water and let it dry. Spray dry tyres with pledge (silicon based polish), and with sponge, spread it evenly over tyre.
Like new for next few days. Great looking even on 12 years old alloys like mine.
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Been a while since I posted on this thread.
Well the car is still going. Engine bouncing has gotten worse but its still driving. Rattling from the heat shield has not got any worse. The o/s/r caliper binded again last weekend to the point where the disc was bright red. I've got new pads and pipes to fit this Saturday, fingers crossed it all goes OK because I'm getting pretty fed up with this car.
The knocking I think is coming from the front o/s top strut mount. The car is still pulling to the left and replacing the ARBs didnt help. Not sure what to do next.
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I’m sorry to hear that you’re getting fed up with your car! Don’t forget that our forfours are getting on a bit now and will be needing some maintenance and replacement parts, as would most cars of this age. The pulling to the left could be a wheel alignment problem. Easy to get checked. Calliper replacement is a fairly cheap and easy fix too as is the top strut mount. Could be the knocking is a broken spring.
;)
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Engine 'bouncing' ! As per a previous post in this thread it sounds
as if the rubbers have perished in one or both ends of what is inaptly
called the 'lower engine mount'...inapt as it is actually a stabiliser
to stop the engine rocking back and forth.
Read this Guide on replacing it..
http://www.forfour.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=301.0
but ensure you obtain the correct part for your car as there is more
than one. (For info see the last post in that thread)
Pulling to the left eh ? The tracking could be out, possibly down to
a wheel being kerbed, or...from a sharp hard bang over a speed hump
or the impact damage caused when encountering a pothole, or even a
worn track rod end ! But it could also be caused by a broken spring.
That can sometime be easily identified by the car sitting lower on one
side at the front, otherwise give it a check over.
Jack up the front of the car, and chock the rear wheels.
Remove both front wheels...then visually checkout both front springs.
If both are ok, then refit wheels, lower the car and go get the tracking
checked and adjusted if necessary.
Unequal tyre wear is another sign of tracking out of alignment, or worn
track rod ends, and even a broken spring.
One 'give away' sign of a broken spring can be a graunching, grinding
or pinging sound as the steering is turned and the broken end of the
spring digs in to either the upper or the lower suspension mounting
cups of one of the suspension struts.
As for a strut top mount needing replacing.....hmmmm...possibly...
but I've not seen any needing replacing in all the years I've been
in or around the vicinity of S2smarts. Mind you, the 454's are now
15+ years old...so it may be 'their time' to start showing up.
However, unless you have the time, experience and tools to dismantle
the front suspension (including removing the pads and calipers) to
check them out, then I would strongly suggest you get those...in fact
ALL of the possible symptoms checked out by a Smart 'indie'.
To be perfectly honest, for the time it would save you as opposed to
the time it would take them to do it I would have your car checked
over by them...AND...whilst its up on the hoist have them also
change the lower engine stabiliser bar and...the rear brake caliper+pads.
Well worth it for the time and effort it would save you.
I'm not sure if every 'indie' has the facilities to check tracking, but
you can always ask.
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Fixing is always going to be cheaper than a new car :)
Bear with
Bear with
JJ
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I'll take a look at the spring, thanks. I had the tracking done recently, and have replaced both engine mounts and stabiliser bar - I think its the clutch, although the bite point is fine and its not slipping. Not sure what else it could be. Its whenever I engage a gear the car bounces in the same motion as when its stalling. I can counteract this most of the time with very smooth and rev matched gear changes, but not all the time.
I'm loath to replace the caliper again as the one on there is less than 6 months old after the last one bound and seized up. The fact its my second caliper in a year makes me think its the pipe thats collapsed, as only one side is binding so it wont be the handbrake needing adjustment.
Picking up new pads tomorrow and I have the pipes already.
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Are you using s2smarts?
JJ
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I could have sworn a few posts on this thead just got deleted? Very strange. PC didnt you ask what gearbox type my car have?
Oh well. (apologies..I removed them when I updated yr Profile...if you look at
the bottom of yr posts...it now shows yrs is a manual) - CrazyG
No I'm not using s2smarts - I do all my own work.
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which XF do you have? there is so much talk about forfours... ;)
XF = chrysler crossfire not Jag XF as you were probably thinking
JJ
Great taste. ;) I've wanted a Crossfire for a LONG time. However having to use my vehicle at the weekends for the various children's activities, a 2 seater wouldn't work!
A lot slate the rear end, I think its a work of art (even more so once that Spoiler is up). 8)
To me its got a lot more style than the run of the mill Audi TT's, BMW M series, etc.
Looking on autotrader plus ebay recently, the prices of the Crossfire have rocketed (no pun intended)! 3 to 4 grand now for a sweet example, where as a couple of years ago, £1500 would get you one in decent condition. Becoming a rare beast.
Sorry, slight hijack, back to your 'Pip'... :)
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At least they don't rot as quickly as their progenitor SLK
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which XF do you have? there is so much talk about forfours... ;)
XF = chrysler crossfire not Jag XF as you were probably thinking
JJ
Great taste. ;) I've wanted a Crossfire for a LONG time. However having to use my vehicle at the weekends for the various children's activities, a 2 seater wouldn't work!
A lot slate the rear end, I think its a work of art (even more so once that Spoiler is up). 8)
To me its got a lot more style than the run of the mill Audi TT's, BMW M series, etc.
Looking on autotrader plus ebay recently, the prices of the Crossfire have rocketed (no pun intended)! 3 to 4 grand now for a sweet example, where as a couple of years ago, £1500 would get you one in decent condition. Becoming a rare beast.
Sorry, slight hijack, back to your 'Pip'... :)
Haha thanks! Honestly it was such a great car, a very usable sports car. It's true what they say about the handling, it is a bit numb, but lowering springs really helped that out.
Oddly enough I don't miss it. The roads where I live are very small and so I sold it for this:
(https://i.imgur.com/SwZpo55.jpg)
Today is brakes day! Going to go outside in 20 minutes and start to work.
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Brakes down. Rear hoses replaced, rear pads replaced, front discs replaced and front pads replaced.
Will it make any difference? Not sure.
I noticed that the rubber piston gasket on the rear o/s that binded is so brittle that its cracked from the heat. I'll have to get a caliper service kit very soon and replace it. Still, managed to replace the hoses without any drama.
Also inspected springs - no visible crack that I could see. It's a dull knocking sound that has been going on for about a year now, but it doesnt seem to be getting any worse, so will just ignore until it does.
If only I could sort out the pulling to the left!
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pulling to the left could suggest your wheel alignment is off... during a wheel alignment it could throw up some interesting out comes such as your suspension components are goosed.
I replaced both front lower arms on mine and that made a massive difference in the way it drove, the bushes in the lower arms we that fooked the bush centre could have been pushed out with my hand when I got them off!
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Just luv your Barchetta...though I'd prefer blue over BRG.
Back to your 454 pulling left....
I agree with mr.singh. But also it might be worn track rod end/s
(though you would feel 'wander' in the steering and judder+possible
'snaking' under braking.
So yes...starting to point to worn lower front wishbone bushes...
there are 3 in each arm.
The last couple of 'possibilities' are a worn top strut mount/bush or
a buckled/bent/kinked suspension strut.
None are easy for most average 'Joes' to check, but no problem for
a good garage to check for you in under 1/2hr...so that won't break
the bank. Why not just book it in for a check-up... at say S2 ?
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So a journey to York and back (260 odd miles each way) seems to have sorted the brakes out. On the way up I stopped every 50 miles or so to check the brakes on all four corners, and never noticed any additional heat on any one side.
On the way back I didn't check until the end, but the copper grease was visible on all 4 pads so I'm going to say that the binding is no longer an issue.
I also noticed (or rather, remembered) that the car has odd tyres on all 4 corners. Same size tyres, but different brands. I wonder if this could cause the pulling if they have vastly different tread ratings/wear on one side?
I don't know how old the tyres are on 3 corners, but I know that the rear n/s is the one I replaced a year ago, so logic would dictate it has the most tread. Could that be the source of the pulling? Perhaps.
Also I'm pretty damn certain the knocking is coming from the top front top suspension area. Almost sounds like its coming from the engine bay.
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it could be that your tracking is out which is causing your pulling issue, as well as the fact that it has 4 tyres all with different amount of tread although that shouldn't cause it to pull.
also check your tyre pressures are all set to 32 PSI all round, as stated on the fuel filler flap
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The last owner had bought a Toyota IQ and the ForFour had been on sale for several months prior so I wasn't too sure that it had really sat around for that long. Does it matter now though that it is being used now? A clear out every service will be enough.
I know this is an old post but it came up in a search (I have the rattly exhaust heat shield issue). Reading this I think you may have (or have had if you don't still have it) my Mums old Forfour. She replaced it with an iQ and it sat on sale for several months behind her house under some trees. Did you purchase it from Kent, just off the M20? Had around 60-70k miles from memory plate ended in DTU... I think I still have the for sale pictures. I posted on here a long time ago about the gearbox kept going into 0 when going into reverse and got some good advice.
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Yes, my current 454 came from Kent and yes, the registration does end in DTU, 73,000 miles I seem to recall at the time so yes, I do have your Mum's previous 454!
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Cool stuff ;)
Add it to the list on where’s my old car?
JJ
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Yes, my current 454 came from Kent and yes, the registration does end in DTU, 73,000 miles I seem to recall at the time so yes, I do have your Mum's previous 454!
Wow! I would say small world but I guess this forum negates that. She'll be shocked to see that its now yellow! It was the sole reason I ended up buying my Forfour. It was just the most reliable car I think we'd ever owned in the family. The only thing that really went wrong with it was the exhaust snapping just before the backbox which we had welded back together, not the ideal solution but hey-ho!
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If you both PM me the details then I’ll add it to the list of ForFours
JJ
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New problem. Went to start the car about an hour ago, it fired up, hit 3k revs and then died right away. Second start hit just above 1k and then died. Third try, no start.
Engine seems to be cranking. No malfunctions are being displayed on the dash but I'll get a code reader on it tomorrow. Ggrr.
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Maybe misreading between pedal and throttle body?
If no fault showing maybe disconnect the battery for an hour?
JJ
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Hmm so I've got fuel going into the engine, I think I have spark (will verify when gf is round as I can't do it solo).
Occasionally the car will fire up an immediate die. Twice this morning, probably 3 out of 25 or so starts, the engine runs. I've so far just turned it off to try again but then it won't start at all.
I'm now just sitting in it while it runs to see if it will die. 5 mins in, no problems yet.
Still no codes. If it doesn't die in 5 minutes (or when up to temp I'll disconnect the battery for an hour like you say and try again.
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If it has a MAF (sorry I forget in my old age) then once running you can disconnect it and car will run nicer if it’s a MAF fault
JJ
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As per problemchilds reply...if you still have the 'cutting out' issue
get the car restarted and then disconnect the MAF to see if it then runs
without cutting out. If that sorts it, then the MAF needs replacing.
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Thanks chaps!
I disconnected the battery for a few hours and tried to start it, and it seems to start every time. 10/10 starts worked yesterday and one this morning worked.
How random is that! Any ideas why it would do that?
It almost seems like the car was cutting power to the spark plugs with the way combustion just stopped right away (or failed to start).
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Did you look for fault codes?
JJ
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I did....nothing at all! Drove it down the shops yesterday and it started without any issue.
Proper odd. Also very worrying as I'm going to be driving this car to france in the summer and would rather not be stranded.
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Check all wiring to the MAF is ok - even a little split will make issues
JJ
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Update time.
Replaced both front tyres as one was losing 10 psi a week and the other had a huge rip in it from where the ex had curbed the car. The car now drives completely straight! Unexpected result.
Not much else to say tbh. Nearing 80k and still going strong.
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Well, its an end of an era.
Yesterday Pip was picked up by her new owner. Considering her condition the new owner got a really good deal, but I was offered a replacement car - MG ZS 180 - for a very good price that seemed to good to pass up.
Crazy thing is as soon as the sale was done I felt like I've made a mistake.
The 454 is such a brilliant car to own with its overall driving dynamics, economical engine, cheap parts and flexible interior space. I can already tell that I'll miss the 454 more than any other car I've owned, and for once it wont be through rose tinted glasses as there is no tint needed!
Might be back one day chaps and chapettes. Until then - M out.
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Sad to see/hear you've 'left the fold' so to speak....
I'm sure there will be many memories of your 454, and that
maybe you'll hanker for another...perhaps.
Hope you gave info on the forum to the new owner ? ?
Pop back onto the forum at any time...we do not delete anyone,
we just let you 'drift away'.
So, adios.....see you again soon maybe...