Land_girl
Well-Known Member
I never knew!
Oh bugger... only the drivers side does :-(
Oh bugger... only the drivers side does :-(
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
I don't know? Just doesn't fold in like the drivers side.
Nodge68
Well-Known Member
It could be the motor has seized up.
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
Maybe. The directional mechanism works fine, just the fold in mech doesn't.
Doesn't really matter, just found it. Might see if I can get it working one day... when I've sorted the other million bits that need attention first!
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
Ah, but here is where I must disagree! The bike rack is a very different load case. One thing, is a heavy trailer with a nose weight of 150kg. The 150kg always acts vertically downwards through the centre of the towball. If you took a small trailer that WEIGHED 150kg in total (not nose weight) and welded the hitch to the towball and then took the wheels off the trailer, that's more like the load case with the bike rack. It's then trying to lever the towball off the towbar (and therefore, rotate the towbar itself between the chassis members - with quite a lot of leverage. That said, although I personally wince a bit, as far as I'm aware, they don't have a history of letting go, so I'm probably just being a bit of a wuss about it. Obviously, most bike racks (even fully loaded) don't weigh that. Ours (which can only carry three bikes) has a maximum bike load of 50kg and weighs 15kg itself. Even then, though (and I was using it today on the back of my old Alfa as it happens!) it was bending the towbar somewhat. Haven't tried it on the Landy yet. Still sulking about that....
I'm afraid it is. And take it from me, it's a PIG of a job! It was the first job I did on this one when I got it because the temperature gauge wasn't moving unless stood in traffic for ages. so it was running stone cold. Is yours getting up to temperature OK? If so, depending on how much longer you think the vehicle has left, you might wish to consider some "Radweld" or "K-Seal" or somesuch.
Yes, you mentioned three different bike sizes. That's exactly what I had on today. 29" MTB for me, 27.5" for son, and can't remember what size for his schoolmate (who, it turned out, was a GIRL, so I've been ribbing him about that all evening)! With ours (and there's no reason why others should be the same) the bikes are just a BIT too close together for my liking, so you end up with the handlebar of one trying to go through the saddle of the other and so on. It's not impossible and if you're not bothered about the bikes rubbing each other's paint where they touch, it's not really an issue at all. Worth having the pedal of the inner bike down on the side that faces the next bike, and so on.
I might have given you a poor impression with the "not folding" thing though. Ours doesn't but some of them do. Likewise tools. Ours needs a spanner but plenty of the more expensive ones have quicker release methods that don't require tools. Even using the spanner, I can fit mine in about 2 minutes. Loading the bikes takes maybe 10 mins. Again, that would be faster with the better clamps that you get on the more upmarket ones.
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
Yes I have read other posts suggesting it is a pig of a job. Ive put a good lot of money into this motor already so I think I shall probably keep going with it for a while given that it actually hasn't given me too many issues thus far (and I don't have the money to buy a new motor).
The temperature is almost non existent, the needle barely moves! As well as the leak. If I can do it then hopefully it will kill both issues (leak and temp).
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
At least I'm not alone!
Ah... the "shed trap"! Been there many times myself! You get an old car that keeps needing stuff done, and each time you spend out on it, you then feel that you can't get rid of it because you've just spent out on it! Cars are evil like that. They sit there all cute and loveable, pleading with you to "just" get them a new "such-and-such", so because you love it, you DO get it done. Then they repay your kindness by having something else go wrong and when you threaten to scrap them, they just laugh in your face and say "Ha! You can't scrap me now 'cause you just spent out on getting me a new such-and-such"! They're evil, I tell you!
Running the engine cold all the time won't do it any good. It'll also cost you a bit more money because it'll be giving cold start enrichment for longer than it should, so it'll be wasting a bit of fuel. A new thermostat is about £30. I got a "Circoli" pattern one, which seems to be working fine. If you intend to do the work yourself and have a Haynes manual, ignore it. They want you to take injectors out and all sorts! If your engine mounts are a bit old and soggy, you can JUST lever the engine across far enough to get the thing out, but it's a horrid job even so. Having 6 (very small) fingers on each hand helps.... Your leak comes from a steel pipe that plugs into the top of the thermostat housing. It seals with a rubber O-ring, so you'll need a new one of those. I didn't get one with the thermostat I bought. The steel pipe goes round the back of the engine and is bolted to the engine in several places. Those bolts are incredibly hard to reach. I "cheated" and only took the one nearest the thermostat out (which you can JUST do through the steering rack tie rod hole). I then levered the pipe JUST enough to get the spout and O-ring back into the new thermostat housing, but it's really tricky. Just a tiny bit too much and you'll bend the pipe permanently.
On here, (search for "Renault 5 thermostat") there's a bodge you can do. I wish I'd known about it before I bought mine! It's MUCH cheaper, quicker and easier to do. However, in your case, it's leaking as well, so it wouldn't cure the leak. You could try a leak sealer and mentioned earlier, it's really your call as to how "properly" you want to do this. Good luck!
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the info.
Your quite right and I've been in this position many times before, I tend to give up when big welding jobs are needed. As it stands I don't think there is any welding required, I plan to clean and waxoil the underside this summer, hoping that's doesn't throw up any welding. A lot of my spend has been garage fees as I always have good intentions on doing jobs myself but then bottle it (lack of skill) at the last min and send it to the garage to be done.
And to be fair most jobs thus far have been maintenance stuff that hasn't been kept on top of with the previous owner which means I got the lot.
Haha. Yes I looked at the Haynes... "take everything out of the engine bay and replace the thermostat!"
Most definitely won't be doing it the Haynes way.
I think I have already read the post you refer to but I'll have another look.
Time to order some parts I think.
Philgt50
Well-Known Member
On a happy note, my hippo passed MOT with flying colours on Wednesday, just had to adjust headlight beam. No advisories or anything. Fuel cradle needs replacing which I thought was most likely to be mentioned. All that grease and Hammerite must have impressed the guy sufficiently. So can do it in my own time. But as a 2006 made 146000 mile car I am aware of the ‘money pit’ syndrome so it had better not start getting too demanding. Be nice if I could leave it alone for a few weeks and get the two motorcycles sorted out.
Philgt50
Well-Known Member
Glad no one was injured, very sorry to hear of what happened. Your posts that I have read always been useful so thanks and maybe another hippo will come your way. Let’s face it, there’s plenty out there looking for good homes. Regards
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
Excellent! great to hear she passed! I too have a fuel cradle that needs replacing (adds to the list). I consider myself pretty lucky really mines a 2002 with 150000 miles, most would probably just drive it into the ground but I love her (and Im a bit nitpicking) and like everything to be working as it should etc. so I do my best to get her fixed up properly first time (rather than bodge).
Philgt50
Well-Known Member
This is the only car I have been that interested in and your attitude is the best, get it done properly and you shouldn’t have to worry then. Experience has taught me a few other lessons to bear in mind though; one being if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The fuel cradle is ok for now so I will wait because chances are something else will need doing before long that will involve the fuel cradle coming off or I can do it at the same time. ‘It’s never over with a Landrover’ is the note my neighbour left on mine when I was under it. How I laughed. Enjoy your Hippo
Land_girl
Well-Known Member
Agreed! Like you this is the only car I've ever had any interested in.
Enjoyed she is!
