alfanige

I've now sold the Forester and it goes tomorrow. Thank you to all on here who have put up with my questions (especially as most of them I really should have known the answer to!) and answering them. I took the car for the MOT this morning and it flew through, with its new rear shocks etc. I got two hardly worn Bridgestones on it yesterday for £30 each, so all in all it hasn't cost me too much, only time. The new owner is going to have a cracking car with absolutely everything done and working correctly on it and it sparkles inside and out. I will keep popping on now and then to see if I can help anyone :-) Thanks again to all, this certainly has been one of the best forums I have used (and believe me I have been using them for many years and been a moderator on a few too!!!) AlfaNige

The talent includes mashing her right foot through the floor and telling everyone else to get out the way! She doth protest that I drive faster than she does, but it falls on deaf ears :-D!

The RCZ is quite a surprise. Its my Partners every day car, 2.0 diesel and it goes and handles really well. It was the latter on the test drive that sold it to me. My Partner wanted an RCZ so I traded my Abarth 500 in against it which was a highly tuned pocket rocket with rock hard suspension, so I thought it would be like going from a hot shower into a luke warm bath, but it wasn't like that! The only complaint comes from the misses........its too damn slow for her as she joins motorways, unlike the Abarth, which I only got beaten through mid range acceleration in once - by a Lexus ISF who did me on the A1M lol! The RCZ is no slouch though, its fine for everyday use and returns over 48mpg if I drive it (42mpg if 'er indoors drives it!), so its a good car

Thanks chap. Yeah, '99 MX5 1.8i - another one of the fleet! Thats my partners "summer" car although I must admit to like driving it myself too - who can turn down a bit of RWD fun now and then eh! The RCZ is hers too - I don't admit to that one lol

Sorry for the delay It was Parts Service Direct in Exeter, they have an ebay shop, but I went direct as I am near by. They are one of Exeter's big parts suppliers to trade and public, like Euro Car Parts etc http://stores.ebay.co.uk/PS-Parts-Motor-Factors?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 The car is finished and up for sale - it looks good now IMHO! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231128693426?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Well, one side done, the other side I had to dremel the nut off so I ran out of time. The shock on the 2nd side was the a KYB Excel G - the same as I am putting on and seems to be OK, but I am one of those guys who always does things in pairs on axles. I will finish it when the haze clears on my head tomorrow :-D Have a great eve everyon

Got some KYB ones for £195 the pair, just off to collect them now :-)

To be fair Stanton, it doesn't help - but hey its the thought that counts :-D Just got the shocks off and they are shot :-(

Depends what goes through the auctions but probably a couple of Freelanders with the usual problems to sort and sell on - or at least something I know all about rather than a complete make/model I had no clue about again :-D

Thanks guys, I read that post on the Pedders bits, but at £258 I am not that enthusiastic! There are some on Ebay for £60 each which may be worth a punt even if just to make it look better. Either that or I am going to sadle Trigger up, don my Stetson and put two blocks of wood in the springs ;-)

Sadly its the car, not the misses this time! 1999 2.0S Turbo, the rear end is sagging which I know is a common issue, but I want a cost effective fix. I believe from what I have read that its due to the shocks leaking, and they look to be the original ones. I am looking to sell this car now (now everything is !Removed! working on it - don't ask lol!!!) so am not looking to upgrade, merely replace at an affordable price within the cars worth. Any suggestions please

May I suggest that before you spend money on the bigger discs set up, that you get the system in order first. There is a guide to the installation of the Brake Master stability bracket by Stanton at the top of the page, then install braided brake hoses. When doing this you will naturally renew the fluid too. This will ensure the system is working to its best efficiency. Once this is done you need to ask a local MOT station to do a brake test for you. This will give you the resultant brake affect of all four wheels including the balance %. You then have your base point. It would be wise now to do a simple upgrade on the pads, search around for the type of affect you are looking for that will suit your driving/journey types - you dont want a pad that will need a lot of work to generate heat if you do short journeys for example. Once selection is made and installed, go back and get another brake test done - £20 here is better than spending £500 if you are gaining what you need. Obviously you will need to take into account the set up of the ABS too - its not much help if the ABS cuts in 50% earlier due to the changes as your stopping distance will not be any better. Also consider your tyre choice - I've seen muppets with big brake kits that cost a fortune with cheap tyres on and wonder why there braking distance were less than mine on standard discs and pads :-D In other words...plan, plan then plan again for modification before you spends yer money!

I've got a professional polishing machine, pop it over and I'll have it looking like new in a tick ;-)

Well, its a bit odd, but the clutch "appears" to be working ok for now. I re-adjusted the rod connecting the Master to the peddle by about 1/4" (about 6mm for you younguns!) and it didn't slip with 3rd and 4th under hard acceleration up hill so I have to assume that I had over adjusted it when I was trying to get the peddle sorted. Oddly though, it worked fine from that point until the other day. If it slips again I will whip the transmission out and put a new clutch in. It doesn't look too difficult - no worse than Freelander IRD's

My problems continue with this damn jalopy! Finally, the clutch is working I beleive, the pedal in the right position, no leaks etc, but today, towed for the first time (largeish MTD Ride on mower on a trailer) and shock of all shocks - it couldn't manage it. The clutch slipped so badly I had to unhitch and use the Freelander. So, I am assuming that there is no adjustment on the clutch itself as its hydraulic and the only adjustment is the pedal position in accordance with the Master Cylinder to get the pedal to sit in the correct place - therefore, the clutch itself is worn. Its no surprise as its done around 110k IIRC. I have had a look at the workshop manual and its says I have to completely remove the transmission from the car, which looks a long winded job that requires two people. (I do however remove and replace Landrover IRD's on my own and they are fricking heavy!!). The clutch kit looks to be a reasonable price - around £180 for one of these, but with my virgin knowledge of these cars, I dont know if I can afford the learning experience with the backlog of other cars!

Haha, no, I am not. I was on there a long time ago (10 years ago probably more). I ocasionally go on alfamoaner.com but rarely.

Just sold my Alfa 33 16v :-( Bought two Freelanders instead lol!

Got there, I think! It appears that the clutch was working, but it was so low down on the pedal that it was dropping out. So although I thought it being a hydraulic clutch, it would be self adjusting - it isnt! If you get a dropping peddle, try adjusting the clutch by the peddle itself as follows Part the First Push the clutch lever back against the slave piston and watch to see if the fluid rises in the Clutch Master reservoir. If not, then you need to bleed the system and look for leaks. i. Look for leaks around the Slave itself, then work back from there towards the Master Reservoir and follow the pipes too. ii. To bleed the system, undo the two 14mm bolts holding the Slave in position and point the nipple skywards. Working with someone to operate the clutch peddle, bleed the system in the same way as you would brakes. Watch the fluid in the reservoir of course. There is a 2nd bleed nipple in the circuit up on the bulkhead behind the N/S strut mount. Do the same with this one. iii. Fix the Slave back in position and retest the system. If the fluid still isnt moving, your Slave is probably had it OR the Master. Slave's rarely fail, but its worth trying that first as its cheaper! Part the Second OK, if the fluid IS moving but the peddle is either too low, or dropping out its probably due to its position of adjustment causing the Master to either under or over pressurise the system and so need altering. i.Get a torch, a 10mm open ended spanner and something to kneel on outside the car. ii. Look up at the clutch peddle and you will see the rod to the Clutch Master from the peddle itself. iii. Follow the rod to the peddle and you will see a nut, then a "U" piece with the threaded end of the rod through it. This "U" is held onto the peddle by a clevis pin and through bar. iv. Start by undoing the 10mm nut to unlock the rod from the "U" v. You may be luck enough to be able to turn the rod to adjust it now without taking the through bar and clevis pin. If not, remove the clevis pin and pull the bar out, it will allow more movement. vi. Adjust the travel of the peddle according to requirement then do up the locking nut. Obviously put the through bar and clevis pin back in if you took them out as well! vii. Test the clutch and the biting point will have been changed as will the peddle position. Now, retest the system and take for a drive. If you are still having issues, its likely to be the Clutch Master.

Thanks chap, mine is a 99 car, so I have the manuals for the early car as well as the later ones. If anyone needs owt I will lend a hand where required. Now all I have to find is a manual for a 1999 MTD Lawnflite E/130 with the 13hp Briggs and Stratton!!! Its stuck in gear on my ramp! Why do I agree to look at these things for people - last week it was a starter motor on a Transit - easy enough you would think (I did!) but has left me with a badly burnt wrist, a head injury and a week of pain lol!

Sadly, Rowleys rang me back yesterday and they haven't got the parts I was going to try. However, as before, Peter was superb and spent another 20 minutes going through the problems with me over the phone and came up with some things to try. Thats best part of 3/4 hour he spent helping me, without making a penny in sales - I cannot thank him enough for his time, but will definently be going back there when I need something! Got the Workshop Manual delivered today, yeah - bought one at last lol - and can see where I am getting confused now I think. Will have a look in the morning

Well, had another butchers at it today and the confusion still reigns. I went over to Rowley's Performance Engineering (www.subarutuner.co.uk) and had a chat with Peter who was of the same opinion as me - as in, that ain't right lol! Peter is going to hunt out some parts for me (master and slave cylinders) from his vast old parts stock, so I can eliminate them. But it does seem that its something t'other side of the clutch lever that should be springing the lever back against the slave plunger. Anyhow, big shout out to the guys at Rowley's - enthusiastic, informative and extremely patient and helpful to a Subaru numpty such as myself!

Yeah, its really confusing me, as I topped up the fluid, but couldnt see any traces of escaping fluid and it bled through fine. The peddle will stay up, but when you press it, its initial resistance goes and it falls to the floor and stays there! I am wondering if the slave is Uncle Bucked, but I can't find an overhaul kit for one online to see if there are any serviceable items in it, so its a case of a new one to find out I suppose :-(

Well, its been at least a week before this attention seeking ****** of a car wants something else. A few weeks ago I changed the Clutch Slave to bulkhead pipe after the old one had split and emptied the fluid. Yesterday, the clutch pedal dropped to the floor again and the fluid has all-but disappeared. Now, me being my cynical self, thinks, OK, what has worked loose that I didnt tighten properly, but no, all seemed to look good. So I undid the Slave mounts, pointed it skywards again and got a friend to lift the pedal up and then push it down - fluid spurted out, no air etc. Did this also on the other bleed nipple on the bulkhead, same result. Now I am confused. The slave "plunger" propels out when the clutch is pressed, but the lever it works against has a spring pulling it in the same direction as the plunger is taking it when the clutch is pressed. The lever will then stay stuck in that position until the clutch pedal is phyiscally pulled back off the floor, then it can be manually pushed back against the now retracted plunger. So, it seems that the lever should be returning against the plunger, forced back by something, that also forces the clutch pedal back up. Does this sound abaht rite? If so, can someone enlighten me as to what, or even what the frying duck is going on now. Why the hell I got involved in a car I know absolutely nothing about is beyond me lol!

No, just a standard plug socket - but you need special arms with special hands and special fingers and you will only ever change them once yourself!

Excellent write up, thank you, I will look at doing this myself in the near future :-)