What Have You Done To Your Coupe Today

[Laird_Scooby]

5 minutes ago, Kelvin said:

It weren't a good dream, some aliens decided humans were too dangerous - they picked a few ravers, me being one of them, and got us to drop the bomb on the planet and we had to decide if we killed ourselves too or thought we were worthy of a second chance.

I was driving the coupe to the festival and had to leave it when they zapped us up.

That sounds like the plot of an episode of "UFO" on Blaze TV last night! 🤪

[Andy Mc]

Surprised sunny clear morning. So whipped out the bust night breaker optimums(?) at 120% better and replaced with the night breaker lasers 150% better. Almost looking forward to my 30% improvement and if i can even tell 🤩

Nice easy access, just needed the help of a well positioned prise bar to ease the drivers side round into its snug fitting. 

Another job for the future gained though, bonnet gas struts clearly giving up as it kept coming back down 🤕

[PTR200S]

16 minutes ago, Andy Mc said:

Surprised sunny clear morning. So whipped out the bust night breaker optimums(?) at 120% better and replaced with the night breaker lasers 150% better. Almost looking forward to my 30% improvement and if i can even tell 🤩

Nice easy access, just needed the help of a well positioned prise bar to ease the drivers side round into its snug fitting. 

Another job for the future gained though, bonnet gas struts clearly giving up as it kept coming back down 🤕

Great morning,  isn't it ! The sun is shining and cv19 is tier3 😄

Just finished installing the last of my replacement clips on the bumper of the Elysion after the HID upgrade .

Glad you managed to change your bulbs easily 😁 

Don't think the gas struts like cold weather but I improved mine by cleaning the rods, lubing, and then working the bonnet up and down about a dozen times to get the seal soft and working again..get it right up to fully open each time helps too.

[Laird_Scooby]

18 minutes ago, PTR200S said:

Great morning,  isn't it ! The sun is shining

Alright for some! Been grey skies and sleeting on and off all morning! That said it's brightening up a bit now and the sleet is moving north ish .................

[PTR200S]

10 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said:

Alright for some! Been grey skies and sleeting on and off all morning! That said it's brightening up a bit now and the sleet is moving north ish .................

Still sunny but cold here, blue skies and fluffy little clouds 😆 even my solar thermal panel is producing hot water 🙄

[Laird_Scooby]

I spoke too soon - the skies just turned black again and sleet is hammering down like there's no tomorrow.

[welland99]

On 12/24/2020 at 1:03 PM, Andy Mc said:

whipped out the bust night breaker optimums(?)

Had they both blown?

Would be interested in hearing what you think of the new bulbs.

[welland99]

On 12/24/2020 at 1:03 PM, Andy Mc said:

Another job for the future gained though, bonnet gas struts clearly giving up as it kept coming back down 🤕

Are they standard fitment on the CG2? My CG4 doesn't have them.

[Laird_Scooby]

Nightbreakers aren't standard on any car and as far as i remember, weren't even on the market when your car was made. Usually the standard fit is just the basic halogen bulbs.

[hughezee]

1 hour ago, welland99 said:

Are they standard fitment on the CG2? My CG4 doesn't have them.

All the UK RHD CG2's have bonnet gas struts, I have done a couple of conversions for CG4's.🖐️

1 hour ago, Laird_Scooby said:

Nightbreakers aren't standard on any car and as far as i remember, weren't even on the market when your car was made.

😂🤪

[Laird_Scooby]

My internet is a PITA at the moment! It showed a mix of the two posts, basically saying a mix of the two posts, hence my response about Nightbreakers not being standard fit! 🤪

[hughezee]

6 hours ago, Laird_Scooby said:

My internet is a PITA at the moment! It showed a mix of the two posts, basically saying a mix of the two posts, hence my response about Nightbreakers not being standard fit! 🤪

 We've all done it mate, reminds me I need to swap my bonnet struts, I have some low mileage ones to bang on. 😋

[Laird_Scooby]

Genuinely Stu, i saw a mix of the two posts thinking it was one post, imagine the following as one post :

8 hours ago, welland99 said:

Had they both blown?

Would be interested in hearing what you think of the new bulbs.

 

8 hours ago, welland99 said:

Are they standard fitment on the CG2? My CG4 doesn't have them.

Imagine that presenting as one post - that's what i saw! I know i've sometimes misread a name or a post and made a boo-boo but i've admitted them, can't admit what i haven't done though!

It's all the wet weather we've had, slows my internet to a crawl and loses a lot of data, causes me no end of problems! One of the funnier ones is it often loses parts of posts so there are words missing which change the whole meaning of them! 🤪

[Andy Mc]

9 hours ago, welland99 said:

Had they both blown?

Would be interested in hearing what you think of the new bulbs.

Just the one had gone. Good practice to swap both and now i have a decent spare 👍

They were the older model night breakers at 120% better than standard? I'm guessing 'laser' at 150% is the latest version. Only been out twice since changing. I think there is a slight improvement. Mainly on the things you see all the time like certain parts of the same road or pulling into the drive, everyday items definately appeared more lit up. Does seem a tad brighter on the near side which is good for all the joggers in black 🙄 but that said it was nearside that had gone and best part of a week without was very noticeable. 

Fingers crossed these last as long as the previous. 

[Andy Mc]

Serviced front brakes (new pads, no discs).

Carriers and fittment bits off for a good clean up. Sliders a bit clay'd up but not that bad or stuck, just one showed signs of slight water ingress. But now all shiny, splattered in silicone grease and sealed boinging away.

Only note to think about was one of the pots on n/s caliper was quite stubborn to wind back in 🤔

[PTR200S]

1 hour ago, Andy Mc said:

Only note to think about was one of the pots on n/s caliper was quite stubborn to wind back in 🤔

 

 

Good job there, pity those new disks were a pain. 😭

Worth winding the pistons out and cleaning off the ends as far as possible, bit of rubber lube to help it along too .

Its amazing how much crap the sliders/ pistons get on them in a short space of time but then again they are hanging in a hostile environment ...... !!

[Andy Mc]

I noticed the rubber wasn't in top shape either and water had got in. It was getting dark, bloody windy cold all day too, so just errrugh'd at tackling that today. 

Maybe tomorrow, as i hope to re grease the rear sliders too. How's best to get at the piston's then just pump the brakes a bit clean up n lube?

Checked all sills too whilst down there. Nice and all there 👍

[PTR200S]

32 minutes ago, Andy Mc said:

How's best to get at the piston's then just pump the brakes a bit clean up n lube?

Yep, take the pads out, put a piece of wood or similar, for a spacer, in the caliper to stop you pumping it completely out, only need it to come out about 3/8ths of an inch. Of course if you are concerned that its a problem further up the piston then force it out completely then clamp the brake pipe to minimise fluid loss.  

I usually clean mine up by spraying some brake cleaner at it first, forces the fine grit out too, and then wipe carefully around the piston. You can then check for corrosion...if you find any then see if it will clean off, I use solvol autosol .  As long as the surface finish hasn't deteriorated then clean again with brake cleaner to get all the solvol, or similar, off.   I then spray with a bit of brake fluid, lube or rubber grease, don't need a lot. (it attracts dirt) Wind it back in. Then I usually leave the wood spacer in and pump it out and wind it back a few times just to ensure its all good.

[Laird_Scooby]

3 hours ago, Andy Mc said:

Maybe tomorrow, as i hope to re grease the rear sliders too. How's best to get at the piston's then just pump the brakes a bit clean up n lube?

If you plan on doing the rears as well, slacken the handbrake cable off so it's loose first. Do what Pete suggests then wind the pistons in with the bleed valve open 1/4 turn and a one-way bleed valve attached. Close the nipple/bleed valve once the piston is back in.

Use the block of wood to push the piston out and you should hear the auto adjuster ratchet as the piston works its way out. Do your cleaning etc then open the bleed valve (still with the one-way valve attached) and wind the piston back in.

Refit the pads etc then repeat for the other side. Make sure when the pads are back in you operate the footbrake several times until the auto-adjusters stop ratcheting then adjust the handbrake cable last, should be 5-8 clicks to be fully on if memory serves.

[welland99]

On 1/30/2021 at 8:30 PM, Andy Mc said:

Serviced front brakes (new pads, no discs).

Carriers and fittment bits off for a good clean up. Sliders a bit clay'd up but not that bad or stuck, just one showed signs of slight water ingress. But now all shiny, splattered in silicone grease and sealed boinging away.

Only note to think about was one of the pots on n/s caliper was quite stubborn to wind back in 🤔

Confused by all the chatter about winding in and out the front pistons.  I thought it was only the rear ones that wind in and out.  Don't the front ones just push in?

[welland99]

On 12/27/2020 at 11:19 AM, hughezee said:

All the UK RHD CG2's have bonnet gas struts, I have done a couple of conversions for CG4's.🖐️

😂🤪

It has just occurred to me how complex the shape of the bonnet strut is on the CG4.  I wonder how long it took to finalise the design with all the bends that allow it to stow correctly when the bonnet is down?

Mine occasionally gets accidentally twisted the wrong way when I'm stowing it and it is quite a conundrum to get it back in the correct orientation.  

[Laird_Scooby]

32 minutes ago, welland99 said:

Confused by all the chatter about winding in and out the front pistons.  I thought it was only the rear ones that wind in and out.  Don't the front ones just push in?

As far as i'm aware, yes but the bit about the one-way bleed valve and opening the bleed nipple 1/4 turn still applies - i think winding the front ones in was a figure of speech as a "pad spreader" tool was probably used, a bit like a small vice in appearance but as you turn/wind the handle clockwise it opens the jaws to push the pads in. Hence the expression, winding the pads in.

In case anyone is wondering, the reason for opening the bleed nipple and fitting a one-way bleed valve is to prevent any dirt, sediment, rust etc that may have found its way into the caliper/piston being forced back up the brake lines into the ABS modulator and/or the master cylinder where it will do damage - better out than in as the saying goes!

 

[Andy Mc]

Yes sorry, it was a G-clamp i was winding away on. 3 of the 4 front pots went straight back in like a loose bolt.

Only managed one of the rears today due to disruption and commitments. Sliders again soiled up to no good, i was aware I'd used the wrong stuff (copper grease, all i had to hand!) last year when i did pads and discs so it was on my mind to re-grease them properly. The lower one with the rubber bung on the end was stubborn to get out, but a proper bugger to get back in! It simply didn't want to go not without force. Anyway done, freed up nicely but frozen fingers.

[Laird_Scooby]

8 minutes ago, Andy Mc said:

i was aware I'd used the wrong stuff (copper grease, all i had to hand!)

I've never had a problem with copper grease to be honest, i know the thinking now is to use red rubber grease or silicone grease but their are pros and cons to that as well.

Some rubber components can be effected by silicone grease (and also by copper grease), not sure how aggressive the red rubber grease is on certain rubbers but the name suggests it will be ok - however i wonder how waterproof it is (no idea) and how it stands up to heat.

The big thing is cleanliness and then just a light smear of whatever you use so it doesn't attract undue amounts of dirt.

[PTR200S]

11 hours ago, welland99 said:

Confused by all the chatter about winding in and out the front pistons.  I thought it was only the rear ones that wind in and out.  Don't the front ones just push in?

Sorry ! As Dave says, figure of speech !!!

Clamps or spreaders etc, tend to cloud the issue too !!!