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Technical My B plays April Fool tricks on me...

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Technical My B plays April Fool tricks on me...

Wiltshire Chris

Wiltshire Chris

‍‍Accidental Barchetta owner
Parked in the garage Uploaded a resource/download
Joined
Jul 14, 2020
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386
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219
Location
Wiltshire
Hello all,
April 1st is B day here, the day I tax her for the summer and have her first run out to get her warmed up and any problems ironed out before her MOT in mid-April. After resealing the fuel pump over the winter I was also keen to see if the fuel smell had subsided. In my short run I couldn't smell any fuel (hooray!) but:
  • The speedo showed its usual signs of working, sticking, reading too high. One day I'll look at it but I just hope it behaves on MOT day
  • Annoyingly the airbag light turned on. I followed all proper precautions when stripping the seats out for the fuel tank but maybe one of the connections isn't quite right or needs cleaning. I've got the latest TRW module 46535343 so I need to either bite the bullet and invest in MultiECUScan and cables or find someone local to read the codes and reset the ECU.
  • While scrabbling around the floor I felt a touch of dampness and found a small amount of nice pink fluid trickling down the side of the tunnel into the driver's footwell. Having read the, very informative and terrifying, thread on heater matrix removal I'll either take the @s130 approach and try radweld or I'll bypass the matrix altogether. I'd like to fix it properly but that could wait until she's off the road again in the winter.
  • I realised it's three years since the timing belt was done so that needs facing up to.
Oh well, I guess I'm going to be in the garage more than I planned over the next few weeks! We'd better get a decent summer so i can actually get her out and about!
 
Wiltshire Chris said:
Hello all,
April 1st is B day here, the day I tax her for the summer and have her first run out to get her warmed up and any problems ironed out before her MOT in mid-April. After resealing the fuel pump over the winter I was also keen to see if the fuel smell had subsided. In my short run I couldn't smell any fuel (hooray!) but:
  • The speedo showed its usual signs of working, sticking, reading too high. One day I'll look at it but I just hope it behaves on MOT day
  • Annoyingly the airbag light turned on. I followed all proper precautions when stripping the seats out for the fuel tank but maybe one of the connections isn't quite right or needs cleaning. I've got the latest TRW module 46535343 so I need to either bite the bullet and invest in MultiECUScan and cables or find someone local to read the codes and reset the ECU.
  • While scrabbling around the floor I felt a touch of dampness and found a small amount of nice pink fluid trickling down the side of the tunnel into the driver's footwell. Having read the, very informative and terrifying, thread on heater matrix removal I'll either take the @s130 approach and try radweld or I'll bypass the matrix altogether. I'd like to fix it properly but that could wait until she's off the road again in the winter.
  • I realised it's three years since the timing belt was done so that needs facing up to.
Oh well, I guess I'm going to be in the garage more than I planned over the next few weeks! We'd better get a decent summer so i can actually get her out and about!
Click to expand...
Some good news is that the speedo itself does not come under the MOT test. Mileage is recorded though. After not having a working speedo for 3 years. I have tried to get it working, soldering etc and going all the way back to the spline in the gearbox. I bought a £10 Chinese GPS speedometer recently which now does the job.
I'm also building up the courage to take on the cam belt change.
 
Wiltshire Chris said:
That's good news, thank you. I keep meaning to order one of those speedos as I had my usual mild panic going through the 30mph sections of my trip to the petrol station.
Click to expand...
Spending a week in North Wales this May with their 20 mph zones (caught breaking the 30 mph on a past visit ) prompted me to buy the GPS speedometer.
 
Wiltshire Chris said:
  • While scrabbling around the floor I felt a touch of dampness and found a small amount of nice pink fluid trickling down the side of the tunnel into the driver's footwell. Having read the, very informative and terrifying, thread on heater matrix removal I'll either take the @s130 approach and try radweld or I'll bypass the matrix altogether. I'd like to fix it properly but that could wait until she's off the road again in the winter.
Click to expand...
Well I just checked my service logs and I did the Radweld (temporary ???) fix July 2015 @ 42K miles. Now Mar 2024 @ 52K miles.

Not suggesting Radweld is the best and there are certainly other products out there but certainly worth a try.

I think one on the problems with the "B" (with no aircon) is that with no pollen filter dirt, dust, leaves, crud gets into the matrix box and builds up this then get damp and next dries out and even if it does the next rain / car wash just starts the damp cycle all over again.

Certainly worth taking the front windscreen scuttle panel off and using a vacuum cleaner and hose to suck out as much debris as one can.

In my notes I said:

"Treated with Radweld. Ran at idle from cold for 20 minutes than went for 10 to 15 minute fast & high RPM drive to ensure the system was well circulated."
 
I'd rather change the cam belt any day rather change a heater matrix! Dash removal sounds like a nightmare!
 
Wiltshire Chris said:
Hello all,
April 1st is B day here, the day I tax her for the summer and have her first run out to get her warmed up and any problems ironed out before her MOT in mid-April. After resealing the fuel pump over the winter I was also keen to see if the fuel smell had subsided. In my short run I couldn't smell any fuel (hooray!) but:
  • The speedo showed its usual signs of working, sticking, reading too high. One day I'll look at it but I just hope it behaves on MOT day
  • Annoyingly the airbag light turned on. I followed all proper precautions when stripping the seats out for the fuel tank but maybe one of the connections isn't quite right or needs cleaning. I've got the latest TRW module 46535343 so I need to either bite the bullet and invest in MultiECUScan and cables or find someone local to read the codes and reset the ECU.
  • While scrabbling around the floor I felt a touch of dampness and found a small amount of nice pink fluid trickling down the side of the tunnel into the driver's footwell. Having read the, very informative and terrifying, thread on heater matrix removal I'll either take the @s130 approach and try radweld or I'll bypass the matrix altogether. I'd like to fix it properly but that could wait until she's off the road again in the winter.
  • I realised it's three years since the timing belt was done so that needs facing up to.
Oh well, I guess I'm going to be in the garage more than I planned over the next few weeks! We'd better get a decent summer so i can actually get her out and about!
Click to expand...
Good news concerning the fuel pump! Sorry to hear about the rest.

Yesterday I was finally able to get the b-95 out of the garage and hand it back over to the daughter, she was all grins and giggles..!

Concerning the speedo, for me it ended up being a quick simple job(!). The b-95 speedo was getting really bad last season, neither knocking, slapping the dash nor the trip meter method were working anymore. After reading many posts on it, I tried the light-handed method first, ie only a thorough clean of all contacts (and some dielectric grease (no re-soldering etc)). It's only been a short run so far, but all is good at the moment. For some a re-solder seems necessary, but not necessarily for all.

When you have the speedo out, you might consider giving yourself some extra air-bag-sorting-out-time by pulling the bulb over MOT-day.
In all fairness following the service intervals we should be changing air-bag units every ten years (meaning the b-95 should be ready for its third air-bag next year).
 
As ever, smearing my B with money has hopefully made the problems go away.
  • Smuggled a GPS speedo into an Amazon order and that should arrive later today, might not be necessary for the MOT but as @brianpoole pointed out those 20mph limits are tricky
  • Got myself a set of cables and a copy of MultiECUScan and was able to clear the codes on the airbag. Both seemed related to the fact that I allowed the battery to go completely flat over the winter. My fault for swapping the trickle charger over to my sons Peugeot 306.
  • Poured some radweld into the coolant reservoir and will monitor the situation over the next few weeks. If it lasts as long as @s130's I'll be happy.
Time to book the MOT before anything else happens! The belt change can wait until it has got an MOT.
Thanks everybody
 
Timing belt every 3 years - really? why?
The Lexicon says: Every 3 years: Replace the timing belt - in difficult operating conditions (low outside temperature, frequent idling in city use, dusty roads) - at least every 5 years regardless of the mileage.

But mine was changed 9 years ago and is due for replacement this or next year. My mileage is just 14 tkm since 2015, car is kept in the garage.
All my other diesel cars have timing belt change interval of 10 years.
What could possible happen to the belt after only 3 years? Am I in trouble? : )
 
wapper said:
Timing belt every 3 years - really? why?
The Lexicon says: Every 3 years: Replace the timing belt - in difficult operating conditions (low outside temperature, frequent idling in city use, dusty roads) - at least every 5 years regardless of the mileage.

But mine was changed 9 years ago and is due for replacement this or next year. My mileage is just 14 tkm since 2015, car is kept in the garage.
All my other diesel cars have timing belt change interval of 10 years.
What could possible happen to the belt after only 3 years? Am I in trouble? : )
Click to expand...
Timing belt changes seem to be all over the place with different vehicle manufacturers.

I think? some Honda models had 110,000 mile / 60,000 mile and 84 month change periods. I don't think there was anything special about their belts and pulleys.

https://www.timingbeltinfo.com/honda-civic

Fiat like/want 5 years. Many people have more years than this on their belts.

I think it is very very rare for a timing belt to snap with no visual evidence of wear. To this end on my cars I create an inspection hole in the timing belt cover (if the cover has no other easy view). What on later cars is often an issue is the water pump being driven by the cam belt. These are situated on the tensioner side of the belt so with the later Fiat "floating" tensioner you can check for play and listen for noise. That said you can not check for rotational stiffness / binding.
 
s130 said:
To this end on my cars I create an inspection hole in the timing belt cover (if the cover has no other easy view). What on later cars is often an issue is the water pump being driven by the cam belt. These are situated on the tensioner side of the belt so with the later Fiat "floating" tensioner you can check for play and listen for noise.
Click to expand...
Interesting! Would you care to explain further @s130?

Have you made and inspection hole on the barchetta (the belt is visible (at least on the b-95 before/after the crank pulley))? What telltales do you look for on the belt (a mechanic I spoke to recommended a change when the teeth marks became "visible" on the outer side of the belt)? How does one check for play in the water pump bearing (assuming without taking off the cover and disconnecting the tensioner)?
 
Quite a simple but possibly brutal mod.

I normally drill a large hole in the cam belt cover face so once can see the "down/pulled" part of the belt (exhaust cam to crank section) but for the "B" I cut out a rectangular chunk/section on the top of the cover between the cam shaft sprockets exposing some 3+ inches of cam belt.

You should only start cutting/drilling the cover when it is off the car during a cam belt change to avoid damaging the cam belt.

I just check the belt for frays, cracks, bad teeth etc.

For the water pump it is not that easy to do as you have to remove the cover(s). The tensioner on the "B" (2005 model - CF3) is a floating one so if there is excessive play in the pump pulley and you can wobble it then the tensioner will allow a little movement.

All the above is no replacement for cam belt changes and only a precautionary check between belt changes. Peace of mind check that nothing is going wrong between belt changes.
 
Another year, another MOT pass with no advisories, excellent. I shall keep an eye on the heater leak and investigate a good place to put the GPS speedo. I've got some 12->5V converter boards so i could wire it in to a 12V feed from the ignition if I can be motivated, at the moment its powered by the USB socket on my radio which is 12V switched.
 
Congrats on the MOT, always a relief...!

Not relevant for you @Wiltshire Chris, but perhaps for someone else with speedo issues, and going for a/the GPS solution. The 1-DIN Pioneer SPH-20DAB has its own mobile phone holder and you can control the radio/stereo via the Pioneer Smart Sync app, AND the app uses the phone GPS to display the speed, ie Speedo included. The solution is by no means perfect, but me and even the daughter like it. It works and syncs well, at least with the iPhone (I lack experience with Androids).

On a generational note, I was all concerned and focused on connecting the existing analog antenna and a less than elegant windshield DAB+ antenna plus the enclosed mic, but the daughter couldn't care less, as long as she has her Spotify, that's all that matters. Oh well, getting older and less in sync with the times...
 
tjr said:
Congrats on the MOT, always a relief...!

Not relevant for you @Wiltshire Chris, but perhaps for someone else with speedo issues, and going for a/the GPS solution. The 1-DIN Pioneer SPH-20DAB has its own mobile phone holder and you can control the radio/stereo via the Pioneer Smart Sync app, AND the app uses the phone GPS to display the speed, ie Speedo included. The solution is by no means perfect, but me and even the daughter like it. It works and syncs well, at least with the iPhone (I lack experience with Androids).

On a generational note, I was all concerned and focused on connecting the existing analog antenna and a less than elegant windshield DAB+ antenna plus the enclosed mic, but the daughter couldn't care less, as long as she has her Spotify, that's all that matters. Oh well, getting older and less in sync with the times...
Click to expand...
That's not a bad little option. My son's 306 could do with something more modern and that's relatively cheap, like your daughter he's mainly interested in Spotify
 
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