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Top Tip :-(

...don't try sourcing shock absorbers from a scrapyard, they have to drain the oil out before stacking them in the yard, usually by drilling a hole into the bottom of the shocks.

Cue the cries of "What were you doing trying to get second hand shocks in a scrapyard anyway, you pikey?"

This is the sad conclusion of the tale of my 1.9D 1998 Felicia. The engine was noisy anyway, and then I managed to drop that bit of nylon drivegear into the transmission(though from what I've seen in the scrapyards it may actually have a metal core). To help me decide whether it was worth changing/stripping the transmission, seeing as the MoT was up in January I decided to get it tested now to see what the lie of the land was. It failed on serious corrosion of the shock absorbers - the cup that retains the bottom of the spring was rotted and holed, both sides (had this problem on a Favorit previously BTW).

Garage wanted 300 quid to sort, bollocks to that. I could source a pair of shocks for maybe 60 quid however it would mean pissing about with spring compressors - which I don't have anyway - and if you've ever met anybody who's caught a spring in the face when a spring compressor slipped (I have - not pretty - admittedly it was off a locomotive though) then you will understand my reticence in this department. Aha! - brainy idea I thought - why not see if I can get a decent pair of complete suspension struts from the f**koff big scrapyard in Kettering, no spring compressors required, simple bolt-off-bolt-on job.

See paragraph one for the flaw in my thinking. :-(

Felicia now gone to some Cars Wanted blokey out of the paper for 80 quid (plus should get another 130 quid back on the tax). Mind you, the

9-month-old catalyst was probably worth nearly that much alone. Hi ho.
Reply to
Vim Fuego
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Not if they're being removed for re-sale. Only if being scrapped.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I've done plenty of spring changes and have never had any hint of the compressors giving way or slipping. Not to say that it can't happen of course.

Reply to
adder1969

Yeah, but you're probably not a cack-handed f****it (I refer my learned colleague to case of Disappearing Speedo Drivegear vs. Hole In The Transmission in the High Court, 2006) :-) Stephen Hawking would probably make a better job of changing shocks than I would.

Reply to
Vim Fuego

Well, I didn't want to say that ;-)

Reply to
adder1969

"Vim Fuego" wrote in news:2AI%g.27919$w07.13268 @newsfe6-win.ntli.net:

So, what's to be the next target? ;-) I've got a Pug 205D that's pre-broken to save you the bother :-)

Reply to
Tunku

lol, good to see someone with a sense of humour :o)

Reply to
reg

That only works at a dismantler who will charge a higher price for having taken them off and put them on his shelf. Fluids have to be remove first before any other stripping can be done. If an inspector turns up and finds a vehicle 1/2 dismantled with any fluids still in it there will be a court appearance and big fine.

A regular scrap yard where the public takes the bits off themselves has to drain ALL fluids before making the car available for stripping.

I'm surprised they aren't drilling holes in brake cylinders or grinding the end off to get the last bit of fluid out of them..

I did find an auto Honda Civic with power steering and trans fluid still in it a few months back. Can't say what happened to the fluid but a power steering line was in the way of getting the alternator off easily, that and the rad with a trans fluid cooler in the botom tank is now on my nephews car.

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!

Reply to
Peter Hill

I had same on my 96' felicia. fronts were spotted by me and replaced with dervy shockers, the rears did break. I changed them myself, 30quid for the pair. compressers not needed for them as the springs were loose with half inch of thread left(on new springs and shockers)

n.

Reply to
Neil - Usenet

I've had a (borrowed) spring compressor crack and go flying off in two directions when at full compress on a Mark II Escort strut... one half made a ding in the concrete floor and the other half made a nice hole in the chipboard/felt garage roof....

Reply to
PC Paul

Although I am thinking of appealing the Drivegear vs. Transmission case to the European Court on the grounds that there was supposed to be something retaining the drivegear in the speedo drive head which had failed. Of the several Felicia/Favorit speedo drive heads I examined in the scrapyard, a) the drivegear was firmly retained in all of them by some means and couldn't be got out, b) Sod's Law, none of them were a drop-in replacement into the Felicia. Not that it mattered, the unavailability of the struts put it beyond economical repair anyway.

If anyone cares, the replacement for the Felicia is a 1995 1.5 diesel Peugeot 106, 77k miles, nearly FSH, cambelt replaced @68k miles, good tyres, brill condition for year, 5mths MoT & tax, 500 quid. A front wheel bearing needs doing but the seller declared that so can't complain. Coming To A Scrapyard Near You Anytime Soon When I Try To Do Some Work On It. :-)

Reply to
Vim Fuego

Oh, *now* you tell me. :-)

Reply to
Vim Fuego

It si a very, very, very common fault on Favorits and Felicias. Even apparently very nice condition ones. And seems more common on felicias than Favs. And can go when you least expect it. One side just "Lowers" itself.

Reply to
Elder

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