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Senator 3.0i - clunkclunkclunk...

Tearing around in the 3.0 running errands (all my other cars are elsewhere at the moment... doh!)...

Noticed from the back clunking under hard acceleration. Actually, not all that hard. Bushes? CV joints? Worse?

Hardly worth fixing, but how long before it dies? Should I run now?

Other Senatory questions: It has, if the mess of brake pipes and the warning light on the dash are to be trusted, ABS. Oddly, the ABS light comes on when I select D3 (or turn off overdrive, whatever the button on the shifter really does). The ABS looks convention and not at all weird like a Ford system.

However, there's a buzzy pump noise and vibration coming from under the passenger side of the dash.

Should the A/C make the electric fan come on, if it's working?

How the hell does the auto suspension work? It certainly seems effective...

And finally:

How hard is it to get a really tidy, late-as-possible not ex police 24v CD?

Richard

Reply to
Richard Kilpatrick
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Probably something like that :-)

Weird? It's a box with 4 pipes coming out of it on mine :-)

Yes, normally.

I've stripped an adjustable suspension damper off a Daihatsu Fourtrak, and as far as I can tell, you normally have holes on top of the piston to let the fluid through. On adjustable suspension, the holes are made up of 2 metal plates with holes of varying size drilled in them. The bottom one is fixed, and the top one rotates under the control of a little motor stuck on top of the damper.

By turning the shaft, the hole size changes, and the response of the damper changes, making the ride harsh or wallowy.

Pete.

Reply to
Pete Smith

Out of interest, what's up with ex police motors? I know they're generally seen as not as good, and have likely been driven fairly hard on occasion, but I expect they've all been serviced lots, run for hours rather than minutes at a time, reducing the number of cold starts etc.

Reply to
Doki

They are also chipped :-)

Dave

Reply to
Funkyman

Funkyman made the world a better place for us by saying..

Not necessarily, a few years ago I was "involved" with a garage that used to service, maintain, and prepare the so called "X cars" for Manchester Police. We chipped a Sapphire Cosworth, fitted a bigger actuator, GpA head gasket, head bolts etc for them (no dump valve, or loud exhaust obviously).. Within a week they were back wanting it returned to standard because "It's frightening the stolen car squad boys". Wusses, it was only about 290 bhp..

Reply to
Pete M

I assume these are unmarked or something?

I can't really see how you could have too many horses :).

Reply to
Doki

are

Actually, not

I know very little about Senators, but (assuming it's a fairly conventional rear wheel drive car) apart from what you've mentioned, it could be propshaft u/j's, propshaft bearing, if the propshaft is the two piece type. Has it really got CV joints on the drive shafts, or Hardy Spicers ?

now?

Find out what it is. Then decide.

AFAIK the fan cuts in on demand. Same as an electric radiator fan.

Dunno, but the SD1 has 'Nivomat' shocks on the rear. They have an internal pump. Operated by the natural movement of the suspension, they pump the shock to a set length, regardless of the weight on the rear of the car. Mike.

Reply to
Mike G

Mike G made the world a better place for us by saying..

which anyone in their right mind soon gets rid of..

Reply to
Pete M

In the case of the Senator:

No digital dash (prolly easily sorted if you have one lying around) No electric windows No leather (but again...) No active suspension - which I like, living in a place with potholes joined by tarmac... No A/C No sunroof - but probably other holes in the roof No alloys Rarely autos (I prefer autos for town driving) Usually white

But other than that, I wouldn't turn my nose up at one. I'd just prefer a full CD spec.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Kilpatrick

Richard Kilpatrick ( snipped-for-privacy@dmc12.demon.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Like that'd be a bad thing?

Years back, I went with my little brother to have a look at a Mk2 Scrote for sale locally - turned out to have pale blue paint all over the underbonnet/interior metalwork and a rather odd semi-circular zip in the headlining...

I've heard that Plod don't flog 'em until they're *truly* shagged - if it's worth sorting to keep it on form, they'll do it - and they ain't paying for labour.

Blimey, Richard, you do find 'em, don't you?

How's Binky's climate panel doing? In need of a new home yet?

Reply to
Adrian

have

of

The only thing wrong with Nivomats is their price. The ones fitted to my SD1 Vitesse cost £170. Each!, and that was about 10 years ago. Was far cheaper to fit a new pair of springs and Spax adjustable shocks. Mike.

Reply to
Mike G

Mike G made the world a better place for us by saying..

Zackly, except I used Konis on my ones.

Reply to
Pete M

Exactly. I'm no fan of ex police cars. OTOH, I do like the six cylinder

12v engine - really enjoyed the Manta I had fitted with one.

They find me. Did I mention I'd been looking at a Rover 2000 when I got this?

Binky is in stasis, nothing has changed - so I guess the whole of Binky is for sale, but after the Sera's repair bills, I feel a little green, especially since my studio is presently graced by a G5 PowerMac -

2.0GHz, dual CPUs and 20" flat display - which I'd rather like to stick around.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Kilpatrick

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