MG ZS MK2 - XPower 120+ - theboynoz

[theboynoz]

Ha, no sorry, definitely only on the right....must have been the angle of the shot?

I'm a fan of the single exhaust personally, so won't be doing that particular mod, only maybe a stainless system in future.

[theboynoz]

Small update, got the site stickers fitted but still have a medium spare and can't decide where it looks best. Also got a rather sudden deflation on the right rear the other day so as it ran flat picked up some winter wheels with tyres to enable me to start refurbishing the 11's.

[peterzs]

Looks good, my alloys need doing, but I keep bashing them!!!!

[theboynoz]

Now have the windscreen to possibly fix, bloody 4x4's! Going down the Bromsgrove Highway and one cuts in front, flicks a stone that I thought had just bounced off the car, turns out it chipped the screen on the passenger side in the black bit and in the heat yesterday it cracked about 4 inches across! Grrrrr.

Going to need to sell my Astra for sure now, so I can claim some of the Zeds money back lol..... Can't wait to replace all the bushes etc and get the 11's refurbed and new tyres on them, then the bonnet etc etc. Wish I had bought a 180 now, next time, next time!

[theboynoz]

So I decided to use some of the summer evening light to test the theory that the alternator is the faulty part and release the Aux belt to see if the whining noise went away............



After faffing with the socket set and locating what I believed to be the tensioner bolt thingamy bobby I finally released the belt, was actually easier to release than refit lol!

Anyways, that there whine went and disappeared! So I guess I need to find me an alternator, 85 am one too, may just pop down to the local MG breakers at some point and swap the parts out. at least it is not the engine then!!!

Oh, and whilst drunk on Saturday night at the Oulton Park BTCC meet I performed a temporary fix to the broken windscreen, it was simply brilliant (at the time)!

[theboynoz]

My secret squirrel fix for a cracked windscreen, involving a sticker from the neck of a Doom Bar, it will be fixed properly before I actually need it again but that will be a few weeks yet so.......




This would be the tensioner then.....





A 13 mm should do the job....




Make sure you double check the belt sits on all pullies properly as mine was off the one slightly by the PAS pump!!! Checked by hand and repositioned and all is now well!

[theboynoz]

New Jobs List, forget the rest as these actually need doing......

• Fix Windscreen as crack got worse.....
• Replace Inlet Manifold Gasket - Bought and ready to fit
• Replace alternator - Done
• Service - to be done this weekend along with engine and coolant flush and inlet manifold gasket
• Grease interior fan
• Re-seat rear brakes as they squeal like a wounded piggy! - Actually a seized calliper so replacement ready to go on!
• New tyres x 2 - make that 4 and the 11's to go back on!

Other jobs are down the list now, even the suspension bushes can wait a few months.

[theboynoz]

Edited above post

So tonight I decided that having spent a couple hors yesterday doing the rear discs and pads on the sister in laws MK8 Civic I should actually fix something on my own car for a change, and managed to pull out the old alternator and fit the new (second hand) one which seems to have stopped the whining. I did check with the aux belt removed and the whining stopped so figured it was either alternator OR tensioner pulley...... so at £25 I went for the cheap option.

However, it was not all plain sailing, as I found that after refitting the heat shield on the manifold there was smoke! I do think this is the result of me getting the wire brush out and cleaning some grime off the parts I had access to and it may have fallen on the manifold, but as I cannot be sure I now need to strip it down and check I didn't snag any wiring or anything...... Damnit! 1 and a half hours and I could have waited!

[theboynoz]

Smoke was grime I cleaned off of parts and had fallen onto exhaust mani, brushed off and refitted it ALL again, and all seems well now. Will just see if I missed anything when driving tonight/tomorrow, otherwise it is onwards towards the weekend and a service......

Operation MoneyPit is well underway now!

[theboynoz]

Updated post #1 and this is still the hit list, really need to just start doing these jobs lol;

• Fix Windscreen as crack got worse..... - Needs booking in
• Replace Inlet Manifold Gasket - Bought and ready to fit when it gets serviced
• Service - In my garage with parts ready to be done, other things came up that took precedence
• Grease interior fan
• New tyres x 2 - make that 4 and the 11's to go back on when refurbed