How did that happen? Scoundrel's guide to DIY vehicle maintenance for brain-donors

[scoundrel]

When you remove one of these in order to top up your engine oil, always remember to screw it back on again before you ride off into the sunset.

[otokonomidori]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

When you remove one of these in order to top up your engine oil, always remember to screw it back on again before you ride off into the sunset.

Clouds of smoke in the middle of Glasgow as the unrestrained spurting oil burns on the exhaust manifold and a very messy under bonnet environment!!!

Yes I've done it.

[scoundrel]

Strange times at Castle Scoundrel.

Thanks to London Mayor Sadiq Khan and his decision to impose a £12.50 daily levy on older (pre-2006) vehicles entering the inner London ringroad area, I have been obliged to buy and pay for a replacement motorcycle I shouldn't really need and which I certainly can't really afford. Based on price and specifications, I chose the new model from Royal Enfield, the Himalayan:


So far, except for one really bizarre incident where the new-type slot-in-and-twist petrol line fell off the tank, the bike has been blameless. The only people to touch that petrol line were the dealer workshop on the first service and there was a quite young woman assisting the proper mechanic, probably a trainee. I suspect she didn't twist after slotting when putting back the tank after the proper mechanic had checked my valve clearances. What has me slightly puzzled is that the line stayed on for two weeks after the service; but my old biker pal suggested a viable theory, simply that being brand new the connector is a tight fit anyway and wouldn't instantly drop off, but would work loose over time as I rode over bumps in the road. The dealer of course denies everything and proposes the theory that someone messed with the bike when it was parked up to try to steal petrol; highly unlikely, but then again it is highly unlikely that the petrol pipe would fall off the tank anyway.

Never mind. Except for one freak occurrence, the bike has been excellent so far. I have been meticulous about running in, because this is £4,200 of my money I won't get back and I must protect my investment. I have even washed it using wax shampoo from a 4 litre bottle I bought from a pound shop in 2004 and have not used in well over ten years. 900 miles are gone and the book says I can run normally after 1,200 miles [1,800kms actually, but hey]. I intend to go really mad and celebrate liberation from the running in schedule by having an extra oil and filter change stamped in my book at 1,200 miles, before I start going up to 6,500 rpm instead of 4,000 rpm.

One strange new thing is that I have reverted to chain drive instead of the shaft drive bikes which I have had since 2005. I had more than half forgotten how to care for my chain and it was after a week before I even thought of it. My biker pal swears by EP90 gear oil, which he applies using a cloth. I dont like getting oil on my hands much, and EP90 really stinks. I bought an old fashioned thumb operated squirty can from Halfords to keep the oil off my hands, but it doesn't work; it is defective and a piece of shit. Meanwhile, my chain only some white lithium grease on it, certainly not oiled when sold, and it was bone dry, while I was riding in the rain as well.

A few things I have re-learned.

• Don't use spray on chain lubricants. They are too thick, they don't penetrate the links, and they attract road dirt to the chain just like fly paper.
• The best time to oil a chain is at the end of a journey when the chain has been working and the links are a little bit more open to oil penetration.
• Never oil during or just after a ride in the rain. The oil will trap and seal in water in the links and O-rings, and this is a bad thing.
• When the rain stops and everything is dry again, oil the chain even if it isn't due and only needs a drop or two. Rain removes some of the oil and you want to keep that chain oiled.
• DO NOT "splash it all over" like Henry Cooper advertising Brut 33. Excess oil flings on your swinging arm and back wheel and makes a nasty mess.

After the abject failure of my Halfords oil can I fell back in desperation on the the only thing I had in the house, a little bottle of 3 in 1 oil. This actually is really doing a job. I can apply one drop per link and one drop on each side runner. It gets everywhere on the chain and doesn't fling much because I am not putting a lot on. The only drawback is that it is 20W oil and is a bit thin, so doesn't last all that long. But once a week plus the odd drop after rain is keeping my chain both well oiled and rather clean. I'm told its also a very good product for freeing off seized links on old chains when a bike has been neglected.

[scoundrel]

I have started an experiment with using more expensive high octane petrol. Shell V Power allegedly has additives which remove deposits from inside the engine, particularly around the exhaust ports and fuel jets, improving performance and making from cleaner exhaust fumes. It also has an octane rating of 98 RON against 95 RON for standard petrol. Most UK "super-unleaded" petrol is rated at 97 RON.

At present only the new motorcycle gets this luxury petrol. It costs at least 12p per litre more than the ordinary stuff. Also I have been warned that if I use it on my dear old Mondeo I risk the possiblity that it might only be carbon deposits which are preventing smoke and oil leaks.

[G-Type]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

I have started an experiment with using more expensive high octane petrol. Shell V Power allegedly has additives which remove deposits from inside the engine, particularly around the exhaust ports and fuel jets, improving performance and making from cleaner exhaust fumes.
...
...

Are you certain that the regular 95 RON petrol from Shell does not have these "cleaning" additives as well? As far as I know (at least from the German markets), the major brands like Exxon, BP, Aral, Shell (?) use the same cleaning additives throughout their ranges, regardless of the RON-index. However, the 98 RON liquid naturally does have additives to prevent from knocking, but that´s another topic.

On the other hand, I am totally with you to "invest" in petrol from known brands as the cheaper ones from independent companies often lack these "cleaning" additives you were talking about.

And for the motorcycle with (most probably) higher compression-ratio, the 98 RON is certainly best choice

For the Mondeo, tell us your about your experiences. Perhaps the ignition-box detects the higher RON and adjusts timing so that the engine will deliver a little bit of extra performance
.

[otokonomidori]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

I have started an experiment with using more expensive high octane petrol.

My two old Renault 9s hate regular petrol so I always use the expensive stuff - the lower octane level of regular causes pinking [ "knocking" for our US members] unless I retard the ignition timing a few degrees which causes a loss of power.

When I started driving in 1967 you could buy 101 octane petrol - packed full of lead goodness - Rover 2000s and Jags etc ran on it. The lead allowed higher compression ratios back in those happy days

[scoundrel]

Intriguingly, the Royal Enfield Himalayan has a compression ratio of 9.5-1 which is on the low side for a motorcycle. It is also a long stroke (or under-squared) engine, designed for quite low revving - the redline is at 6,500 rpm but like any single cylinder engine it doesn't like very hard revving all that much. I have exceeded 80mph / 128kmh [on private roads naturally] and there's a little bit left, probably enough to reach 85 / 136. But the bike doesn't want to exceed 70mph by a lot - the early 70s are the cruising maximum. That is roughly 5,750 rpm, a bit under 90% of maximum. Even there, with it being a single cylinder, there is plenty enough vibration to be going on with.

Just the same, my Ford Mondeo rarely exceeds 3,000 rpm with me behind the wheel; typically a car is in a lower state of tune than even a on-road / off-road plodder motorcycle such as mine. It is worthwhile to run the bike on good petrol for cleaner emissions, and to reduce the possibility of pinking (pre-ignition); and just to have a bit more power so it runs with less effort. Also, the better petrol will hopefully prolong engine life if I persevere with it.

If I can control myself at the throttle then the petrol consumption will be less and the extra cost might cancel out. I estimate the extra cost to be the equivalent of one litre of the cheaper petrol; so if I can get an extra 20 miles between fill-ups then I will be ahead. This is part of what I am going to test.

NB The Ford Mondeo Owners Club says that it is designed to run on 87 RON (which I think was the old Two Star) and so 95 RON is fine; however if you are fully loaded with 5 people and their luggage and possibly towing a caravan, it helps to use the good stuff for the special occasion.

[Estreeter]

Originally Posted by G-Type

On the other hand, I am totally with you to "invest" in petrol from known brands as the cheaper ones from independent companies often lack these "cleaning" additives you were talking about.

That's a known fact in my country.

The 2 cars I drive well,

A Ford Falcon FG X XR8 can use any unleaded but with 98 there is a minor difference, that's a supercharged 5 litre V8

The other is a brand new Ford Focus with the 1.5 litre turbo ecoboost engine and with any fuel I can'r pick any difference between power and economy.

That's actually a cracking little machine that Focus for what it is and it's intended purpose.

[cginok]

Originally Posted by Estreeter

That's a known fact in my country.

The 2 cars I drive well,

A Ford Falcon FG X XR8 can use any unleaded but with 98 there is a minor difference, that's a supercharged 5 litre V8

The other is a brand new Ford Focus with the 1.5 litre turbo ecoboost engine and with any fuel I can'r pick any difference between power and economy.

That's actually a cracking little machine that Focus for what it is and it's intended purpose.

From what I understand, and I'm no mechanic, they've gotten modern engines to the point where the computers can auto adjust themselves to the octane of fuel that you put into them. One of my pickups has a V-6 in it. I've tried three different octanes of gas and can't tell a bit of difference in either power or fuel economy. If there is a gain from higher octanes in that truck it's so slight to the point of being unnoticeable.

Guy I work with has a truck with one of the V-6 twin turbos in it. That thing will pin you into the seat if he gets on it. It has more horse power and torque than my truck with a V-8 in it.

[scoundrel]

Things not looking too clever on Planet Scoundrel again.

Thanks to multiple acts of theft against my goods and chattels I am currently dependent on a 20-year-old Honda NTV 650 motorcycle for any serious long distance travel.



Mine isn't a tidy example like this one. Mine cost £200 and looks like it did. But yesterday I splurged on a new rear tyre and while it was on the ramp I decided to have the coolant changed.

Hmm

When the mechanic opened the drain on the water pump, oil came out instead of water. There's a mechanical seal inside the pump and it has let go. Due to how the pump is made, the mechanical seal isn't a replaceable item; so that's a new pump then. Turns out this is an expensive item, £255 from Mr Honda - gosh, what were the chances, eh? I will also need to spend another £30 on other seals as a union at the top of the cooling circuit, in between the two cylinders, is leaking as well.

Thing is, I've been running this bike for I don't know how long with no coolant, and that's not good. Before I spend the thick end of £400 on an engine which was abused like a rented donkey before I ever bought it, I would quite like to have a compression test and find out whether I need a rebore and new piston rings from all that hot running.

Ha ha ha. It so happens that the previous owner mullered the spark plug holes and the threads are more dubious than Argentinian government bonds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c08wiEyVuak