There are times when I’m fixing a car and am happy to use an aftermarket part – but it’s not always the right way to go. Let me give a couple of examples.
We’ve been working on a late-model Mazda and needed a power-window switch. If the stock were available (which it wasn’t) I could have bought one online for $70-164. There was one OEM part available in Australia, which set us back $337! So you can see why people love aftermarket gear.
However, it doesn’t always work out. At Christmas I had a fella with a late-model BMW come In. He was referred to us as we were among the very few people who were open. It was overheating and there was no coolant in it. It arrived on a towtruck. It had a typical BMW hose that went in five different directions and ended with a plastic junction.
It was leaking at one of the joints and BMW happened to have a hose, which wasn’t overly expensive. The hose I removed was an aftermarket item by a high-profile maker and had failed. He rang the mechanic who fitted it and he refused to believe it happened, commenting they were just as good as the OEM unit. Not in this case!
Funnily enough a BMW workshop around the corner from me experienced a failure in a different coolant hose, on a similar car. The owner returned the vehicle and, at the time, the only available replacement was an aftermarket unit. With no other choice, they fitted it.
Exactly the same thing happened again – the hose in question had a thermostat built into it which refused to open. This time the perhaps frustrated owner insisted in driving the car and ended up cooking the transmission. That’s now a $10,000 repair job!
So the moral to that little story is to think very carefully about what aftermarket parts you use. Sometimes they’re fine and sometimes they can be a very expensive mistake. There are times when you have to take the extra cost on the chin, but will get peace of mind.
Meanwhile, Guido’s Project VK wagon is in with the auto electrician, who is the throes of finishing off the wiring. One of the jobs is hooking up the switch for the torque converter. As you might recall, we’ve built a 355 stroker V8, running a Holley carburettor, matched to a four-speed TH700 transmission. The lock-up switch is a Holley unit and we’re just getting our heads around the installation.
After that it’s straight off to the exhaust-maker and then back here for final sorting. We’re getting close – honestly!
Datsun timing
Hi Mick, I have a 1981 Datsun 720 4×4 with a L18S engine. I have had some issues regarding getting the car running right. Down low in the revs it experiences detonation under load and it pre-ignites when trying to turn it off.
Additionally, it fluctuates at idle and has an occasional miss that comes and goes. It has a Weber 32/36 carburettor and Scorcher Electronic Ignition.
I adjusted the valve timing to account for any slack in the timing chain a while ago, which made it much better.
The ignition timing was at 10 degrees BTDC. However, the problems started to come back and when I checked the ignition timing, it had adjusted itself closer to 40 degrees BTDC. I checked the timing chain and it was slightly retarded relative to where it should have been.
I assumed I had set it incorrectly, rectified it by moving the chain on the top sprocket one tooth and everything was good again, apart from a little bit of detonation. A while later, it started to develop the problems yet again and the ignition timing had changed itself back to around 40 degrees BTDC. What is going on??
Also, are generic spark plug leads available and if so is there any particular type I should get?
Congratulations to the entire team on 500 issues. I am 13 years of age but still love getting a hard-copy magazine to read every month.
Ben
Mick says…
We have a problem internally in the Scorcher. The folk at Scorcher will gladly take care of it, and that will be 90 per cent of your problems. There is likely to be a second issue, which is the throttle plate on your carburettor isn’t closing completely.
There was a valve design which meant that when you took your foot off the throttle, the vacuum port would let it close slowly so it didn’t snap shut and want to stall. You can disconnect that valve.
The other thing you need to do is fit a new timing chain kit.
As for leads, talk to Scorcher – they will have a set in a bag that will do the job perfectly. And congratulations on such fine taste in magazines!
Laura’s Lariat
I have a 1987 F350 XLT Lariat V8 diesel cab chassis manual DRW with fender flares, chrome bullbar and tow bar, and freshly reupholstered interior that I’m looking to sell.
I believe it’s eligible for H plates. Are you able to guide me on the best place to list it and price please?
Thank you
Laura
Mick says…
That’s a very low-volume model in this country and will be a challenge to price accurately. The market is much softer than it was a year or two ago, which is something to keep in mind if you’re reconsidering putting it on the market.
Try tradeuniquecars.com.au, which is our website and it gets to the right people.
You might also want to have a chat with Darren at F Trucks R Us, in Victoria. He knows the vehicles and the owner network. His website: ftrucksrus.com.au Good luck!
Light me up
An interesting submission from Michael King, with respect to poor headlight performance on the Jaguar Sovereign, which sounds like an excellent vehicle choice.
Poor headlight performance has been a major problem on vehicles which I have had to address many times during my career as a practicing automotive electrician.
The installation of higher wattage headlight bulbs will, in my experience, only make matters worse, and will result in burnt relay/breaker/fuse blocks, burnt headlight bulb connectors, heat damaged reflectors and lenses, burnt out headlight supply wiring, and in some cases an electrical fire which can lead to the loss of a perfectly good and valuable vehicle.
Should the headlight lenses and reflectors be in good serviceable condition, I would respectfully suggest the cause of poor headlight performance will almost always be caused by a low voltage condition at the headlight bulb connectors.
Low voltage at the headlight bulb connectors is invariably caused by the natural ageing of electrical components, including but not limited to switchgear, relays, fuses and their mounting blocks,
Connectors that have lost their tension, however, mainly by the ageing process of the wiring which leads to excessive internal resistance.
To overcome this I have developed an external headlight relay conversion. As the name suggests, the existing headlight supply wiring loom is partially dismantled, high and low beam
supply wiring is converted to switch relays which should be mounted as near as practical to the headlights.
I choose to use separate high and low beam relays for driver and passenger sides, for safety reasons. Auto-reset circuit breakers are used.
To power the system in light vehicles such as Michael’s Jaguar, I would choose to draw directly from the B+ post located on the alternator.
Power supply would include an appropriately sized auto-reset circuit breaker and cable.
Appropriately sized headlight supply wiring, can then be installed into the already dismantled headlight supply loom, and the whole lot rewrapped and installed to emulate the OEM set-up.
Headlight bulb connector inserts should be securely crimped then soldered before installing in their housings for extra reliability.
I routinely use a premium European-made standard wattage (60/55W) headlight bulb, however, a ‘plus 60 per cent’ version has never failed to deliver the required results.
Cheers and thanks for a great magazine.
Mac Carter – Townsville Truck Electrics
Mick says…
Good to hear from you again, Mac. As you probably know the Sovereign of that era had dual headlight circuits (one left and one right) for double-redundancy and safety, with glass fuses mounted on the radiator panel. Not ideal, but good for the time.
I agree with everything you’re saying in your letter. I like the Hella 65/90 replacement bulbs, if the wiring is upgraded, and like you use auto-reset circuit breakers.
Old wiring can really suck the life out of circuits, with the current starting out at 14.5V and is barely 10 by the time it gets to the headlights.
Blown gasket
My 1982 BMW E24 3.5lt with auto has just blown a head gasket and I’m wondering just how big a job it is to get it fixed? The rest of the car is in pretty good shape with around 250,000km on the odo.
Is this something that needs to be handed to a BMW specialist?
Roger Anderson
Mick says…
Don’t feel bad, they all do it at around that mileage – think of it as a built-in explosion.
It’s really not that big a deal to fix and any good mechanic should be able to handle the job. A lot of that series was sold, over a long period, so the parts supply isn’t too bad.
Unique Cars staffer Guido has had two of them and says Walloth & Nesch (wallaothnesch.com) in Germany is a good alternative parts supplier if you have trouble tracking down the OEM material.
Escort revival
Hey Mick, I’ve recently bought an Escort MkII sedan with a 1600 Kent motor and four-speed manual gearbox. It’s a little rough around the edges, but my Dad and I checked it out and it seems to have a solid body.
Two things we’re looking at: One is giving the engine a freshen-up and maybe get a little more performance; Plus, I’d like to repaint it but am unsure if I can afford it. It seems to be incredibly expensive.
Hayley Smith
Mick says…
A great choice of car Hayley, and a genuinely fun drive. It should bring you years of happiness.
The good news is the Kent motor was made in all sorts of configurations over the years and there is a huge amount of knowledge on them, including from the Formula Ford people and of course, the rally fraternity. There is a massive industry supporting them in the UK and so you will never run out of parts or options.
As for paint, that’s a bit more tricky. Don’t be afraid to ask around. Good automotive paint is liquid gold, looking at the pricing. However, every now and then we hear of a retired spray painter who makes a bit of pocket money doing private projects. Maybe ask around. Or, if you have the time and are feeling brave, maybe learn to do it yourself?