Ive found out my new car is chain, not belt, which is nice, but I did wonder if there were any tips for maintaining chain driven engines properly. Ive read they like fresh oil, but is there anything else to consider?
Im building a list for my service which so far is: oil/filter, coolant change and a gearbox fluid change ( the boxes are a known weak point, being notchy and prone to issues, so Im hoping keeping the fluid fresh will help with this ).
The car has doen 35k and is 12 years old, so are there any things I should change as a matter of course for such a car?
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Auxiliary drive belt, check power steering fluid (if it has PAS), Change brake fluid (essential at 12), check rear wheel cylinders for leaks (lift up rubbers to check), check all brake hoses for cracking, all petrol hoises ditto , top engine hose may have hardened and cracked, rusty hose reatining clips, radiator corrosion, exhaust corrosion (heat proof paint - silver Comma is very good)...
Cracking tyre walls - inside walls, take out disk pads and copperease all sliding bits, Check disk faces for corrosion..
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Air filter is worth checking/cleaning/replacing. Although low miles the car is "quite" old so I'd also check the brake fluid and the spark plugs.
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Brake fluid if it's not been done already? You can hoover up a litre of fluid meeting DOT4 specs nowadays for a few quid. One man bleed kit for £3.50 out the factors, block of wood for behind the brake pedal stop your foot going too far.
There's massive syringes for £1.99 in poundstretchers and you can get flexi tubing by the metre from Wickes for pennies. Makes the gearbox job easy.
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>> Ive found out my new car is chain, not belt, which is nice, but I
>> did wonder if there were any tips for maintaining chain driven engines properly. Ive read
>> they like fresh oil, but is there anything else to consider?
I think that's all you need to do, keep the oil clean with regular changes. A friends old shape Nissan Micra has 140000 miles on the clock with regular oil changes and the chain is fine. Not even a peep out of the tensioner which is a weak point on those.
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Who cares?
It'll be dead or shifted on within 6-8 months.
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Seriously - good oil, ensure fluids haven't gone low, keep an eye on the tyres.
Proper bangernomics.
**EDIT** - and following the Daewoo saga, get the coolant tested for %age antifreeze (can get a device from halfords for a coupla quid to test its density).
Anything under 50% antifreeze I'd be tempted to drain and refill with 50-50.
I would think very hard about whether or not to try backflushing the system as I've seen plenty of (anecdotal) evidence of flushed cooling systems starting to leak/waterpump failures - if the old coolant is fairly clean I wouldn't flush personally on an older car.
For the same reason I'd never use an 'engine flush' oil treatment for fear of sludge being moved into narrower oilways leading to early wear - leave the crap when it decides to settle!
Last edited by: Lygonos on Wed 22 Dec 10 at 17:06
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You never know, I might keep it a couple of years, I often do with small cars, they seem to fit me better somehow. Im genuinely excited about picking it up tomorrow - its one of the few cars ive never driven, which is a novelty, but apparently they arent to awful to drive.
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I also like driving things I've never driven before, but have passed the stage where I try to polish tu*ds and get 10year old vehicles back to 'brand-new' condition.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it - you'll sleep much better if you follow this motto, and you'll also suffer less from backache/muscle tension ;-)
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Tu*d polishing is my job and hobby, what can ya do, I dont smoke, drink or persue the ladies, its my only vice :-)
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Keeping the outside looking good requires time, effort and not too much expense - I'd suggest keep away from the oily bits other than keeping fluids clean and topped up, and if it seems to be going well after 3 or 4 weeks change air filter and plugs.
AND WATCH THE ANTIFREEZE ;-)
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>>Im genuinely excited about picking it up tomorrow<<
Pop in and see Pat while you're down that way, she may even give you a job (valeting job)
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Its located in Coates near P'boro, hoping the roads are ok.
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>>Its located in Coates near P'boro, hoping the roads are ok.<<
Just take it easy, keep to the main roads, and you'll be OK but - take a flask, a blanket, and a shovel - just in case.
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I went through Coates on Monday Stu and the roads are clear with very little snow, but not much grit either.
Just watch out for speed cameras between Peterborough and Coates that are hidden among the trees all the way through Whittlesey.
Pat
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Thanks folks, ill add brake fluid to the list, but ill leave the plugs for now unless it feels like it needs them doing, maybe do them in the summer. Ill get it stuck up on the ramp and have the pipework looked at though.
I expect it will be worth looking at the MOT history to see whats been needed in the past, if anything.
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I'd peep through the curtains and cry.
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Nah, it isnt a BMW so no need to cry.
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I dunno stu, even the most bling M3-look-a-like-on-a-budget 316 with bump n bash damage is preferable to being seen in a Wagon R :-(
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I think I would rather the Wagon R. They may be a big ugly but they are honest simple cars for people don't give a toss about what they are seen in.
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See, I dont see cars as a style statement. Rattle actually has it right. Its just a practical no-nonsense car. A BMW is a self-centred brand, it loves that it is what it is, the Suzuki, well thats just a tool.
The styling might be unfortunate, id agree, Im not sold on it, but then I saw one of those Nissan Cubes the other day and somehow, I think square, practical cars are becoming a bit cooler than they were.
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>> The styling might be unfortunate, id agree, Im not sold on it, but then I
>> saw one of those Nissan Cubes the other day and somehow, I think square, practical
>> cars are becoming a bit cooler than they were.
Indeed, the wagon R would look better cubed...
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Test the coolant without a doubt if it is fine just leave it, if it is weak just top it up but don't bother draining it for reasons above.
I would check the plugs though even if you don't replace them because if they are left for years they have a habbit of rusting into the cylinder head but not all engines are effected by that.
As others said don't spend too much time on it, just check the brakes, do the brake fluid and check the age of the tyres too as well as condition.
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Sound advice from Rattolo and others about not doing too much.
I even wonder about changing the brake fluid, provided the brakes feel OK.
We never used to years ago.
So it picks up a bit of moisture.
Big deal, you're hardly going to boil brake fluid chugging around Northants in any car, let alone a little Suzuki which weighs barely more than you do.
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Unless a calliper gets a little sticky and gently holds the pad against the disc, not a lot, but just enough to boil the water.
It happened to me.
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...Unless a calliper gets a little sticky and gently holds the pad against the disc...
Not sure how a sticking calliper can boil brake fluid.
Clearly, if Stu notices a decline in brake performance he would need to do something, but that's the same with any function of the car.
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"Not sure how a sticking calliper can boil brake fluid."
It can - holds the brake on enough to geneate a lot of heat. Been on the receiving end of that - foot to the floor on the brake pedal. Quite interesting as you are approaching a roundabout!!
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Had a sticking caliper and boiling brake fluid on a Fiesta once.. Scary . Brake fade is not fun and it was only the second time in my life with it (Prior Rover 16 drum barakes in Scottish Highlands).
If you are going down a steep hill, your life flashes before you...
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Suzuki Wagon R+ - Chain driven engines - madf
