A Highland Z3 1.9 roadster
- Thread starter Pls
- Start date
What can over tightening of the wheel nuts do @t-tony ?
You will only find out when/if you come to loosen the wheel bolts one dark, wet night at the road side Dawn. This is why I make a point that each and every car which has it's wheels removed at MY place have them torqued to the correct specification when they are refitted.
This used to be one of my personal bug bears when I was still at work, when we took a car into the workshop for some repairs after the wheels had been refitted in our own tyre bay minutes earlier and were obviously over tightened. I regularly complained to the depot manager and the tyre bay manager only to be told that " We supply torque wrenches for the fitters to use and they are calibrated regularly", which is fine, BUT, it the torque wrench "clicks off" as soon as pressure is applied without any movement then the wheel bolt/nut is already over tightened due to impact wrench use . Rocket science it is not.
Tony.
Yes indeed my Volvo is particularly bad for tight wheelnuts. I actually snapped the square 3/8" drive on my breaker bar standing on it trying to undo wheelnuts put on in a tyre bay. V70s are known for it apparently.
Anyway, more handbrake testing today, off to visit a friend near Drumnadrochit, with a morning coffee at one of the Highlands' alternatives to Costas on the way:
That's the Georgian Loch Ness Country House Hotel. £4.50 for a cafetiere, including home made shortbread
No monsters spotted today. But a nice Scottish October day for a drive.
And very little traffic on the A82 by Loch Ness either - the tourist season is drawing to a close
Cheers
Paul
Anyway, more handbrake testing today, off to visit a friend near Drumnadrochit, with a morning coffee at one of the Highlands' alternatives to Costas on the way:
That's the Georgian Loch Ness Country House Hotel. £4.50 for a cafetiere, including home made shortbread
No monsters spotted today. But a nice Scottish October day for a drive.
And very little traffic on the A82 by Loch Ness either - the tourist season is drawing to a close
Cheers
Paul
We had to pop out for some milk, and dropping off something to chums at Drumnadrochit,
We then drove on down to Fort Augustus, where there's a good ironmonger's. And some locks on the Caledonian canal:
On the way home we went round via Glen Garry and Glen Moriston, with the hills of Kintail as a backdrop,
Some long bits of the A887 along Glen Moriston back towards Loch Ness are magnificent sweeping stretches with excellent road surface - and Ratty was flying! Another good Zedding shopping trip!
Cheers
Paul
We then drove on down to Fort Augustus, where there's a good ironmonger's. And some locks on the Caledonian canal:
On the way home we went round via Glen Garry and Glen Moriston, with the hills of Kintail as a backdrop,
Some long bits of the A887 along Glen Moriston back towards Loch Ness are magnificent sweeping stretches with excellent road surface - and Ratty was flying! Another good Zedding shopping trip!
Cheers
Paul
Epic shopping trip mate. Love it
Tony.
Tony.
Sunday, so it was car cleaning day! (I've spent my whole life avoiding washing a car on Sundays, on principle! Till now!)
Good stuff, the Autoglym roof protector I put on last month.
Cheers
Paul
Good stuff, the Autoglym roof protector I put on last month.
Cheers
Paul
On Monday Ray's Z3 was misbehaving, lacking power and not wanting to run above 2500 revs. Before I got over to the Black Isle ZedShed yesterday morning, with my new code reader, he had investigated as many possible causes as he could think of.
One significant discovery, when disconnecting and reconnecting many sensor and other under bonnet connections, was this one, which was particularly full of corrosion and green products thereof.
We haven't worked out what the connector was yet, but after cleaning up, there seemed to be an improvement. We took the car on a test run to Cromarty for coffee at The Slaughterhouse, just by the old lighthouse, and on the way disconnected the MAF altogether.
The engine responded well, presumably with the ECU going into default mode as far as the MAF inputs were concerned and after a few miles, Ray reconnected it. From then on, the car has returned to it's old self, accelerating enthusiastically, and running smoothly in the full rev range.
So, whatever he had done, the car seemed happy once more. Today we'll put the code reader on it.
In the meantime, as that problem hadn't taken as long as expected, we decided on a little light entertainment. So we changed the timing belt, tensioner and idler, water pump and auxiliary drive belt on my old Volvo V70 workhorse, with its' transverse 5 cylinder 2.4 twin cam, just for something to do till tea time.
Cheers
Paul
One significant discovery, when disconnecting and reconnecting many sensor and other under bonnet connections, was this one, which was particularly full of corrosion and green products thereof.
We haven't worked out what the connector was yet, but after cleaning up, there seemed to be an improvement. We took the car on a test run to Cromarty for coffee at The Slaughterhouse, just by the old lighthouse, and on the way disconnected the MAF altogether.
The engine responded well, presumably with the ECU going into default mode as far as the MAF inputs were concerned and after a few miles, Ray reconnected it. From then on, the car has returned to it's old self, accelerating enthusiastically, and running smoothly in the full rev range.
So, whatever he had done, the car seemed happy once more. Today we'll put the code reader on it.
In the meantime, as that problem hadn't taken as long as expected, we decided on a little light entertainment. So we changed the timing belt, tensioner and idler, water pump and auxiliary drive belt on my old Volvo V70 workhorse, with its' transverse 5 cylinder 2.4 twin cam, just for something to do till tea time.
Cheers
Paul
Well, no trouble codes on Ray's car So today it was a seat bush renewal day on both cars. Mine went up on the lift to save me bending so far to pick the seat up out of the car!
Then inside on the bench, following @GazHyde's excellent guide on the forum, using @Aceman's replacement bushes.
Each seat took about 30 minutes, plus extra time on some for sorting out spindle replacements etc.
Lunch was taken in Fortrose, just along the Firth from the Shed at Avoch.
That's Fortrose Cathedral, some of which is 13th century.
Another good day at the Black Isle ZedShed!
Cheers
Paul
Then inside on the bench, following @GazHyde's excellent guide on the forum, using @Aceman's replacement bushes.
Each seat took about 30 minutes, plus extra time on some for sorting out spindle replacements etc.
Lunch was taken in Fortrose, just along the Firth from the Shed at Avoch.
That's Fortrose Cathedral, some of which is 13th century.
Another good day at the Black Isle ZedShed!
Cheers
Paul
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We went out to give the new seat bushes a test drive yesterday (!), along a glen we'd not explored before - the glen of Loch Buidhe, north of Bonar Bridge in Sutherland.
Nice location, but no electricity, no mains water or sewage, no landline, no mobile signal, and about 17 miles from a shop, post office etc. We met one car along the glen.
Anyway, the seat bushes passed their acceptance trial.
Then last night, the first sign of winter came, as Ben Wyvis (seen from our kitchen window this morning) had this years first snow, 40mph winds, -4°C on the summit at 3000ft.
Best put a scarf in the car.
Cheers
Paul
Nice location, but no electricity, no mains water or sewage, no landline, no mobile signal, and about 17 miles from a shop, post office etc. We met one car along the glen.
Anyway, the seat bushes passed their acceptance trial.
Then last night, the first sign of winter came, as Ben Wyvis (seen from our kitchen window this morning) had this years first snow, 40mph winds, -4°C on the summit at 3000ft.
Best put a scarf in the car.
Cheers
Paul
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Great landscape to explore! Not so great the first snow.
The crofters cottage inhabitants must be hardy individuals to live in the wild remoteness.
The crofters cottage inhabitants must be hardy individuals to live in the wild remoteness.
Yes, we're very fortunate to live here. And it will be interesting to see how the Z3 handles when we get snow on our local roads - most of our neighbours have big 4x4s!
And many of the older generation here are certainly hardy, and stoic too.
Cheers
Paul
And many of the older generation here are certainly hardy, and stoic too.
Cheers
Paul
Well going on my experiences of using a Z3 and a Z4 in the snow. 
.
Tony.
.Tony.
Yes, I remember in the winter of 1971 I drove up to Scotland in my Austin A35 and there was lots of snow. I think that was my last time in a rear wheel drive car in snow, but it was ok and performed reliably. So we shall see - perhaps I'll leave the Z3 tucked up in the garage and use the FWD Volvo if the snow gets bad.Well going on my experiences of using a Z3 and a Z4 in the snow.
Tony.
Cheers
Paul
I’ve driven in Scotland in snow and it’s not for the fainted hearted, I can tell you.