Recommissioning the Zed

[5imon]

Hi All,

Having had the Zed for 8 years its been sparsely used, many other cars have come and gone by i've always had a soft spot for her.

So, the recommissioning begins. I parked her up three years ago due to an expiring MOT and snapped bonnet release cable, then the key stopped working. Ladt night I found the spare key which I though didn't have the immobiliser part, but it does and she fired up on the first crank!

So I think that I need:

• Bonnet release cable, inc the one that connects the latches
• Clean all faces of the brake disks
• Fresh oil, filter etc
• Clean plugs
• Check brake lines
• Check tyres

These the obv such as light bulbs etc but I'll recommission first then do the MOT pre check.

Any more thoughts?
Also any pointers for a good resource of parts esp the bonnet cable would be helpful (main dealer, I know!)

Cheers,

Simon

 

[t-tony]

Hi All,

Having had the Zed for 8 years its been sparsely used, many other cars have come and gone by i've always had a soft spot for her.

So, the recommissioning begins. I parked her up three years ago due to an expiring MOT and snapped bonnet release cable, then the key stopped working. Ladt night I found the spare key which I though didn't have the immobiliser part, but it does and she fired up on the first crank!

So I think that I need:

• Bonnet release cable, inc the one that connects the latches
• Clean all faces of the brake disks
• Fresh oil, filter etc
• Clean plugs
• Check brake lines
• Check tyres

These the obv such as light bulbs etc but I'll recommission first then do the MOT pre check.

Any more thoughts?
Also any pointers for a good resource of parts esp the bonnet cable would be helpful (main dealer, I know!)

Cheers,

Simon

Hi Simon, what engine size is it? How much fuel was left in the Car?

Tony.

 

[5imon]

its a 2.0 inline 6. Not much fuel unfortunately!

 

[t-tony]

Not much fuel is a good thing Simon. Modern fuel does not keep and loses its potency which can also effect the running and emissions at MOT time.
Also being a six cylinder it's less likely to have problems passing the test.
I would at least half fill the tank with fresh fuel to dilute the old stuff as much as you can.

Tony.

 

[Mazza]

One of our resident breakers may have the cables....
@spurs fan in a coupe , @Synclare or @mrscalex

 

[mrscalex]

The bonnet latches and connecting cable are about £15 each new, so £45 total.

That’s normally where problems stem from. Secondhand latches not normally a good bet especially when new ones are cheap enough. Perhaps less important with the cable but I still go for new.

Unless the main cable is broken or badly stretched no need to replace that to get it operating properly again. That’s about £30 new.

 

[Jack Ratt]

I recently replaced both catches, cables and lever on my black zed and it was around £70 all in with dealer parts from Sopers

 

[mrscalex]

I recently replaced both catches, cables and lever on my black zed and it was around £70 all in with dealer parts from Sopers

Sounds about right. And I have done that before. But this time around I wanted to see if I could save the £30 for the main cable without affecting the operation. And indeed in my case it made no difference. Clearly a different matter if it's broken. Or stretched but you aren't really going to know that until you've changed the rest.

 

[5imon]

Thanks Guys, my main cable snapped and the second cable between the latches is very stretched so it sounds like the main dealer for all parts is the best route.

 

[5imon]

Next question then....

How difficult is it to thread through the main release cable?

 

[t-tony]

Before removing the old one, tie a length of cord to it and pull thst through with the old cable. Then attach the cord to the new cable and use the cord to pull the cable back through. Simples.

Tony.

 

[5imon]

Before removing the old one, tie a length of cord to it and pull thst through with the old cable. Then attach tje cord to the new cable and use the cord to pull the cable back through. Simples.

Tony.

Love to! but it snapped...

 

[mrscalex]

It’s kinda easy enough. But you need to know a few tricks.

You need to know where to route it. And inside the engine bay where to clip it. It does help having pictures or another car for reference.

As you go through the bulkhead into the cabin it gets a little more difficult. Starting with getting it through the bulkhead and seating the rubber grommet properly.

It routes round the back of the small relay board. And you will need to remove the kick panels to locate it into the release handle. You put the release handle back after everything else.

Where the 2 cables go into the latches can also be a bit fiddly. And if you’ve got air con you’ll need to remove the steering cooling loop, auxiliary fan and nearside headlamp.

If you’re happy with tools and learning/fiddling you’ll be fine.

 

[mrscalex]

I replaced the whole lot on my car a couple of weeks back and it had air con. The whole thing took about an hour and a half. No air con probably only 45 mins.

But I’ve done several now.

I’d probably double or even treble those times if you haven’t done it before unless you learn very quickly.

That should give you some idea of the complexity.

 

[mwpe]

I replaced mine last year, although I have air con, I didnt remove anything except the cables and latches. It is fiddly but do able.

 

[mrscalex]

I replaced mine last year, although I have air con, I didnt remove anything except the cables and latches. It is fiddly but do able.

Can’t figure out how you did that. But we’ll done obviously as it’s a pain taking it all apart.

 

[5imon]

Thanks guys, I also maintain my Riley 1.5 so I'm happy with a few tools here and there.

 

[t-tony]

I get that cable snapped, but isn't that just the inner cable? The outer sheath must still be there?

Tony.

 

[mwpe]

Can’t figure out how you did that. But we’ll done obviously as it’s a pain taking it all apart.

Thinking back, I did remove the nearside headlight to access the latch but not the fan or cooling loop.

 

[Synclare]

Nice Riley