Hello,

We took the Elite to get its RWC today. The results were disappointing.

There were various problems I hadn't picked up on, and I have no idea how to source the parts cheaply in a hurry.
It's a pity after I spent so much time on bodywork, mechanical and electrical.

The biggest issue is the steering rack. Apparently it has quite a bad fluid leak and needs to be replaced before it can be passed.
Besides that it needs new CV boots, a couple of tyres, an indicator and parking lens, drivers side rear view mirror because of damaged plastic, its muffler patched, and its rear wheelbearings seriously need tightening.

Does anyone think it's physically possible to do this in two weeks?

The big sticking points are getting parts, and time to do the C.Vs and steering. Well, and affordability of the rack. That kind of scares me. It's a steak part on a soup kitchen budget.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions. I'm going to try the wrecker on Monday, but I don't have much hope to be honest.

Thanks.

CV's dont take much to change, if you know what your doing

the most time consuming part would be the steering rack - concentrate on getting that done first maybe
wheel bearings cant be tightened can they?
i was always under the impression that they where a use once, when they die, replace them with new items - both sides at the same time.

muffler putty might get it thru RWC until you get the chance to replace the broken / damaged parts?

plastic parts like mirrors from a wrecker shouldnt be *too* expensive should they.

it is doable in 2weeks.. but - you shouldnt spend too long looking for the parts you need, just in case it takes longer to install than you anticipated.

my 2c :)

All power steering racks leak. All power steering pumps leak. My way around was to degrease the hell out of the car, right before taking it in. :D

Which side parking lens? They're cheapish to source from a wrecker, look on eBay for a new mirror, there was one last time I looked.

As for the boots and bearings, they're doable, if you've the manual, and the skillz.

Tyres and exhaust are fair wear and tear, it'll cost you around $45 for a secondhand muffler, and $35 a tyre for some secondhanders.

If you've got the time and finances, that's all done within 2 weeks.

If the rear bearings are even remotely like the ones on your garden variety non-driven stub axle they should be adjustable. It's usually dead easy for the average person to do too.

It's the passenger side front bumper indicator, and parking light too. I just went out to have a look. I had a very good look too. I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

I found the power steering one a little mystifying. Because of this apparent bad leak I decided to quickly check the level with the car stopped. I know it's not a good indicator, but the thing was full to maybe 5mm from the lid! I figure that it was either the mechanic topped it up so I could get it home, or... well, I don't know to be honest.
I've had some pretty bad PS leaks in other cars, but not in this manner. Argh!
I promised I'd get this car happening for my Partner for her to learn in and gain her independence. It also means that after it's on the road the Falcon can be repaired / burned / sold / whatever.


I just had a look on eBay. There was one mirror but it was a manual. do the electrics and manuals use different enclosures or just different guts, because the mirror works fine. It's just a total mess because it seems to have been shattered and hastily re-glued with contact adhesive.

What's the best way to get CV boots on a budget?
If the Magna CVs are anything like the aircooled IRS VWs, I'm guessing the hardest part is to keep all those cursed ball bearings under control. Is that about right?
Oh yeah, and removing the axles. Is it complicated or just a matter of unbolting the bolts around the CVs securing them to the axle and transmission?

Do you really think that muffler putty would fly with them? I'll have to see the leak for myself to assess I think. I wish I had a MIG.

Steamcleaning the rack is an interesting option. How far did you have to drive your Magna to get it checked though Gav?
If I were truly dodgy I could steamlean it, unhook the belt and drive it to the mechanic, and rehook/tension the belt just out of sight. But that seems a little too bodgey. I'd prefer to fix it, if there is a real problem that is, and not just an issue form some gimp overfilling it before we bought the car.

I think that covers everything.
I'm still pleased that the body, motor and transmission passed though. Big relief.

The power steering leak is only slow, clean it off the day before the retest, and it'll be fine. I drove 15km for mine, but it was more to conceal the other leaks I have.:bowrofl: It's usually not a significant leak in the volume of fluid, just the mess.

Where is the leak in the exhaust? As I said, a secondhand muffler is $33-45 on Melbourne, and as far as I'm aware, the external housing for the power mirrors and manual are the same.

If it's just the outer boots, and you don't mind doing it, there's a mob on Fleabay that sell CV joints for $39 a pop.

Have a TP parts car here, not my parts but the owner I am sure would love to sell off some of the spares, let me know if you need anything cheap, have pm'd you my number

CV's dont take much to change, if you know what your doing

the most time consuming part would be the steering rack - concentrate on getting that done first maybe
wheel bearings cant be tightened can they?
i was always under the impression that they where a use once, when they die, replace them with new items - both sides at the same time.

muffler putty might get it thru RWC until you get the chance to replace the broken / damaged parts?

plastic parts like mirrors from a wrecker shouldnt be *too* expensive should they.

it is doable in 2weeks.. but - you shouldnt spend too long looking for the parts you need, just in case it takes longer to install than you anticipated.

my 2c :)

It doesn't always take too much effort to replace the steering rack... I had to drop it out of mine when I had to replace the crossmembers. Took me maybe about half a day to get it out. Hardest part is just getting the center engine support crossmember out of the way, as it crosses over the main crossmember. Once that is out of the way though, it's just a matter of knocking the joints off the wheels, undoing 2 hoses, a few bolts and it drops straight out hehe.

Thanks for your help everyone.
Sorry I didn't reply earlier, but everything took its toll on me. I think I would have ended up posting rubbish. A night sleep later and I'm lucid now at least.

The best way to do it all would be on ramps, or stands?

Speaking of which, on doing the CVs. Would I need to raise the side of the car to work on so the suspension is hanging?
It might seem like a weird question but I'm just asking from experience with my van. The axle was just shade too long to unhook once it was unbolted unless the suspension was dangling. Yeah, I know, not a Magna, but it did use CVs.

After work today I'm going to attempt to get quotes from the wreckers. Not ignoring you MadMagna, it's just for all I know postage could be a killer so I'm exploring all options.

I hope I can get it done before the deadline, and within budget. It'll really make her day I reckon...

And also she might let me borrow it for work on hot days if I'm really lucky. The Falcon is like a furnace on wheels.

Thanks.

The best way to do it all would be on ramps, or stands?

Stands. You can do the CVs at the same time.

With the rear bearings, I'd fix 'em ASAP. I had mine go from OK, to the wheel falling off in 200km. (Cheapo bearings)

Hmmm, CVs aint that hard to do. If you're going to do the drivers side you'll need new trans fluid.

Hardest part is sometimes getting the shafts in and out of the trans and also knowing me, bending breaker bars trying to get the CV nut off. :D

Good luck getting it all ready for roadworthy, I know how you feel being defected. :(

Edit: Post in here if you have any major problems or questions and I'm sure we're all happy to help out with answers and advice. :P

I found that Bursons stocks the CV boots pretty cheap. The wrecker quoted me $50 each for the axles. You don't even want to know how much one of them wanted for some of the things.

Anyhow I drove the Elite up onto ramps today to have a quick look at whats going on. Both outer CV boots are rooted. One is cracked, the other is split all the way round. Both inners are fine though.
The steering rack looks pretty bad. Oil all over it and all the rubber is falling to bits. So it's a definite replace.

Couldn't get a good look at the muffler. Not enough time. Exhaust looks pretty nice though. Muffler is dented though.

I know its a stupid question but how much do I need to take off to replace the outer boots? I'm guessing I need to dismember everything?

I liek your method Magna Buff. Saves a lot of stuffing around. Only thing is I'd have to attack the ball joints for the steering anyway, wouldn't I?

I'm going to try getting some of the stuff tomorrow, nd maybe do a quickie tighten job on the rear whel bearings. It only needs to do 10Km on them after all.
They'll get done a bit later on. Basically I need to save every cent I can for this. Minimal pass is acceptable for now.
I can tell a few nice stories about failed wheel bearings, so don't worry, I know how bad they can be when they fail :)

Apparently Bursons also stocks CV boots for aircooled VWs too. Woohoo! I was wondering where to get one for my poor van. One day I'll get it back on the road... One day.

I can tell a few nice stories about failed wheel bearings, so don't worry, I know how bad they can be when they fail :)

Oooh, tell us more!

Check the middle muffler as well, but the rear section is probably the fault they picked up on.

When I got mine, it wasn't dented, the whole rear pipe fell off! I was a bit annoyed, as carb'd ones don't fit.

Bah...leave the inner joint alone.....

You can easily seperate the outer joint, the shaft will come out and keave the outer joint and the bearing pack behind. Change the boot and re assemble.

In so far as the ball joint, he is talking about the tie rod, not the ball joint, mark on the thread where it is now so you can get a rough allignment after, undo the pin and nut, firml hit the knuckle on the side, this will distort the taper enough for the joint to come loose and off it comes.

Oh if you are in eastern suburbs, go to Pistons in Bayswayer, these people leave Bursons for dead in both price and service, ask for tim, tell him Mal sent you from magna club and he will look after you

Is the oil engine oil or power steer fluid? I do have a rack here with good boots and no leaks. It is not mine but I am sure the owner will not want a real lot for it

Bah...leave the inner joint alone.....

You can easily seperate the outer joint, the shaft will come out and keave the outer joint and the bearing pack behind. Change the boot and re assemble.

In so far as the ball joint, he is talking about the tie rod, not the ball joint, mark on the thread where it is now so you can get a rough allignment after, undo the pin and nut, firml hit the knuckle on the side, this will distort the taper enough for the joint to come loose and off it comes.

Oh if you are in eastern suburbs, go to Pistons in Bayswayer, these people leave Bursons for dead in both price and service, ask for tim, tell him Mal sent you from magna club and he will look after you

Is the oil engine oil or power steer fluid? I do have a rack here with good boots and no leaks. It is not mine but I am sure the owner will not want a real lot for it

Do you mean it'll leave the inner joint and bearing pack alone?

Sounds good.

Sorry I haven't replied a bit. Been busy as.
Anyway, Eastern suburbs is a little far. I'm up near Shepparton. I'll be in Kew on Thursday night but that's a little late because I have until Friday.

Pretty sure its PS fluid. Nice and red. The rack looks pretty poor though. All the rubber is falling to bits.

I was thrilled to even come across Burson. It's pretty hard to find anything here without a painful pricetag... if it can be found at all.

Speaking of steering racks. I can get one from the wrecker for $65 if I remove it myself. Argh! And no, it's not a Pick-a-Part or the like either.

Sending you a PM Madmagna.

Well, Gav, the most recent wheel bearing experience was in May in Melbourne. I drove down there for training for work. I reached Falkner (I think.. it was a few months ago) and heard a thump thump thump griiiiind. First thought was "Oh crap I've killed the motor!". So I swung the car over to the pavement and parked it on the pavement between driveways. Neatly blocking pedestrians. Right across the road from the Police station. After opening the bonnet, smoke and all, and waiting a bit I opted to see if the problem still persisted.

After a little bit of stuffing around I concluded it was drivetrain and not motor noise. Then I started my limping journey through peak hour traffic with a seized wheelbearing. After a looong time I made it to the cemetary on the Coburg / Preston border.and had to stop. Then I had the fun of making my way to Kew with only a few dollars in my pocket on a Sunday evening.

Cut to training.
The whole time every break trying to find someone to fix it, to no avail.
Eventually found a mobile mechanic taht would do it. My Shepparton work associate gave me a lift over to the car in the pouring rain and failing light. Then the mechanic phoned and said he couldn't make it. AaaaaaAAaargh!

Got a lift back and stayed at y inlaws where my SF was staying while I was gone, wnd headed out again on the very first train from Shepparton the next morning.
Made it to Preston and hiked over to the Cemetary. A nice walk.
In the meantime I had managed to organise someone to fix it. Over near the big shopping centre and Bunnings in Preston. Way up the other end. By then the day was half gone.
Then I set about limping the car all the way there in heavy traffic. It is Preston, after all.
Eventually by the end of the day the car was fixed and my pay had gone through a few hours previously.
The bearing was welded so solidly it took the mechanic ages to chisel off the remainder.

That's one bearing story.

I put a car in for a roadworthy at Regency Park (SA). People form SA will know it. In the initial inspection he found my parkers were not working in my headlights. The steering rack was loose (minor), split CV boots, low reading on a brake test on the rear on one side, he took it on a road test to see how it pulled up and what he said were the usual oil leaks for a magna and he passed me! He must have got lucky that morning!

Is there any reason why I absolutely need to get the CV nut off? I can't get the little so and so to budge!

So I considered removing the whole assembly. Can't get the lower balljoint nut or the the tie rod to budge. A part of me thinks that'd be easier then moving the CV nut.

Which direction do I take now?

I have the caliper and the rotor off, the bolts that attach the hub to the strut and the tierod nut so far.

By the way, what is the exact size of the CV nut? I don't think I have the best match.

Yes you need to get the nut off so you can get the end of the shaft out of the hub. So you can then replace the shaft or replace the boot.

Off the top of my head I think it's 32mm, you'll need a breaker bar to get it off. :P

You'll also need the wheel on the car with the tyre touching the ground, sometimes brakes dont even provide enough force to stop it from spinning around.

Well, I nded up doing it the "old farts" way. The lower ball joint was being uncooperative as was the tie rod end.
The outer CV shaft unhooked nice and easy. The inner one is a different story.

I absolutely cannot get that 2 way joint to separate from that bearing housing. Is there something that gregorys forgot to mention? I know I'm hving trouble finding a lever that's something like 3cm thick that can grab onto a 7mm thick bit and a tapered edge. And the exhaust gets in the way. What do I do?

edit:

I can see by the diagrams there is a clip holding it in place. That clip would be in between the hollow two way joint and the relay shaft, wouldn't it?
I saw no mention that I have to remove anything though. just pry the joint off.

I absolutely cannot get that 2 way joint to separate from that bearing housing. Is there something that gregorys forgot to mention? I know I'm hving trouble finding a lever that's something like 3cm thick that can grab onto a 7mm thick bit and a tapered edge. And the exhaust gets in the way. What do I do?

don't bother trying to use a screwdriver inserted 7cm :nuts: blah blah to get it out. seems to do more damage than anything to the bearing/ mating surfaces good on ya mistu.

I just get a wooden handled hammer and turn it around so the head is towards u and press the wooden end up againts the double offset joint (end of the passenger cv) and tap the head with one of those short sledge hammers and it comes off in seconds.
If you don't get what i mean i'll repeat better. just use a bit of wood as a drit to knock it off the relay shaft.

I tried what you suggested, and found it physically impossible. How did you get aroundthe exhaust system?
The best I ould hope for was to shove the hammer handle in between the housing and the double offset joint and use it as an awkward wedge. Didn't work. Took a chunk out of the handle though.

I tried what you suggested, and found it physically impossible. How did you get aroundthe exhaust system?
The best I ould hope for was to shove the hammer handle in between the housing and the double offset joint and use it as an awkward wedge. Didn't work. Took a chunk out of the handle though.

hmm well you didn't try hard enough then:D
did my cv's a few weeks back and had them in and out over 10 times trying to find a problem i had.
ok now im on my back at the front of the tp. legs sticking out the pasenger side and head on gearbox side.
now the wooden handled hammer fits between the crossmember/gearbox/engine . Not an easy spot to get into but it can be done. after a few good shocks (hits ) it will come off mybe just try harder and longer or switch the wooden drift for something like a metal rod or a socket wrench extention or such to see if that will help.

I finally got it. After another hour of bashing, levering, prying, shaking turning etc I finally got it to budge a little bit. This was after I brought out the big guns of the hand sledge and a prybar. Eventually the winning combination was looping the bar around the gap between the joint and the housing and bashing the end of the lever. Even All my strength on 60cm of bar wasn't enough.

After a lot more levering, bashing and wobbling I worked it all the way out. It was really jammed!

Then I realised I couldn't remove the axle because of the skidplate, so off it came and out the axle came.

I replaced the stuffed boot and turned myself into a greasemonster in the process. Its done though. Now I just need to put everything back in. Then on to the rack, and muffler.

Yes you need to get the nut off so you can get the end of the shaft out of the hub. So you can then replace the shaft or replace the boot.

Off the top of my head I think it's 32mm, you'll need a breaker bar to get it off. :P

You'll also need the wheel on the car with the tyre touching the ground, sometimes brakes dont even provide enough force to stop it from spinning around.
Thought it was 30mm? Simple answer, check with a vernier.

Yeah, you're going to need a breaker bar, I used 8ft of lead pipe, and anything below ½" won't have the shear strength.

The rest of the repairs should be pretty easy, make sure you've got the muffler on the hangers before bolting it, though.

It seemed to be 32mm. I got the right socket and did it. Just barely undid it by standing on the bar.

Anyway, the cv boot replacement is all done and the car is back together.

Next steps are the steering rack and the muffler.

I'm a little worried about the rack. running out of time.

yep, 32 mm socket is what i have for that operation!!

power steering
undo the exhaust system from the flexi joint to the cat when you do the power steering that may help give you a bit more clearence

If you really get desperate, I have a NOS Armstrong steering rack:bowrofl:

If you really get desperate, I have a NOS Armstrong steering rack:bowrofl:

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, eh?

I'm having a bit of a day off today. too much degreaser, grease, cuts etc. Going to get back on it after work tomorrow. Have a good look to see where the leaks are in the power steering. I already found one on the low pressure return hose on the pump, but it's nowhere near the rack, so that's not it anyway.
The PS pump one I'll be fixing with a new hose clamp. The old one is a plier squeeze type, only I can squeeze it easily by hand.

Back to the rack. Where would the most likely leaking points be? For all I know it could be a leak around the high pressure connector running all over everything.

Where the high pressure joins is almost certain to be a good spot to start.

I tried to have a look today. Just now actually.

I bought a fluoro worklight from Go-Lo recently and thought I'd try it out. It worked great for 10 whole seconds. Cruddy junk.

From what I can see from the top ther looks like signs of a little bit of pooling on top of the steering box underneath(ish) the high pressure lines. Hard to say though.

I'm going to take it for a bit of a drive a bit later to see if I can aggravate the situation a bit and get some oil flowing.

If it's not too bad, I think I might give it some new boots and give it a good clean and change it over later. Odds are though the mechanics will see what I did though but hopefully let it slide. As far as they are concerned I might as well have put in another one.

Then it's just the muffler and one of the indicator lenses. I replaced one of the combos, but I got the wrong one for the front bumper. So similar yet completely different.

I think that's about it really. I hope I can get it done and registered by Thursday, otherwise it'll be a train trip to Melbourne.

I was planning on getting the front tires today but its getting a bit late.

Taking it in for the third time tomorrow morning. Well, actually second time.

They told me at the mechanic I had 14 days to fix everything. Got it all one with a few days to spare. So I thought anyway. Went back and they said I have to do it again and pay another $70 because it was 7 days and I was a couple of days over. Raargh.

Anyway everything is well and trulyu done. Replacement rack and new boots, new indicators, new CV boot, patched muffler (which was a tiny pinprick between pipe and muffler where a slight carbon mark was visible), two 'new' tyres and even the bloody bolt holding the spare tyre in has been tightened. Can't believe they got me on that last one.

After doing the rack which was a massive pain at best, including getting the steering shaft to interface with the splines, the steering wheel was completely out of whack. Fixed that yesterday after taking it for a test drive.
Because I didn't have their fancy puller thing I just undid the bolt and kept yanking on the wheel like a rabid Gorilla. Eventually it gave and the damper slammed me square in the mouth!
Its all done now.

I loved the brief test drive. I'd forgotten that driving could feel good. What sort of sound damping do they use? It's silent inside!
If it gets knocked back this time I... won't be happy.

Taking it in for the third time tomorrow morning. Well, actually second time.

They told me at the mechanic I had 14 days to fix everything. Got it all one with a few days to spare. So I thought anyway. Went back and they said I have to do it again and pay another $70 because it was 7 days and I was a couple of days over. Raargh.

Anyway everything is well and trulyu done. Replacement rack and new boots, new indicators, new CV boot, patched muffler (which was a tiny pinprick between pipe and muffler where a slight carbon mark was visible), two 'new' tyres and even the bloody bolt holding the spare tyre in has been tightened. Can't believe they got me on that last one.

After doing the rack which was a massive pain at best, including getting the steering shaft to interface with the splines, the steering wheel was completely out of whack. Fixed that yesterday after taking it for a test drive.
Because I didn't have their fancy puller thing I just undid the bolt and kept yanking on the wheel like a rabid Gorilla. Eventually it gave and the damper slammed me square in the mouth!
Its all done now.

I loved the brief test drive. I'd forgotten that driving could feel good. What sort of sound damping do they use? It's silent inside!
If it gets knocked back this time I... won't be happy.
Take OUT the spare tyre. There's no roadworthy requirement for the car to carry it, beyond it being secure.

Sounds like your mechanic is a bit of a tosser and is just picking on your car hoping to make some $$

I would have taken it somewhere else to be honest.

Sounds like your mechanic is a bit of a tosser and is just picking on your car hoping to make some $$

I would have taken it somewhere else to be honest.

I'm thinking that. Didn't know the first time through how thorough he'd be.
However the car has run the gauntlet so to speak. It had all repairs done that were stated on the pink slip from that mechanic and besides all the repairs being done, nothing has changed. So if he criticises it this time through there is a big, big problem.
Odd thing is the guy didn't seem so bad. He even said he had a couple of tyres there that would be just good enough to get it through.
He was definitely a strict person, but I can kind of understand most of it. Odds are he's scared of VicRoads in town. That's just a guess based on some of the petty individuals I have come across around here. I'm not saying everyone is bad, but there is a pervasive substrate of off-kilter individuals.

I think they were a little over the top with the pinprick exhaust hole and crack near the screw on the bumper indicator.
I do think that muffler putty is acceptable for such a silly leak though and I guess for the sake of consistency he had to mention that indicator because itc combo friend had a nasty crack.

CV joint was fair enough. It was split wide open and everything was covered in grease.

On removal the steering rack made sense. They said it was pretty bad because even the rubber mounts were disintegrating. They weren't wrong. The whole thing was an oily mess. I kept it though to do a rebuild on later.

The spare tyre bolt was a bit silly. I did discover that the reason it wasn't in was the thread of the captive nut is stuffed. A shifter and some elbow grease later and that little bugger isn't going anywhere.

Took it in again, got knocked back again.

Apparently I didn't do the wheelbearings tight enough on the back. Oh well. Easy fixed.

The putty for the pinprick hole in the muffler weld was rejected, so I'll find a place in town that'll do a quick weld for me I think.

What else... The thread on the spare tyre nut wasn't satisfactory. I dunno. They complain it isn't screwed in, and now they complain they can't pull it out. He says I have to retap it with the same thread as the original etc. etc.

And lastly, the centre brakelight, or lack thereof on the back window. The car had one when we got it. It was a cheap and nasty that didn't work and it was patched into the wiring with a splice connector. I really didn't think it was a standard part. Silly me.

Apparently he was also generous enough not to list having too much PS fluid in the reservoir as a knockback item. Heh. Guess I'll go and syringe that out.

So that's another $70 down. That really stings.

Took it in again, got knocked back again.

What else... The thread on the spare tyre nut wasn't satisfactory. I dunno. They complain it isn't screwed in, and now they complain they can't pull it out. He says I have to retap it with the same thread as the original etc. etc.

And lastly, the centre brakelight, or lack thereof on the back window. The car had one when we got it. It was a cheap and nasty that didn't work and it was patched into the wiring with a splice connector. I really didn't think it was a standard part. Silly me.

So that's another $70 down. That really stings.
Now,that's getting petty.

Take the spare out, then it's no longer an issue. Your car's before July '89? If so, no need for the highmount brake light.

Yeah, this'll be the fourth time? That would hurt at $70 a pop.

I have to agree that's nitpicking. Fair enough for the muffler - its not the noise but the danger of the carbon monoxide getting into the cabin and gassing you or your passengers or sending you to sleep at 100 kph.

The spare wheel nut issue should be closed. You've got it secure. There's no rule that says it has to be easy to get out.

As for the high level brake light, my TP sedan doesn't have one. My wagon does but it was made in Dec 91. They kept making TP wagons after the TR sedans came out until the 2nd gen wagon was ready.

This all reminds me of taking my sedan to get a NSW blue slip when I first bought it. I made an appointment with the mechanic for 8.30am. When I arrived (on time), he had booked in several cars before me. My car had an auto choke problem and I stalled it in his driveway. When I got it going, he told me to park it on the concrete apron and leave the engine running till he got to me.

At 10 o'clock, he finally got me to bring it inside and started checking a couple of things. Then his assistant came over and pointed out a spot of oil on the garage floor. He said "Look, that's from your car. It's leaking oil. We'll have to fix the oil leak.". I said, "How much will that cost?" He says, "Well, if it is from here it might be $400 but if its from there it might be $1,200." This for a car I just paid $500 for. So I made excuses and said I'd think about it and come back later.

I had owned the car for a week and had seen no oil dripping from it, so that night I put a sheet of clean white cardboard under it. In the morning, the cardboard was still spotless, so I drove down and checked out the concrete outside the mechanic's garage where it had sat with the engine running for an hour and a half the previous day. There were no marks there either.

Than I remembered that the spot of oil they showed me was remarkably clear oil and the assistant had been carrying an oil squirt can around with him. The little **** must have squirted some on the side of my engine so it would drip on the floor.

Naturally I went somewhere else to get the CV joints done and other things that it needed for the blue slip. I hate the roadworthiness system we have in NSW and Vic. It is too open to abuse, rorts and blackmail.

It took us 4 times to get the VL to pass. it gets expensive when they decide to find extra stuff that they didn't find last time :rant:

I would complain to Vic Roads about him if I were you

If there was not a brake light fitted factory, then it does not need on period.

As stated, the wheel is secure, it does not need to be easy to remove, some cars such as Fords have a bolt that needs the wheel brace to remove, this is even harder as will nto undo by hand

If he has picked things that were not an issue first time round, then he should refund you as he should have picked them

As for the muffler, I agree totally, once they leak they are gone and putty is only a temp fix.

Hey Hey!

I've nearly finished running the Gauntlet. I took it in again thismorning and he passed it!

Then I ducked around to Vicroads to make an appointment for their inspection / registration.

When I was there I realised the permit runs out two days before registration. They said it was alright and that the registration appointment covers me for that trip. That was good news.

There were only really two other noteworthy items. While I was waiting for Vicroads to open their doors an elite with no plates pulled up in the inspection bay near the front door. Had me really confused for a few seconds.
Also the car that parked next to it for inspection (a bubble 323) couldn't be started and had to be pushed away. I should have asked them where they got their roadworthy!

It goes to be looked at on the 28th. Should be fun.

Oh yeah, onle last thing. I love the aircon. Its a relatively wet day here today, and the aircon had enough grunt to have the vents spitting out fog, for lack of a better term.

Damn, I'm practically in love with her car. The sane part of me says "What kind of lunatic designed this thing?", But the part of me that loves nice things laps up the climate control, digital gauges, power everything and great handling and relatively large space. Oh can't forget bootspace. I despise Falcon boots... and the wheelwells sticking out of the back seats, and lack of headroom etc. Although The ZL fairlane I had for a while had pretty much everything the elite has except for handling.

I know which car will be used for long trips :D

Thanks for the info coldamus. And for the horror story.
I was surprised. I guess you went to a real stickler like I did. I had a favourite place in the town I lived in in NSW for pink/blue slips. He wasn't dodgy, but he wasn't an older car hater. My aircooled VWs went to him for rego. I think the Fairlane may have too.

enjoy your ride :D

glad to hear its all good

now report that dodgy ripoff bastard

If there was not a brake light fitted factory, then it does not need on period.
Obviously the mechanic is a clown. Only cars made after July 1989 require a high mount brake light (as per the ADRs). Given that the car is a TN it doesn't fall into that category.

Great to hear you got it passed though mate :)

I was surprised. I guess you went to a real stickler like I did. I had a favourite place in the town I lived in in NSW for pink/blue slips. He wasn't dodgy, but he wasn't an older car hater. My aircooled VWs went to him for rego. I think the Fairlane may have too.
Are you talking about John? If so the bugger retired, which really sucks as there are only two guys here that do blue slips now - one of which is a tosser and the other who sooks that it's too much work to do vehicles that are listed on WOVR :(

Obviously the mechanic is a clown. Only cars made after July 1989 require a high mount brake light (as per the ADRs).
Well one of the problems on my corolla when it was taken in for roadworthy was the inoperable parcel shelf stop light, which wasn't standard on a 1986 model CS Corolla. He replaced it for me at no cost anyway, but so it appears, if its there (not standard) it must either function, or be removed completely to get its RWC.

Well one of the problems on my corolla when it was taken in for roadworthy was the inoperable parcel shelf stop light, which wasn't standard on a 1986 model CS Corolla. He replaced it for me at no cost anyway, but so it appears, if its there (not standard) it must either function, or be removed completely to get its RWC.
I agree if it is there it should work but the thing is that it was removed in the OPs case. The fact that it had one but had been removed should of been irrelevant as it didn't fall under the applicable ADR.

Are you talking about John? If so the bugger retired, which really sucks as there are only two guys here that do blue slips now - one of which is a tosser and the other who sooks that it's too much work to do vehicles that are listed on WOVR :(

On Havannah Street? The place made out of Model A ford Chassis' and with the WWII tank under the concrete.


I'm going to need to do something about the third taillight. The wires are in the dumbest place. Coming through the centre mountpoint, where I want to put a mount. I have it on the passenger side one currently but prefer the middle for safety.

Vicroads don't care. I asked them about it and they said all the roadworthy people are getting like that.

The third brakelight thing was a bit over the top I reckon. Still, it has its green slip now and its going for rego on the 28th. Woo!

I was actually asked today if I'd use it or the EA for work. I said the EA, because I didn't want to wear out her car. Mind you I might borrow it on the real scorchers. Not fun on a hot day.

Just thought I'd add some closure here.

The Elite is now registered. My partner has already driven it a few hundred km at least. It has been interstate, and out bush to a nature reserve.
It is now covered in mud and gunk but still purring just fine. Good on fuel too!

Only one issue has cropped up. The vent control buttons no longer work, so we just get a light zephyr flowing from every vent eith the fan going full pelt. It also means that the aircon is pulling air from outside and isrendered ineffective. Can't be a difficult problem though, right?

I'm pretty sure I found the problem with the vents. A T-piece in a vacuum line disintegrated. I tried to remove the remaining parts and it broke even more. Ugh.
The rubber on the lines is a bit perished in places too. I'll get some vacuum line tomorrow, but I don't know where to get a replacement T piece.
I also found what I think is a coolant return hose which looks otherwise fine except it has split around next to the hose clamp,

There is something that just looks a little off in the engine bay. All the rubber and plastic items look a little unhealthy. I'm wondering if the car has a phantom overheating problem that doesn't show on the gauge. I know I can feel the radiant heat outside the car after a drive.

I still also have to get to the bottom of why both engine bay fans seem to be linked to the aircon.

Another silly question. Is the smallest of the three radiators (in front of the other two) an auto tranny intercooler?

I'm pretty sure I found the problem with the vents. A T-piece in a vacuum line disintegrated. I tried to remove the remaining parts and it broke even more. Ugh.
The rubber on the lines is a bit perished in places too. I'll get some vacuum line tomorrow, but I don't know where to get a replacement T piece.
I also found what I think is a coolant return hose which looks otherwise fine except it has split around next to the hose clamp,

There is something that just looks a little off in the engine bay. All the rubber and plastic items look a little unhealthy. I'm wondering if the car has a phantom overheating problem that doesn't show on the gauge. I know I can feel the radiant heat outside the car after a drive.

I still also have to get to the bottom of why both engine bay fans seem to be linked to the aircon.

Another silly question. Is the smallest of the three radiators (in front of the other two) an auto tranny intercooler?

Those vacuum T pieces you can get from bursons, repco, autobarn, supercheap from the champion stands

']Those vacuum T pieces you can get from bursons, repco, autobarn, supercheap from the champion stands

I'll try them tomorrow. I tried them recently for a fuel system T piece and came up blank, but this should be different.

I would not read too much into the condition of the rubber and plastic items. After all, the cars are 20 years old now. Any engine bay gets hot.

It is normal for both fans to run when the air cond is on. When the air cond is off, the radiator fan should cycle on and off as needed. It is noticeable when you stop the car (after it has warmed up) and leave the engine idling. You should hear it turn on and off frequently, say every 15 to 30 seconds.

However, with the air cond. on, both the radiator fan and air cond. fan seem to run continuously. I don't know whether that is normal but both my TPs do it and so did my previous TN. The radiator fan might still cycle when you are moving but I have never seen it do so when idling with the air cond. on. (maybe I havent waited long enough).

The other radiator you mentioned is the transmission oil cooler (on TPs anyway). I remember when I bought my TN new in late 1986, there was an optional towing pack available for an extra $500 which included the towbar and a transmission oil cooler. I think that was an additional cooler.

It was a broken vacuum T piece causing the issue. It was prettyy much at the stage of decaying to dust. The remnants looked fine but crumbled in my fingers. Replaced it and now the vents work again :)