Part of the family - a newbies tale

You have to love garages sometimes don’t you get another call at 5.30 saying it’s all done and has now passed.

They replaced the oxygen sensor and the alternator belt, as well as freed up the binding brakes for the princely sum of £400

Anyway they think it needs a new alternator as it’s only outputting 12v I took the car before they went off and did that..

My bigger concern is after they freed the brakes the pedal doesn’t feel very firm and the first time I pushed the pedal I had a oh sh*t moment. Will changing the brake fluid and bleeding the brakes resolve this ?

She’s looking a little less sad now



Thx all

I have always found that a complete brake fluid change makes a huge difference.
John

If you get a bluetooth obd2 reader, Ebay again, and download the Torque app onto your phone, you'll be able to see the lambda readings in real time. This should show you which is playing up. I have mine setup as a graph for O2 sensor voltage readings.

If you have an apple phone I think I you need a wifi Obd2 reader.

The Italian tune up is only necessary if you have a cheap catalytic converter fitted. These have a minimum amount of reactive material in them.
A pukka Mgrover cat. will pass emissions even when just warm.

I struggled every year to get an emissions pass and usually ended up buying a new cheap cat which got me through, until the next time! Occasionally they would last two years.

In the end I bought an Mgrover cat at about twice the cheap price, and the car has passed the emission test with flying colours for the last 6 years!

I would recommend replacing the rear calipers as there is a needle roller bearing in there that collapses and is not really a DIY repair. New/refurbed calipers aren't that expensive when compared to time and effort involved in refurbing yourself.

On the brake feel issue, they almost certainly used a blow torch to free up the brake caliper. I leave to your imagination what that does to brake fluid.

Sorry Gents work got in the way of life..thanks for all the tips

So plans for this weekend is to start working my way through the service following the how to guides with my eventual aim of being doing the full 4 year everything one.... started last night with change the fob batteries... one tick down.

Since the car has come back from the MOT the battery light on the dash is constantly on and driving it yesterday evening just as i got home the dash lit up like a Xmas tree the steering went heavy and nothing..luckily this was at home rather than miles from it.

Now in preparation for this weekend i assume it's the alternator and from what i've read i need to check the voltage at the battery looking for greater than 14 volts i think we know it's not... my question is are there any further tests and is there a way of determining if it's a new alternator or a new regulator ?

cheers again

First thing. Check the alternator fuse.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dl-Ui8lB0ASw&ved=2ahUKEwjKgOjPxOnlAhUMalAKHYPRDZcQwqsBMAB6BAgKEAU&usg=AOvVaw34a4CUlFi7tdao7ab854go

cheers will do that as well

Got some questions about spark plugs and oil am i better of starting a new thread ?

Hi .
Yes , a new thread would be a good idea . With regards the alternator , David's suggestion is good as the fuse is often forgotten about but it is worth mentioning that the alternator on both the F n TF is sited where cooling air flow is at a minimum. It has to put up with ferocious engine bay temperatures . Don't be surprised if you find that the alternator has packed in .
John