A number of jobs needed doing on the Cobalt car.
The central locking had been playing up on the front passenger door, so I took the lock unit apart by forcing the plastic case open, removed the bits of broken plastic spacer and glued it back together. This lasted a few weeks then the lock started screetching as the gears slipped. Inspection showed the case was parting and allowing the gears to lift causing slipping. No problem...fit the one off my now scrap mandarin car, which had never given a moments bother.
This lasted about a week before the motor failed to lock the car. It would reliably unlock, but rarely lock. I checked the main door loom at the connector and found verdigris on the connectors...great...a good scrub up and clean then back together and...it was no different...apart from the outside temperature display was now disconnected...!!
I had noticed the O ring in the connector was split, but didn't have time to deal with it, so disconected the lock motor two pin connector and put the door back together. Next the drivers door lock started playing up also by judderring and not unlocking/locking the car.
I haven't had time to deal with it, so had to resort to using the key to lock the drivers door and having no central locking on the passenger door.
Locking the car has been a right furore..
Lock the passenger door from inside. This causes the rear doors to lock and then unlock because the drivers door hasn't locked. Get out, lock the drivers door with the key, then use the plip to lock the rear doors...
That fault was very annoying but there were more pressing issues.
The car started being slow to start, needing extended starter motor activity...aha...simple, glow plugs or air leak, you say.
Glow plughs checked in situ, all had low resistance and aren't that old, so I assumed they were all OK. This is a Bosch equipped engine, so removing No 3 & 4 is a real chore. I was also sure it was an air leak.
I have recently fitted a new filter primer diaphragm so didn't think it would be that, so checked the pipes for tight conenctions. The one to the filter from the heater was too large diameter and not able to make a perfectly tight grip on the stubs, so a new peice of pipe later all seemed well...for a couple of days...
Clear pipe to the rescue straight from the metal feed pipe to the filter head and we now have perfect starting and reduced smoke output. It was the heater O rings leaking air under fuel suction.
Thinking, at least the list of jobs is reducing when BANG...the clutch pedal goes to the floor...and stays there...
If you look back you will see this car has had a brand new cable installed earlier this year due to the bell-crank splitting. The new pedal ferrule then shattered a couple of months later.
What had gone this time, bell-crank or pedal ferule?
The bell-crank of course...
Have I got a replcement? Well technically, Yes on the scrap car, but as I still need to move it I didn't want to use that cable...and if two plastic bell-cranks have split, I suspect a third might as well. What to do?
I decided to fabricate a bell crank repair piece out of steel.
A recap of the ferrule failure. Worth remembering.
The latest bell-crank failure. They always fail in the same way, the plastic shows stress cracks around the holes and at the tight radius, then they fail.
The bell-crank is 18mm thick and has chamfered edges so it can pass into the metal mounting bracket fully.
I fabricated a 18mm wide U shaped piece from 3mm angle iron and a piece welded on then drilled which ended up being the shape below, as it has to pass into the metal mounting.
Template... Sorry, no CAD drawing...
Mark up the thick flanges on the plastic bell-crank.
Now you reach the point of no return...
Grind down the plastic bell crank to accept the metal repair piece. Once you have done this the plastic piece will be scrap if this doesn't work...
I chose to glue the parts together, but if doing it again would probaby just heat the metal and slide it on.
Use two 6mm dowels to ensure alignment while the adhesive sets.
I also decided to ensure there would be no further ferrule failure so fabbed up a ferrule as well.
The final product.
This was a very awkward repair and although the ferrule is exactly the same length as the original, the cable was too short to release the secondary cable tensioner collet, so after removing the cable yet again, which is no mean feat on a 2.1td, I cut the outer metal shroud back as later cables are, so I could manually press the collet flange in...which released the cable so I could fit it to the clutch release arm.
I forgot to measure, but believe cables tend to have varying length primary cables. I recall member jorgy having problems getting a new, supposedly correct, cable to fit. I now believe this is why.
This car has a heavy clutch and I do intend to replace it, but others have suffered bell-crank and ferrule failures even with new clutches, so I thought metal was the way forwards!
To be continued...