March 2015 - Addressing Long Term Problems!

Now I have the car back, I've started to address some of the long long standing issues!

I put some money away for the £805 cambelt change (with water pump) done at MGC servicing in Nottingham. It was recommended by the forum and they have conducted several of these cambelt changes on Avantimes before, so this was my preferred choice, despite being 60 miles away!

That is one worry off my mind for another 5 years, although it does seem like a lot of money to not address any known fault!

Another thing I chose to address was the ground points for the front electrically heated windscreen. To access them I removed the body panels with the faux-vents in and the mounting panels. I then sanded back the surface on the car and ground strap on both sides and used electrical cleaner. Unfortunately it hasn't fixed the problem. The windscreen only has one or two electrical lines working so the fault must lie elsewhere but it was worthwhile trying and I was able to clean up the bits I removed. 


The transmission oil is something I wanted to change since I bought the car. I purchased 10 litres of Fuchs 4400 ATF as this is equivalent to the recommended grade of J3309 for the Aisin-Warner SU1 transmission in my car. This transmission was also used in GMs and Volvos. 

I do not have the software or equipment to check the transmission oil temperature (oil level to be checked when oil is at 75deg, C) so I made the decision to just replace the exact amount of oil removed. The gearbox contains 7.8 litres, and I could only remove 3.5 litres at a time. I removed the intake system, and the transmission dipstick in order to drain the oil. I measured the thick and dark old oil, and then measured the new, red, clear oil into the dipstick tube. I have done two flushes so far and intend to do a third to ensure the oil is as clean as possible. 

I have not driven the car so much after the change, but the gearchanges do seem smoother and sharper. However, there is still a long pause between engaging drive from neutral, and also when the car selects neutral when at lights. (foot on brake with transmission in drive). The engagement of drive does seem better but this might be a separate issue which I need to look into.

On another note, my Mum kindly got this t shirt made for me, which I think looks great!