City Council Candidate for Rose Hill & Iffley, D&T teacher, building wind and solar-powered cars at school, and a whole bunch of other projects. Posts in a personal capacity.
Here is my Amazon link amzn.to/3VOtgeS but currently looks like they are out of stock. This link is showing in stock www.tools2go-int.com/13716620/engine-lowering-bolt-set-for-smart-4-pcs and costs £26. I had to experiment with different ideas, but once I had worked out how to do it and jack the car up, I think half a day. Starting again I would give myself a day to do.
You are not *standing* against the LTNs. You are *sitting* agaist the LTNs, sitting in your car. I'm a pedestrian I am *standing* in favour of the LTNs.
LTNS are dangerous, they encourage bad cycling, they are bad for the environment, they are causing businesses to close, they are delays residents making them late for important appointments. You admitted on camera once to altering street furniture, namely an LTN making it permanent to the point even emergency vehicles could no longer get through, you are a danger to the public Theo.
As a time served mechanic I bought the red strengthening kit and thought it would only be a five minute job. Then I found your video and it saved me cursing and grazed knuckles. Thank you for that. I need to buy those lowering bolts and leave the job for a weekend not a day. Subscribed cheers
You can virtually taste the joy on your face when you discovered the root cause of your noises. All the others are of similar vintage and it was not a wasted exercise replacing those also. Apart from the quiet clunk-free ride you'll now benefit from the full horsepower and better fuel economy. Wins all around. Superbly filmed and documented. ❤
Hi David. You and your son make my day every time I watch your videos. You come across as such a gentle, caring person and doing everything with your son so he learns too is extra special. My wife of 43 years died suddenly last year and I've adopted her Smart 451 2010 and am stripping it down to the Tridion cage and checking everything from top to bottom. You and Auto Knight are my goto channels as everything is grass roots with no showboating or gimmicks. Just pure commonsense engineering of the old school logic variety. I'm lucky in that my wife bought her 451 from a person who hardly drove it and kept it in a very dry garage. So basically there's zero rust and all the hardware is as free as the day it left the factory. I cry when I see you struggle trying to get yours apart but I guess that's part of the interest, how you prevail however hard things are stuck! Please do address the rust on the Tridion cage and De Dion arm though, as these areas if they get any worse are likely to lead to an MOT failure or worse! Keep up the good work and say hi to Julian from me and my dog ALFIE! 😎 Good luck
We didnt plan to do things together, initially the car was a means of keeping out of the house (I don't like to be inside). Julian is autistic and he slowly became interested in working together and helping. So I guess it brought us closer together. Since I did the engine mounts especially the centre one the car has been running brilliantly, hence I haven't uploaded any videos recently. I have planned a few more videos after the MOT this month, and take on board the rust problems. Not sure how to address this, whether to treat what I have or buy a complete subframe. I think I'll wait to see what issues ariuse from the MOT, probably quite a lot! Talk to you soon, David
I've been asking my garage for years what the banging on take up is. They say that they have checked the drive train and its all good. They never mention this engine mount. I wonder why :) I know that they took the sump off to change the alternator but I suppose its the top bolts that are accessible.
One clue is a clunk when you start from stationary, then it comes back in a low rev range and then accelerates. Would be good to get it on a ramp and have a look.
Here's a though what would be the down side to keeping everything wired how it came and just have one single cable going to the fuse block!? Currently that's the route I'm thinking of going
Hi Mr David! Thanks for the video.I just replaced starter on my Smart.Finaly car starting normally.It was also challenging work. But in the end I need your help I left my car work on idle for 10 minutes and after that suddenly car turned off.I started car again and car working rough like he is missing air or something something is wrong and I can't figure it out. I have engine fault and unfortunately I don't have diagnostic tool to read the fault. After the car cool down engine working better. do you have any idea what should I check first? Regards!
Hi, glad to hear you were able to change the starter motor. If you have an engine management light I really would get a cheap diagnostic tool. Here's the one I have amzn.to/4d9tPIp on Amazon. I had a bad idle engine and it was the oxygen sensor, but because there are two I really would recommend getting a diagnostic tool. Could also be a fuel issue like a spark plug. Once you have the engine fault code, let me know and I'll see if I can help.
Hi , thanks for fast reply! I bought diagnostic tool last night.Code read out says "Throttle pedal position Sensor Switch A Circuit" now car doesn't move and do not accepting any power. I have deleted the fault code and removed throttle boody to see what going on, reinstalled throttle body.After that car is accepting the throttle and I have power.No Engine fault with "Throttle pedal position Sensor Switch A Circuit" but big bang I hear when I give more power and engine fault is on but diagnostic tool do not read the fault. Do you know maybe what can it be? thanks!
Short update all OK it seems that something was with a connector on the throttle body.Connector cleaned with contact spray all working now. Just one more question after the coolant hose was removed do I need to bleed the cooling system?
@@cromgu3664 Turn the engine on and let it get up to temperature, if it keeps getting hotter it means you might have an air block. This will mean you will need to bleed.
@@shed52 Most people that live in LTNs report the benefits of cleaner air and quieter, safer streets. The people that complain are those that think motorists should have priority everywhere they go. As for a cleaner, greener solution, maybe try leaving your car at home and using public transport?
@@djturbine7565 In Oxford we are experiencing displacement. Neigbouring roads to LTNs are seeing higher concentrations of pollution and queing traffic does actually translate to net congestion and an increase in pollution. Unfortunately, we are also experiencing a decease in public transport delivery. 3A in Blackbird Leys is no longer accessible to older vulnerable residents, the bus service in Littlemore has decreased with the loss of one service.
Hi David. Hope you're well. Thanks for another detailed video. I'm having my own intermittent issues with the Smart Roadster starter motor - fitted only 2 years ago. It was likely a refurbished unit as the garage was being unhelpful about the make & model they used:( The issue: Using Mr Harrison's guide from Evilution - about every 4 to 5 starts I have to gently knock the the starter motor via the gap in the manifold. It then confidently starts & all is well. If i'm not mistaken knocking releases the stuck solenoid that temporarily fixed the issue? If I were to remove the starter as per your video - quite a task I know - do you think I could do anything on the bench to stop the seizing? This was fitted 'new' in February 2022 - so I had approx 18 months before it happened. Any advice would be much appreciated, Best Regards Almo
Interesting that this is your second starter motor, I've also had to fit two! Your right tapping does release a struct solenoid. Using drop bolts to lower the subframe is the easiest way to gain access to the starter. The second time I replaced the starter, I also changed the alternator, simply because I could while I had good access.
@@shed52 Hi. Yes the battery is good & well maintained with a monitor. I do have a more recent Alternator problem (last two weeks)- only charging sometimes. I wonder if the aforementioned starter motor issue has now caused the alternator to be inconsistent. The Alternator is freely rotating as it should / no slipping. I used a Multimeter of course to test whilst running & some days it doesn't charge at all / reach anywhere near 13.5 (with a fully charged battery) - but yesterday it worked okay. The inconsistent behaviour is a little confusing - I have read that Alternators don't always just die - they can slowly deteriorate. Do you think anything else could be the cause? Thanks again
Thank you for the great video. You cover some methods others do not. If a switch is simply closing the circuit via the hot wire why do they have a negative pole? All I can figure is to illuminate the blue LED indicator in the switch and if you didn’t want that then leave the negative off. Is this correct?
Essentially you are right. Nice to have the main switch illuminated if you are entering the van at night and need a guide. Even a small light on the switch can be annoying at night.
Hi there, thank you for your video, this may be a stupid question, but originally you say about the switch using the gold prong for ground, then went on to connect lives to all 3 terminals on both switches, were both of the switches on/off/on switches? Thanks in advance.
No, the first switch had a LED fitted, so the switch required a ground to light it when on. The first switch was simply an ON/OFF switch. No LED fitted to the second ON/OFF/ON switches.
I have a question for you. When you drop the engine cradle using the long bolts, you need to take off any kind of components ( like earth strap, handbrake cables, fuel line connections, ecc...) or it's just possible to drop the cradle directly? Thank you so much!!
On the inner side of the wheel arch on the passenger side, there are a few cables held in by a bracket. If you decide to use the lowering bolts this bracket needs to be released. You will also need to release the handbrake for lowering otherwise, but not necessary to release the handbrake cables at the hub. Other than the bracket I mentioned earlier it will drop smoothly.
I used the same process to access the starter motor. Also necessary to get the car as high up as possible before lowering this gives space to get underneath.
Ah delighted for you! That’s absolutely great information! Seriously - great video for someone who hasn’t done this job. The lowering bolts certainly help with access don’t they? Yourself and Julian going for a spin now? 😂
Center mount is a complete pain. The red power flex inserts are a better option than filling with silicone. Bumper off and xframe. You will need to drop the drivers side engine mount down a tad, keeping the bolts in place. Support the gear box again with the jack, take the centre bolt out of the front mount (essentially splitting it), but the bolt can be tricky to remove due to other components. If your going to replace the full mount, the top part will have to be unbolted through top of the engine (if you have aircon, it can be difficult) with a very long extension. The other half from underneath, but go easy on those bolts onto the engine as they tend to snap (apply heat if required). Then replace every thing in reverse with the mount split in half and finally attaching the center bolt in the mount. With two people this will take 4-5 hours.
Thanks for this, I hadn't thought about taking the side engine mount to create space. It does look like a pain but I will follow your instructions and have a try over the next few weeks. Fortunately, I have a van so I can take a little longer as the other vehicle will keep me on the road. I'll let you know how I get on.
@@milanjovanovic6259 Rubber bushes are moulded into the new engine mounts. Its Ok to use them like that without polyurethane bushes and you will have less vibration. I do however like the polyurethane bushes on the centre mount.
After replacing two engine mounts it hasn't solved the problem. Looking at the center engine mount it looks split so I will change the center mount next.
Have you done the centres mount yet? Common practice is the leave current bracket in place, and replace just the bushing. You can buy power flex inserts for the bushing. Supposed to really improve the feel of the car, but more vibrations when idling
Hi, I have had a look at this one, which is high up on my 450 and difficult to get at. It looks really difficult to get at. I will take your advice and get some PowerFlex inserts, If I do this one, I don't want to take it off again. On the 450 it looks really difficult, so I'm going to order extended bolts (drop bolts) and lower the whole subframe.
I have the same lights all wired separately on there own individual switches , they all work ok but the blue light on the switch doesn’t light up, what I am doing wrong
Hi John, I assume you have a live red wire coming from the fuse to the switch and then the return cable going to a negative pole of a fuse box or ground to the van? Could you let me know, and if it's still not illuminating please let me know.
The easiest way to check glow plugs without unscrewing, is to use a simple bulb tester. One end should be connected to the positive of the battery, and the other to the glow plug. When glow plug is functioning properly, the light will come on. If not, the bulb will not light.
I wasn't sure, a subscriber suggested it might be the fault. It was good advice, but it didn't solve the problem. Another subscriber has suggested the engine mounts might be the problem, so I am currently changing those.
Great video! Your calm and knowledgeable voice and manner was nice to follow along and listen to. And I'm glad you decided to go without music for the most part. New subscriber. All the best!
Glad you liked it, if you want to try it on your van or house it's possible to download an app onto a mobile phone. I use it to detect drafts and heat losses around the house.
I found this door on eBay, I think I paid £120 including shipping. So it made sense to change the door with a glass windowed door rather than buy a window kit and fit.