STEALTH'S MOT 2012

Original Post 18/02

Time once again for Stealth's MOT - (Ministry of Transport) - Yealry Inspection for Road Worthiness... You'll remember that last year it failed miserably!

It's booked in for 10am on Monday the 20th of February, so that will give me a list of items it will probably fail on, to work to!

It's due for renewal by the 1st of March, and we're greenlaning in the Peak District on Sunday the 4th of March, so it needs to pass by then...!

More soon...

 

Updated 20/02

Ahhh... Suprisingly (NOT!) It failed... 

Here's this year's "Rap Sheet" - a list of failures to work too! 

Refusal of an MOT Test Certificate

#	Failure	Remedy
001	Offside Windscreen Wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively	Yes, the rubber's gone, some new windscreen wipers will fix that!
002	Brake pedal creeps down under servo assistance and touches the floor	Hmm, yes, the brakes have been terrible after the trip to Tong last weekend, time for a strip and clean!
003	Windcreen has a sticker or other obstruction encroaching into the swept are by more than 40mm outside zone 'A'	I blame Andy Whalley for this!... It's the camera mount! LOL, so that will have to come off for the re-test
004	Offside front Direction indicator not working	Just a bulb? hopefully...
005	Nearside Headlamp aim too high	Strange, it failed on this last year... the solution? Take the tools and spare wheel out of the back, and then it passes!
006	Offside Headlamp aim too high	ditto
007	Nearside front Front wheel bearing has excessive play	Hmmm, better check that!
008	Offside front Front wheel bearing has excessive play	ditto
009	Nearside front (bolts through the hub) Shock Absorber insecure	Hmm, failed on this last year too? The nuts must wobble loose, I'll fit some new bolts and nylocs.
010	Offside front (bolts through the hub) Shock Absorber insecure	ditto
011	Nearside rear Shock Absorber insecure	Hmm, strange, will have a look at that too...
012	Offside rear Shock Absorber insecure	ditto
013	Offside (outer) Front constant velocity joint gaiter insecure to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, etc.	Ahh, yes, as mentioned in the latest Tong blog, the offside front shaft took a battering and was clicking by the end of the day... time to replace the shaft... again!
014	Offside (inner) Front constant velocity joint gaiter deteriated to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, etc.	ditto
015	Service brake efficiency below requirements	Yes, brakes are crap, or rather, full of crap... playing in the liquid mud at Tong isn't going to help is it?

 

Ah, not too bad then... only 15 failure points, but as usual they double up on the MOT fail sheet...

That gives me something to work to though...

Better get the spanners out tomorrow then!

I was suprised they didn't say anything about the front number plate?

More soon...

 

 

Updated 21/02

Been out with the spanners for the morning, and have tightened up the rear shocks, the front struts, removed the camera mount, taken everything out - tools, recovery gear, spare wheel (so that the headlights align properly, and will give it a good tidy when it all goes back in!  ), stripped the offside driveshaft out and replaced it with a better one...

I did strip the nearside hub down to tighten the bearing, but there's no movement in it, even with a breaker-bar, so best let the garage have a look at the bearings...  More money!  Still, if they need doing... and whilst it's there I'llask them to have a look at the brakes, I did strip the rears down thinking they'd be full of Tong mud, but they weren't -

So it's beyond my knowledge... leave brakes to the mechanics!  I don't mind stripping suspension and diffs, but not brakes... LOL 

So, back to the garage and book it in for some work and a re-test...

Update - it's in tomorrow, Wednesday the 22nd, for brakes'n'bearings, and a reconditioned alternator as mine has been rough for far too long... 

 

Updated 23/02

And.... he's passed! Stealth now has an MOT for the next 12 months... So we shall go to the Peak District next weekend! (4th of March) - so prepare for another epic blog!

Garage fitted full set of bearings in the front hubs, new brake shoes on the back, and re-tested him...

Waiting for the bill...    

 

 

 

Pictorial Progress Pictures -

 

001 - Offside Windscreen Wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively

Yup, rubber has split away there... wasn't that bad before though, must have come off more during the inspection, off to Halfords for a set!...

Back from Halfords with a pair, might as well swap them both...

Done! And saved the fitting fee ! LOL, £1.99 for one, £2.99 for a pair, the guy on the till asked if I'd be ok fitting them myself? 

002 - Brake pedal creeps down under servo assistance and touches the floor

Need to strip and check the brakes...

003 - Windcreen has a sticker or other obstruction encroaching into the swept are by more than 40mm outside zone 'A'

Andy Whalley's beautifully crafted camera mount... now an MOT failure under the new regs. 

Four self-tapping screws and it'll be off...

Fixed!  Just need to re-attach it after it passes! LOL 

004 - Offside front Direction indicator not working

"No likey, no lighty"... nope, it's not working... very corroded

Worked it backwards and forwards with a pair of long nose pliars, so that it go an earth and Hey Presto...!

Fixed 

005 - Nearside Headlamp aim too high

and

006 - Offside Headlamp aim too high

The offending objects, take these back out and the headlamp aim is restored 

007 - Nearside front Front wheel bearing has excessive play

and

008 - Offside front Front wheel bearing has excessive play

Indeed, after jacking each side up and having a waggle, there does seem some play in the bearings...

Hub off...

Retaiing Screws out...

Lock ring off... and then a nice fight with a bearing tool and a breaker bar, but no movement in the bearing retaining ring... so must be the bearings?

One for the garage that I'm afraid... 

009 - Nearside front (bolts through the hub) Shock Absorber insecure

and

010 - Offside front (bolts through the hub) Shock Absorber insecure

Nice new set of bolts and wind them up nice and tight...

Tightened up, Points 9 & 10 fixed, and the new(er) driveshaft is going in at the same time...

011 - Nearside rear Shock Absorber insecure

Yes, indeed, on inspection the bolt through the original mount has loosened with offroad abuse, just needs nipping up with a couple of 19mm spanners

012 - Offside rear Shock Absorber insecure

Yes, indeed, on inspection the bolt through the original mount has loosened with offroad abuse, just needs nipping up with a couple of 19mm spanners

013 - Offside (outer) Front constant velocity joint gaiter insecure to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, etc.

Yes, this one popped off at Tong!

014 - Offside (inner) Front constant velocity joint gaiter deteriated to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, etc.

Inner gaitor has gone too, time for a new shaft on this side!

New shaft fitted, and new nylocs on the securing bolts, might as well swap them as a matter of course.

015 - Service brake efficiency below requirements

Need to strip and check the brakes...