To buy or not to buy??

trx said:

They cant get rid of Diesel cars until 50% at least are battery power.
To much Co2 comes out of Petrol cars and its already gone up a few %
In the last 18 months due the drop in Diesel buyers.
Bad for global warming is Petrol.
Dave

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A good question to ask the multi national oil company's would be what other use can diesel be used for if not burnt fuelling cars.
because to produce petrol through the old but tested way of fractional distillation you produce diesel, will they store it
or spend billions on new distillation processes to break it down to other hydrocarbon molecules and for what use,
hydrocarbons by their very nature pollute our planet.
demonize diesel by all means but as long as we have crude oil production you have diesel.

Ah - yes, that's it - thanks

gaza gas said:

A good question to ask the multi national oil company's would be what other use can diesel be used for if not burnt fuelling cars.
because to produce petrol through the old but tested way of fractional distillation you produce diesel, will they store it
or spend billions on new distillation processes to break it down to other hydrocarbon molecules and for what use,
hydrocarbons by their very nature pollute our planet.

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I'm not up the heavy oil production, other than it's made as a by-project of petrol production. But yes, unless there's another use for it, it'll end up in land fill, or something just as polluting. I'm assuming that engines that burn kerosene, could also burn diesel, with some modification.

Nodge68 said:

I'm not up the heavy oil production, other than it's made as a by-project of petrol production. But yes, unless there's another use for it, it'll end up in land fill, or something just as polluting. I'm assuming that engines that burn kerosene, could also burn diesel, with some modification.

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Other way round.

Petrol, or gasoline, as it is known in North America, had almost no markets until the development of the petrol engine. It was actually burnt off in open pits in the early days of the oil extraction industry.

Heavy oil has many uses, it is close on the fractionating column to where kerosene, which is used for jet fuel and heating oil comes off, and is quite a good lubricant, and actual diesel can be used to fuel many heating systems, and furnaces in industry, etc., and is widely used as a fuel in boats and ships.

I am not sure, but suspect that this may be a reason why diesel is now very much more expensive at the pumps than petrol.

The original diesel engine in its infancy, American designed was first run on peanut oil .
Any way if we get back to basics what ever derives from heavy oil, whether we burn it in cars or domestic heating or spray it on seized bolts it pollutes.
If we manufacture it to form plastic it pollutes.
the world has a surplus of lpg gas. 60% of lpg comes from natural gas, 40% from heavy oil.
the surplus is waste burnt off, can not remember the meter cube, even ton was quoted but it was massive.
What will happen with the surplus of diesel burnt off!
vacuum distillation units are a massive step from the current atmospheric units, cracker plants... very deep pockets.

They could pump it to power stations and burn it there with at least some use from burning it.

Heck i am having a rant now, lpg vehicles produce less emission than petrol or diesel average 30% less.
we burn off all the surplus liquid petroleum gas in to fresh air.. over production.
charge 40 pence per ltr at pump hey it will catch on.
rapeseed oil along with all vegetable oils has a carbon neutral foot print.
subsidise uk farmers to produce a CARBON neutral product.
well that is if politicians are serious on global warming and the health of the very people that vote for them and trust them.
Sorry never going to happen to much profit to be made by the big government lobbyists.
and you lot drive around in your 20 mpg land rovers, remind me why i am in the process of buying a double cab pick up.
with saw tooth wheels of course.

If motorway speeds dropped from 70 to 60mph they quote something like 10% reduction int emissions fer the uk. A simple solution to oftset keeping all Freelander ont road int future.

Have you noticed how Tesla drivers keep to the speed limit? Having a degree of range anxiety and thinking where you can get your next top up of fuel does encourage more environmentally-friendly consumption.

We've probably had it too good - and certainly fossil fuels are very, very convenient...

rob_bell said:

Have you noticed how Tesla drivers keep to the speed limit?

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They're not alone in keeping speeds down. Prius driver's are always plodding along at 56 Mph too, and are a real danger on the middle lane of the motorway.

I think there's a good argument for a dedicated EV/ hybrid lane, especially if they're going to become a danger to fossil fuel powered vehicles.

I think it will be the other way round. Fossil fuel cars will get a lane.

Thread revival!!

If you had the opportunity of buying a bargain 1.8 with 60k on the clock (checked with not history).. with a few issues.. one of which being that the prop had been removed... Would you run a mile?

To me, at such low mileage the VCU won't have gone and caused any/much damage, the prop will have been removed for 'fuel economy'. But who knows! All the current tyres are matched, doesn't speak for the distant past but still...

Karlos28 said:

Thread revival!!

If you had the opportunity of buying a bargain 1.8 with 60k on the clock (checked with not history).. with a few issues.. one of which being that the prop had been removed... Would you run a mile?

To me, at such low mileage the VCU won't have gone and caused any/much damage, the prop will have been removed for 'fuel economy'. But who knows! All the current tyres are matched, doesn't speak for the distant past but still...

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Yer assumption on VCU failure with low miles is wrong. They can and do fail with low miles. Check out the transmission so yer know what condition it's in before buying unless it so cheap it offsets the cost of repairs.

It doesn't take many miles on an under inflated tyre to trash an IRD!

Having said that - depends if and how bad the damage is. It may be OK, may just be bearing wear or gear damage. If its just bearing damage, kits don't cost much and if you can fit them yourself, its not an expensive job. If the gears are damaged, then the replacements cost decent wedge.

You've got to consider if a VCU rebuild is needed, replacement support bearings or even if the props and VCU are there. Once again, you may or may not get lucky.

The props were probably removed for a reason though, even if it was just support bearings.

If its cheap, it depends if you want to make money of it or take on a project - if you want to make money - you probably won't!

Work into your costs a 2k bill to replace the transmission and re-assess it’s “cheapness”.

Hmm, didn't realise they would die so quickly.

Cheap is £500.. so it maybe leaves about a grand to spend before it's beyond what the car is worth?

Can probably do all the work myself but it will all take time, something I don't have a great deal of at the mo!

It's also seems surprisingly hard to find a prop!

Might be more trouble than it's worth....

Have a look at it and find out what's wrong with it, if anything. Then make yer mind up.

Yeah think it's worth a look. Although I hear it's pretty much impossible to determine the condition of the ird without draining oil, even then it's not concrete?

The 'few issues' is basically a stuff clutch and hard to get into first. Which from what I have read sounds like the actuator arm has become stiff in the bell housing casting, which may have put excess force on the slave bracket and bent it. Meaning the clutch isn't fully disengaging?

Or is that a wild long shot.. haha

Well, after loads of poking around I think I fancy a facelift 1.8 now..

Assuming I buy one that is currently working and is not in a state of hgf.. (presuming that it will have had it done previously at some point) what is the best way to keep it serviceable?

Am I best to take the head off a perfectly fine (?) Engine and replace the gasket for the 'N' series gasket, new radiator, water pump and a good old flush of the cooling system?

Is is possible for a running engine to have a slipped cylinder sleeve? And if there is a slipped sleeve am I correct in thinking the engine is scrap?

I know this is a well covered topic, but that head gasket thread is huge and wanders quite off topic!

Karlos28 said:

Well, after loads of poking around I think I fancy a facelift 1.8 now..

Assuming I buy one that is currently working and is not in a state of hgf.. (presuming that it will have had it done previously at some point) what is the best way to keep it serviceable?

Am I best to take the head off a perfectly fine (?) Engine and replace the gasket for the 'N' series gasket, new radiator, water pump and a good old flush of the cooling system?

Is is possible for a running engine to have a slipped cylinder sleeve? And if there is a slipped sleeve am I correct in thinking the engine is scrap?

I know this is a well covered topic, but that head gasket thread is huge and wanders quite off topic!

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Two things
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Don't go looking for trouble cause it'll find you soon enough.

The general consensus in the MG forums when I used to frequent them was HGF was a common issue but not necessarily as imminent as some would make out. You could buy a car and get 40k or 50k miles before it fails.