The "Questions for Spectre" thread

Today I was in an underground garage next to a wall and noticed that my car makes has some sort of metallic noise in neutral when clutch is engaged. It goes away if I press the pedal and if I go into gear. So far my research points to it being normal gear chatter that I prolly just never hear because I'm usually not in a confined space when in neutral. But figured I'd ask here as well.
 
So, I'm meeting this guy at noon to check out this car.

Says the AC isn't working. Is this a deal-breaker on a 190E? Besides, you know, the fact that I'd want to get it fixed.

One of my coworkers used to be a Mercedes dealer tech, and said it wasn't too bad.
 
Odometer not working is a concern, AC is annoying to fix but does not require the entire car be disassembled to fix it.

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prizrak said:
Today I was in an underground garage next to a wall and noticed that my car makes has some sort of metallic noise in neutral when clutch is engaged. It goes away if I press the pedal and if I go into gear. So far my research points to it being normal gear chatter that I prolly just never hear because I'm usually not in a confined space when in neutral. But figured I'd ask here as well.
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Could be fine, could be something wrong with the pressure plate.
 
Figured I'd put this here, since Spectre is the most likely to answer.

GF's car, 350 miles from me, so can't view it tonight. Overheating after just a 1/4 mile trip, sounds poor (but okay under acceleration), little bit of steam in the engine bay, and basically just too bloody hot. I'm thinking HGF or similar? It's a 1.8 Suzuki Baleno (Esteem?)
 
The "Questions for Spectre" thread

The "Questions for Spectre" thread

Head gasket and/or cooling hose failure would be my off the cuff guess, yes. Would not be terribly surprised if it had a cracked head either. The J-series has a nasty habit of doing that, at least in the U.S.
 
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Just how interchangeable are the internal parts of the Getrag 290 and the NV3500 etc. transmissions? My mechanic is looking for an output shaft seal for the XJR and his usual parts guy isn't helping. Is this list of parts numbers the one to use? http://www.transmissionpartsus.com/category/MTP-290.html

EDIT: Apparently the seal is different; it is available from Jaguar, but only via special order. Good thing I'm going to be out of town for a week while they wait for the part.
 
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Internal parts are pretty much the same between the 290 and early NV3500s, but the bellhousing, external seals, etc., etc., are different as you have found out.
 
Spectre said:
Internal parts are pretty much the same between the 290 and early NV3500s, but the bellhousing, external seals, etc., etc., are different as you have found out.
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Yup. I'm floored that SNG Barratt either still stocks or has access to these manual transmission parts.
 
I'm having some issues with the ac in my Crown Vic. It has difficulty cooling the car off when you get in it on a hot day, ie around 90f. I checked the low side pressure and it's within the acceptable range.
 
ScarFace88 said:
I'm having some issues with the ac in my Crown Vic. It has difficulty cooling the car off when you get in it on a hot day, ie around 90f. I checked the low side pressure and it's within the acceptable range.
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Check high side pressure as well, then try water testing your condenser.
 
I don't know if his crown Vic has automatic climate control. I read somewhere that there's a blend door that craps out.
 
What's your opinion on this: 2003 Ford Windstar vs. 2004-> Grand Voyager/Caravan? Voyagers are super common here, which makes the Ford appear as more interesting to me...

Slowly Renault is eating my nerves and I may look for replacements. It must be bigger than the Grand Espace, which pretty much rules everything made in Europe out.
 
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For a second, I thought Rick was asking :lol:

Windstars are absolutely terrible. I'd go for a Caravan/T&C because they actually sold the things on your side of the pond. However, the transmissions in those go out every 100k or so like clockwork.

Why not get a Multipla or V6 Avantime if you're going for full nutter on a minivan, though?

And if it must be bigger, I'm sure you can find a Suburban or Excursion, although probably not a great price.
 
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Multipla is an acquired taste and the Avantime wasn't really a minivan as it was only a 5 seater iirc.
 
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