The £650 Puma

MOT day..... Waiting for news.... :?

I don't understand: do you have to wait as well? Who is taking the car then to MOT station?

I took it, and left it there as I've got to work. Just waiting to hear if it passed or not!

How long it takes? here it is ten minute check and another ten to pay for everything (if there is no queue)... :?:

Really nice project!

aa234 said:

Really nice project!

Click to expand...

Cheers! Mostly fun to do also!

Wild.e, it take a little longer here so it's not worth waiting around for!

Anyway Jegger is back with a pass with a few minor advisories: Both rear bushes slight play and rear tyres worn on inside edge (due to my lowering shenanigans). Strangely, the advisory on the rear brake pipes last year has not made it onto the sheet this year... Different testers I guess!

Have you had a chance to boot it properly with replaced fuel pump? You had your suspicions that was why it didn't go as fast as it should've?

I did take it for a 'spirited' drive but couldn't detect any noticeable improvement.

There's a few things as potential - blocked cat, knackered air metre that sort of thing. It looks like my neighbour's Puma isn't going to see another MOT so I can borrow some bits to check. It runs very smoothly indeed but it feels like there's a limiter on it or something.

The Puma met an old relative today. A work-mate asked if I could help him replace the Panhard bar on his mk.1 Fiesta (with the coolest rims ever) as he only has street parking and no tools. Was a nice easy job and the new uprated bar was soon in place.



So with that done, it seemed daft not to do a quick photo shoot (you have to excuse the bubblewrap bumper as he's looking for an end cover at the moment);







And my favourite - facing my wife's Mk7 down;

mmmmm...

I likey mk1 Fiestas

It's a very nice example - little to no rust anywhere! I also liked the engine bay where everything is instantly accessible. A full on major service would take seconds!

Hi Tom and AB
Nice Fiesta, MK1s are going up in value now and it looks like the wheels are RS Alloys as fitted to MK1 and MK2 Escorts. My son Andrew wanted one until I got him into RWD Fords and the Anglia he has now.
Barry

Tonight I swapped out the Air flow meter from my neighbours car in an effort to narrow down the source of my missing grunt. No change, but that's one thing knocked off of the list.

I've also noticed a slight misfire at lowish revs - I sometime catch it as a slight judder pulling away. Plugs and leads may be the next suspects although I'm not sure how either would reduce the performance that much.

I guess after that I'm really looking at the Cat being blocked?

Hmm... sooty exhaust tip after only a few hundred miles. Another clue? Not burning oil so it can only be unburnt fuel. Any ideas chaps and chappesses?

Nope? Okay!

Well, I received a parcel from Questy which, for a nominal sum, included both a second hand Catalytic converter and a Lambda sensor. I didn't realise just how awkward the Lambda is to get to as it's recessed, so I gave up struggling to get it out with a spanner and have ordered a proper socket for the job. Hopefully it won't give me too much gyp to get out and I'll be able to use a proper amount of force.

So, Lambda first and then Cat' if that doesn't work. I hope the lambda does work as the cat' looks a right pig to get off.

I tried to use one of those special socket to remove a lambda. The socket had a slot down the side for the wire to go through. The lambda was so tight the socket just opened up and spun round.
In the end I cut the lambda wires and used a deep socket with my wheel bar.

Ditto once but got away with it the second time :thumbs:

Yep, I've got a plan for that. Slip a pipe clamp over and tighten to stop it spreading.

The Arch Bishop said:

Yep, I've got a plan for that. Slip a pipe clamp over and tighten to stop it spreading.

Click to expand...

Hmm.... sneaky... :-D

Well, even with the hose clip and a large breaker bar, it still couldn't shift the sensor - it just spread the tool. It is absolutely welded in there! I did it while it was still hot from a half hour journey thinking that would help but no.

Next step is to give it a dose of Plusgas although I'm fairly sure that won't help.

The kill or cure option is to use the electric rattle gun on it although that means I'll need to use a 3/4" to 1/2" adaptor. I'm not sure even that would help though.

Hurumpf.