Electric Window problem

[Wonko_The_Sane]

I got into the maestro last night after a hard days work, and hit the "drivers window down" switch...nothing happened. Lights dimmed, but no play from the window.

It's been like this on and off for a month or so, and normally a swift thump on the door card fixes it. Started the engine, and after a few flicks, the window dropped. Sharply. It also seems to tilt back and forth on the way down.

It's almost as if it's not attached securely to the lifter and when gravity takes over, it "jumps" down the first step. How much of a swine is this to fix, and does anyone have a method?

I only have one other problem right now..I got overtaken and pulled over by a motorist 2 days ago and told "your P/S/R wheel is wobbling like mad mate..". Feels fine to me though..hard cornering shows up no nasty vices..

Of course, I WOULD check..but a friend borrowed my 2 ton trolley jack..and when I called to requisition it, it turns out he's lent it out, and the other person SOLD IT!!!:banghead: :censored: :banghead: :banghead: :censored:

[E_T_V]

Why don't you use the car jack? On second thoughts they are a bit carp. ;)

Might be a raised tread or loose wheel nuts. We've had both and never really noticed much. Jack it up give it a spin and see what it looks like. Unlikely to be a wheelbearing problem unless it has starship type milage on it.

As for the window problem it sounds like the retaining bit at the bottom of the window isn't retaiing the glass anymore and the friction of the window rubbers is making it all lumpy as it goes down. I take it the window winds up properly still. If so then take the door card off and take a look, it doesn't sound to bad a problem to fix.

[Wonko_The_Sane]

Definetly not starship mileage..50K tops..:) I think I'll take it to my friendly tire chappie this weekend. Better safe than sorry I suppose..:)

I'll check the window out tomorrow morning while the other half sleeps I think...less chance of stopping half way because I have to go make a coffee..:laugh:

Thank god it's Friday..:D

[E_T_V]

Well unlikely to be a wheel bearing problem then. Mine have done 110K and still are in good nick. More likely your tyre has given out though age. They never seem to wear out on the back. Mine are original goodyears as originally fitted!

[e692wtt]

My VDP Monty has an 'out of shape' o/s/r wheel, I didn't notice this until it failed its MoT, where, along with a lot of other bad news, I was informed the alloy wheel is buckled. After that, I noticed the rear of the car would 'shimmy' side to side up to about 10 mph. No difference to the handling though...

Rear tyres *do* seem to last for ever, I've owned my Monty 1.6L for over 6 years and done 60,000 miles. The MoT gives an advisory 'rear tyres perished' every year. and they've *still* got a good 4mm of tread! I'd hazard a guess that they're the original Dunlop SP10s...

Rear wheel bearings are easy to change, perhaps they just need taking apart, greasing and refixing with the nut properly tightened? I had a noisy rear wheel bearing that responded well to being regreased while I had the rear brakes stripped down. Nearside stub axle nut has a left hand thread though. Worth a try once you've got another jack?

The other other Rich.

[MaestroMatt]

My 1983 VP still has the original tyres on - and the original spare tyre has never been used! They say "Grand Prix" on them - oh the irony. I am hoping they will last until I find some decent alloys - they have lasted 45k so I'm sure they have a bit of use left in them!

Could someone remind me whether it is metric or imperial alloys I want? I know that one sort means tyres cost a fortune, and the other is more standard. Actually, I would be grateful if someone could tell me the exact size I need as I can never seem to remember a thing about wheel sizes!

[Wonko_The_Sane]

AVOID the Metric....thats the expensive ones...:p My friend had (has? I can't remember..it may still exist) a D reg 1.6HL with Metric Tyres...I'll never forget his face when we went for replacements...:laugh: 4 at once too...

[MaestroMatt]

Sage advice - thank you!

[matthewsemple]

If you fit 14" cheesegraters, 14" dish or 15" Lattice cross-spokes you'll have no trouble fitting a whole range of good value tyres.

The wheels that you need to avoid are those fitted to the pre-89 Montegos which have TD wheels with strange widths as these cost loads.
http://www.angelfire.com/home/mat99v/500badgeplace.jpg
This is my MG Maestro turbo fitted with Montego 15"x6.0J alloys and 195/55/15 tyres that cost £35 each for new budget tyres (not remoulds)

[MaestroMatt]

Cheers Matthew. Does that mean I can use either 14 or 15 inch alloys on my 1983 VP? Cross-spoke, obviously!

[matthewsemple]

You can fit any wheel that was fitted to the Maestro or Montego to any Maestro or Montego. I have had 13" steel wheels, 14" cheesegraters, 14" dished and 15" Lattice wheels on my old Maestro 1.3HLE so you would be able to fit any of these wheels to your 1.6 Vanden Plas. They all have the same stud pattern.

If you are getting new tyres for all your wheels you also have a huge range of tyre options. I have 195/55/15 on my MG Maestro turbo but apparently the lower profile 195/50/15 are cheaper and will also have a diameter closer to that of your current 13" wheels.

I am waiting for a trader to get back to me who has a load of brand new Austin Rover wheels for sale that are still in the boxes. There are a couple of people on the Forum who have already e-mailed me in response to an earlier thread who have first shout but if you are interested then e-mail me and I'll let you know if he has any left.

Cheers, Matthew

PS we are now totally off-topic by the way!

PPS My electric windows on my MG Maestro Turbo have never failed in 4 years and the car has 111,000 miles on the clock.

[matthewsemple]

Oh by the way there are no 14" lattice wheels as far as I am aware. Instead there are the different width Maestro and Montego wheels. Maestro wheels are 5.5" wide and Montego wheels are 6" wide. The Montego wheels are easier to get hold of because they were fitted to lots of cars such as Montego GTis and Countrymans as well as MGs. Montego wheels are a popular upgrade for MG Maestro turbo owners.

There are also white alloys in both widths fitted to Montego and Maestro Advantage models. The Metro Turbo, GTa and Advantage had 13" lattice alloys but obviously you won't want these and they have a different stud pattern.

[Dave]

There are 14" (or are they 13") lattice wheels fitted to MetroGTi's? Would they fit.

Check out http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html to see how different tyre diameters affect you speedo reading.

It just so happens, the standard 13" steel rims with 195/65/R13 on them give effectivly the EXACT same rolling radius as 15" alloys with 185/55/R15 on them!! As rover planned it that way I imagine.

The best part is after fitting the wider lower profile tyres the car handles (and looks) 10X better!

Dave

[matthewsemple]

http://ebay0.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_EBAY_ea617ad59088224bad26335ae4db65f8/i-1.JPG

Here a picture of a Maestro 15" lattice which looks almost identical to the wheels on my car in the picture above but from an angle the extra width is apparent and makes the wheels and tyres fill the arches better. I have also heard that you can put 205 s on the wider Montego wheel.

The Rover Metro GTi 16v was fitted with 13" lattice alloys so this would result in the same size wheel as you currently have - not sure about whether they fit either.

That's a useful website forchecking out possible tyres etc.

[MaestroMatt]

Originally posted by Dave

It just so happens, the standard 13" steel rims with 195/65/R13 on them give effectivly the EXACT same rolling radius as 15" alloys with 185/55/R15 on them!! As rover planned it that way I imagine.

The best part is after fitting the wider lower profile tyres the car handles (and looks) 10X better!

Dave [/B]

They're the ones for me then! - wouldn't want an inaccurate speedo! Matthew, I am definitely interested in those new alloys - if you happen to have a spare 5 15" cross-spokes then let me know!

[Dave]

A quick warning tho: 185/55/r15 are EXPENSIVE!! Your looking at about £85 for a Pirelli P6000. But, perhaps an economy tyre would be cheaper.

Dave

[MaestroMatt]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but what is the speed rating that I want? If you look at www.etyres.co.uk/tyres.asp then you'll see what I mean. Lookating at 185/55/R15 with the default speed rating - H - I got prices ranging from about £38 to £80 per tyre with Pirelli P6000 at £61.69.

[John S]

I recently had some Dunlops fitted at the front of mine size 195/55/15 for 75 quid each! :censored: rip off! I have been buying part worn ones previously but the bloke who fitted them (at a local Vauxhall dealer) said my old ones were built to stand 150mph+ and that he could get me ones capable of 120mph instead.

[Maria]

I'm running on Montego 6in wide X-spokes, with Avon ZV1 tyres (will check the size at lunchtime) and they're fantastic! The grip round corners is all you could want and more :) Oh, and they're not that expensive either.

[SimonR]

Speed ratings are as follows:

Max speed
Letter (kph) (mph)
Q 160 99
S 180 112
T 190 118
U 200 124
H 210 130
V 240 149
W 270 167
Z 270+ 167+

The way MaestroMatt drives, it a shame that there's not an extra-cheap 'P' rating for up to 65mph :laugh:

Still they *will* last a whole lot longer when treated nicely.....

[MaestroMatt]

65 is a little over-cautious, don't you think? I wouldn't dream of taking her over 57! Not with the price of fuel these days... If you had a trip computer, you'd realise! :p

[Wonko_The_Sane]

115.2 MPG shows on mine!! Damnit man...you get less? get it tuned..;) :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[SimonR]

At the risk of flogging a dead horse ;), Just to recap - is this all true?

1 Maestro alloys are 5.5J x 15"
2 Montego alloys are 6.0J x 15"
3 Neither is metric
4 Montego alloys are preferable because there's a bigger range of tyres

Obviously that refers to x-spokes only.

The reason I want to get that straight is that I currently have a set of alloys from a Maestro which are a little tatty and seem to let the car down. I also seem to remember having difficulties getting decent tyres for them about 3 years ago. Thing is that I'll need to replace the tyres this summer and it might make sense to buy some Monty alloys and put new tyres on those, to kill two birds with one stone.

Does that seem reasonable?

[MaestroMatt]

Originally posted by Wonko_The_Sane
115.2 MPG shows on mine!! Damnit man...you get less? get it tuned..;) :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Yeah, mixture is a touch on the rich side (evidence of this is the black mark up the bumper over the exhaust!) but I haven't had time to play around with the carb yet. Oh, I also have a whacking great hole in the exhaust due to a cowboy mechanic entirely failing to seal the joint round a new rear silencer just before I bought the car. That probably doesn't help!

[Wonko_The_Sane]

I have a mildly discoloured bumper above the exhaust too..and from the looks of the end section it's got about 6-8 months to live.:censored:

It will NOT be going to the cowboy outfit it went to last time...sealing my exhaust 4 times (!) with silicone sealer (bath sealer!)

Next time I'll buy and fit my own. At least that way it's done right!:)

[MaestroMatt]

I think I will seal my own - you can buy exhaust jointing putty for about £3 per tub which - it claims - gets more and more solid the hotter it gets. If, as I suspect, it is only a loose joint I will definitely do it myself. More annoying is the certain exhausty rattle I get as I pull away - at a certain amount of revs in 1st and 2nd there is a lout metallic rattly vibration sound from under the front foot-well area. I reckon it is a loose bit of exhaust as it happens when I am stationary if I get the revs just so.

[Maria]

I get that too - it's the downpipe rattling on the anti-roll bar. VERY irritating! :mad:

[MaestroMatt]

Is it! ? That's a pain in the arse. I was rather hoping that it was somethign that just needed a damned good tightening. I am going to have to get under there and have a poke around - there must be a way to separate them enough so that they don't rattle! If not, would there be a potential problem in clamping them together tightly so there was no rattle? Does the anti-roll bar move about in relation to the downpipe? Wouldn't want to snap it off!

[Maria]

I briefly (VERY briefly) sorted it by giving the mounting bracket at the back of the exhaust a hefty shove upwards when I had the car on the ramps at college the other week. I think if I were to look into it and tighten the brackets it would sort it out. It's just got a bit droopy with age, so as the engine twists under acceleration (or uphill), the exhaust sags and rattles.

[MaestroMatt]

I am starting to get VERY annoyed with mine making such a lot of noise so I am going to give it a damn good thrashing next time I get the chance - I'll let you know!

Out of interest, does anyone have any idea how much a new manifold and downpipe costs from Rover/Unipart/Lucus/Anyone else that does them.

[E_T_V]

Dunno how old the car is but if it has a Cat try the heatshield. I know ours rattles like buggery.

Dan