Maessro woes

[emanresu]

Hi. this is my first post so be nice

Ive got some worries about my Maestro.So I'll start from the beginning.

The front wheel bearing on a recent trip to the continent decided to become very noisy. now, it's making a rubbing noise going round left hand corners. tried wiggling the wheels whilst on the ground and it seems theres a lot of play in the drivers side one.

is this easy to change?

Second, after changing the air filter recently (The old one was black and stuck to the case) the power seems to be down. is this because the mixture would have been weakened off? It goes well on full throttle and stuff, but pickup from standstill can be sluggish if you don't give it enough gas. Also, seems to surge slightly.

Third, my negative battery terminal keeps popping off. don't know the reason, but it causes everything to dim. it's as tight as i can get it.

fourth, when i fill the tank to the top, some petrol leaks out. I can get about 43-44 litres in before this happens. any ideas?

Thanks.

[henocsr]

1, Wheel bearing, not to differcult to change on early models as they are of an old design simular to the rear bearings. From 1986 on wards one piece cassette bearings are fitted which must be pressed in using a press. If you have been driving around with a failed bearing for a time now it may need a new flange as well. (easy to find as they are the same as MGF as are the wheel bearings)

2, Airfilter, if the air filter was blocked like that and the carb has been set with that air filter then yes the mixture would lean off now youhave good airflow. Best thing to do is fit new plugs as well and get the carb set up, or fuel injection system if yours is an EFI.

3, Battery terminal, you can buy new terminals from a good motorfactors and halfords as well. Easy job to sort

4, Fuel leakage, as for fuel leakage you will have to fill the tank and see where it leaks, could be leaking from the top of the seal on the level gauge (which is at the front of the fuel tank) If its the tank there are lots of new 1.3 and 1.6 fuel tanks out there on ebay. EFI and turbo models are differnt tanks which are expensive as they contane swil pots makeing to tank more the produce

[Ricky]

You have got the correct type of battery fitted, I presume? I *think* I'm right in saying that all petrol Maestros and Montegos use an 063 type battery, this doesn't just dictate the size of the battery itself, it also sets a standard for the size of the terminals on the battery itself - I only mention this as I remember my dear father having a very similar problem with a car after he bought a new battery for it, he bought the cheapest battery he could get his hands on, which was an 038, which has posts that are much smaller than the 063 he should have got - not only did it not fit into the tray and bolt down (bungee cord battery clamp anyone?!?!), but the terminals kept working themselves loose over time with much the same effect you describe, though it wasn't uncommon for his to pop off as he was going along.....

[emanresu]

Originally Posted by henocsr

1, Wheel bearing, not to differcult to change on early models as they are of an old design simular to the rear bearings. From 1986 on wards one piece cassette bearings are fitted which must be pressed in using a press. If you have been driving around with a failed bearing for a time now it may need a new flange as well. (easy to find as they are the same as MGF as are the wheel bearings)

2, Airfilter, if the air filter was blocked like that and the carb has been set with that air filter then yes the mixture would lean off now youhave good airflow. Best thing to do is fit new plugs as well and get the carb set up, or fuel injection system if yours is an EFI.

3, Battery terminal, you can buy new terminals from a good motorfactors and halfords as well. Easy job to sort

4, Fuel leakage, as for fuel leakage you will have to fill the tank and see where it leaks, could be leaking from the top of the seal on the level gauge (which is at the front of the fuel tank) If its the tank there are lots of new 1.3 and 1.6 fuel tanks out there on ebay. EFI and turbo models are differnt tanks which are expensive as they contane swil pots makeing to tank more the produce

Hi there, thank you for your reply.

The car is a 1992 Maestro 1.3L.

The wheel bearings I'm told are the newer type. I've been given a new hub from a Montego Turbo D. Will fitting this solve the problem?

I thought the mixture may have been leaned off. Thanks for confirming that may be the case. I will get the car set up soon.

The battery was fine until I disturbed the terminals when I removed them a few weeks ago to change the front bumper.

I believe the tank after a recent fill up, is leaking from the filler neck.

Originally Posted by Ricky

You have got the correct type of battery fitted, I presume? I *think* I'm right in saying that all petrol Maestros and Montegos use an 063 type battery, this doesn't just dictate the size of the battery itself, it also sets a standard for the size of the terminals on the battery itself - I only mention this as I remember my dear father having a very similar problem with a car after he bought a new battery for it, he bought the cheapest battery he could get his hands on, which was an 038, which has posts that are much smaller than the 063 he should have got - not only did it not fit into the tray and bolt down (bungee cord battery clamp anyone?!?!), but the terminals kept working themselves loose over time with much the same effect you describe, though it wasn't uncommon for his to pop off as he was going along.....

I believe the battery is the correct sort, but it looks to be the original battery. So perhaps the terminals have worn down? I don't know. I was going to wrap some tin foil around the posts and then tighten the clamps around them...?

[Jumturbo]

Have you got the whole hub carrier with bearing? If it is the later type it should be the same as your Maestro. I just changed my hub carriers ( albeit a Montego) with bearings already fitted. ( luckily I bought them new a few years back). Much easier job than going getting the bearings pressed out and in. If you have not damaged the old hub, you can get a new bearing fitted at some stage, ready for next time!
The fuel leak could be a corroded filler pipe or corroded vent pipe. My monty's vent pipe had corroded away where it connects to the filler pipe near the top. I need to locate a new filler pipe really, but for now have re-piped it with steel fuel pipe and a proprietry stop leak compound which is resistant to petrol. It could also be the rubber connector between fuel tank and filler pipe. The clips can rust away here or the rubber split.

[emanresu]

hi guys. just got the car back from having the bearing done.

brake pads now need to be replaced as they've just gone through to the pads as i've pulled into my driveway.

the car is driving nicely. now driving slightly left (as opposed to right!).

how much are brake pads?

chris.

[E_T_V]

Depends on the brand, but the pads themselves cost anywhere from £10 to £40.
Fitting takes about 30mins to an hour.

[emanresu]

Originally Posted by E_T_V

Depends on the brand, but the pads themselves cost anywhere from £10 to £40.
Fitting takes about 30mins to an hour.

£11 from wilco. cheapy brand, but all seems well now. I can stop in a straight line. very uneven brake wear though, needs looking into further i think

[G Force]

Originally Posted by emanresu

I can stop in a straight line. very uneven brake wear though, needs looking into further i think

If the old pads were tight to remove from the carrier at all, as long as you cleaned everything up ok and used anti seize compound then you may have gone a fair way to fixing the problem already. If not other things to consider are.

Pads gone down to metal previously and scored the discs.

Calliper slide pins sticking. or badly worn and binding.

Callper pistons sticking.

Flexi brake hoses faulty holding brakes on.

Cheers

[steve smith]

Originally Posted by G Force

If the old pads were tight to remove from the carrier at all, as long as you cleaned everything up ok and used anti seize compound then you may have gone a fair way to fixing the problem already. If not other things to consider are.

Pads gone down to metal previously and scored the discs.

Calliper slide pins sticking. or badly worn and binding.

Callper pistons sticking.

Flexi brake hoses faulty holding brakes on.

Cheers

how would a flexi hose become faulty there isnt anythign on them to become faulty...

[E_T_V]

They can collapse internally leading to either fluid not getting to the caliper, or in come cases not get back out hence it holds the pressure in the caliper causing the brake on that wheel to drag.

[emanresu]

will replace all of the hoses then. any idea on cost?

[E_T_V]

Usually they don't give problems, but roughly speaking they are about a tenner a corner.