The 1986 825 Sterling - Rebecca

[simon]

If it in the same place as the 825sd it on the back of the gearbox.

[scoobyh123]

I've never had an 825 (of any description!) but i'm guessing it's the same place as the 827 speedo sender - on top of the gearbox, near the centre line of the car when looked at from the passenger side and is "behind" the rear head.
Never done a starter on one either (shame on me!) but that's the general area, yeah. The fact it died in a monsoon suggests it's definitely damp related, might be worth giving it either slightly longer in the oven or a second roasting after it's cooled down if it was that bad. Personally i think i'd go for a second one and keep both to about the 45 minute mark.

Interesting about the over-voltage relay on the ABS, might also be worth resetting the ABS memory as well by pulling the fuse for an hur or so - can't remember which fuse it is offhand, should be in the handbook though. I can have a ferret through the WSM if you can't find it though. THe alternative method involves rewiring the brake light switch plug temporarily and turning the ignition on/off 20 times if it's the same as the Mk2. Got a feeling the Mk1 had the same ABS as my Volvo which doesn't have a memory though.

That economy is pretty good, even against newer cars that allegedly do a lot more - in practice they usually don't!

[whitelion58]

Another 13 month MOT sailed through this morning..













Tim

[TDHFastback]

Congratulations. A lovely car.

Kate

[Very Tall Brad]

One of the very few cars that I regret selling. This really is a lovely car, Tim.

Brad

[rovercoup]

A very handsome car with the NEC calling I think

[whitelion58]

Rebecca had been stood indoors all winter and this afternoon I finally found the time to give her a little attention. Naturally she started instantly when the battery was reconnected and drove down the lane faultlessly. Here is a quick pic after rinsing off the cobwebs - looks pretty much like last years pics though!





There are a couple of outstanding tasks that I need to attend to from last season

1) Split CV boot, so will swap out the driveshaft

2) Speedo sender broke last autumn, but a very lucky find on ebay produced a brand new sensor and sender unit:



.. so they will be going in soon.

3) Final issue is tendency for the tickover to hunt. Sometimes it will stall it hunts so badly, others it just clears and purrs silently after 30 seconds or so.
Got to be the EICV right? Pretty sure I cleaned that out to no effect last year though. Vacuum leak? Lambda sensors? - no lights on the ECU though.
A short vid here:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/7544083@N07/E53454

Tim

[scoobyh123]

3) Final issue is tendency for the tickover to hunt. Sometimes it will stall it hunts so badly, others it just clears and purrs silently after 30 seconds or so.
Got to be the EICV right? Pretty sure I cleaned that out to no effect last year though. Vacuum leak? Lambda sensors? - no lights on the ECU though.
A short vid here:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/7544083@N07/E53454

Tim

Have you checked the coolant level Tim? Had this a few times on my Sterling when it's been stood a while and the coolant settles and all the bubbles work their way to the highest point. There's a sensor in the throttle body somewhere that depends on a very small channel and if air is in it, they hunt.
Sometimes you need to top up the coolant slightly, others it fixes itself.

Surely a D reg 825 won't have Lambda sensors? No cat on there either?

[whitelion58]

Good points

I was thinking generically about the hunting issue and forgot about the specifics on the early 825...

You could be right about the water level - one of my saloons was always very sensitive to the level for an even tick-over. Rebecca could probably take another inch (ooerr..) so will try that as the simple cure.

Thinking about header tanks in general, it seems odd that in probably a quarter of a million miles of 827 driving over the last few years I have had ZERO problems with cracked tanks. I have a pile of spares pickled up for peanuts from breakers yards - but never needed one!

Tim

[Manalishi]

3) Final issue is tendency for the tickover to hunt. Sometimes it will stall it hunts so badly, others it just clears and purrs silently after 30 seconds or so.
Got to be the EICV right? Pretty sure I cleaned that out to no effect last year though. Vacuum leak? Lambda sensors? - no lights on the ECU though.
A short vid here:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/7544083@N07/E53454

Tim

Hi Tim, Very nice!
That just have to be the EICV, quite common on other old Hondas.

[scoobyh123]

Good points

I was thinking generically about the hunting issue and forgot about the specifics on the early 825...

You could be right about the water level - one of my saloons was always very sensitive to the level for an even tick-over. Rebecca could probably take another inch (ooerr..) so will try that as the simple cure.

Thinking about header tanks in general, it seems odd that in probably a quarter of a million miles of 827 driving over the last few years I have had ZERO problems with cracked tanks. I have a pile of spares pickled up for peanuts from breakers yards - but never needed one!

Tim

I suspect one of your ex-Fastbacks is too! I was talking to the owner of your old silver-grey (what is that colour?) Vitesse yesterday about the exact same problem and suggested the same solution.

As for header tanks, oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I hope you haven't just provoked the Law of Sod!

Had a discussion on another thread which presented two schools of thought on header tanks. Mine was about the poor quality polymer used in the manufacture of a lot (if not all) of them. The other theory was that the engine was overheating with other problems causing the tanks to burst.
Obviously both theories went a lot deeper but i suspect all the dodgey tanks have now been replaced and the remaining ones are, on the whole, good. Might be the odd dodgey one in amongst them but the law of averages means that even using a mix of regrind and virgin polypropylene some tanks would get more virgin grade material and as such last longer.

[whitelion58]

Yes, I am sure I will have a summer of exploding header tanks now....

I do miss that Vitesse, such a pretty car...

Anyway, tackled the speedo sender this morning, and of course it was not quite as straightforward as it could be...

Wrestled the old one out, only to find a subtle difference in the attachment point, so an 827 one will NOT fit:



That was a bit annoying.

Luckily, when I inverted the old one and gave it a good shake, this fell out:



.. the broken end of the old sender unit.

The new sender fitted snugly in place, so back in business.
Of course, the electrical plug was completely different, so a bit of cutting and soldering needed, but all back in one piece now.

Tim

[Richard Moss]

It's amazing just how many parts we changed on an (apparently) just for the sake of it" basis when the 825 became the 827. Madness - but it does seem to be the Japanese way of doing things.

[scoobyh123]

I've been threatening (since before xmas) to send an intact header tank off for appraisal/quotes to reproduce it in aluminium or stainless - must extract my digit! Same goes for a fuel filler neck although i have become slightly complacent on that front since fitting a marine stainless steel filler and large bore fuel hose with the relevant adaptors.

Hopefully Sod was on holiday and didn't hear your comment about the header tanks!

The Vitesse still looks (and sounds) goodit's certainly in good hands anyway.

Bit of luck on that speedo sensor, glad you got it working!

Think you're right Richard, i get the feeling it's some kind of justification for a redesign of everything when they change something minor.

[rovercoup]

I think the colour is Pulsar silver (MMW) 1987-1992 although from the photos it looks more like Quicksilver (MNF) 1990-1994