General How are peoples marea's holding out now?

[multispoke]

Ahh multispoke, im suprived i've missed this reply?? 6 days, sorry man!
Ah. no problem man.

Your telling me the exact same simptoms of my car, with the maf, hmmm could i just clean this, 100% alcohol solution perhaps!
Venters had marked your cards on doing this yourself !

Yes looking at the youtube videos and specifications on the web, the marea packs a rediculous punch for engine size, class of car, i am very close to beginning the restoration and cam belt changed 4K miles ago!! (Looking at the design of engine also, cam belt change looks quite easy!!)
I wouldn't attempt the cam belt change yourself. Getting it a tooth off is quite easy and really kills the fuel consumption. Getting it changed was nearly an engine out job but some have managed to do it with just taking the wheel off - still all garages are charging a lot to do this so it's harder than the new cars...

Hope you have time to get back to me spoke ! nice to see a friendly 1.6 user here to help me with my problems haha!,

Thanks again everyone, really enjoying the responses i've had.

To be honest the guy who fixed the overheating and the 'would not start in traffic problem' and losing power was fixed by a 'back street' mechanic over in Ballyfermot (a lot of the Gardai use him for their own cars ). He does real work on engines with taking heads off cars and changing gaskets . Nothing is too much trouble for him. When I went to him he took the car off me and when I got it back and it was 'back to normal' I was so relieved that it wasn't getting to end up in the scrappie. Cost me €150. He said that he had confered with a Fiat mate of his and a 'bit' was put in the middle of the top of the engine. Really sorry I cann't be more specific. I will be over in that direction at some stage over the next couple of days and I can ask him if you want.
You remind me of me when I 'bought' a Hillman Hunter estate off my parents in 1981 (!) an Orange one - you couldn't miss it. I bought it because I was into cycling racing and I needed a big car for my mates and their bikes. I didn't race the car around the roads (I did try a little ) although I got a little bit of satisfaction knowing that the block of the engine was the same as the holbay. Engine size of the hunter was 1725cc and it would guzzle the juice. Driving easy it gave 28mpg on the open road but with 2 mates sharing the fuel bills it wasn't too bad.
What do you use your Estate for ?
P.S. Suggest that you get a really good local mechanic and offer to give him a hand as a 'labourer'.

P.S. I'm generally over on the 500 forum. If you don't need an Estate I would think of a Panda 100hp next. A lot of guys are getting them as an Estate replacement with a bit of mmmppphhh but I need my Estate for the bigger stuff.

 

[MrMigs08]

To be honest the guy who fixed the overheating and the 'would not start in traffic problem' and losing power was fixed by a 'back street' mechanic over in Ballyfermot (a lot of the Gardai use him for their own cars ). He does real work on engines with taking heads off cars and changing gaskets . Nothing is too much trouble for him. When I went to him he took the car off me and when I got it back and it was 'back to normal' I was so relieved that it wasn't getting to end up in the scrappie. Cost me €150. He said that he had confered with a Fiat mate of his and a 'bit' was put in the middle of the top of the engine. Really sorry I cann't be more specific. I will be over in that direction at some stage over the next couple of days and I can ask him if you want.
You remind me of me when I 'bought' a Hillman Hunter estate off my parents in 1981 (!) an Orange one - you couldn't miss it. I bought it because I was into cycling racing and I needed a big car for my mates and their bikes. I didn't race the car around the roads (I did try a little ) although I got a little bit of satisfaction knowing that the block of the engine was the same as the holbay. Engine size of the hunter was 1725cc and it would guzzle the juice. Driving easy it gave 28mpg on the open road but with 2 mates sharing the fuel bills it wasn't too bad.
What do you use your Estate for ?
P.S. Suggest that you get a really good local mechanic and offer to give him a hand as a 'labourer'.

P.S. I'm generally over on the 500 forum. If you don't need an Estate I would think of a Panda 100hp next. A lot of guys are getting them as an Estate replacement with a bit of mmmppphhh but I need my Estate for the bigger stuff.

Aha, mine is no estate maytey (Y)!

I have the 1.6 sx saloon, although the boot is huge! and soon i begin learning about mechanics and hopefully moving into the trade , it won't be long before i get this machine sorted out, i think its been say for a long time though, so going to have to warm the cylinders and oil pressure up before i let it fire up!!

The bumper mount seems quite a big issue, its really rotted away axles been hit by rust too but i think most of the metal is intact, but derusting operations must begin! I need to find a way to get it to my house haha, working on my nans drive is not an option, and its on a slant!!

I will get some pictures up for you .

 

[multispoke]

Aha, mine is no estate maytey (Y)!

I have the 1.6 sx saloon, although the boot is huge! and soon i begin learning about mechanics and hopefully moving into the trade , it won't be long before i get this machine sorted out, i think its been say for a long time though, so going to have to warm the cylinders and oil pressure up before i let it fire up!!

The bumper mount seems quite a big issue, its really rotted away axles been hit by rust too but i think most of the metal is intact, but derusting operations must begin! I need to find a way to get it to my house haha, working on my nans drive is not an option, and its on a slant!!

I will get some pictures up for you .

Had to go back on the previous threads. I had mistook the RAT20V estate as been yours with the steering wheel and pillar clocks ! If its a standard one it wouldn't attract any flashing blue lights !
At least you have good weather at the moment to mess around with it. Make sure you have some proper drive on ramps so you're not working under a jack.
Remember it can be much cheaper to have an experienced mechanic give it the once over and you can do the dogs body work. Time is money.

 

[MrMigs08]

Aye definately, although it went in to proper mechanics and they said they don't know (In a few local garages) its definately the fact that they know some cars can be an apsolute pannic trying to find faults, which is why i'm confident with the helpfullness on a forum like this, i don't think its something where i could do more damage then good!

But next i need is some electronic contact cleaner
And got to move it to my house