carl0s

Also, in theory you could use some kind of adapter and use a regular 3.5" HDD as found in a normal desktop PC (faster, cheaper, much bigger). You'd have to use some kind of separate PSU though. The laptop interface is the same 40 pins as regular IDE but with the four power-pins added onto the end of the cable making 44-pins, (the cable & connector are smaller and thinner though). Also, the laptop drives only use 5volts instead of 5v and 12v for 3.5", but anyway, forgetting the power, the other 40 pins are exactly the same as a regular IDE drive. I haven't seen such an adapter but if you wanted you could botch something up with readily available 2.5" -> 3.5" adapters and cables.

So, wanna get together?

I have always hated my surname, in fact I've sometimes thought it's so annoying that in marriage we have to keep the males surname. Anyway, it's a Western Union membership card - came in the post and supposedly means I don't have to give all my details if I want to use WU to send money to someone

Does the starter need reconditioning or just the solenoid replacing, or are the starter/solenoid joined as a single-unit? I'd like to do the work myself - I'm getting a creeper board off my uncle for christmas What's actually happening? Are the burnt-out contacts not passing enough current to the starter-motor or is it something else? How much for the solenoid/solenoid-contacts? I don't even have a clue what the system looks like - nevermind how it works, so please excuse the possible stupidity of the questions cheers! Carl

I feel for ya. One of mine had been mashed a bit on the end and just wouldn't fit through. Right PITA it was.

Oh well at least you know what to do on a UK car

Re-gas usually costs ~£40. The equipment is very expensive and there are oils which are mixed in, pressure-holding is tested and old gas is extracted for safe disposal. You could just buy a re-gas canister from Halfords but I'd get it done properly so they can tell you if it's losing pressure (vacuum actually I think it was.. the machine tries to hold a vacuum for 5 minutes to see if the system is leaking)

think I already did that with my keyboard! Hey, I do come back to the computer midway through car-repairs You should see the state of my camera after the lower-control-arm swap

It could be gas, as my a/c leaks so I regassed it about five times over the summer but I'm not sure whether or not that's when I heard it from mine. I know exactly what you're talking about though, as I remember being on the phone to someone and telling them about it. Is your a/c on when it happens?

I've heard this ocassionally from my car.

You'll be lucky!!

http://www.uk2sucks.net/kb2.jpg Metal and not plastic - makes for great typing Noisey though - mum whines a lot!

It doesn't look QUITE as bad in normal light - it's just the flash. Same goes for watches! Have you ever seen how scratched and bad a watch looks under flash? Having said that, it's obviously showing up the true grime. So, I'm going to have to search for a supplier of Mitsumi keyboards and get a new one..

Ah, good point. My car is a UK spec

I had a philips screwdriver which after removing the red insulating plastic was a perfect fit for those holes i.e. great for knocking the pins all the way out, but I lost it Saw the removal pin/punch/whatevers today at Halfords but didn't buy one.. only £6.99 or so. They were 6mm.. not sure if that's the right size or not for our cars.

Check my keyboard out!! I can't bring myself to get rid of it though - it's one of the metal-based Mitsumi 105s which my supplier says he can't get any more Best keyboard I've used in ages. http://www.uk2sucks.net/keyboard.jpg

The pins have a head on the outside end, so can only be knocked out from behind, however this can be (and should be) done with the caliper in place. It's the first thing to do after removing the wheel. You'll need a hammer and some kind of punch. After punching it a bit, a 'brake pin removal tool' as sold in halfords (LASER range) would help as you'd be able to push that in and start knocking it. WD40 might help too. There are two pins (top and bottom) on each caliper btw.

Yep. I think 100gb is about the largest you can buy in 2.5" factor though.

Sold nearly everything that I can just about do without

thanks trick

Battery is about 2 - 3 months old Calcium battery. I'll get searching after christmas It has been doing it for about 4 months but usually only in the cold mornings, now (today/yesterday) it's every time I get in.

Ah, that's interesting. I was for some reason thinking that the solenoid was used like a beefy relay, but that's stupid. The starter isn't turning, so it's not what you suggested. Sometimes I get a half-hearted flat-battery-like turnover for half a second or so. I'll keep my eyes out for a refurbed unit, but it's nice to have a clue as to where it is. Thanks Daz.

Sounds like a faulty PSU or mains problems in the house.

Weight Gain 3000! Awesome

Exhaust, then headlights.