My My new VTS has a couple of issues, Any advice please?

5th March 2014, 11:57

Hello saxp longtime no speak! I bought a nice looking Blue 99 VTS for £700 yesterday and its in not bad condition 80k 2 owners with no recorded insurance history (its hard to find a VTS with no cat C/D atm with low milage and owners) 10 months MOT and looks very clean. I drove from East London back to Blackpool and it cost £35-£40 in fuel (250miles with spirited driving on the twisties) After owning the VTR and going to this i was mightily impressed (and I have owned some pretty fast motors).

The problems I have noticed are:

1. There is a breather pipe that goes from the Rocker cover (Ontop at the top right hand side of the engine) and that is loose and can easilly pull out. Will wrapping it in PTFE tape prior to refitting it fix this? The engine bay is soo clean I don't fancy any oil spluttering all over.

2. The clutch I'm not happy with as the pedal is pretty spongy and can Judder/knock when engaging gears. The clutch engagement is about 2/5 down the pedal and changing 1st to 2nd any faster than a 60 year old causes bucking. I have a brand new LUK VTR clutch but wondering if some of these are symptons of the engine or gearbox mountings needing to be replaced?

3. At 70 mph the car starts vibrating, real bad at certain steering angles(Mainly left) yet almost no vibrations at other angles and some smaller knocks at lower speeds when turning left and going over uneven surfaces. The seller had the alloys refurbished last month so I suspect the wheel balance/tracking is out and there may well be a weight lost from the offending wheel or its buckled. Anything else I should look out for with this? The cv joints (from under the car whilst on the ground) look and feel fine no splits and seem to be sat in the hub just nicely as does the suspension it feels pretty solid. I will check the wheel bearing and swap the wheel with the spare and test it out when I go to get some pictures pictures.

I don't think its a lemon just needs some maintenance any advice would be great cheers.

5th March 2014, 12:01

4. There is a slight weep coming from the rocker cover gasket, am I correct in thinking that it isn't a "Gasket" and it is the tube based instant gasket stuff that you apply with a silicone gun?

5th March 2014, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntscVTR

Hello saxp longtime no speak! I bought a nice looking Blue 99 VTS for £700 yesterday and its in not bad condition 80k 2 owners with no recorded insurance history (its hard to find a VTS with no cat C/D atm with low milage and owners) 10 months MOT and looks very clean. I drove from East London back to Blackpool and it cost £35-£40 in fuel (250miles with spirited driving on the twisties) After owning the VTR and going to this i was mightily impressed (and I have owned some pretty fast motors).

The problems I have noticed are:

1. There is a breather pipe that goes from the Rocker cover (Ontop at the top right hand side of the engine) and that is loose and can easilly pull out. Will wrapping it in PTFE tape prior to refitting it fix this? The engine bay is soo clean I don't fancy any oil spluttering all over.

2. The clutch I'm not happy with as the pedal is pretty spongy and can Judder/knock when engaging gears. The clutch engagement is about 2/5 down the pedal and changing 1st to 2nd any faster than a 60 year old causes bucking. I have a brand new LUK VTR clutch but wondering if some of these are symptons of the engine or gearbox mountings needing to be replaced?

3. At 70 mph the car starts vibrating, real bad at certain steering angles(Mainly left) yet almost no vibrations at other angles and some smaller knocks at lower speeds when turning left and going over uneven surfaces. The seller had the alloys refurbished last month so I suspect the wheel balance/tracking is out and there may well be a weight lost from the offending wheel or its buckled. Anything else I should look out for with this? The cv joints (from under the car whilst on the ground) look and feel fine no splits and seem to be sat in the hub just nicely as does the suspension it feels pretty solid. I will check the wheel bearing and swap the wheel with the spare and test it out when I go to get some pictures pictures.

I don't think its a lemon just needs some maintenance any advice would be great cheers.

All sounds pretty straightforward dude.

Easy one first, check the wheels are balanced, but maybe get the tracking checked as well?

Clutch - Juddering doesn't so much sound like the clutch as knackered engine mounts as you say, the pedal can be adjusted via the cable in the bay on top of the gearbox, it's not slipping I take it? Common mount to go is the lower gearbox mount, easily replaced with a polybush item for pennies. Have you tried rocking the engine in the bay with you hands, is there much movement?

Breather pipe - Mine's never been particularly secure either, no oil spatter though, I wouldn't worry add some tape if you are. It's probably the only place mine hasn't leaked oil from at some point.

5th March 2014, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntscVTR

4. There is a slight weep coming from the rocker cover gasket, am I correct in thinking that it isn't a "Gasket" and it is the tube based instant gasket stuff that you apply with a silicone gun?

Yes, you're correct.

Best to clean it off and check to see exactly where it's leaking from. It can leak from the rocker covers, but also the cam ladders as well. Re-sealing these requires timing belt removal and cam removal, so is more involved.

If it is just the cam covers, you can either attempt to reseal them with some silicone, some people file down the lugs on the cam covers for a better seal, or you can replace the J4 covers with black plastic JP4 covers from later cars.

5th March 2014, 14:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by D4MJT

All sounds pretty straightforward dude.

Easy one first, check the wheels are balanced, but maybe get the tracking checked as well?

Clutch - Juddering doesn't so much sound like the clutch as knackered engine mounts as you say, the pedal can be adjusted via the cable in the bay on top of the gearbox, it's not slipping I take it? Common mount to go is the lower gearbox mount, easily replaced with a polybush item for pennies. Have you tried rocking the engine in the bay with you hands, is there much movement?

Breather pipe - Mine's never been particularly secure either, no oil spatter though, I wouldn't worry add some tape if you are. It's probably the only place mine hasn't leaked oil from at some point.

Thanks for the quick reply D4MJT balancing and tracking are first on the cards as for the clutch there is no slip that I have noticed so far I will say the engine feels extremely solid on its mounts with hardly any movement. I need to get under the car and check the gearbox for movement. The breather pipe keeps popping out so I will PTFE it for a solid fit.

Here are some pictures of it.

http://s1023.photobucket.com/user/re...?sort=3&page=1

5th March 2014, 14:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by D4MJT

Yes, you're correct.

Best to clean it off and check to see exactly where it's leaking from. It can leak from the rocker covers, but also the cam ladders as well. Re-sealing these requires timing belt removal and cam removal, so is more involved.

If it is just the cam covers, you can either attempt to reseal them with some silicone, some people file down the lugs on the cam covers for a better seal, or you can replace the J4 covers with black plastic JP4 covers from later cars.

Thanks again I will be doing this to ensure the cleanliness. They are becoming quite rare so I think I'll be holding onto this for a while and want it in top running condition.

5th March 2014, 14:51

the breather on the side of the rocker cover i cleaned mine up and used loctite gel super glue all round it, left it for a few hours and thats sealed it really well and fairly permenantly

5th March 2014, 15:08

Could you not just put a cable tie on it?

5th March 2014, 15:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntscVTR

Thanks for the quick reply D4MJT balancing and tracking are first on the cards as for the clutch there is no slip that I have noticed so far I will say the engine feels extremely solid on its mounts with hardly any movement. I need to get under the car and check the gearbox for movement. The breather pipe keeps popping out so I will PTFE it for a solid fit.

Here are some pictures of it.

http://s1023.photobucket.com/user/re...?sort=3&page=1

Looks a tidy little thing that.

The lower gearbox bush is a large circular bush in a fork under the car, it's easy to spot. The insides break down and it allows forward / backward movement of the engine. It's easily replaced with a polyurethane replacement cheaply

5th March 2014, 15:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by karlo

Could you not just put a cable tie on it?

Those hundred posts will come around in no time at all

5th March 2014, 15:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by D4MJT

Those hundred posts will come around in no time at all

5th March 2014, 15:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by D4MJT

Looks a tidy little thing that.

The lower gearbox bush is a large circular bush in a fork under the car, it's easy to spot. The insides break down and it allows forward / backward movement of the engine. It's easily replaced with a polyurethane replacement cheaply

Thanks a lot for the advice i'm going to get it sorted out after the tracking is done. I'm very happy with the condition the first owner was an old woman who had it for 60k and the second owner for the last 20k then exchanged it at a Citroen dealership. I have been searching for weeks and there are some with dark history. Always textcheck

10th March 2014, 07:39

This sounds exactly the same situation I am in.

VTS 70k miles very clean with no insurance issues similar price too. I have the same issue with oil was adamant it was just the cam covers but now I have noticed a line of silicon just below the cam cover not sure what this is, I am not sure if it should split there but doesn't look like the head split.

I agree that its getting so hard to find a clean VTS these days :-(

10th March 2014, 09:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by gavinpotter2010

This sounds exactly the same situation I am in.

VTS 70k miles very clean with no insurance issues similar price too. I have the same issue with oil was adamant it was just the cam covers but now I have noticed a line of silicon just below the cam cover not sure what this is, I am not sure if it should split there but doesn't look like the head split.

I agree that its getting so hard to find a clean VTS these days :-(

That's the cam ladder seal dude.

Basically the cams sit in the head, then the 2 cam ladders bolt over and hold the cams in place, then the cam covers bolt to these.

In order to reseal these you need to remove the timing belt and then remove the cam ladders, it's a good opportunity to change the water pump, timing belt and tensioner too. Gates water pumps ftw...

Ask Prickle

10th March 2014, 09:19

Feck.... Not a job that I would undertake without assistance... These are the kind of jobs where I want to learn how to do but not without the backup of someone who does know. What kinda price you recon? Thanks for the advise clearly you know what you are doing :-(

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10th March 2014, 09:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by gavinpotter2010

Feck.... Not a job that I would undertake without assistance... These are the kind of jobs where I want to learn how to do but not without the backup of someone who does know. What kinda price you recon? Thanks for the advise clearly you know what you are doing :-(

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I wouldn't go that far lolz.

It's not too hard tbh dude, you can just take your time. There's a timing belt guide on here that's really good, I followed it. Mine still works post belt change and I'm shit!

10th March 2014, 12:08

Lol... Will take a look for that as I have to start somewhere....

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