WITW - The PF Exxon Valdez!

[MikkiJayne]

How to fit a brake block to a PF...

Don't need this for a start - its not doing anything and in the way



The ESP return hose is also in the way. Interestingly that goes from the front of the reservoir straight to the rear chamber which was unexpected. Of course having just filled it with fresh fluid I now have to remove most of it Never mind. Its not expensive.



Remove this connection and the one from the hardline on the other side, being careful not to spill any fluid on the nice clean paint!



FL hose on the top, PF on the bottom. The PF hose is just a bit of plain clutch hose, whereas the FL is deliberately moulded to clear all the stuff in the way, such as the brace.



With the hose and superfluous bracket removed there's room for the brace hardware



Test fit with a brake block





Clamp in place to mark the holes



This is the rivnut tool. It'll set up to M12 without a problem.



Five of six rivnuts in place, but the last one is blocked by the bonnet switch. This bracket is to the far left of the frame on the FL, clearly moved so they could get tool access to insert the rivnut.



This one will need to be set the old-school way. The nut in the middle compresses the rivnut against the larger nut at the left, allowing it to be set with spanners in a much smaller space than the big tool needs



Hold the bolt and the large nut with two spanners while tightening the small nut with the 3rd spanner



Done



ESP hose back on



Proper clearance now



Bolted in place with the brake block





Brackets left in place but the bar is removed as it needs to be out to replace the wiring harness when the engine goes back in. The inner bolt for the bar is still a little tight on the bonnet switch, but its not like the bar comes out very often so it won't be a problem





I've never seen this done before, and these parts are only listed for the FL so this might be the first PF with an upper brace and brake block?

[steamship]

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

Five of six rivnuts in place, but the last one is blocked by the bonnet switch. This bracket is to the far left of the frame on the FL, clearly moved so they could get tool access to insert the rivnut.

This one will need to be set the old-school way. The nut in the middle compresses the rivnut against the larger nut at the left, allowing it to be set with spanners in a much smaller space than the big tool needs

Hold the bolt and the large nut with two spanners while tightening the small nut with the 3rd spanner

Done

More attention to detail. Most mechanics would just bend the switch bracket out of the way to use the rivnut tool. As for the spanners, are you tri-dextrous?

[MikkiJayne]

Originally Posted by steamship

More attention to detail. Most mechanics would just bend the switch bracket out of the way to use the rivnut tool. As for the spanners, are you tri-dextrous?

It didn't even occur to me to bend the bracket

If you get the orientation of the bolt and larger nut right then both those spanners can be held with one hand while tightening the smaller nut with the other

[MikkiJayne]

More rivnuts This is what remains of the screw holding the airbox trim



grind the stump down so I can get a drill on it



Drill out the bolt and the top bit of the rivnut



Remove the rivnut



Ta dah!



One in the front of the wing for the front bit of the same trim
(yes, I did change the bolt for a not-rusty one )



and one over by the header tank for that cover

[Goran]

Looks amazing! I wish I had your patience to clean mine, its a bit grimy inside.
What do you use for cleaning grease and grime off the painted bits?
Would brake cleaner start attacking the paint?

[MikkiJayne]

Chlorinated brake cleaner probably would. I use a naptha-based brake & clutch cleaner from TPS which is very mild but which cuts through oil and grease very well indeed, although ironically it doesn't dissolve brake fluid Its much easier on PF and FL1 though as they are lacquered in the engine bay and so quite robust. The FL2s aren't lacquered so you have to be very careful not to dissolve the paint! On those I use Gtechniq W7 tar remover as that is quite benign and remarkably powerful. I also have a product called 'Dirt Juice' bike cleaner from my neighbours which is also quite a mild solvent but in an aerosol so it has dirt-blasting power if needed.

Once the oil is gone I use Gtechniq W5 APC most of the time, in varying concentration depending on the level of grime. In this case, being the worst I've encountered so far, the W5 was mildly supercharged with 10% Autosmart G101 which is an extremely powerful alkaline APC - basically a trade version of the Elbow Grease product discussed in other threads. I'd be disinclined to put G101 anywhere near an FL2 engine bay though. Beware toluene-based tar remover as well as that also dissolves the unlacquered paint.

Once it's all clean-ish with no more grit or chunks I'll use a waterless wash or quick detailer to tidy up any smudges, and then a sealant to finish off.

[Goran]

Thanks
I am going to stick to the ones you recommended. The Halfords brake cleaner I have seems to attack the paint/lacquer. I think mine is FL1? Autumn 2001 build date.
Will the naptha brake cleaner from TPS also work on the engine block?
I'll have a lot of cleaning to do there.