the Power of Search

[cmm303]

I have searched threads on here so many times and so often end up trawling through endless pages of results. I now have a blowing exhaust and want to remove the quick warm-up exhaust valve at the same time. Again, my first searches weren't quickly giving everything I wanted.

I just knew that it has all been tackled before so invested a few more seconds on the search criteria:

(remove OR removal) AND exhaust AND (valve OR winter)

and within the first two pages of results I had absolutely everything I needed including a photo of a joint blowing just like mine, what section(s) to buy, an ebay seller, which bolts/nuts are hard to undo, tip for putting rubber hangers on etc. Some of the info goes back several years suggesting that in just a few minutes I have harvested years of other owners' experience.

Excellent. Forums are so much more powerful than a Q&A tool

[TheStinkyHippy]

Excellent tip. I often struggle on searches,
e.g. if you search for engine AND oil
many results don't have oil in the thread at all.. never understood why

[cmm303]

Excellent tip. I often struggle on searches,
e.g. if you search for engine AND oil
many results don't have oil in the thread at all.. never understood why

Need to also make sure the option to Search for all terms or use query as entered is selected

[Ian]

Here's a short video about using the search facility: http://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/ ... h-function

And this goes in to more detail about the "Boolean" search terms to use: http://www.ukop.co.uk/help_boolean_search.aspx

[mikeonb4c]

Excellent tip indeed. And to think I spend every working day writing Boolean logic into SQL scripts and never thought to experiment - I must be losing my sense of curiosity, or forming an unfairly low opinion of forum search engines. Shame on me

[scanner]

One more tip don't even think about bothering with a mild steel replacement off ebay.

Go for a made to measure stainless steel system, far, far better all round and not much in it in cost.

Another search will show which supplier(s) to use and which one to avoid (at least 2 of us had problems with him).

[mikeonb4c]

One more tip don't even think about bothering with a mild steel replacement off ebay.

Go for a made to measure stainless steel system, far, far better all round and not much in it in cost.

Another search will show which supplier(s) to use and which one to avoid (at least 2 of us had problems with him).

Thanks scanner and very interesting as I'd long been wondering about the (unknown) quality of steel being used in these arches (real rip-off territory if not careful). Are you able to point us towards a source of the SS ones. Are there any possible issues with welding SS to existing bodywork: bonding, electro-chemical stuff etc.? I'm guessing not but thought it worth asking in case others also wonder.

[cmm303]

One more tip don't even think about bothering with a mild steel replacement off ebay.

Go for a made to measure stainless steel system, far, far better all round and not much in it in cost.

Another search will show which supplier(s) to use and which one to avoid (at least 2 of us had problems with him).

Thanks scanner and very interesting as I'd long been wondering about the (unknown) quality of steel being used in these arches (real rip-off territory if not careful). Are you able to point us towards a source of the SS ones. Are there any possible issues with welding SS to existing bodywork: bonding, electro-chemical stuff etc.? I'm guessing not but thought it worth asking in case others also wonder.

I reckon scanner was talking about exhausts, not arches.

[mikeonb4c]

I reckon scanner was talking about exhausts, not arches.

Doh yes, silly me, been so busy hopping between wheel arch threads I completely missed the obvious.

Since we're in off thread mode though, SS exhausts are not a perfect solution. Even some of the most ardent fans of SS exhausts admit they are noisy/tinny sounding compared to mild steel, which has more mass and better sound damping due to its being a less 'springy' material. I've always stuck with mild steel for that reason.

[scanner]

Really??

They soon settle down Mike - even mild steel ones boom a bit when new.

With SS ones you can specify what boxes you have and where you want them (with one supplier you have to do that, or he puts the wrong bits in the wrong order ) and adjust the sound to suit you - try that with a MS system.

The SS system also lets you do away with the "oil drum" backbox as well - that saves about half a tonne of weight.

[mikeonb4c]

Really??

They soon settle down Mike - even mild steel ones boom a bit when new.

With SS ones you can specify what boxes you have and where you want them (with one supplier you have to do that, or he puts the wrong bits in the wrong order ) and adjust the sound to suit you - try that with a MS system.

The SS system also lets you do away with the "oil drum" backbox as well - that saves about half a tonne of weight.

I can only relate what I've heard from others and for myself. The weight saving and the long life are certainly attractive aspects though so I wouldn't want to put others off. But for me its mild steel I think

[scanner]

.................. and you are usually otherwise so sensible.

[mikeonb4c]

.................. and you are usually otherwise so sensible.

Now THAT I take as quite a compliment. If I'm being really honest, I just have a dread fear of making my already agricultural diesel sound more clackety clackety as I aspire to move silent and unnoticed from landscape to landscape. Yea I know, this is where the V6 owners jump in and start banging their gong

[scanner]

.................. and you are usually otherwise so sensible.

Now THAT I take as quite a compliment. If I'm being really honest, I just have a dread fear of making my already agricultural diesel sound more clackety clackety as I aspire to move silent and unnoticed from landscape to landscape. Yea I know, this is where the V6 owners jump in and start banging their gong

At least we don't poison ourselves with carcinogenic benzene every time we fill up.

[sotal]

Excellent tip. I often struggle on searches,
e.g. if you search for engine AND oil
many results don't have oil in the thread at all.. never understood why

The forum search ignores words that are 3 characters or less.

If you search for oil on it's own then you get no results.

If you search for oil leak even with all terms selected it will ignore oil and just search for leak

If you search for oil AND leak again it will ignore oil.

The only way I have found is to search for "oil leak" but then it needs to find the phrase.

Would be handy if there is a forum setting which could allow 3 letter searches. There are quite a lot of 3 letter words related to cars which you just can't search for:

oil
car
air
fan
ecu

etc