[Arctic]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

My three (well two, the centre bolt was missing) fixing have been seized since I got the car and sorting them out has been something I've been intending to do for a while.

What I noticed on mine once I had eventually removed it, which no one has mentioned, is that there is a water trap in the duct just to the rear of the bellowed section. There is a full width 'sump', with a drain hole in the bottom.

Anyway, today I got a roundtuit....

Centre bolt was missing, but the two outer ones were completely seized and the brass nuts just turning in their rubber surrounds. My only option was to drill the two bolts off, but I managed to snap my pilot drill in one of them so I had to carefully grind the head off. The grinding wrecked the flange of the rubber, which left me one short.

I managed to clean up the threads of the brass inserts with tap, to reuse the damaged rubber unit, I fitted it in the centre hole, but made it stay put with some hot glue. Three new bolts, a good coating of copper grease and it is all back in place.

Idea was, to make it quickly removable should I need to and get my first good look around the front of the engine since I got it. Once off, it make access between the rad and the engine much better.

I replaced mine with self taping bolts pinch tight and can be undone in a jiffy. And yes there is a a water trap in the duct just to the rear of the bellowed section here is a full width 'sump', with a drain hole in the bottom pics below checked it yesterday afternoon while i was checking my oil water etc before a journey. Also if you have to remove the bellows as in the last pic check to see if your air filter is clean or not