Beechy89 Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 I was wondering if anyone would be able to give me guidance on servicing. Just bought my Westfield and am absolutely loving every moment of ownership thus far. I'm a bit early on this post, but planning to do an oil change by myself in March next year. However, i've never done anything like a brake, clutch, differential and gearbox oil changes before - every day is a learning day and all that... Either guidance on how to do this, or a Westfield friendly servicing in the area (Berkshire/Surrey) would be amazing! Any advice would be helpful 😁. Just want to ensure everything is running smoothly and as it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evosteve Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 Always worth doing Brake, clutch (if not cable) fluid, Engine oil and anti freeze so you know were you are. Gear box and differential generally don't have drain plugs and a pain to change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 It’s worth diving in there and having a go, at least once; Westfields are much easier to work on with relatively simple tools than anything under twenty years old, production car wise, it will build your confidence hugely, and more importantly it’ll help you get to know the quirks and so on of your individual car. When a car is completely new to you, it is worth, unless you’re confident of its history, doing all the fluids just so you know what’s in there now, and have a baseline for dates going forward. Cambelt too, if it has one, equally “fan” belt, (though these days it’s really often just the alternator and water pump, on many engines). Exactly how each job is done will depend on the engine, gearbox and diff you have fitted. Many of the commonly used gearboxes and diff’s as Steve said, don’t have drain plugs, as in their original car figments, they were often considered filled for life, with only top ups required. A hand operated vacuum oil extractor can make life massively easier with these. Assuming a road and moderate track day car. So, engine oil and filter, coolant, brake fluid, belts, change then continue to change at the original makers “harsh” service intervals. (If using hard on frequent trackdays, reduce those intervals a bit more) Clutch fluid, if hydraulic, then check at annual service, but should be ok for quite some time, at least a couple of years, and four or five plus, is common. Gearbox and diff oil. Unless you’re either competing or very heavy track day use, many of the Westfield figments will really just need periodic checks and if necessary top ups. If used really really hard, then maybe a full change every 24000 miles or so, but that’s an exception, really. Note though, if you do have a gearbox etc like the Honda in the S2K cars, it does have a drain point and manufactures service life. Not an oil change as such, but unexpected if used to modern cars. The prop shafts on many/most Westfields have grease nipples on the universal joints. You need a grease gun, (not expensive) to squirt fresh grease into these to keep the joints in good shape. Obviously, check all brake pads/shoes for even and acceptable wear and service life, as well as checking for wear and pitting in discs etc. replace as necessary. Check things like the rubber bellows on the steering rack and rear drive shafts for any signs of wear or splitting. (Cheap to replace if required, and again a quite reasonable home job). Battery! The standard Banner batteries used in perhaps the majority of Westfields when first built, are NOT sealed for life, maintenance free types! Check immediately if you have this sort of battery, because they get forgotten about by younger, (less than middle age) owners, as it’s such a rare thing on a tin top, these days. There are little removable plastic plugs in a row on top, (there may be a cover or trim over them). Remove them and check that the electrolyte fluid inside the battery is covering the metal plates, within. If not, top it up with deionised water, (again, cheap enough from car parts places, even Halfords) And finally, Westfields are an old fashioned car in certain key ways. They do not have all the Noise Vibration Harshness treatments modern cars do - it’s why we love them! The downside can be a slight tendency over time to unscrew themselves. Though use of threadlock, lock washers and lock nuts massively reduces this. But, it’s still important to periodically, ie not just once a year for a service, do something called a “spanner check”. This is literally just going round making sure all your key nuts and bolts are still properly tight, paying particular attention to steering, brakes and suspension. (It’s something you’d also do ahead of and perhaps after a trackday, or a big road trip. While to write it out like this makes it look a huge list, it’s really not! And because of decent access for 90% of it, it’s not too complicated to do. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 Oh and, don’t panic! EVERYSINGLE step of the above, there are either already loads of posts on how people have tackled them, or loads of members who can help guide through the processes with the most common engine/driveline combinations. Where a car has been bought second hand, it’s not always clear just what make of parts it has. So another tip, take loads of pictures and post them up, when asking any technical questions. Not only will people be able to identify what you have, and sometime, even someone with eagle eyes will spot something not quite right. Rare but has happened a few times over the years. But it’s meant the potential problem could be fixed before it became an actual issue. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechy89 Posted June 22, 2023 Author Share Posted June 22, 2023 On 21/06/2023 at 11:24, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman said: Oh and, don’t panic! EVERYSINGLE step of the above, there are either already loads of posts on how people have tackled them, or loads of members who can help guide through the processes with the most common engine/driveline combinations. Where a car has been bought second hand, it’s not always clear just what make of parts it has. So another tip, take loads of pictures and post them up, when asking any technical questions. Not only will people be able to identify what you have, and sometime, even someone with eagle eyes will spot something not quite right. Rare but has happened a few times over the years. But it’s meant the potential problem could be fixed before it became an actual issue. Thanks Dave! I'll see about tackling these myself! Perhaps carry on a build/blog where I can take some photo's of the car itself. Thanks for the heads up and assistance with this! It's a previous members on here - so been taking a look through the build diary on that! ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euan Hoosearmy Posted June 22, 2023 Share Posted June 22, 2023 It's not as frightening as you think it is.... I've had my Westfield 18 months and was not mechanically competent at that point. With help from here, I've re-plumbed the cooling system, re-wired part of the dash, fixed a carb issue and today I replaced a lower ball joint in the front suspension. Ask questions, plan and give yourself plenty of time to do the task. Don't overload yourself with lots of stuff at once. Occasionally you have to buy tools, but that's part of the fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim RS Posted June 22, 2023 Share Posted June 22, 2023 I'm hoping you'll be at the area meet on 9th July and we can certainly help you with routines. A useful service at Culham is a garage with self service ramps which would be good to view under the car without the risk of jacks/props and can be hired out with tools plus special equipment at an hourly rate. Additionally if it's the car I think it is the previous owner was fastidious and comprehensively rebuilt this quite recently. I also have a tame garage who helped me through my build although they are in Newbury a fair journey for you, but if you're having difficulties they might be useful. Other from these I have a low ramp at home which I am happy to entertain visitors and help with driveable repairs. Once I get the platform sorted out we have a WhatsApp group where Thames Valley members can chat and I will give you an invite to join. Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechy89 Posted June 27, 2023 Author Share Posted June 27, 2023 On 22/06/2023 at 21:23, Jim RS said: I'm hoping you'll be at the area meet on 9th July and we can certainly help you with routines. A useful service at Culham is a garage with self service ramps which would be good to view under the car without the risk of jacks/props and can be hired out with tools plus special equipment at an hourly rate. Additionally if it's the car I think it is the previous owner was fastidious and comprehensively rebuilt this quite recently. I also have a tame garage who helped me through my build although they are in Newbury a fair journey for you, but if you're having difficulties they might be useful. Other from these I have a low ramp at home which I am happy to entertain visitors and help with driveable repairs. Once I get the platform sorted out we have a WhatsApp group where Thames Valley members can chat and I will give you an invite to join. Jim Hello Jim, I'll definitely be attending the meet on 9th of July to meet up with you guys! Tim the original owner has been great answering any questions that i've had so far! I think the WhatsApp group is a great idea! You will need to let me know when this is set up 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.