April 2001

fast running Cougar

Tony Poultom on 25 April 2001

I have a V6 Ford Cougar which seems to tick over very fast and when
> changing gear the revs do not decrease quickly enough I spoke to my
> local dealer who said this is normal on a Ford V6 engine AP Essex Read more

Citroen Specialist

Chris on 25 April 2001

Does anyone know of an independent Citroen specialist in the Ormskirk/Southport/St Helens area of Lancashire? My BX needs some TLC and Citroen prices are off the scale.

Thanks Read more

Andrew Bairsto on 26 April 2001

I am sorry I cannot help you in your area ,but after having many Citröens (my present is 99 2.5TD XM estate)I have found the it is
best to do your own maintainance .They are not as complicated as most people think and there is mountains of advice on the Internet,look under Citröen ring or Citröen car club,Spares are cheaper from Andyspares.com and eurocarparts.com together with a Haynes manual
you will soon become an expert.Any specific problems drop me a line and I will do my best to answer.
Regards Andy Bairsto
Dresden
Germany

Low sulpher fuel.

Dave on 25 April 2001

I've noticed a reduction in economy of my bike over the last few weeks.

It could be the Valve clearances & carb balance.

However I suspect Low sulpher fuel may be to blame.

Anyone else found they get less mileage out of low sulphur fuel in highly tuned engines? Read more

mark on 15 May 2001

answer is in my opinion that uls fuel is pants as my car does far worse on it. But my freinds car shows no differnce. perhaps its engine specific if so it probably could be tuned out on a rolling road.

Red Diesel- Urban myth

stuart bruce on 25 April 2001

Is it true that if you mix English red diesel with Irish green diesel (both duty unpaid) that you end up with colourless diesel?

I know it's illegal, but hope some one on the best web car/road discussion site can tell me the answer. Read more

John Slaughter on 27 April 2001

Customs must be getting soft. Years ago I heard of someone 'running on red' with two tanks in the landrover. When C & E arrived he happily took off the fuel cap to be greeted with 'that's OK sir, we'll take the sample from the fuel pump'.

Oops!

You're right though, they won't worry about the colour - they'll look for the chemical marker.

Regards

John

Jerky Mondeo

m peacock on 24 April 2001

When I recently had my 1995 2 litre Mondeo serviced I mentioned the car was jerky when accelerating at the lower end of the revs in 3rd and 4th or generally hard in these gears.I felt the problem began to develop shortly after an elective cam belt change at 68k.The garage (not Ford) could find nout wrong but changed the plugs which were only a year old. The problem persists.I feel I should take it to a ford dealer as they may recognise the problem but am worried about expensive suggestions that do not solve the problem.I am wondering if it could be the clutch or fuel supply system.Any suggestions?? Read more

Andrew Moorey (Tune-Up Ltd.) on 25 April 2001

Zetec engines suffer badly from failed spark plug covers on cyls 3 & 4. Remove both plugs and look for a grey line running down the porcelain. If evident replace all leads and plugs with genuine FORD parts. If the cambelt was not replaced strictly in accordance with manufacturers instructions, using the proper alignment tools the cam timing WILL be out and as a consequence will not run or pull smoothly.

Golf IV 1.6 1998 erratic idling

Sanjeev Thearia on 24 April 2001

Does anyone have any potentially low-cost solutions to this one?

I bought my Sep 1998 Golf 1.6 (8v 100bhp) with only 1000 miles on the clock (demo) and it has never idled at constant revs, whether warm or cold. The revs fluctuate between 700 and 850 all the time. Everything else mechanical is fine when driving.

I'll check whether it's covered by the 2 year dealer warranty (suspect not), but in the meantime does anyone have any ideas.

Many Thanks
Sanjeev Read more

Mark on 25 April 2001

I had a similar problem with a Mitsubishi Carisma, the tacho needle constantly swinging from 500 to 900 revs at idle. It was cured (I think) after 5,000 miles
of using Texaco rather than supermarket petrol, as per HJ's previous advice.
Regards, Mark

Diesel fuel treatment

Rob Kerss on 24 April 2001

I had a problem with black smoke with my PSA XUD diesel engine. I usedRedex diesel treatment for some thousand miles with no improvement and continuation of embarrassing smoke particularly in slow traffic.

I noticed that Honest John had recommended Millers Dieselclean Plus several times so I tried that. Since the first treatment I have never had black smoke again over the last 15,000 miles.

DO follow HJ's advice and use Millers to keep your diesel clean and the pump well lubricated with ULSD. (I have approached both Millers and Redex for an explaination without getting one in their replies). Can anyone come up with an answer why Millers works and not Redex? Read more

Potential fire hazard - Peugeot 406

John Greenstreet on 24 April 2001

Has anyone encountered a real or potential fire hazard with the cigar lighter on the Peugeot 406?

The lighter is situated on the central console between the front seats on a horizontal surface. When the lighter is removed, there is a real risk of a metallic object; pen, jacket zip fastener, cigarette silver foil, key, etc. falling into the socket and completing a circuit with over 30amps power. Result, instant fire!

It happened to me with the zip fastener on a jacket I was wearing falling in and heating red hot, with sparks emitting from the socket.

It could cause fatalities if the driver, distracted by such a fire, lost control.

Peugeot don't seem particularly interested. Do any Peugeot 406 owners know of a similar problem, or have had the same experience? I'd like to hear from them. Read more

Kevin Alder on 24 April 2001

My old Mum was a stroke victim, and had no feeling at all down one side of her body.

The first car we had with a cigar(ette) lighter was an Austin Ambassador. Mum was fascinated, but we didn't know just how fascinated until we noticed the smell of burning flesh - she had been exploring the red glow with the thumb of her "dead" hand!

Luckily all was well after an emergency visit to the hospital.

VW running on

mark on 24 April 2001

My 1.8 carb Scirocco runs on for between 5 and 10 seconds when I turn off the ignition . If I attempt to stop this by leaving the car in first gear and letting the
clutch in the car goes backwards (and forwards if in reverse gear). Does this mean that the engine is running backwards and will it cause any damage?
Thanks Mark Read more

Adam Going (Tune-Up Ltd) on 26 April 2001

Marcus,
Take your point, but beg to disagree a bit!! The anti run-on valve you identify is important in preventing run-on from normal idle speed, but if the idle speed at switch-off is anything more than 100rpm above normal (for whatever reason) the anti run-on valve does not, in my experience, prevent run-on as the air speed through the carb is sufficient to draw fuel from the primary main jet rather than just the idle jet (which the valve shuts off). Control of idle speed is the most critical factor in preventing run-on. The waxstat, air leaks, sticky throttle cable, and ordinary idle speed adjustments are all possible causes.
Regards, Adam

Smeary Screens

Tim Hirst on 24 April 2001

The windscreen of my Golf goes very "smeary" when it gets wet. It seams to be covered with lots of small does of "stuff".

Any suggestions on the best method to clean the screen plus what's the best additive for summer screen wash?

Thanks for any help. Read more

simon saxton on 27 April 2001

I too have found Rain X to be an excellent product both on W/screen & side windows,enhancing visibility in rain. It also makes it easier to remove dead/squashed insects on the screen in summer months.
Simon