September 2001
Thanks for the suggestions but all have already been considered with the exception of the "coil" failing when overheated: clearly a potential problem in other areas.
The Punto has a single point injection system which appears to consist of a single injector squirting metered doses of petrol into the throat of a carburettor body (devoid of bowl, float & jets) in response to a bewidering array of sensors whose data are processed by an ECU on the inner offside wing.
I suspect overfuelling and wonder:
Has the oxygen sensor in the exhaust pipe failed?
Is the engine temperatue sensor/ECU failing to reduce the petrol doses once the engine is warm?
Is there a sensor in the catalytic converter to protect it from overfuelling and would it help to disconnect this?
Further discussion on these points would be much appreciated.
PS I like fish n chips and crowds.
Heather Read more
Soon it will be time to put the hard top back on. Can any body recommend a product that will help to preserve and extend the life of the rubber seal. Read more
Unipart spec a silicone gel that will penetrate the rubber, preserve it and keep it flexible.
I'm sure my brother will come along later and spec the part No.!
Hi all,
After reading a letter on HJ's page in todays Telegraph from a guy that has imported a new Subaru Impreza Turbo which has snapped it's timing belt at 26k, i wondered if we could pass a hat around us forum members to assist him in paying for the required repairs ?
It appears that he has no regress with the UK the dealer but the supplier which is based in Holland.
I do possess an old 'Dai cap' so shall i pass it around ?
Rgds,
Ash. ( skint but will donate the cap )
p.s why bother buying an import when he would have had the support of the Uk dealer if things went pear shaped ? MONEY ! lossed more than he gained now sadly. Read more
No, Bob. It read, "My UK dealer, who has serviced the car since I imported it, tells me that a guied was fitted incorrectly during manufacture........The UK dealer denies any responsibility." That's why I suggested that if checking the timing belt formed part of the service schedule and the dealer had failed to do this, then TW might have a claim against the UK dealer.
HJ
Following the thread about dealers' integrity, I have to say I am singularly unimpressed by their competence (sorry, HJ).
Looking to buy a new or demo car I have encountered certain guys who (it turns out after studying the glossy bumph) don't seem to know the product they are actually punting. Also, after religiously taking down contact detail, some never ring me back to check on my thoughts! OK I'm trying to do a deal on one motor not a fleet, but all the same ...
I don't actually mind a bit of gentle pressure (i.e. salesmanship). Perhaps these guys have had it easy for so many years, being able to sell cars without even getting out of bed, that they haven't caught up with the changing market. Is there actually any formal sales training for these people? Read more
Ash
Not only the women - I was once asked by Service Reception why I thought I knew better than one of the oiks in the workshop. When I said 'Because I happened to be a Chartered Mechanical Engineer, and I'd be only too happy to discuss it with your Workshop foreman' things went quiet. Must say though I haven't had similar problems for years, but I can well imagine it happening.
regards
john
My 280 E Merc (Auto, petrol, 20 years, 200,000 miles) has undergone a £12,000 reconditioning, including modification for unleaded fuel, plus respray and other body work. Insurers won't now accept a valuation above the going market price for an un-reconditioned car, which seems to be about £9000. Does anyone know of a sympathetic insurer or broker who might help? Read more
You could try Peart Associates in Kendal - sorry no contact No! I had good service and an agreed value policy on an a MG-B a few years ago. If they are still in business, as brokers, they should give you a competitive quote.
I am trying to find out whether other owners are experiencing similar problems with the newer (2000 models) versions of this car.
I am having numerous intermittent faults appear on the dashboard panel such as malfunctioning air con, cruise control, ESP, ABS etc etc
They often disappear when the car is stopped and re-started but th ESP returns after a while.
Any ideas what might be causing the problems, are they known?
thanks Read more
Current RHD C Class are being built in South Africa. Or rather they are not being built because there is a strike.
HJ
Am I the only one who thinks the new (as in the latest revision months ago) layout is total and utter sh*te. Apologies for the language but it winds me up so much every time I try and read anything - popups than manage to evade my filtering program, if I try and filter too much it takes its ball home and I get nothing.
How do you tell if there is something new to read - do you have to click on the sidebar and see, or are the new items the ones that are splashed on the front page? It is so slow and cranky that I dont really read it anymore, but would like to but fear for my blood pressure. If I click on things I know should be there, such as HJ's column it loads a blank (apart from all the crappy banners).
Yours, just returning to simmering
Ash. Read more
on the off chance that they actually read this...
I used to read the Electronic Telegraph EVERY day. I used to print out their crosswords, read the comments, everything. Sad, I know, but it was one of my pleasures with early morning coffee & cigarette.
I continued to read it and complain for about two or three weeks.
Haven't read it since, and don't intend to. I've switched to the Times. Sorry, HJ, I don't even go there to read your column anymore.
M.
p.s. www.thetimes.co.uk - its pretty good, or at least its easy to use without 500 squidrillion pop-up windows.
have any of the trade chaps come across *quest auto air con conversion kits* mfd by ef products of dallas? (www.efproducts.com)
a friend of mine in the garage trade recently used one of the above to retrofit R12 to 134a on a granada, it involved screwing on a pair of preloaded tubes & injecting in pag oil & addatives to let the mineral oil mix with the new stuff & the 134a (r12 recovered 1st).
their supplier insists that tons of the kits are used in the states, but us agriculural types still think that you can't beat a flush & back flush with a proper flushing kit (my supplier won't give you warranty on new compressors unless you do, which is fair enough)
meantime we wait to see if the granada keeps going! & I'm sticking to me flushing
opinions please............. Read more
In theory they should have completed the changes by the end of 1993 manufacturing year. But add in a bit more time for all the other bits and pieces like shipping, storage and not to mention being french and not wanting to comply with EU rules, and you can nearly get to 1995. Beware of Jap imports also, as I've seen plenty of 1995's with R12 also.
Same old story about the conversions Dave, you can do it properly, or you can do it cheaply.
Forgot to mention the fact that the kits don't mention vacuuming the system either.
My 1997 Punto (86,000m no short journeys) stops once it has done 7m from cold. It will not restart for 15-20 mins and will then do 2m and stop again requiring further prolonged rest. It then repeats the performance every 2m. Fiat are mystified. Help! The car is a cracker otherwise and I want to keep it.
PS a hot date for the problem-solver Read more
David, see my reply regarding the VW tech service bulletin above. I know it's a different make but replacing the fuel filler cap with a vented one could cause problems....
Any advice or clues?
Coming home from work this morning, as I approached a set of lights under braking I passed over a ridge in the road - it has always been there - probably as the brakes had just started to bite. Travelling no more than 25 - 30 and slowing, the whole car bounced and as it settled back down I had the impression the brakes had failed. Naturally as I was approaching a car in front - not a Toyota - I had to brake a lot harder than I would normally do. The brakes then started to make a clicking noise which I assume was the ABS kicking in. Would the temporary loss of traction, assuming both wheels lost contact with the road surface - albeit very briefly - be enough to trigger the ABS?
The car is a 2001 Mondeo, just having covered 1000 miles and up to now problems free - mechanically that is. Read more
I've heard this "pulling away from your foot" feeling is one of the reasons why they put brake assist in cars - people tend to lift off in a panic, thinking the brakes are defective. Then, the car in front WAS a Toyota.
Chris
Heather/Tim,
I've been a bit slow here. You both have the same e-mail address so Tim........not to far to see Heather and tell her in person!
Oddly enough I mentioned to one of my contacts there was something of the spoof in this enquiry but decided it was impolite do make that assumption and tried to give helpful info. In any case there may have been some useful info come out of it for others following the thread, even if you didn't actually need help.
Going to be honest enough to say what you two are up to?
David