July 2002
I thought this might be of interest to other Golf III owners or prospective buyers. I tracked down another of the several problems I've had with rear door circuits to where the wires pass through the rubber bellows between the B-pillars and the doors. There's a photo on Lee's community site:
groups.msn.com/honestjohn/problems.msnw?action=Sho...4
It seems to have been caused by the harness being too tight when the door is fully open resulting in the wires being alternately stretched and bent. Two were broken completely (12V feed to electric window, and a speaker line) and another two were partially severed.
At least this can be patched without having to delve into the door, though I think a longer term solution would be to adjust the harness anchoring inside the door to allow a bit of slack back through. Read more
I realise that most of your posts are about 4 wheelers but hope for some good feedback about a 1988 BMW 80RT I am thinking of buying.This is a horizontally opposed twin cylinder motor bike and is 14 years old with 57k on the clock but hasn't been ridden for about two years however it looks very tidy, neither the front caliper or rear drum have seized and the clutch appears to be OK and the engine turns when rocked in gear. What I intend doing is draining the old petrol from the tank and carbs and filling up with new, and jump starting it from my car to the old knackered battery.
Advice on two points would be appreciated:
I) If it doesn't start as above any ideas what do after checking that the spark is OK
2) Will there be any lasting problems with the bike because of it's lack of use?
Many thanks John Read more
Hi John
these are generally quite sturdy and as toad says carbs are easy to get at.
Your main issues are likely to be a clogged up fuel system I have found that with bikes that have been standing its not unusual to find that the carb float bowls are gunked up and that the inside of the petrol tank has started to corrode leaving bits of rust etc to block the jets once you have it running. I would flush out the tank carefully clean the filter on the tap if it has one and clean out the carbs and blow the jets through.
Other than that a quick oil change and check the condition of the tyres for cracks and perishing before you venture onto the road.
Overall BMW quality of finish is good so after a bit of TLC it should look just like any other BM and who will know its been stored?
as ever
Mark
Have a Pug 306 1.9 DT 1998 (R-reg) -85,000 Miles.
Recently this has been emitting clouds of black smoke and also lacking power. Consumption has gone up, but apart from that runs ok. Could this be injectors or something simple like a split or blocked hose somewhere on the system??
Could anyone out there please help!! Read more
Has there not been a couple of posts on this site mentioning engine failures with this particular model/engine due to con-rod problems?, in particular cars manufactured in 1998?
If so, get it traded in now in my opinion!
The wifes Maestro TD with power steering is not handling as well as it did.
Seems to lurch a little and is pattery on the road and upset by changing road surfaces.
Not bad but noticable... It has always sat very heavly on the road but has a different feel completely.
I supect the front shock absorbers although the time honoured test of bouncing on the corners and watching the rebound shows nothing.
Looking in the Haynes manual it mentions a special tool which could be home made for removing the bearing on the strut. Resembles a large nut with two pins. If it turns out to be the shock absorber is this tool obtainable?.
Could I have some advice on my diagnosis and if you think it's correct.
regards
alvin
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The M.O.T style 'bounce' test is not much use unless the shockers are really knackered. Try the 'parking lot test' as described at www.monroe.com/inspect.htm and then vigorously bounce each corner in turn. The car should settle within 1 bounce. To test them properly, they have to be removed and tested on a rig - you may as well replace them once you've gone to that much effort !
If the car has covered say, at least 50k miles, you may as well replace all 4 for what they cost. The fronts built into McPherson struts can be a pig to remove and are best left to your local garage and never, ever fast fit clip joints.
Finally, you haven't recently changed tyres have you ? Some budget tyres are really awful and can adversely affect handling.
About to attempt to resurrect my Mk2 Golf GTI off the driveway this weekend after 15 months off the road. I have started the car up a few times during this period and moved it up and down the driveway but haven't taken all the precautions that I should of :-( The car hasn't been started for about 5 months now and I was wondering what precautions I should NOW be taking e.g. changing oil, air filter etc.
Thanks in anticipation
Tim
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Tim,
I would suggest you just give it a very thorough service. Pay particular attention to brakes, testing for any siezure / sticking of caplipers and pistons. Change brake fluid once you are happy that you are not going to have to replace any seals etc. Stupid things like blocked washer jets may well be your most frustrating problems !!
Good luck.Adam.
I have a rover 416 with 62000 miles on and which sounds quite noisy when driving as if it has piston slap.. I'm sure it hasn't got a worn engine but you never know. Other minor problems are that it holds its revs between gear changes and runs quite rough when the choke is on but sweet once warm.
Any ideas??
Thanks in advance,
Mojo Read more
A slack timing belt will make the engine sound noisy, check/replace asap. The reason that modern engines hold revs between gears is to reduce the emission of hydrocarbons from the exhaust when you shut the throttle. Unless it is excessive i.e. doesnt drop at all, it is easy to live with and makes for quicker, smoother changes.
Hi All,
I have had my 1990 H-Reg Audi Coupe 2.0 litre for about a year now. Ever since purchase, I have experienced a vibration through the steering wheel at speeds of roughly 55-65mph. To illustrate what I mean, if you remove your hands from the wheel at these speeds, you can see the wheel "wobbling" about 3 inches each way, although the car remains straight.
The vibration almost feels as if it is through the whole car, and not just the steering wheel, as you can feel it mildly in the seats before you feel it in the wheel. I should also mention that the speed at which this occurs varies.
As I have had the problem for a year, I have had the car checked by a handful of mechanics for all the obvious problems (balancing, shocks, tracking, brushes etc.) and to no avail. Each mechanic has said the car looks fine to them.
My personal hunch at the moment is that the non-standard 5-spoke alloys may be the cause - perhaps they are making the car resonate at certain speeds? However, this is based on absolutely no technical knowledge, and is just a hunch!
Before I locate some wheels to try, does anyone have any suggestions that might help. This problem is starting to drive me mad now, and is ruining my enjoyment of country roads!!
Many thanks in advance.
Stuart Read more
Peter,
Thanks for the information. I haven't yet checked the inner and outer weights - I'm afraid I am very untechnical, and so am not sure how to go about this. I know you briefly explained on a previous post, but Im still a little stuck!
Stuart
Just thinking of buying one for my Father.
Anybody have comments before I do ? Read more
Can't say I envy you - looking ahead to two stir-crazy Goldens getting sprung just in time for an English January ...
I predict lots of long walks ...
(Try to find a route which comes back via the local pub)
At last I understand why Renault launched the Avantime - it was to prepare us for the new Megane. We will be made to appreciate Anglia-on-steroids body styling, even if it takes forever. I was hoping that the reverse-slope rear screen pillar was a styling trend which was dead and buried with the Vauxhall Tigra, but what does everyone else think?
Citroen must be highly delighted. Remembering how long it took for the Ford Sierra to become accepted (and even then, it needed a lot of Ford marketing money to do it), the more conservatively styled C5 might have the large French car market to itself for a while.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com Read more
John,
The words used were my passanger's. His English is good and I took what he said at face value, I think he felt disappointed by its ride as a passanger- he is the long time owner of French cars. An identical trip was undertaken in th BM the following trip and I included his lack of complaint as an indication that it may have been my driving that was at fault. Sure the the Laguna felt "dull and uninspiring" to me, but I think that this was down to lack of poke in 5th and 6th gear and I really question the choice of ratios. Mmmmmmmm difficult to be objective on this one. I've read up on Renault since and realise
that they are undergoing a change....
I will be shortly buying breakdown cover for a fortnight holiday in Germany. I am tempted to go with my UK breakdown cover (RAC). However, before committing myself can anyone unfortunate enough to have broken down comment on the RAC European cover or recommend anyone else? Many thanks.
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Will it recover you to the UK or Germany though? The 24hr helpline in german might be a bit of a disadvantage to some too.
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Thanks GWS, but according to the c-b-c breakdown, the recall only addressed chafing to the front door harness where it passes through an opening; whereas this problem is wires breaking inside the bellows midway between the rear door and pillar.