October 2002
I read somewhere that 20 million tyres are scrapped each year in the UK.
They are a problem.
Would it be a good idea to thread (as it were) 10 or so old tyres onto all the lamp posts on our streets and roads especially where they are in dangerous positions for cars which leave the road ?
I ask because my lad has just come within a whisker of having his leg amputated after the driver wrapped a car round a post in the centre of a dual carriageway on the exit of a roundabout.
Just a thought. Read more
The other night after a 100 mile trip in the rain my wife discovered her best leather handbag had done the trip standing in about an inch of water in the passenger footwell.
So car in garage sharpish two fan heaters all night and half a morning (and three rolls of kitchen towels)got it dry.
One hour under car with lamp pushing and shoving found no splits.Wife standing on floor with me underneath and again no cracks.
Garden hose aimed everywhere for half an hour --no leaks.
100 mile trip today in the appalling rain we have had --no leaks.
So where the hell did the water come from?
Should I see a priest and get the blasted car exorcised?
Any ideas anyone?
T I A
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Sorry for late response.Been doing 220 miles a day back and forth to a hospital.
Car is a wonderful Xantia.In view of the minute examination of the floor pan which found nothing and the 200 miles in a cloudburst that caused no water to enter plus the water being very clean and not being full of antifreeze I thing Blowpipe did get it in one.
My wife will admit nothing of course.However I`m reading about the Spanish treatment of the Incas to find some ideas so may find out shortly.
(PS years ago I had a mini which had 6 heater matrixes in about 4 weeks under guarantee before they found a good one.Good old days Good old BMC)
Many thanks
I run a skoda Octavia 1.4 16V (75bhp - engine also fitted to Polos, Golfs, Leons etc.. ) purchased to perform a high mileage
commute cheaply, safely and quietly (I thought the diesel was very noisy when at crawling pace in traffic). It was not purchased for performance.
The car has been superb with no problems at all , fuel economy is
superb usually 45mpg + . Only once has it ever dipped below 40 mpg and that was when I explored the pyrenees and it still averaged 38.
Performace has been the suprise, for its engine size it has amazing mid range tourqe, especially around 3000 rpm making motorway travel suprisingly easy as 70 mph puts you in its peak tourqe band figure. Overtaking? hills? - no problem!
The problem is that if you extend the engine beyond 4500 rpm you are wasting your time, indeed the rev cut off is a lowly 5700rpm
has the engine been deliberately chipped back to avoid the lowly
1.4 embarrasing the larger engines or has it got a different cam profile to maximise tourque???
(PS would I still get this fuel economy if I converted to gas?)
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Good - a satisfied customer!
In every vehicle I've ever owned or worked on there have always been bleedscrews in the cooling system (usually in the heater exit pipes and maybe the top hose feed to the water pump as well) to assist you in bleeding all the air from the system when replacing coolant.
I've just bought a 1990 Toyota Corolla for SHMBO and am about to change the oil and coolant as a precaution. Checking both the vehicle and the Haynes manual I find no mention of bleedscrews. Haynes just tells me to drain and refill the system.
Question - What wonders of hydraulics have Toyota used to achieve this? Is it likely to be this simple or am I still at risk of airlocking with this vehicle? Should I refill the rad very slowly? Any other tips/hints/help welcome.
Thanks
RM Read more
sorry should read Peugeot 106
It is with some trepidation I post a bike related plea on this site, but here goes as I'm sure the principles are the same.
Honda VFR800, 2000 model, 18,000 miles suddenly develops tickover of 2,500RPM (should be @1300), surging every now and then to over 3,000. Only modification is a Micron race can, been on for 10 months without a problem. Honda dealer baffled, all normal causes checked, computer registers no fault. Any ideas? Read more
Problem traced to a blockage in the water pipe to the thermostat on autochoke, apparently. The first instance of this on a VFR 800 the dealership has dealt with.
1999 Citroen Xsara 1.4 manual, 24,000 miles.
When turning left at about 10-15mph and when the car is warm (never been able to replicate this when cold), I get a vibration on tightish left corners while winding the steering wheel at about 15mph. The noise stops if I hold the steering wheel still.
The vibration is worse when the road is cambered towards the right (i.e. tight left downhill).
The car uses 185-65R14 michelin energy tyres and they have worn evenly and have a fair amount of tread.
The vibration can be felt through the body more than the steering wheel and sounds quite loud (loud enough to hear over a moderate radio volume)
Many thanks in advance
Ben Read more
I forgot to say, I also get a shaky steering wheel, (but the passengers notice my hands shaking more than the car) under light braking at motorway speeds. By braking harder, the vibration can be overcome.
The pads and discs were changed 7,000 miles ago and am now using ATE powerdiscs.
Thanks
I have a 1997 (new shape) Modeo H/B. I had a water leak which caused me to take out front dash and all carpets (the insulation was ruined due to amount of water getting in). I eventually narrowed it down to a panel joint in the corner of the bulkhead just at the lower corner of the windscreen on drivers side.
A manufacturing fault I think, as there was a 2" gap in the sealant that sealed the panels!! Ford didn/t want to know as I bought car in auction. Still, I fixed that last year and at least the water has stopped flooding in on drivers side!
Now I have a very wet boot and also the odd drip of water coming down from the bottom of the glovebox passenger footwell. Also the heater blower has stopped working on 1,2,3 speeds. I've just come in from the rain and noticed a burnt resistor pack adjacent to heater blower.
Does any1 have any knowledge of these problems? May they be linked, well at least the resistor and front water leak?
Apart from the leaks and subsequent steaming up, this a good car with low mileage and I don't want to sell it on (I O more than its worth!!). Can anyone tell me if newer Mondeos are affected by water leaks? I wouldn't mind another Mondeo as long as it was dry!!!! Read more
Cheers mate,
You were dead right, water coming in through a panel joint close to where the rear washer pipe comes in thro' bulkhead, a little higher & offside. Best fixed from inside, pulled back the insulation & moved an electronic box out of the way, dug out old sealant a squashed loads of mastic in the hole.
Never would of thought of this, aimed hosepipe at drivers windscreen then crawled inside with torch & followed the dribble of water to hole,
Thanks mate!
My 1989(G) 100 2226cc quattro has developed a fault. I would appreciate any comments. The on board computer works fine(mpg check, miles left on fuel in tank, distance travelled etc etc). However the Auto check system which gives the OK signal when car is initially started, gives three audible signals while driving as well as displaying a RED water temp symbol. The red signal was once displayed as the oil symbol but usually is the water one. There are no water or oil related problems which leads me to suspect that the auto check system itself is at fault? Any comments or opinions from Audi specialists would be more than welcome. Read more
Perhaps the coolant level check system is up the spout. It was on my '88 Golf.
I unplugged the control unit where it now rattles around in the glovebox, and check the water level the old fashioned way.
Hi,
I have recently, rather carelessly put a dent in the sill or my car. It is not what i would call a hard dent, i.e. the paint is intact, and the dent is a curve rather than a creased. What I am wondering is how easy this sort of dent is to removed, and before I go and enquire at a bodyshop what sort of price I am looking at.
Any advice people care to offer, will be gratefully received.
Regards,
Tim. Read more
Try www.dingkingtool.com/ for £20. Let us know how you get on...
PB.
Is it possible to easily tell if a cambelt change has been carried out (without taking the engine to bits)? I have just bought a N reg 60,000 mile Seat Toledo 2.0l 16v (the same engine as the golf gti) and although the service record shows that the job was done at 55,000 miles, I would be happier if I could confirm this myself. It sounds paranoid, but one hears of forged service records from time to time, and teh cambelt change is so important. Any ideas anyone? Read more
There ought to be a sticker somewhere under the bonnet recording the mileage when the belt was changed. It doesn't prove anything, but I'd be suspicious if there weren't one.
Browse
Building regs document L states that all new houses (and most replacement windows) must be build with 'k' glass. There is a minimum insulation factor. New houses and extensions must also be insulated to new standards as well.
www.safety.odpm.gov.uk/bregs/brad12.htm