April 2003
Thanks very much to those who helped out with my last problems. The idling is sorted thanks to a thorough clean of the control valve, and a tankful of Optimax has all but cured the pinking.
BUT (you just knew that there'd be a but, didn't you?), yesterday evening it refused to start. It was turning over healthily enough so there was plenty of charge, but it just wouldn't catch. I park with the front of the car up to some greenery, so I knocked it into 'R' to push it back to get to the engine, then back into 'P'. I tried it again, just out of curiosity and it burst into life! It's been fine since. Was it just having a senior moment, or was it something else?
I was thinking that it may simply have been fuel vaporisation (the fuel pump is at the back and the sun was beating down on the car all afternoon) or perhaps a problem with the gearbox starting inhibitor?
Anyway, once again, over to you. Many thanks for your input!
Cheers
Rob
Watch out for squirrels' tails. Far too bushy for my liking. Read more
SWMBO's Peugeot 205 XL, 1124 cc (H reg) fires up instantly in all weathers but always needs the choke for a few miles. Choke or not, when cold it has a frustrating habit of instantly dying stone dead when downing the clutch and braking for whatever reason.
At first I was (chauvinistically) sceptical when she told me the problem, thinking she was misjudging the use of the choke. Now I'm convinced. I assume it's some form of fuel starvation during braking because there's no problem at all re-starting.
This problem followed a full service by the local Peugeot dealer and didn't exist beforehand. The car has if anything had a tendency to flood when hot and this is what I had asked the dealer to check out. When hot, always needs some seconds of high speed churning before firing.
Is this a characteristic of this engine?
Oz (as was) Read more
Thanks Bats, looks like I have some excellent suggestions to check out.
Oz (as was)
I've got an intermitant problem with my girlfriends Ford KA. Its a 96 P reg KA1 (with power steering) with 57,000 miles on the clock. we brought it nearly 3 months ago from a dealer and over the last few weeks it has started to stall. it only does it as you come to a standstill after a staying at a constant speed (ie when leaving a motorway or dual carrageway). It does it as you depress the clutch as you to stop (5-10 mph). It always starts first turn of the key afterwards and will tick over fine, but if there is a series of round a bouts on a dual carrageway it will stall at each one.
The garage has had it in and can find no faults on the ECU error logs and cleaned some stuff out of the air box intake and adjusted the timing, but this hasn't helped.
Other than this it drives fine. The only thing that has changed is that when it was delivered, the oil level came past the max mark on the dip stick (about 50% of min - max). It has since covered 3000 miles and is down to 1/2 between min and max.
Any ideas would be greatfully received.
Thanks
Craig Read more
Hi Dave
Yes, after 3 attemps they apear to have fixed it (That was 1 month ago and it hasn\'t repeated it). What the problem was the idle control valve (as suggested here). I hope this helps
regards
Craig
Just tested a passatt 1.8se estate.Nice !
Everything smooth and just glides along and air conditioning works a treat. Oils nice and clean,no smoke from exhaust car doesnt pull under sharp braking.
Its a bit worn on the seats and theres a crack in the front headlight and little scratch by rear wheel arch but thats it.
Screen price is £5995 its done 85k and has full service history the book all stamped as well as all the individual garage receipts, asked the guy what he can go down to but hes not willing to move much as i want to trade in a kia sportage glx n reg 85k, what should i do ? Read more
By the way, VW dealers always charge over the odds and often act like they don't need your custom. If any dealer plays that game with me I walk.
Try and hunt round none-VW franchises or other retailers to find something similar and check what price they're charging. You can either wave that under the VW dealers' nose or just go somewhere else anyway.
You're the customer, you decide what deal is right for you, and a smart Alec in a suit needs to understand that from the start. Like I say, there are plenty more Passats out there.
My 1.8 Mondeo has got V rated tyres as original equpment.
The quoted top speed for this car is 126mph so I presume I could fit H rated tyres.
Does anybody know what the actual difference in construction is between an H and a V rated tyre.
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Thanks for the replies.
I've just read the owners guide and it quotes ratings H to ZR depending on engine size.
I presume they fit V tyres on the 1.8 to save themselves the trouble of having 2 types of tyre on the production line.
After cleaning some dust out of the CD changer, when connecting back together the cd changer loads cds but the display says no cds. Can anybody help? Read more
How did you do it? Compresser air or a CD lens cleaner? Anyway, it may be that you\'ve knocked the laser pickup out of alignment. You\'ll probably need to take it to a car audio specialist and get it realigned.
Andy
Does anyone know of any independant garages that do Mercs inthe Manchester area, I've just had a quotes for £500 to sevice a 90k mileage E220 from a main dealer. this is after they have had the car for 2 weeks to fix a manifold problem ( they couldn't get the parts and charged me £511 for the priveledge)Where do Mercs get their reputation for relaibility from ? My company has 3 mercs on its fleet and they are always having niggly problems - turbos, glowplugs, heaters etc. Now I've calmed down I'm going to stick to my old favorites Saab's from now on.
Dom Read more
Hi guys, a question, which borders on being technical but I hope will not raise the objection of the back room minders if I write is here. I have a diesel Citroen AX, and I have realised that the noise and general smoothness of the engine is highly dependent on the outside air temperature, even when the engine itself is hot. If the air is warm the engine is very nice, quiet and much more smooth. However when the air is cold, it sounds like a tractor engine, and is as smooth as an elephant?s backside. This lead me to think whether if I `heated? the air, or at least part of it, going to the engine I could make the engine perform better. I can do this easily by adding a bleed from the hot air blower to the air intake just before the air filter. I know some cars do this and warm a proportion of the air intake around the exhaust manifold, then bypass it back to the air intake, however I have not seen diesels with this feedback. Has anybody done this themselves? If I do this to the engine which was not originally supposed to have it, will I cause damage? And if no engine damage is caused, does it actually help things or am I dreaming things? Also is there a chance of pumping too much air back to the intake or is there self regulation in the chamber? I would be much obliged for your help and guidance and thank you. Read more
You could be right about it not being a timing issue but I would say that if it's not had a 'belt for 70k fit one before it's too late. As for changing injectors the general consensus seem to be that it's not always mileage related and could be down to other factors. However if your MPG is down that much but the car still performs like it seems to then I think I'd be looking at all sorts to try to figure out what's going off. I'd be looking at the brakes, compression, injectors, timing (just to be sure!), etc. I know some of these may not make sense but I'd check for piece of mind.
As for dampness helping engines perform better, I think it really only becomes worth while when the intake charge temperature is getting seriously warm (forced induction). The dampness in the air will cool the intake charge and the induction tract making for a better bang. I would suggest a book such as Vizards 'tuning the A series' or an in depth turbocharging book. I remember reading of a modification to Uno Turbos that added water injection, the end result was that it could out accelerate some Ferraris at certain speeds. Other points to consider are that water causes corrosion and that more capacity taken up by non fuel and/or oxygen the less power the engine will develop. This isn't the whole story but thats where a good knowledge of thermodynamics comes in.
Keep us posted. I'd like to know what the outcome is.
Steve.
It's the 2 litre 16V ecotec engine (X20XEV) in a '94 cavalier. Can anyone confirm if there is automatic tension adjustment, at fitment of a new belt, on this engine. The Haynes manual is really hazy about which version of the GM 16V engine has this feature.
I want to tackle this job provided that there is no nagging doubt about the belt tension being correct. Read more
The belt has to be tensioned when installed by setting a sprung tensioner to allow the slack that will develop to be compensated for. It is not difficult but a few special tools are needed. The whole setup is a bit of a contrivance and unless you are really confident I would entrust the work to a professional. Replace the two guide rollers, the tensioner and its' bolt and the water pump as a matter of course and for peace of mind put a drop of thread locking compound on all the bolts.
Andrew
Happiness is a T70 at full chat!
I have a 1997 Escort which has a rather nasty stone chip to the heated front screen.
I am told that it is not repairable.
I am to get the screen replaced on my insurance policy.
Can anyone tell me whether this screen is a bonded type or a normal rubber mounted gasket type? I can't make my mind up by looking at it. I want to know for no particular reason, I'm just being inquisitive.
Also does anyone know how much the quality differs between a Ford original part heated screen and say an Auto Windscreens own brand screen.
I am thinking more about the life and reliability of the heating element, but also how quickly the glass will chip and mark over time. The screen fitted is the original XXX Triplex one which matches the rest of the glass all round.
Do the windscreen fitting companies have the facility to order a Ford original part screen?
Any advice appreciated.
PP
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Thanks Craggyislander, I'd prefer a Triplex replacement, Auto Windscreens seem to make or at least brand their own glass, so as I'm not convinced of the quality I'd rather have an original spec unit fitted.
I've also had 2 heated screens on Mondeos replaced previously, both times on warranty and replaced with a Ford/Sekurit original part screen.
I'll ring Autoglass and see what they say.
PP
Browse
>>Weren't trying to push start it, were you?
Hell, no Frostbite!! Believe me, I'm in no fit state to attempt to push start a car by myself! Anyway, (unless you're being t-i-c and I'm being too thick to see it!) I was under the impression you can't push start an automatic. It just happened that 'R' was the first position I got to that would allow me to push it back a foot. Plus, seeings as I was pushing it backwards, it seemed kind of logical!