June 2003
Reading the "Why Alloy Wheels" thread and a comment by Bartycrouch brought to mind something I had been thinking about for a while. How much would they be able to make a car for if you took out all those little extras that have "crept" in over the years. Im not talking air con here but wind up windows full stop. Have a catch and locking mechanism to slide them up and down. No carpets, just rubber mats. Radio, ash trays, glove compartments get rid of the lot. No servo brakes and ABS right out. Just the bare minimum, although I would have to have fabric seats to sit on and in this country some form of heater. The engine would have to meet the normal emmisions standards but could this be done with less "technology"?
Bill Read more
If you can solve this you're a genius (it's baffled everyone else I've asked).....
A few months ago my 1991 Fiesta 1.6S started overheating. It's fine when I'm on the move, but as soon as I come to a halt or get stuck in slow-moving traffic the temperature soars until the fan comes on. It then gets stuck in a cycle of heating up and cooling down (as the fan switches on and off) until I'm back on the move. It only takes a couple of minutes to go from normal temperature to the red zone.
The car runs fine apart from this, and I suppose I can live with it (until the day the fan fails and it all goes bang!), but there's definitely something wrong as needle never used to budge. It's also bugging the hell out of me as I've spent a fair bit of time and cash trying to fix it.
Before any suggestions are put forward, here's what I've already tried:
New thermostat, new temperature sensor (it's definitely overheating - not electrical), new radiator cap, new radiator, new coolant, new water pump, back flushed engine (no blockages) and bled system for air locks.
It's not losing any coolant and there's no water in the oil, or oil in the water.
Any thoughts?
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Riggers
I wonder if you do indeed have a problem with this car. I recall that’s exactly how my 1.6S Fiesta behaved. In the warmer weather (it was less obvious in winter and I note you imply this ‘problem’ has come on recently), the car behaved exactly how you describe. The car would usually run with the needle in the middle of the normal zone. Stop in traffic and the gauge would rise fairly quickly to about ¾ of the way up the normal zone, fan would cut in and temperature would drop back to near halfway, and so on. As soon as the car moved away, things quickly returned to normal. I’ve seen this on other Mk 3 Fiestas too. It seems that’s how the fan thermostatic switches are on these engines, unlike some others which maintain a temperature closer to the normal running temperature when stationary. If the engine coling system was faulty it would also give problems when the car was being driven, the engine was under load, and there was far more heat to be dissapated than when at idle.
Regards
John S
I have resprayed my peugeot 306 bonnet, and I would like some help, the paint has a very good shine but its not smooth, it has a bumperty effect and I would like some help on how to take away the bumperty effect and make it look smooth and flat.
Any tips?
pug306xldt
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Hi Dynamic Dave,
I used a spraygun and gave it plenty of coats.
Thanks for your help.
I will buy the finest wet/dry and I will give it a go then I will use a fine cutting agent and then some good polish.
Hopefully this will do the trick
Ello
Just recently bought a Vauxhall Astra 1.7TD Estate. Have only just taken it over
60MPH on the dual carraigeway and the car Rattles/Vibrates through the
steering wheel.
I've had the tracking done and the wheels balanced, which has helped but not
solved the problem, although it is more bearable now.
Not sure where else to look!
Anyone have any suggestions?
Regards
Gary
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I had the same problem, and it turned out ot be the brake disk. As on this model the disk is very thin, it is prone to warping and when the brake is applied it vibrates, so unfortunately it sounds like you need new brake disks
Last night some sort of paint stripper was poured on the roof of my car. Someone has suggested that it might have been Tippex or Tippex thinners - if so it would help pin down the likely culprit.
Does anyone know whether these products can cause severe paint damage, i.e. stripping right down to bare metal?
Cheers Read more
Cheers - pretty much reassures me that it wasn't someone close to me who'd just had an argument...
I own a personal import T3 Corolla and noticed that on the V5 Registration Document if states Toyota Corolla but with no mention of T3. If you own one would someone be so good as to have a look on their V5.
thanks, Ian Read more
Anybody able to answer this??
thanks
Hi All
I have a VW Golf 1300 Mk2 81,000 miles.
At what mileage does one replace the Alternator drive belt? My drive belt is getting slack and it's done 81,000 miles?
I have a spare belt that is a few years old and has been folded. Can I use this?
Thanks
Andrew Read more
At what mileage does one replace the Alternator drive belt?
When it starts looking ropey, frayed and cracked.
My drive belt is getting slack and it's done 81,000 miles?
Providing the belt still looks ok, then just tighten it up. If you find that you can't tighten it as the adjuster is at the end of it's travel, then it's time to replace it.
Thought I'd have a look on www.ford.co.uk to see pics and details of the Mondeo facelift.
I was surprised to find that there's not a mention of the facelift, not even in the news section, and all the Mondeo pages show the now old model.
Is it too much to ask for a large multi-national company such as Ford UK to actually update their website!
Even more ammunition for me to slag them off.
Rant over.
PP Read more
Can't believe I'm about to join in with Ford bashing here but... I agree.
It's useful for getting particular car specs though, I used the "Build Your Own" feature when researching the specs of the Fiesta Zetec.
Was very useful, I was able to feign surprise that the car had no A/C when I sat in it. Ended up looking much less interested in the car and getting a much better deal as a result, when I actually knew the car inside out including every available option, specification and relevant prices. :-)
Not the greatest site in thw world by a long way, but if you've got the skill and paitience (which shouldn't be necessary) then it can have it's uses.
Blue
I have just bought a second hand 1997 1.3 EFI Fiesta LX 37k miles for my lad to learn in. It has a full Ford SH, but I have noticed there is some brown crispy deposits around the oil filler and in the rocker cover. Will this dissapear with frequent oil changes, or is there some additive I can add to the oil to give the engine a good clean out? Otherwise the engine sounds and goes fine, no sign yet of the tappet noise which is usual with this engine.
Cheers
VD5D. Read more
Didn't seem like rust, but I'll remove the rocker cover and clean it up.
Cheers
VD5D.
Been reading the David Jefferies thread and felt it was worth creating a new thread on the subject of banning the TT. The truth is that I don't know if it should be banned - let's face it there are many dangerous pursuits people decide to participate in of their own volition. However, from memory it strikes me that this event has a very poor record for fatalities and I wonder why more pressure hasn't been brought to bear on the organisiers in the past to either dramatically improve safety around the circuit or terminate the event.
I can't help thinking that if as many F1 drivers were killed there'd be an uproar. If as many boxers or London Marathon runners were killed, likewise. What is it about the IOM TT then that makes it a special case and seemingly exempt from the attention of the authorities ? Read more
>>> Didn't Barry Sheene refuse to take part on the grounds of safety and state that he thought the TT and GP should be banned? You could hardly describe him as nannying. <<<
That's exactly it.
Barry Sheene excercised his choice by not riding (though sadly exercised another one by smoking), and David Jefferies made his in the opposite way. That they, in recent times Joey Dunlop, Daijiro Kato, and then countless others beforehand are no longer with us is a loss to the world of biking, but the important thing is that choice existed, within which they could decide where to place their personal emphasis on risk.
Browse
Can't say I remember them new, although I can still picture them from when I was a kid and they were bangers. My mum had a 78 1.3 Ghia actually. The cheapest I've ever seen a Focus is £7800 for a 1.4 Studio from www.drivethedeal.com
According to the GDP reflator at eh.net/hmit/ppowerbp/ £1099 is worth about £5.5k, although don't forget that inflation was rampant then. In 1974, £1099 would be about £7500 today so I guess it depends on when in 75 the site takes its price levels...
There was no Fiesta back then and a base Escort had a (45 bhp?) 1100cc engine. If that price is from earlier in the year, that doesn't compare especially well to a new Fiesta 1.2 Finesse, which probably does the same job in marketing terms as a basic car that's just about acceptable for a family. That can be had for a smidgen over £7000 discounted as a five door - I'm guessing that there wasn't much of a discount available on that car in the 70s.