July 2003
There was an article in ?Car Mechanics? recently. I?ve asked them and they say I can reproduce part of it here for us.
There is a certain pride in maintaining your own car, partly stemming from saving money but also from gaining satisfaction in the knowledge that you?ve just sorted a job out by yourself. A feeling of independence.
This helps to explain why a friend of mine insists on dealing with the mechanics of every car in his family, and there are several.
He is pretty well equipped as he runs a Triumph Stag. If ever a car needed vast amounts of skill and tender loving care to run at an acceptable level of reliability then it is the Stag. Suffice it to say that this fella is pretty handy with the spanners.
Another car in his family?s stable is a VW Passat and it began to play up.
The problem was a distinct loss of power either when the engine was cold, or at high speed.
He did all of the things that most of us would, such as check the air filter, fit new plugs and HT leads and look for faults in the fuel system. It was all to no avail.
It was suggested that the ECU was to blame and, as you will know, this item is far too expensive to replace in the vague hope that it could be at fault.
He did the wise thing and borrowed one to try out. No joy.
By now, he had to admit defeat and call in the cavalry. Or, rather, take the VW to the cavalry, in the shape of the main dealer.
The car was run up on the diagnostic machine but the operator couldn?t pinpoint the problem. Off it went to another main dealer, with the same result.
The third port of call was to an emporium which was both humble and unpromising. A 2-man band up a back street whose charm was born more out of quaintness than apparent efficiency.
The guys who ran it, although not exactly into space-age technology, did possess a diagnostic machine and it was with the help of this that they sorted the Passat.
I don?t know what sort of machine it was, but it was able to tell these guys that the valve clearances were not correct at certain times, probably detectable by the compression readings.
They noticed this fault and let logic come into play. The clearances were too wide when the engine was cold and at high revs. In other words, the oil was either at its thickest or was being pumped around vigorously.
This model of Passat has hydraulic tappets and it occurred to these guys that they were being pumped up too far, which meant in turn, that the valves were not being allowed to seat properly.
It then occurred to them that the only thing that could have a bearing on the matter was the pressure release valve on the oil pump. And, indeed, it transpired that the valve was sticking.
Rather than mess around, they fitted a new pump and the problem was solved.
I am still a little baffled because, in my experience, hydraulic tappets have drain holes which are designed to overcome a problem of excess pressure. This must not be the case with the VW.
Whatever the case, I can say in all honesty that I would never, ever have got to the root cause of the VW?s loss of power. Not with a diagnostic machine, not with a crystal ball and not with the help of Merlin.
Would you?
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Southall, Ladbroke Grove, Potters Bar, Hatfield...
All directors' faults? Even if drivers drive through red lights, it COULD be argued that that was due to lack of investment in the technology which would have prevented them doing it.
It would be no surprise to learn the directors took a 'golden parachute' with them when they said bye-bye.
And now they vow to "vigorously defend" themselves.
If you fall asleep at the wheel near Selby and cause an accident you'll get 5 years.
But who is the more reckless? Who, day after day, is putting the greater number of innocent lives at risk?
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(Assuming this is "A place to discuss things with even the slightest connection to motoring"...)
Mike, I can't argue with true figures. In that case it seems the expense of making the railways safer can't really be justified, so maybe they shouldn't bother. Instead, why not have adverts on TV where, say, Jimmy Savile says "Going to make a journey? Why not consider going by train? It's not risk-free, but you're a lot less likely to die than going by car. Think on." (taps nose and smiles)
Again, I don't know any figures, but my perception is that rail accidents have been more frequent since privatisation than before. It might be incorrect, but I reckon it's shared by a large part of the public.
A motorist who caused an accident via the wilful negligence of using his car when he had failed to maintain it in a safe condition would expect to be prosecuted. And not having enough money to maintain it properly would be no excuse - in that case it should not have been being used.
If rail accidents HAVE become more frequent, and there HAS been a reduction in maintenance, should we not EXPECT somebody to be taken to task over it? - The private companies? Or were the personnel in government who privatised it in the first place showing 'wilful negligence' by washing their hands of responsibility for it?
Whilst driving near York recently I came across a small notice advertising Biodiesel at 65.9 pence per litre. As I needed to fill up I went in and bought some, on a trial basis. This is apparently 100% Biodiesel made from waste oils. The supplier gave me some sheets about it and they are claiming that it is good for the engine and will also give improved fuel consumption. The smell is certainly better than standard diesel and there does not seem to be any difference in the way the car drives and performs.
I believe that this 100% Biodiesel is fairly widely available in Norfolk and wondered if anyone has been using it over a long period and what their views were.
Also does anyone know of other small suppliers out there like the one I came across? A directory of such outlets could perhaps be set up on this site.
Incidentally the lady who filled up my car understands that there is a possibility of a cut in the rate of duty on this fuel to 5p per litre from 2004/5 (apparently it is around 45 pence per litre on normal diesel).
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it seems the big oil companies may finally have begun to look at biodiesel.tesco are conducting a trial of biodiesel sales at their supermarket filling station in hatfield.hopefully they will begin sales at all their sites soon and make biodiesel more available
Seven people have died and another two are fighting for life after a four vehicle pile-up on the M56 near Manchester.
Haven't heard any details of the cause/circumstances yet, but the frequency with which I seem to be hearing about incidents like this is very very depressing.
Old Trout. Read more
Yes, this has started to move away from motoring, so i will add my final non-motoring comment.
we all react differently to death. in some cultures it is something that is celebrated, not feared. i feared it until my mum died and now my outlook is different. a person never leaves you. you may not be able to see or touch them, but you know how they thought, how they would respond to your situation, so you can still converse with them.
The people who said to me "you know where i am if you want to talk" were the people i avoided because they couldn't cope with what i had to say. I found myself having to comfort them! It was those who didn't offer tea and sympathy that I found most supportive.
A personal thing I suppose, and my last comment on this subject (death, not the accident)
Hi everyone,
looking for suggestions of which part to replace on my engine.
Car works fine when cold start. After about 1 mile it bucks about a few times suggesting fuel starvation. But once it warms up you then experience high revving, as though choke it fully out. Strangely the high revving stops as soon as you are stationary.
If you know what sensor/valve I need to replace could you do a huge favour by telling me where to look for it on the engine !!
Thanks
Guzzles Read more
Sorry for delay - away for a few days !Again !!
Trawl yellow pages under "Car Engine Tuning" or "Engine Tuning". Obviously all genuine Tune-Up operators can do this, but don't know where you are to make specific recommendations.
Regards, Adam
My car has been back to the dealer 5 times now for a damp footwell, each time they reseal the air con tubes or something under the dash, they have fitted all sorts requiring taking the carpet out etc. It still gets slightly damp, on wet days or humid days the dampness is worse, the water is clean doesn't show up, or leave a stain.
Could this be internal condensation from the cold pipes in the air con? or is it a leaking pipe from the overflow, or do all cars suffer from damp footwells with aircon? Read more
How is the passenger door seal?
H
A few months ago I noticed when driving at 40 mph that the speedo suddenly dropped to zero and then returned to 40mph. At the same time the fuel light came on. I was not out of fuel and the car did not cut out or drop in speed and the light went out as the speedo returned to normal. This has become more frequent and today for the first time the speedo stopped working for about 5 minutes - strangely this time the fuel light did not come on. After a while the speedo started working agin and after 1 more dip to zero accompanied by the fuel light all has workeed normally on bothe outward and home journeys to work.
The first time this happened I asked at the local Ford dealer and received a puzzled look. Never heard of that one mate.
Everything else on the dash seems to work OK and the car has never cut out or hesitated.
Any ideas?
Mnay thanks.
Mick Trott Read more
My Scorpio had similar problems with the speedo, which eventually gave up the ghost on most journeys.
I cured it by removing one of the bulbs and spraying about 5 seconds worth of WD40 into the socket.
If you try this, be aware that it will drip!
Hi,
Miles on our new Focus TDdi are piling on now and she will be @ 6000 within a few weeks.
What are your thoughts on changing oil @ 6250 on a new engine? Some say yes, others say no until 1st service and then every 6250 miles from then on.
Comments appreciated .......
BTW - not one drop has been used from new.
Regards ............ Robert Read more
Nortones2{P} & John S,
Do a search on Yahoo UK using the key words 'Used Oil Analysis'.
By-pass filtration means a quarter of the oil flow is diverted into a much finer and larger filter which can filter down to 1 micron and take the water out. It takes about 20 mins to filter the sump capacity. The standard filter filters only to 15/20 micron. These filters sit side by side on a remote connection from the usual engine filter outlet.
Pay back on extended oil changes maybe 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 years depending on oil analysis. I am just into pay back.
There is a report of a truck in US going 409 000 miles with no oil changes and an independant check on strip down at 600 000 miles.
Just watching the news tonight and Alistair Darling, (that is his name, not the darling Alistair Stewart currying our favour),
announces new spending of £8 billion on the roads.
Some place called the M25 to get 4 lanes each way, the M18 in God's county to be widened etc.
Too good to be true?
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Volvoman: The nature of work has changed masssively in the last 20 years, with the workforce becoming more mobile, and hence traffic increasing significantly. I am not saying you are wrong, but neither am I convinced that traffic would expand as fast as you say if at all.
spoiling more of our precious countryside
What precious countryside would that be? Sadly most of our countryside is an ecological desert. Those lovely green fields dotted with sheep are almost completely devoid of life (beyond sheep and grass) due to the massive overgrazing. Those cute yellow fields of rape shelter few insects and birds due to chemical spraying and harvesting. Beautiful Wax Cap fungi, some of which are bright red and slimy, are confined to rare patches of unsprayed grassland. Cardiff Bay was flooded despite widespread opposition and the mud flats at Cliffe that feed huge numbers of birds might be destroyed to build an airport. Roads, unless they go through a nature reserve, are not the evil portrayed. Maybe the coach, bus and train company owners and directors would like us to believe otherwise though.
I am getting big quotes for my wifes 1985 Polo when I am a named driver, due to 3 accidents in 3 years (21/2 no fault of mine). She owns the car its in her name, can I drive it on my car insurance (Mondewoe)as a car not owned by me with the owners permission, as it states in the insurance docs, or as the spouse am I cosidered an owner?
Bill Read more
Nothing in the docs for my car to say I can,t drive my wifes car so I am as needed, which is not often. Managed to get cover in the end for £195 TPFT for it rather than £260.
Bill
Browse
Sean,
I conclude we need oil pressure guages on hydralic tappet engines.
This will give you over pressure at cold and over pressure at high speed.
But who will understand this rare condition when sitting in the driving seat?