August 2003
Car - Merc C240, 91,000 miles. 1998 vintage, automatic 5-speed.
Problem: Round town or city, the car is fine. But on the motorway or dual carriageway it\'s a different story. It will cruise along at 70 fine, no problems, but when I start to overtake it\'s not very energetic. It will change down, and accelerate, but once you hit 4,500 rpm, it runs out of steam. I\'ve managed to get it up to 4,750 rpm or thereabouts, but no more. Car feels as if it\'s struggling to go faster - held back in some way. Kickdown, just the same: it changes down but runs out of go at 4,500 rpm. I thought it might be a clogged air filter, but that seems OK, it looks fairly clean anyway and I cleaned it off before leaving work tonight - no change. It\'s regularly serviced and had an A service about 3,000 miles ago. Nearly all travel is on dual carriageway or motorway.
Any ideas? I\'d value any input.
Richard Read more
Some kind American has offered me one of these via spam e-mail. Sorry I cannot post the link as it did not work. However.....
Radar detectors were de-criminalised some while ago and while I know the police would not look kindly on a jammer I cannot, off the top of my head, think of a piece of legislation which would make having one of these illegal.
Anyone care to disabuse me? Read more
There was a case a few years ago involving a chap, nabbed for speeding, who set up a few hundred yards ahead of the police trap to warn on-coming motorists. I think he was charged with obstructing the police or perverting the course of justice - cannot remember which.
Had he come before me I would have been swayed somewhat by his argument that he was preventing the commission of an offence. However, I may be wrong of course - I am sometimes! Poor fellow lost his case.
Can anyone point me towards a cheap, fast reliable HPi checking service? Read more
Never trust a spammer. All it does is kill the reputation of the sight they hope to promote
Appreciate advice - similar experiences with this engine? - on the latest to go wrong with my 46k clio diesel.
Any medium to heavy pressure on the accelerator results in increased revs and engine noise but doesn\'t translate into speed. Almost like a cranky old automatic - you know when your\'re waiting for the gear to engage and set off. Easing off the accelerator drops the engine noise several decibels.
This most occurs accelerating in 4th abd 5th between 50 to 70 mph. Also - and it may be me - the turbo isn\'t whistling as much as it use to.
It\'s had belts changed at 44k, but at the full service at 36k they filled it with 10/30 oil instead of 10/40. Surely oil can\'t make this big difference?!
And I\'m due to drive to cornwall from yorkshire on friday - should I be worried??
Cheers Read more
I have driven Clio's for years now (diesel and petrol) and I find the fact that your having to replace the clutch at 46K surprising. How many folk actually drive your vehicle? That is a prime contender for clutch trouble!!
Hi all,My '97 Mondeo 1.8 zetec eng.suffers erratic idling.
Goes from 500 revs to 1500 revs then down and up continuously
won't settle on steady tick over.I'm not technical or a diy
man.Is it a job for a Ford dealer.Will it prove expensive?
Read more
Thanks Adam,I used to get my previous car (vaux cav)serviced
and repaired at a local garage,two genuine lads,one was a
time served Ford man.I'm sure he can fix it.if he has the gear.
Failing that 'car engine tuning'garage.
I wasn't sure if it was a main dealer job (perish the thought)
Thanks again
Regards
Dry bearings
Is it just me, or do any others think that since they were narrowed by about 8" & slicks outlawed that they look a little ridiculous?
I mean, the so called premier motorsport & they run on grooved tyres?
On the same subject, imagine a F1 car embodying all the banned technology of the past...
Ground effects, turbos, active suspension and whilst we're at it throw in Gordon Murray's suction fan for good measure...
They'd be interesting to watch then....... Read more
I doubt the racing would be interesting but it would be interesting to see what a ultimate F1 car with all the technology could do.
It is time they went back to slicks (like all the lower formula's use !).
This years championship has been good to watch but its mainly down to tyre disparity at certain tracks.
Would Ferrari be winning this years championship comfortably if they were using Michelins ?? I think so.
I would like to see BAR using Michelins. For the second time this season Jenson Button qualified within 3 tenths of second to Schumacher on friday's qualifying (true reflection of cars speed). If this had happened last year they would have finished the championship in 2nd place (quite comfortably).
Perhaps they should rename the series to the 'World tyre manufacturer championship' ....
With the Railways experiencing problems with high ambient air temperatures, does anyone know the Summer design temperature for cars used in Britain?
Are cars still fitted with 'export' rads? Read more
'Worldwide' maximum ambient temperature was 47C where I used to work. Radiators for the UK market could be designed with a lower temperature, I think it was about 35C? These can still be found on some aftermarket radiators.
This is worst after a long run at speed on a hot day and then coming to a stop as if in a traffic jam on the motorway. You get no ram air flow, there's lots of heat built up in the engine and under the bonnet and the water pump is turning slowly. If your temperature gauge starts to move up dangerously, turn the heater control to maximum heat and switch on the blower, the heater matrix is basically another radiator and will work to get rid of some of the engine heat. I bet you all knew that anyway.
Maintenance for your radiators (they need maintenance?!) involves making sure that they are clear of obstructions and to see if any of the fins are bent. Copper-brass radiators can't be pressure washed to clear debris but aluminium ones are ok. Bending the fins carefully back into shape with a screwdriver will be ok, if you go to a radiator specialist he may be able to do it with a special comb.
Gareth
Does anyone know if the symptoms of a sprag clutch slipping in an autobox would cause really sluggish acceleration from standstill as i have this sluggish problem and it gets even worse the hotter the car gets to the point a 1.0 micra could out accelerate me, but at around 2500rpm shed loads of power comes from now where
any ideas please Read more
Sprag clutch is a one-way clutch that the toque convertor reactor-ring is mounted on. The clutch locks at low rpm, causing the TC to give torque multiplication. At higher RPM the sprag clutch will disengage and the reator will rotate freely with the turbine and impeller - ensuring minimal power loss.
If the clutch is faulty (slipping) then low speed take-off will be poor, but high rpm performance will be OK. You can try doing a 'stall test' to check out the TC. You need to hold the car on the brakes and briefly floor the throttle in 'D' - the engine will 'bog out' at a particular rpm (usually 1800 - 2200) - make a note of the exact rpm - this is the TC 'stall speed' and it will tell you (if you have the factory spec.) whether there is a problem with the TC.
I have a j-reg Frontera 2.3 td that has developed a leak in the heater matrix, (passenger footwell constantly soaked and coolant disappearing!).
Is the heater matrix the same as any other vehicle (so I can get one from the local scrap yard, I'm a poor man!), or is it specific to the Frontera?
Please help me,
Roj. Read more
I have just read a discussion on whether diesel or petrol cars are easier to drive. My Mondeo TDCi Ghia Estate is powerful and excellent on the open road. Give it some revs and it can take off from a standing start like a rocket. BUT it is also quite easy to stall in traffic, e.g. when pulling away gently in 1st, and it does not have the flexibility to pull smoothly in 2nd when the wheels are just turning. In 3rd it is not happy below 20mph. It just seems to lack the flexibility which diesels are famous for. I'm guessing that this is just the downside of a diesel designed more for performance than smoothness. I also have a Focus 1.6 (petrol), which is much smoother, more flexible and easier to drive in city traffic. There are lots of Mondeo TDCi's out there, and I'd be interested to hear if any other drivers have similar experience, especially on the off-chance that my car has a problem that can be fixed!
Read more
I stalled mine two or three times on the first day of ownership but thereafter got used to it. The TDCI doesn't have a throttle cable as I've since been told and its all done electrically ("fly-by-wire"?) and it takes a bit of getting used to. If you apply the throttle, the uptake on revs is slower than on my last diesel but only takes a bit of getting used to, so put your foot gently down, listen for an uptake in revs and release the clutch. (sounds like my first driving lesson). This does not mean its inflexible & doesn't hinder rapid acceleration/handling. However, if you want a rally car response, a diesel is obviously not for you!
Never stalled since first day, and I have to say the TDCI just gets better & better every day. I am surprised that the performance gap between this car and a family member's BMW 530d (which I went in today & which is a fine car indeed) is much smaller than I imagined.
Splodgeface
Browse
multi,
Puzzled has already given the answer to as what was wrong, in the post above yours. \"The cause was that the air mass sensor was on the way out.\"