September 2003
My 1994 1.0 Polo coupe (the very last of the old model with fuel injection) has the irritating and dangerous fault of losing power for no apparent reason. The car can go for hundreds of miles without fault, and then on one journey, go dead usually at low revs. However, last week on one evening it cut at 30mph, was reluctant to restart, started five mins later and would then cut within 20 feet. When driven to the garage the following morning, it ran fine! Intermittent faults are the worst - 2 good mechanics have been stumped on this one. Any suggestions as to what this could be would be greatly appreciated. The car has a brand new distributor & battery, and on a friends advice, I changed the fuel relay. Otherwise, it is in great nick and is well serviced.
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I had this problem about a year ago - speedo suddenly fluctuates & drops to zero for a time then comes to life again, I took the instrument panel out & checked any obvious connections & it seemed to behave - until now..
to add to the fun the rev counter sometimes joins in briefly on the fluctating bit and this morning the fuel gauge had a quick flutter as well, when they all go it's in sync as if there's a loose connection (earth?) somewhere, although only the speedo actually stops reading & this can last from 5 seconds to a minute or so and then it all seems normal again.
please- any ideas/suggestions welcome as to where to look first, apart from the obvious potential to be over any speed limits I'm concerned as to what's happening in the background electrically.
Thanks
Ian Read more
I had the same problem on a '98 406 1.9d , and eventually traced it to the speedo sensor on the gearbox . The later models have a sensor type which,when failing,intermittently short circuits inside.This affects the voltage on the supply for the other instruments.Replacing the sensor completely cured the fault.You can test for this by disconnecting the sensor at the gearbox end plug.The replacement I used came from a much earlier model so compatability is not a problem.Note that the new replacement is quite expensive.Steve
A colleague of mine is seriously thinking about a late Range Rover or Discovery. They really get a beating in the reliability tables but are they really as unreliable as they seem? After all Citroens don?t get a good press either but so far I?ve had eight years of really troublefree motoring from my two, one C5 from new and one ex-demo Xantia with 500m. on the clock. Read more
I had a Range Rover for a couple of years and never had any trouble with it, in fact it was one of the nicest cars I've owned, not only for comfort and visibility but also that lovely V8 growl
on acceleration. Servicing was not cheap however, but the real killer was fuel consumption. As a freelancer I was going through a bit of a financial low point and it got to the point I could barely use it as I couldn't afford to keep filling it up. You could see the fuel gauge dropping as you drove. If you can afford 14mpg it's great, if not don't bother. I suppose you could get a diesel but there just not as good IMHO.
Just about to put some new plates on my car and was wondering has anyone out there ever actually been pulled for incorrect spacing of letters or incorrect font. And did you get a warning to put it right or an on the spot fine. Mine has been doctored very slightly and I was just wondering what the odds are on being pulled over. Read more
The Russian authorities used to pull you in (maybe still do) for having a dirty CAR, never mind licence plate.
My 306 has developed a 'clonk' when pulling away and turning left hand bends. I have traced it to movement on the nearside track rod, the wear seems to be on the inner joint (the outer balljoint is new). Can a repair be made here? There is about 1mm (eg excessive) up/down movement if I grab the rod and move it. Is it going to be a Pug dealer job to get the parts??
Help!!
Ross
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There is certainly wear in the rack of mine, and its excessive. It may have something to do with the lack of grease in it, when I removed the gaitor it was bone dry, no sign of *any* grease whatsoever!!
Track rod ends are newish (circa 5k miles) and have no play in. Same for droplinks. Springs are fine, front shocks were replaced about 10K miles ago, with new top mount bearings.
Went to my local breakers today, tried looking for the same play in all the 306's they had there. None. I ended up taking a rack from a low mileage one they had down there. Its also 3 years newer than mine too :-)
Don't, for one moment believe the Haynes manual when it says you can remove the rack through the righthand wheel arch. Its impossible without removing the ram and associated pipework. Luckily the car in the breakers was minus its engine, so I managed to get the rack out through the engine bay. Replacing mine will *not* be fun!
Thanks for all your comments and help, much appreciated. I'm sure I will be back soon bleating on about how I got on replacing it!!
Ross
Hi, Can anyone tell me what the procedure is for putting a written off car (Cat C) back on the road, and what it costs?
I've got a chance to purchase a BMW 325 which has been professionally repaired, and just needs painting, but hasn't gone thru all the red tape yet (The repairer is about to be made bankrupt hence not completing the project).
Are there any websites that can tell me what I need to do?
Thanks
Phil Read more
Hi Phil,
Contact Universal Salvage. They will be able to help you with your enquiry
www.universal-salvage.co.uk
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These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am...
ok ive read all the things on the zx heating system but this one is really bugging me.
last year i replaced the heater matrix (never again),
this year my radiator started leaking so i had to replace it i have filled the rad bled the system temp gauge goes up to 90 then the fan comes in heaters are working but when the vehicle is idling they blow cold rev and they blow warm thermostat is working ok only thing i can think of is the veins in the water pump have gone i have spent 3 days bleeding the system there is no air im sure. anybody had the same or similar probs any advice is worth trying cheers...mick Read more
I'll move it in an hour or so, giving Mick the chance to see that it will be moved.
Mark.
lately the steering on my 306 Dt seems to hang on when I go to the extreme lock, I have to snatch it back.
Last night I jacked her up and notice that the left side wheel (nearside) when held at 3&9 O/c has some play. It is not the trackrod end, nor the lower arm joint.
Is one fimilar with the steering rack.
The car seems to ride funny on road as if it no longer rides over bumps and cambers but follows them.
At first I thought the problem was the new tyres being a softer compound but the excess play in the wheel worries me.
cheers
H Read more
A while back, we had a thread about 'things to keep in the car'.
Rather than regurgitate that one, I thought I'd post this, as it seems good advice to me...
It comes from a local site, where people asked "is it safe to put XXX oil in my car when it needs a top up?"
Here's one answer:
Photocopy the relevant pages of the owners manual. Tyre pressures (laden and unladen); approved oil types, approved power steering fluids, approved clutch fluid. ALSO the fusebox layout. Make it up on ONE sheet, using front and back, laminate, keep handy in car.
This saves you a***ing about trying to find the relevant page in the manual when it's dark, or your hands are covered in oil, or the wind is blowing etc etc etc.
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hehe - MY handbook is still on the bookcase, along with the Haynes manual. ONE DAY I'm going to actually put them in the car, as opposed to saying "I must remember to put those in the car!"
There have been a couple of threads recently regarding vehicles which have been disasters in terms of sales. IIRC Renault were responsible for a couple and judging by HJ's comments the new Vx Signum looks likes it's going to be another. How can global companies with so much experience get it so wrong ? It's hard to predict fashion but some of the problems affecting these cars appear obvious so why aren't they dealt with prior to launch and who ultimately carries the can for a hugely costly and unmitigated sales disaster ? Read more
www.aerospectives.com/custom/TAero.html
The Mollier ( www.moller.com ) flying car has been on the
drawing board for ages, (though it was used by Dirk Pitt
in a Clive Cussler book to fly into the baddies lair...)
John R
..I bet Dirks opaline green eyes flashed at that!
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Many thanks to all who have taken the time to help. Fuel pump sound is audible at startup and the noise remains, as I believe it should. It there also when it won't start, usually after it cuts out (this resolves itself if its given a min'). The car is now in the hands of an auto electrician, who after providing graphs and charts on the poor performance of the coil, identified this as a good bet. However, two new coils have been rejected as faulty, and hopefully a decent one will be delivered tomorrow. Of more alarm, the ignition leads were blue with corrosion, and as the car was recently serviced and later presented with this fault to the VW specialist, is perhaps unforgivable. Also, this garage pointed out the ECU hall sensor fault which would not clear. The elec' says this is perfectly normal when the ignition is on, and the fault clears, as expected when the engine is started. It now appears the 2 distributors were a dead loss. Anyway, before I approach the VW spec' ( I can't honestly believe that he was unaware of how the ECU reading worked, but what about something as basic as the leads?) with a few polite but direct questions, I'd rather be confident that the coil & leads & new earth strap cures the fault, and that I have my facts right.
Chris.