October 2003
Hi,
Which is better for a Vauxhall Astra autobox (AF13)? Dexron II or Dexron III? I'm using DII at the moment, changed the oil about 5,000 miles ago. Still a nice pink colour.
Anyway, there's an unpleasant grinding noise which comes from the box on a cold morning (6 degrees or below) which doesn't go away until the car's warmed up. (done it since new, Vauxhall say ignore it if there's no metal in the oil.)
Would using a different type of oil solve this problem?
Thanks in advance! Read more
I have a 1994 1600 Primera which I've had from new and racked up 145K trouble free miles.
A couple of month or so ago it developed a starting problem whereby the start motor would whirr when the ignition was turned but it didn't seem to be engaging. After a couple attempts it would engage and then start, sometimes it would start first time. Having gotten fed up with this I replaced the starter motor only to have exactly the same symptoms with the new one.
It has been getting progressively worse over the last week and now may take 6 attempts before it starts. I'm not sure whether it's coincidental but it seems to start better with the clutch depressed and the radio off (please, no laughing).
Anyone got any ideas?
Cheers Mark Read more
Ordinarily I would have said it could be a pinion assy fault (i.e. pinion clutch failed) - but if you replaced the *complete* starter motor (was it a new one?) then its a puzzle as to why it doesn't work now. Assuming starter is turning then I wonder if there could be some other problem (eg massive crankshaft endfloat or damage to the ring gear). Get someone to watch the front pulley and see if it moves axially as you depress and release the clutch (endfloat check). I would still check the condition of the ring gear all the way around.
If you fitted a s/hand starter then it too could be faulty.
When I engage drive,or reverse, there is a significant delay of 2 - 5 seconds before the gearbox engages and when it does engage there is an audible "bang" due to the rev's that have built up.
If I attempt a hill start with the box in drive I need to keep my foot on the brake to stop the vehicle rolling backwards. ie the gearbox wil not hold the car.Again there is a delay whilst drive engages-even though it is already in drive!
Audi tell me this is normal and that I need to adjust my driving style.
This auto behaves like no other auto box I have used and is very difficult to drive.
Are Audi correct in their view or does the box have a fault and if so does anyone have any suggestions to help Audi sort the problem.
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Mutley Read more
I have never driven one of these, however I find it hard to believe that they designed it so that a hill-start is as difficult as you describe. As per usual advice in these circumstances - ask to driver another similar car and see if it behaves the same.
Unfortunately, I suspect that due to the complexity of these 'boxes (and lack of established repair expertise) any major fault would require a 'factory recon' approach to rectify!
I'm new to this site but it looks like plenty of you are able to offer some decent advice that may at least reassure me that I'm not being taken for a ride over this...
Y'day my 1996 16v Golf GTi (65,000m and fsh) cut out on me at a r'bout. I managed to coast off the next junction and called out the AA. The car would not restart and the very nice man diagnosed cam belt failure.
The car was taken to an AA Service Centre who advised me that it would cost £800 to £1000, but couldn't be more precise without spending £200 to take the top off the engine and check the damage.
I contacted a local VW dealer to see what their estimate would be - they said a max of 8 hrs labour (@ 50 ph) plus £200 for parts - total of £600. However, another VW dealer has quoted anywhere from £800 to £1500 depending on the severity of the damage!
I'm likely to take the £600 quote, but a little worried as to why it is so low compared with the others - are they being overly optimistic or might the damage be fairly minimal? There was no excessive noise when the engine failed, so could it be that as the belt snapped at low revs the valves and head have not suffered any real damage?
As far as I'm aware the cam belt is original and replacement has never been advised to date by VW - should it have been?
Cheers,
Mags Read more
Glad to hear you are all sorted Mags, but I'm slightly perplexed at the need to run it in!
I have a Ford Orion with its original Ford stereo still in it. I have bought a CD player that plays by putting a tape thingie into the tape player however its really annoying as it keeps turning itself over automatically is there anything I can do that will allow me to play just one side of the tape and then turn it over manually? Its a real nightmare. Read more
If you have a portable cd player that uses an adapter ie cassette look alike to plug into car cassette to play cd then you have cd player set on repeat
My husband has a Vuaxhall Carlton which I was driving on Saturday as I indicated off a roundabout it skidded out of control nearly hitting a railing, I managed to bring it to a standstill fortunately for me. I have a bit of knowledge about cars but I cannot understand why it did this its rear wheel drive I wasn't speeding but its had a new clutch recently. It felt almost like I was coasting on the clutch as it happened? Could there be a problem with the clutch or was it caused by road conditions it had been raining? Read more
More than likely a spillage of diesel on the roundabout, coupled with the rain turned the road into a skidpan. Very hazardous scenario for motorbikes.
Hi Guys,
Can anyone advise on whether the various restriction signs erected in private car parks have any legal significance? Supermarket car parks, for example, will frequently have speed limit and turn restriction signs - but do these really mean anything in determining the blame for an accident on private land?
Nothing's happened - just curious.......... Read more
Basically, as stated above...
no traffic order = no meaning
I recently had a problem with the front passenger door, on our 1988 Peugeot 205 GLD. I understand that this is a fairly common problem with ageing 205?s, therefore the following might be of help to somebody. The door jammed shut & wouldn?t respond to either the key or the internal release button. I took the door trim off from the inside & after much pushing, pulling tapping various rods etc: I somehow managed to free the door.
Assuming the lock was worn. I took it out & purchased a replacement (these only seem to be available from Main Dealers). The new lock was dually fitted & appearing to be working fine, I shut the door, locked it & was back to square one with a locked door, that wouldn?t respond to any amount of fiddling (or bad language) Eventually the problem was found & cured by a squirt of WD40. The problem was not with the locking mechanism, but with the exterior door handle. There?s a lever, which operates a pull rod connecting the exterior handle & the mechanism. At the top centre of the handle is a fulcrum in the lever. This had become stiff & wasn?t allowing the lock to reset completely. Thus preventing the locking mechanism to function correctly. So if you?ve got a similar problem. Take off the door trim, & with the window in the closed position, squirt some oil at the top centre of the door handle, operate the handle a few times to free up the fulcrum & with a bit of luck, your problem will have gone away.
Read more
thank for the advice you were spot on.removed exterior door handle pulled leaver and the door opened,found that the fulcrum return spring had come away from the clip that holds it tight i managed to return the spring to its correct position and the handle feels alot more positive and works every time.once again thank you
I drove my wife's 98 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec yesterday, and when sitting at traffic lights idling, there is a single knock noise every couple of seconds, at perfectly equal intervals which suggests to me that it is from some moving part either engine or clutch, any ideas what this could be?
Thanks Read more
Grey man,
I get this on my '97 1.25 also. It is as described in the Technical Service Bulletin posted by Charles. Once I knew what it was i stopped worrying about it!
My dear Mother had someone drive into the back of her car. When she asked him what the hell he thought he was doing, he said "sorry luv I was on the 'phone".
He moves his car some way off, and tries to trick her with misreading his numberplate, but she's too clever for that one matey.
Mum asks him for his details. He say I'm *** and my address is ***, however the passenger in Mum's car recognises him and says ooooh no you're not, you are in fact ***, and what's more I also know you're banned from driving for two years sunshine.
He jumps into his car, and Mother (not too clever at this point) stands in the way of his open door. He shouts a few choice words, and backs up, hitting her with the door. She jumps out of the way luckily only bruised. He zooms off.
She also alledges he'd been drinking.
So , that's ... on the phone ... accident ... no insurance ... banned ... false details ... personal injury ... possibly drinking ...
Looks like little will be done (no longer at last known address), apart from the fact that Mother will have to pay her claim excess (bent crossmember etc). She did call the police at the time, but was told to report to local station.
Nice people you meet on the road these days.
Stu.
Read more
Fair enough, Godfrey, although I'm not sure that the source (ABI) is entirely neutral! However, I'm not trying to suggest that uninsured drivers are anything but a menace. The problem is exacerbated by the ease with which young oiks can get a licence (assuming they bother) and the differential between the cost of a vehicle and the cost of insuring it.
Not sure how you solve that without making motoring more expensive for everyone...
Browse
Its an Aisan-Warner electronic box. DIII is better (lower viscosity at low temps). I doubt it will solve your problem though.