November 2004
Just wondering if tyre pressures were an average of 2PsI down on recommend 30PSI, how much this would effect fuel consumption and would the effect become less when traveling faster. Read more
38k on the clock, T-reg 1.8 Vectra 16v. Goes like the proverbial (well, for a 1.8l repmobile, it does), but has developed an occasional misfire - not really noticable above 40mph, but below that, noticeable (when occuring, which is not all the time) when doing any constant speed in any gear.
Instinct was to give it some new plugs & leads & rotor arm... until I saw the 6-point bolts holding the top onto the engine... and realisation dawned that rotor arms went out with the dinosaurs. Engine cover put it well beyond the realms of a kerbside job with a small handful of sockets.
Anybody have any other ideas?
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Well, four years and 32k further on, I have a diagnosis.
Ihad the cambelt changed as the tensioners were noisy, and it was changed by a Vauxhall enthusiast (sic!). He raved about the engine being bullet proof (despite cambelt tensioners that need changing every 40k and all the other notorious faults mentioned on this thread. Whatever...
Apparently the hydraulic tappets soot up - as does everything on this Ecotec engine as posts above relate - so oil doesn't get through the little holes, so there is no compression.
One day this will apparently refuse to start... until then, sixteen of them at £25.38 each looks somewhat expensive...
With Windows 98, I can assign passwords to individual files in Word or Excel but not to whole folders. Is there a way to lock folders please? Read more
The prize goes to ......
...... Mark!
As his suggestion was so simple, I wondered over to the telly and tried it straight away. Success! Switch off the laptop screen (Fn+F5 in my case) and only drive the TV.
Many thanks! :-)
Hi,
Anyone able to offer any advice on where to run cables through from the battery (ie, where abouts on the firewall is appropriate?)
It's a diesel engine, so I don't want to inadvertantly let any fumes through, obviously positioning and correct gromets are important!
Chris. Read more
Aha, well I tackled it earlier on today and I actually put the hole in the same place as on the pictures in that thread!
I've managed to thread it through behind the glovebox too, tomorrow I'll get the rest of it done... hopefully!
The kit did come with a fuse to put in line near the battery, hugest fuse I've ever seen too!
Would anyone be able to offer an informed opinion please: is there a benefit, or is it a con? I mean the variety which you pour into your fuel tank (or others?). I've had two injectors replaced, and am interested in maximising the life of them given the eye-watering cost to replace on this common rail system. Read more
Please see the following URL www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/budget2004/pn03.htm
It will be seen that the duty on standard unleaded petrol was exactly the same as petrol, admittedly ULSP was 1p less, but some garages were charging 3p per litre more for diesel.
So the oil companies are still to blame.
It will remain to be seen how honestly the new duty rates rates are applied at the pumps.
A while ago I saw an old car for sale with a nice registration plate bearing my initials. I inquired about the car (I would probably have paid the asking price for it just for the number, and sold the remainder (an old Austin A7 I think) on for whatever I could get for it). However the registration mark could not be transferred to another vehicle because it had been assigned to the vehicle when its original registration mark had been sold on.
The seller mentioned that there may be some way to get around this restriction (but he didn't know how). Does anyone know what it is?
I would not be interested in anything illegal, but don't mind going to some hassle.
Thanks!
Mark Read more
My Giddy Aunt!
I just did a search for my initials and It came up with a really nice one in the format LL-N (where l=letter n=number)
Ok the number was 1
But they want --- wait for it ----- £275,000
A firm assertion on Top Gear tonight was that the story of Keith Moon driving a RR in a swimming pool was an urban myth.
I hate to think that this act of rock 'n roll legend didn't happen. Inside knowledge, anyone?
(By the way, credit to Clarkson for saying that the XC90 was a better family car than the journalisticly acclaimed new Discovery which managed to crawl up a dodgy Highland slope. Not to many of them round here, so I'm happy with my XC90.) Read more
"Currently", "at the moment" etc. Repetition indeed...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
On friday morning i jumped in my trusty 306 Xnd to drive to london for the wknd. However I went to wash my windscreen and found that the wipers parked in completely the wrong place once the 3 wipecycle after the release of the control stick was over! The same thing happened when i used the single wipe facitliy (tap the control arm down once) Howeverthe intermitent facility still worked and all other speeds of constant wipe. This was puzzling to say the least. On the way back from london on saturday i found once i had almost got back that the wipers would not stop in intermittent - they ran on as if in constant mode sometimes, and also started parking in different places - usually a little up from the lower position... Frustrating whens its leathering down on the M1!
Any ideas on solution? I have read the thread on here about parking problem but i would have expected a relay fault - anyone have experience of this on 306 or peugeot in general?
Andy Read more
Ok well i thought i would reply to my own message - be it few months late. I found out what the problem was. I was investigsting how to remove the skuttle panel from the car and also how to remove the motor - with intention of checking if power was getting down to the motor - to rule out control problems etc.. I suddenly noticed the motor was surrounded with ice and up to its neck in water!
It appeares that the drain hole had blocked, causing the motor to slowly drown over some time. I must add that this was about a week or two later than my original post - after it had snowed and my wipers had totally died on me when i was out driving in the snow.. luckily i was just round the corner wen they packed up. The sleet/snow must have been the final straw and flooded the motor so much it could not operate at all.
I acquired a motor from a scrappy for 30 quid and glad to say it all works again now. It was quite easy to remove and replace the motor - although you will need torx bits to remove the skuttle panel.
So warning to any 306 owners - the drain hole is particularly small in the compartment where the motor is - added to this the wiring loom runs through there too it makes for easy blockage of this hole . I will now be checking it on a regular basis :)
right.
seat arosa, 04 plate, 8000 miles, 1400cc 12 valve.
faults :
the manifold glows BRIGHT red after a short run.
there is a funny low down knock on pickup
it sometimes runs on 3 cylinders on the over-run
the EPC(what does that stand for) sometimes comes on
when i left foot brake :-) it looses all power !!!! fun in the wet !!!!!
any thoughts would be great, i have my ideas, but 2nd opinions are handy !!!!!!!!!
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Interesting...
I never knew an engine could keep going after the ECU malfunctioning! I'm glad my car hasn't got one!
Having long considered lots of cars, varying from Audi A3's, Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astras and 1998 -> 3 series. I keep coming back to the Golf, though there is a slight question mark over its reliability.
I have read numerous reports on problems with window failure and coil pack issues.
Can anyone tell me how this affects the 1.8 20v (NON TURBO) as many reports seem to state that it only affects the turbo (with regards to the coil packs), but that doesnt sound right to me, as the 20v is the same engine but with a turbo stuck on?
Also why did VW drop the 1.8 20v in 2000 and left the only petrol model the dire 2.0 8v.
I took the 2.0 8v out for a test drive the other day and the engine was harsh and slow,(it actually put me off going through the rev range as it sounded so terrible) in 3rd it barely accelerated. Found it very hard to fault the rest of the car however. I actually consider the plastics in the golf to be better than the 1998+ audi a3 and bmw 3 series compact (latest one), with the audi coming a close second.
Also I have heard about premature cambelt failure at about 70k-80k, surely the cambelt change should be before then, anyway?
Any further details would be greatly appreciated. Read more
Go for a 2.0 Focus, a great drive, quicker than either
Golf mentioned, probably better built and cheaper to service/insure etc.
Although it handles and performs well, its a bit to run of the mill, the "visible" build quality and plastics used leave a lot to be desired and it depreciates fast. Admittedly a great car for driving dynamics, but not for much else (for me). The Focus has its problems with reliability, but what car doesnt.
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Don't know how about mpg, but it certainly affects the handling on our C5. I knew there was something amiss today when out in the car as the handling was terrible. Sure enough, the front offside tyre was 0.5 bars below what it should be. The rest were also low, but not by the same amount. Why the offside one should have lost so much I don't know, as it never has before and I will have to keep a close eye on it in case there is a slow puncture. Anyway, after getting the tyres to their correct pressure, the handling was fine.