November 2005
Has anyone got a dodge to free up a stuck thermo.I dont want to remove it because it looks like a right pain-the cambelt cover etc needs to come off Help please?? Read more
I see in today's Telegraph business section that the Chinese owner of the former assets of MG Rover has struck a provisional deal to sell the Austin Healey brand to a team of ex-managers of the failed car maker.
The deal between Nanjing Automobile and GB Sports Car is understood to be part of a tentative agreement to restart production in Birmingham. A final agreement is likely within six weeks.
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
Read more
I would agree that the 75 was/is a fine car, especially the ZT model. Infact I had a ride in a diesel one only last week, apart from being a bit cramped in the back it was quite a nice car. Unfortunately the rest of the range was weak and the City Rover just awful.
I have a 1992 Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 GLI which has only done 50,000 miles from new and its in very good condition, however recently I have developed the following fault can anyone help!
cold mornings/evenings after driving a few miles with engine upto running temp I have rough engine running! not what I would term as a mifire! but it cuts out! as if theres no fuel! with intermitent firing! kangarooing!! "this does not happen all the time" normally the next day its fine! any ideas please! new ignition coil and fuel parts have been replaced! Tony K. Read more
elekie&a/c/doctor
Many thanks for you advice! I will check this out! it would make sense with the symptons Ive had! I will let you know what happens.. thanks again.. Tony K.
Having a discussion at work - when do you have to inform your insurer?
Is it straight away, or at next renewal?
I reckon it's straight away, but can't find any proof of this on the internet, can anyone help? Read more
When I got done for speeding, I informed my insurance company straight away. They said my premium would go up by 10% at next renewal, and be at that higher level for 3 to 5 yrs. When it came to renewal, I was pleasantly surprised that the premium had not increased, so thought I should check that they had taken my offence into account.
Oh no, they said - we'll charge you 10% more, and also charge your wife 10% more - as you are a named driver on her policy. When I complained I had already told them, they said that wasn't relevant - the obligation was on me to disclose all material facts at time of renewal, even though they already had a record of my earlier telecon.
Very unimpressed, and this was one of the big insurers. Needless to say, have now switched to another insurance company!
In this cold weather, it is beneficial to use an oil that has good cold start flow properties as it will get to the parts of the engine that need it far more quickly.
The "w" number which means winter is the key here and the lower the better.
It may seem odd but a 15w or 20w will struggle to get around the engine in very cold temps and I would strongly recommend a 10w or better still a 5w for better cold start performance.
90% of all engine wear occurs on cold start because the oil get thicker the colder it is which causes engine wear.
These numbers explain what I mean and bear in mind that the oil will be the following thickness at 100degC (sae 40 = 14cst, sae 50 = 18cst and sae 60 = 24cst)
At 0degC these are the numbers (thick!)
Grade.................At 0C.........At 10C...........At 100C
0W/20.............328.6cSt......180.8cSt..........9cSt
5W/40.............811.4cSt......421.4cSt..........14cSt
10W/50............1039cSt.......538.9cSt..........18cSt
15W/50.............1376cSt.......674.7cSt.........18cSt
20W/50.............2305cSt.......1015cSt..........18cSt
If you are using anything more than a 10w oil, always warm the car properly before driving it hard as the oil needs time to circulate.
Just a word of warning really.
Cheers
Simon
Read more
SAE paper a few years ago
Effect of Break-In and Operating Conditions on Piston Ring and Cylinder Bore Wear in SI (Spark-Ignition) Engines, Schneider et al:
The rate of wear is much higher within 15-20 minutes of start-up than after reaching normal operating temperature. The initial start-up time period (first 20 minutes) result is 100 nanometers of wear whereas the steady state wear rate was only 4 nanometers per hour thereafter. This justifies the statement that 95 percent of engine wear occurs just after start-up).
Stopping the engine for 10 minutes after reaching full operating temperature did not cause any start-up like wear. The wear rate picks up right where it left off before shutdown.
Since then additive technology has improved and there are at least two AW additives, a primary and a secondary, ZDDP being one of them, although this is being slowly replaced by other AW additives, some purely organic, such as specialized esters.
One of the AW additives is for cold temp operation and the other one or two are for high temperature operation. A primary ZDDP could be called a mid-range AW additive, a secondary ZDDP (or equivalent) could be called the high temp AW additive, while Boron, Calcium and others could be called the low temperature AW additives.
High contact pressures can lead to localized high temperatures such as found at the cam lobe/tappet interface. These high pressures would in turn cause high temperatures which would cause the ZDDP or equivalent AW add to activate or plasticise and reduce wear.
These additives are left deposited on metal surfaces after shutdown.
At cold temps, one wants to establish a hydrodynamic film as soon as possible. This is where the starting viscosity of the oil comes into play, but since it cannot do this instantaneously, the AW additives reduce wear until the hydrodynamic film is established.
hello,i have a w plate renault espace 3 ltr v6 and have a problem with the central locking. when locking and unlocking the car, all doors will lock and unlock apart from the drivers door. the door motor is new and i have the same electrical feed at the a post wiring that i have at the locking motor . i only get a pulse when i open the car on both wiring connections , am right in thinking it is the central locking control unit ? can any one shed any light on my problem .
Read more
You may do better by visiting www.renaultforums.co.uk
There are some Renault technicians who post there.
Hi all, hoping someone can advise me - my M Reg Peugeot 106 Diesel is almost impossible to start in cold weather, over the last couple of years the battery and glow plugs have been replaced more than once with no improvement. A local garage has now advised that a cylinder head overhaul is required at a cost of around £600, but I'm reluctant to spend so much on an old car. Is this likely to fix the problem, and is £600 a reasonable price to pay? Any advice gratefully received! Read more
>>check the fuel enrichment system works.
My one was replaced just before I got the car due to same problem,not a 106 but 218 rover.apart from glow plug failure just after I bought it(replaced with NGK)not had a problem starts on first couple of turns well below freezing.So that could be the problem?
--
Steve
I have a recurrent fault on my 52 registered 1.4hdi c3. Over the past year on 3 occasions the fuel gauge starts to constantly flash. I read in the handbook that it is a warning to say water has been detected somewhere in the fuel system. By the time I manage to get it booked into the garage the flashing stops.
Each time it has lasted for a week and spontaneously stopped, and by the time it has been checked on the citroen computer it reads no fault detected.
I am out of warranty now so am wary of returning to citroen with the problem because of the cost implications.
Does anyone have any idea???
Thank you Read more
if your handbook says that then the only logical place it can detect water is in the fuel filter,ignore what the computor says and get filter changed by a garage that knows what they are doing.
A colleague of mine had her '02 Peugeot 206 catch fire last night and its now a write-off.
She contacted her insurance company who are refusing to give her a courtesy car as it was "mechanical failure" that caused the write-off rather than an accident.
Is this standard practice?
She only had the car (second hand) for a month. Read more
Did the same for my Daughter with Admiral.
Courtesy cars are usually provided by the repairer, so if the cars not in for repair then you won't get a courtesy car.
Hi
I would like to try Shell Diesel Extra in my VW Passat. Problem is ,I am having diffufulty loacting a supplier in my area. Tried all the usual stuff on the web, called Shell who were no help.
So, anyone know where I can get it in Swindon, Wilts, post code SN5 6PB?
Regards,
corkie Read more
ah! I know the feeling, my local Shell station disappeared about 2 years ago, but has only just been removed from their search. It is now fairly accurate for my area (Devon) and I have found it useful when visiting London.
However as an Optimax user I know the frustration of not being able to get the infomation you need from Shell.
Browse
.jpg)
fraid its a new stat needed,though it isnt hard to replace,as stated fiddly. but rather spend a few minutes extra replacing than freezzzing while driving-this would drive me nuts.also the fuel consumption will be terrible!
--
Steve