December 2005
Hi
I have a 98 Sharan TDii which recently has developed a stutter (thats the best description I can come up with)that more usually occurs when pulling away from standing in first or perhaps in second when exiting a roundabout. Occasionally, the problem will also surface when cruising at low to medium revs in fourth. (The stutter itself feels like a very short but sharp dab on the brakes). When this problem was in its infancy I took it to a vw mechanic who ran a diagnostic check and found nothing wrong. He did say however, that from my description of the problem that it may have something to do with the air filter regulator/controller (may have the exact name wrong) but couldn't be sure without being present when the fault arose. Now the problem is much worse and happens every trip but tends do subside on longer journeys.
Any ideas of what it could be and what sort of cost to rectify?
Thanks. Read more
ive been having a few random break downs in a 1988 1300 polo with the 2e3 carb engine
seems to happen any outside temp
i can be crusing along and the engine will develop, a stutter..not really a noticable miss fire, at this point the car will not accelerate and tend to gently fade away, once ive pulled over the engine just chugs away barely running at all..does not rev
turning off and re starting it doesnt make any differrance..at this point i usualy open the bonnet and start poking around for loose leads or anything obvious..after a quick poke around it usualy starts up and drives normaly..not that ive fixed anything
so....does that sound like carb icing?? are 2e3 prone to it and whats the fix?? i had it happen in september would they still ice in warm ish weather..or could it be dirt in the carb?? are they alright to rebuild?? what do i need to rebuild one
i know a weber conversion would be a nice idea, but i cant justify over £200 on a old banger
btw..sinse the first break down ive fitted new plugs/leads/fuel filter Read more
Not sure where Rotax came in, link was to a CAA general information leaflet on carb icing in carburreted aircraft engines and was meant to illustrate the principle that humidity and dewpoint combined with retarded throttle rather than low air temp precipitate carb icing. In UK at least it's less common in extreme low temperature (think clear air and moisture condensed out as frost)
The SU in my Mini was well prone to icing. Was it not carb icing in the prototype that led to the engine installation being rotated 180 degrees; leaving the distributor to pick up road spray.
I went out today and got a new tax disc for the car, backdated to the start of December. The time came to put it into the car and I realised my current tax runs out at the end of December, not November. So my car is now double taxed for a month.
I know it's only £15, but I give Gordon enough as it is. Is there a way to get this back?
V
PS. Assume that I already know what an idiot I am for doing this in the first place. Read more
They don't normally send you the reminder/renewal form until a couple of weeks before the old tax runs out.
Did you use a renewal form for the new tax? If so, I can't possibly see how the PO didn't give you the correct dated tax disc; I'm sure it tells you on the form when the previous tax ends.
I suppose, as it's Christmas, the DVLA could possibly have send the renewal forms out early so as to avoid the Christmas rush. However, even if they did, it normally says on the form that the tax can't be remewed before a certain date, usually two weeks before the end of the month.
I think this one's down to a mistake by the PO. I should go back pronto and explain all to them.
It also might just be possible that, if you claim a refund on the day of issue of the new tax disc, it might just be possible to obtain a complete refund, i.e. not loose a month. But you would have to check this out with the DVLA or local DVLA office, I'm really not sure about this at all.
Hi there
I have a VW GOLF MK2 Driver with 162K miles on clock with a 2e2 carb.
The other day I accidently broke a bit of plastic within the expansion tank because I poked a crack.
The link below shows a picture of it (white arrow points to
www.rafael.plus.com/watertank.htm
Now the piece of plastic which broke off is in the water system.
Is this anything to worry about or should I try to get the plastic piece out ??
Car has been okay heater working fine, temp guage reads okay. However will damage occur in the future?
Many Thanks
Raf Read more
Why not just get a new tank,all vw from that era use same ball type tank,that bit of tank that is broke is for boiling overflow,a safety design,i bet breakers have hundreds of these knocking about for price of a pint,and only take 10 mins to fit....
Just had a message from my wife that a friend's husband has just had his car stolen. Thieves walked in to his workshop, took his jacket and found his keys. His Audi is now in the hands of someone else. Also in the jacket were his house keys. Chances are there is a piece of paper in the car with his home address on so he's also just been with a locksmith for a couple of hours.
His mobile was also in the jacket, could the mobile signal be traced?
We have members of staff in our office who glibly leave their car keys on desks. Maybe this tale will get them to change their ways. Read more
The car has been found. It appears the scallies drove it until it ran out of fuel. No bodywork damage, just a bit muddy. Police are carrying out forensics so no doubt it will be covered in fingerprint dust when he gets it back!
He is mightily relieved not only that he will get the car back, but that he won't have to deal with his useless insurance company. As they say insurance is more than about the price you pay. He was holding for 70 mintues when he first rang to report the theft. When he got through someone on the Indian sub continent couldn't understand what he was saying and then asked for some information he didn't have to hand - despite having full vehicle info and a crime number. Instead of playing music why don't they run a notification tape informaing you what info they expect? When he called back they answered in just 55 minutes! Absolutely useless.
My car was services three months ago and the check list showed that the coolant was safe down to -22 deg C, I understand that the specific gravity of the coolant is measured. Are there any easy home kits/tricks that would enable me to test my wife's car and my motorcycle in the same way?
Thanks. Read more
How well do theses testers work with the 'long life' type stuff as opposed to the traditional glycol based anti freeze ???
just been laughing at the test drive of the new civic.
his mate cant get comfortable and doesnt want to drive after the first car.
because of the a pillars the passenger has a better view.you need oversized wing mirrors for parking(suppose this is because you cant see nowt out the back window.
and the 1.8 is the least favourable of the engines,when honda are expecting it to be the most popular?
this is the new class leader?
god help the rest in that sector!! Read more
>> Where is the Honda Company Registered ?
>> Where do the core company profits go ?
>> Where is the intellectual capital rights for the engineering design
legally
>> held ?
Roly, do you want to list any car manufacturers which can
answer "UK" to all 3 questions?
Other than the Black London cabs I can't, and this is my whole point.
Lets not be seduced by non UK companies telling us how wonderful it is that they let us assemble their products, the Thatcher years are long over as this was the sort of carp they fed us with then!
I remember fondly the Citroen GSA I had when I was about 19.
It was a milk chocolate brown colour and was quite startling to own because of its quirkiness. The radio was where the hand brake should be and the handbrake was like a spade handle that you pulled out of the dash.
There were no stalks for indicators etc just 'pods' either side of the steering wheel with swiches (worked very well). The speedo and rev counter were windows showing the speed / revs displayed on a rotating wheel behind. The brakes were powered discs all round (for a 1.3!) and would stop the car as if you had flicked a switch.
The engine was a Boxer aircooled 1.3 with loads of torque and of course the car had the Oleomatic adjustable suspension. I had a girlfreind whose house was at the top of a field and that could only be reached by a 4x4 (her father owned Isuzu Trooper and mother a Panda 4x4). My car was the only 'normal' car that ever reached the house as you could really rise it up! It was also the comfiest car I have ever driven.
It was these phenomenal differences from a standard car that made it a joy to own.
Sadly it was not built to last. In the 9 months I had it it went to running on 3 cylinders (did that for a month and kept driving as too skint to repair). I discovered when toppng up the tyres that both the rear discs had worn down sooo much they had become disconnected from the hub and I had no rear brakes at all (I can't say I noticed and it still stopped incredibly well). The final straw was the exhaust falling off. I 'fixed' this by wrapping a bit of old denim round it and whacking a jubilee clip over the top.
I then traded it in at the same dealer I had bought it from for a newer Astra. The guy who sold it to me valued my car without even looking at it. He said there was not much bad I could have done to it in nine months.
You have never seen someone drive off a forecourt quicker than I did in that Astra! Read more
Renault 18 TL. Only 1.4l and 4 speed. Very comfortable and smooth and with great traction in snow, having the engine hanging out the front.
Lots of expensive maintenance but a great improvement over crummy BL predecessors.
--
I wasna fu but just had plenty.
Having only owned Petrol cars in the past and now having a diesel I am still in the habit of jumping straight in to the car in the morning and turning the key, without remembering to wait for the glow plugs to heat up and the light on the dash to go out.
Am I doing any damage?
The car fires up immediately without complaint. Read more
Not so. I often grimace after I've driven to a friend who lives at the top of a long, steep "1st gear only" concrete track. It takes a real thrashing to get to the top, especially when it's icy and you need good run ups for the steep bits (I don't know which is worse - hearing the front of the car scrape on the ground the gradient change is that sharp, or getting stuck on the ice and slithering back down...).
Then, at the top, it's still a sharp slope across the yard, so there's lots of enthusiastic revving and clutch slipping just to get parked. Most times the temperature gauge is nudging the red at the end and I sit and wait for a few minutes while the fan blasts away. It's the only time the fan actually runs.
How do all,
I have a 2001 Pug 206 1.9D with 85k (mostly motorway) miles.
Firstly - when starting the engine there is a slight rattle / clunking sound that comes from (under) the engine bay area. The noise lasts until I depress the clutch and then the noise disppears, once I raise the clutch again however it starts. It sounds like something is loose - and the clutch pedal vibrates also.
Any help to at least point me in the right direction before putting the car in the garage, would be greatly appreciated!!
Cheers
Craig
Read more
pedal vibration is usualy caused by pressure plate fingers either broken or out of line.causing the release bearing to vibrate as its moving back and forth on the levers,either worn pressure plate or badly worn release bearing?
--
Steve
Browse
seezed
You've found the reason for the "hidden" reference in my earlier post.
Briefly; remove driver's side lower dash panel; [about six screws and a clip in the side] remove single screw holding fusebox top strap and unclip fusebox, pull forwards off it's mounting and lower.
The relays are buried in the centre framework of the housing; you'll need long fingers! [Much easier pre-97.] Take care not to trap wires when re-fitting.