have a 2000 w 411 cdi sprinter.

have been having problems for the last couple of months that it has been really down on power. had a valve changed on the high pressure fuel pump a few weeks ago after it stopped comletely. but that did not make it worse. just seems like there are about 30 horses missing. slow up hills and on acceleration but ok when up to speed.
not in get you home mode as will rev all the way to 400orpm just takes a while

head gasket went today. does anyone know if the power problems were likely to be caused by a failing head gasket or is there ay thing else commen that causes it.

mark
Read more

just wondered if any1 new if the drain holes where the fuel filler cap is would drain into the boot?

The reason being that ive had a leak at the back of the boot (where the jack sits) for a while and couldnt work out where from. I noticed these drain holes and wondered if this could be the cause?

The reason i noticed is because someone i know with a xanita always has a pool of water sitting by the filler cap becasue it has no drain holes Read more

Hi, techy people. Can anyone out there give some advice?
My dad has a 95 mk1 mazda mx5. Over the weekend he nerfed the front and crack the number plate and the box it is housed in. Can anyone tell me me how the number plate box is retained on the bumper, and the easiest way of replacing it?

Advice much appreciated.



--
let me be the last to let you down.... Read more

Hello,

Bit of a rant, but does anyone (backroomers excluded of course) read (from the signs) when these are 'active'? I ask, because there's a stretch (less than 1 mile) of bus lane in my town that is only operational between 16:30 and 18:30 on weekdays, clearly stated on all 6 of the signs. When it is not in operation, I would estimate that 90% of drivers drive merrily along in the offside lane. Some start to get 'uppity' about seeing someone (me) driving perfectly legally alongside them. I get the impression they think I'm trying to avoid the line of traffic and cut in at the end of the zone. Short of having a P.A. system fixed to my car and telling them to read the signs, what can one do?

S6 1SW Read more

As the more *mature* members of the Back Room were very helpful with a solution for the last conundrum Auntie set me, that of the dirty solenoid connection, I wondered if I might lay the latest problem on the collective table.

Auntie has an easy life these days, only venturing out to occasional rallies, but about two years ago she was reluctant to return home from one, due to severe flooding of the H-type SU carburettor. I quickly determined that this was due to the float (original soldered brass type) having sunk to the bottom of the chamber. Try as I might, I couldn't get the petrol out of the float until I punctured it. I then emptied the float, screwed a self tapper in the hole I had made, and drove home. After soldering up the hole I had made, I tried to find how the petrol originally got into the float (immersing in hot water etc.) without any success. Eventually I gave up, put everything back together, and added 'ignition on; wait for SU pump to stop ticking; start engine' to my pre-flight check list.

This morning, the pump didn't stop (incidentally it was perfectly OK yesterday). Mercifully as I was still at home, the procedure was straightforward enough; try to get petrol out of float, fail to do so, drill through soldered patch, shake petrol out, insert self tapper & rubber washer, immerse float in hot water to try to find original leak, fail to do so, put everything back together and off to the rally, only 20 minutes behind schedule.

The solution of course is a no-brainer; purchase a nice new reliable nylon float. However the puzzle remains; how did the petrol get into the float? On each occasion the time interval between the float having enough buoyancy to close the needle valve and sinking below the critical point was only a matter of hours, which would suggest that the entry point for the fuel should be large enough to find. However not only was the puncture impossible to find but it has taken two years for the float to refill sufficiently to sink, which would suggest a minute seepage.

On the subject of the new nylon float (new brass ones no longer being available) it is getting late and I can't get my head round whether or not fitting this will alter the level of fuel in the float chamber. Presumably it will be of different density to the original brass version; will it therefore displace more or less fuel in the chamber thus altering the level or is it simply a matter of the volume of the float setting the level in the chamber, this presuming new and old are of similar dimensions. Aunties liquid intake is so great in any case that it is fairly important to get the mixture just right. Thanks in advance for any views on this.

----------------------------------------------

One mans junk is another mans treasure Read more