Hi all,

My girlfriend's Ka ('52 plate Endura, 26k miles) developed a fault that caused it to misfire etc. This was tracked down to no.1 plug leaking air from the cylinder (as it turned out it has rusted through the top of the taper) so it needed replacing. The plugs hadn't been touched since new as it was assumed they were part of the service schedule, which they are not until 30k miles, by which time they are rusted solid, anyway... I soaked them all in penetrating oil for 24hours whilst cycling the engine hot to cold to work the oil in. I put the socket on the first one and it practically fell off on its own. The same happened to the others, snapping with virtually no effort on my part.

So, the tops and centres of all the plugs are now out, leaving the threaded section of the plugs (side electrode etc) stuck in their bores, so you can see through the middle of them into the cylinder. They are rusted to the bore thread.

Can anyone suggest a suitable method for removing them? I'm not sure an easy-out will work as there's not much of the plug left for it to bite on, and it would probably chew through to the bore thread and try and remove that! Besides, if they are properly rusted to the head I doubt they will turn anyway.

So far my thinking is along the lines of tapping them out, by cutting into the backs of the plug threads progressively closer until they break up and the bits can be picked out of the bores. There's a risk I'll damage the bore threads, which I really don't want to do. I want to try and do it myself but I'm also going to weight up the cost of a bare second hand head against taking the current head to a machine shop and having them deal with the problem. I have no idea how much either is likely to cost as yet.

Finally, can anyone tell me if the engine management light can be reset by simply disconnecting the battery on these engines? Or do Ford need to stick an electro-gizmo doodad on it to do this, for a silly price?

Thanks for any advice.

Jim Read more

Well, I've spent the last 10 days of my life test-driving numerous Korean cars, to replace the girlfriend's unreliable Clio DCi. It all started when the local Hyundai dealer was offering a pre-reg Getz 1.4GSi for £5995....

Test drove the Getz. It was horrible. Cheap, nasty, all the stereotypes you can think of...urgh. Surprisingly MUCH worse than an old-model Getz I'd driven last year and been quite impressed with. The suspension was the worst I've experienced ever, bouncing comically 2 or 3 times after every pothole! We were about to give up and go home, when the salesman pointed out the new Rio, which was a little more expensive, but much more upmarket inside, to my surprise. The 1.4 petrol wasn't too bad to drive, and the suspension was on a par with my Almera.

Couldn't quite make up our minds, so went back the other day and had a drive of the diesel Rio. What an engine! I've never felt that level of torque in such a small car before, it's really like a rocket up the a*se! The handling's also pretty good, and the clutch is feather-light, gearchange is effortless. The interior isn't cheap, and toys like air-con come as standard. Needless to say she's put her deposit down and we're picking up a 56-reg pre-registered one on Thursday at a very competitive price.

The question is simple - why won't more people venture down to their local Kia dealer? Every review I've read is positive, the driving experience is good, HJ's road-test is spot-on. Why aren't there more Rios about? Pure snobbery? Maybe there aren't enough "thinking people" out there to buy "the thinking person's car". Read more

Hi,

I need to change my company car but I have just changed contract and now need to pay for all my own fuel (40,000 miles a year worth!!!)

What offers the best real-world economy out of these four?

Citroen C5 estate 2.0Hdi
Renault Laguna Estate 2.0 Dci 150
Vx Vectra estate 1.9 Diesel (150hp)
Ford Mondeo 2.0 Diesel

PS The french get my initail vote as I can get considrably higher specs with these cars

My real world is mostly motorway driving at 75-80 MPH, my current car, a BMW 320d touring does about 50 MPG

Many thanks

a900ss Read more

Well, I drove from Rochdale to Devon today, managed to do it in under 4 hours, a new record and didn't drop below 80mph (GPS) on the motorway. With no trucks astonishing to see the average speeds maintained in lanes 2 and 3. Sat for a short time at 90 in lane 3 with the line of cars in front pealing off into the distance and a queue rapidly building up behind while I overtook one of the very few trucks overtaking the odd car.

Delight to drive today - we should have moved all freight to rail years ago or built separate roads. Not a single accident seen on the way down either. Read more

I have a leak on the joint between the middle section and the rear section on the above.

Have been quoted £500 for Mild steel and £1000 for stainless steel replacement.


Currently using wynns gasket product to seal BUT can anyone suggest an alternative method or kit.


I was considering asking a garage to cut out the joint and then use some sleeving to fix, but all the rapid fit outfits just want to replace !!!!!

What a suprise !!!

The pipes are stainless but the flanges are mild steel, they are the items which have corroded.

Any bright ideas out there please ??



Thanks


Stan
Read more