February 2007
Hi,
Recently purchased this car. Came with new battery and new glow plugs. (3 on this engine). A bit of a clue I think!. Poor cold starting manifest by a lot of cranking and engine then finally starts. Poor cold idle.
I have checked the engine coolant temp sensor removed from car, about 3.3kOhms when in nearly freezing water down to approx 300R in hot water. Checked for heater voltage, none apparent although relay works ok. + 12V present at relay, earths through ECU for correct operation. Wired in bypass switch to earth, cold start still poor with stalling engine. Any ideas/ further checks. Bus will be read on Friday for stored faults.
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As per my other post, I am shortly going to buy a new smaller car.
I currently have a 1998 Nissan QX 2.0 Auto that I will need to sell. The car has only done 49,000 and it has been probably the best car that i have owned in 30 years of motoring! It is genuinely in showroom condition, not a mark on it inside or out, and has never given me the slightest problem and drives like new - in fact if I had the room I would keep it.
My problem is how to sell it. It would be heartbreaking to send it into an auction and get peanuts for it. No one will want it in P/X so I suppose a private sale is best. Would Ebay work? Or what about Autotrader?
How much is a pristine '98 QX going to be worth? Read more
>> Excellent cars! You should sell that easily enough - there
are
>> a few 'big Jap' car enthusiasts out there.
I had one 2 years ago had it advertised at £1295
(P Reg) for 2 months; not 1 call ! Traded it
in the end; glad to see the back of it. Dealer
I traded it to had it for ages also. It was
not a bad example and looked good in black also.
I think one in good nick with sensible mileage and history will sell OK. There are a lot of these around with mega-mileage and whilst they do take the miles very well, buyers are obviously put off by anything into (or approaching) six figures.
I will shortly be wanting to order a new car. I've noticed that Impreza 2.0R's are available at good prices and I have heard many good things about the Impreza, especially its handling and reliabiliy. The latest non-turbo version has 160BHP, 0-60 in 8.5 seconds and 130mph top speed - that sounds fast enough to me, and I would prefer to do without the complication and expense of the turbo version, whilst still getting the good handling.
Unofrtunately most Impreza road tests concentrate on the turbo version.
Has anyone driven one of these cars for a prolonged period of time? Any opinions on them? Read more
Hmm, looks a bit bland. Bit like a Mazda 3 crossed with a BMW 1-.
I run three turbo diesels, one needing VW505 01 and two French motors which specify B4 oil. Am I right in thinking that VW505 01 oil is a tougher spec than B4 and I therefore only need to keep one oil in the shed, namely a fully synth 505 01 spec and use it in all three engines on a 6k change cycle?
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just been out in my vaux zafira diesel x reg and have notticed that the light on the dash board with the car and the spanner goes out but comes on but when rev it a little bit it goes out was wondering if any one could help and tell me what it means as im not mechanilly minded
{changed header as cdti wasn't available on an X reg} Read more
hi ive just had the exact same problem it was just a plug on one of the glow plugs
I've been a company car driver for the past 10 years, but this time (March 2007) I plan on opting out and taking the cash alternative for various reasons. I currently drive a Toyota Avensis T3-x D-4D Hatch which has served well (even if it is slow!).
My budget is £13k and I want something that is less than a year old. At the moment the choice has been narrowed down to :-
Zafira Design (150BHP) CDTI - which I test drove for 3 days this month
Astra Design/SRI Estate (150BHP) CDTI
Focus C-MAX GHIA TDCI (unsure of what engine size to go for)
Focus Ghia Estate TDCI (unsure of what engine size to go for)
I enjoyed the Zafira, along with the 'roominess' of the cabin. Although there is only three of us (2 adults, 1 child), there will be regular occasions when I will need to carry 5 and thought at least the Zafira allows this to happen in comfort.
I stopped by the local ford dealer to look at the C-MAX and he offered a 'FordDirect' 2006 (06) GHIA 2.0 TDCI with leather, parking sensors, bluetooth phone kit and 7k miles on the clock for £13,500 (that was his opening offer) which to me sounded good.
The Zafira sounds appealing as it also has 20k mile servicing (and this is what I will cover over the year).
I am concerned that with the new C-MAX comming out later this year, the value of existing C-MAXs will plumet..
I plan on keeping whatever I buy for 2-3 years.
Any advice appreciated.
Cheers,
John
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I'd get a fabulous, roomy, comfortable Renault Vel Satis - one on Autotrader for £12999, 2005, 2.2DCi, 13,200 miles. And yours will be the only one you see on the road yet it's a standard major-manufacturer model, with decently priced servicing and normal engines and parts.
UK bikers skate on sticky grit
When rock salt and molasses don't mix
By Lester Haines → www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/13/sticky_grit/
Published Tuesday 13th February 2007 14:00 GMT
UK bikers have launched an online petition aimed at getting the government to rethink its "sticky grit" de-icing strategy.
The Highways Agency first trialled a molasses/grit concoction back in 1994, the BBC records, because common-or-garden grit can easily be swept from the road by wind or rain. Accordingly, it threw some molasses into the mix and gave it a try on the M4 near Bristol and Bath.
A Highways Agency spokesman explained: "There is nothing wrong with the traditional variety of rock salt, it works very effectively down to low temperatures. We are happy with the rock salt, but we are just seeing if this development in technology works any better."
Apparently not, according to acifionados of two wheels. While you might think that molasses would prove an excellent adhesive for keeping you on the straight and narrow, the bikers' petition states: "It seems that once the cold snap is over the resulting mollases based product causes a slippery sheen to form on the road surface."
As a result, "the two wheeled community of motorcyclist and cyclist have been reporting more and more accidents". ® Read more
That explains a lot! I was on four wheels at the time.
Heaven help the other half (pun intended).
Put my 2 replacement doors on the Primmy last w/e but can't get the markings off the doors that the breaker wrote on them, you know, "Primera '99 n/s/f" plus their part numbers.
I've tried petrol, WD40, brush cleaner, brake cleaner, white spirit, meths and soapy water. I can get a bit off with the soapy water but it looks like it could be a time-consuming job (probably longer than swapping at least one of the doors!)
Is there a tried & tested method for removing this stuff ?
cheers (in anticipation)
Stu Read more
Ask the scrappy.
It reduces the value of the parts somewhat if they are conspicuously marked with a permanent marker.
What is the best way to go about getting say an extra 25BHPout of my MK5 1.9 105BHP Golf. These 1.9 TDI engines have come in many disguises ranging from 90 to 150 BHP so how did VW achieve these different power outputs.
Don't want to go mad with the power but the exra Tq would make the car a better drive and the MPG might improve. Read more
The variant you have is based on an ancient VW engine block but with the PD "pump injector" system.
They only came in 105, 115, 130 and 150bhp variants. If memory serves the 105, 115 and 130 are very similar -- maybe slight differences in turbocharger and injector.
Lots of remapping & tuning box options, starting from about £200 to £500. You just need to decide if you want a removable external module (that you can resell later or if you change cars) or an ECU remap which stays with the car. Reputable companies include Superchips' Bluefin, Revo, Jabba Sport, Upsolute, Tunit (Bromleys), van Aaken, East Coast. All will give you an extra 25+ bhp and more importantly, extra torque.
I recently purchased a 1993 1.4 306xl, and it had had it head gasket changed about 7 months ago, but not really used since. I am trying to work out what is making it over heat, any ideas? I wouldnt have thought it would be the head gasket, since it drives fine (apart from the overheating), and it has no mayonaise or anything like that. Surely the head could not have gone again, especially considering it hasnt been used.
I was wondering if it could be the thermestat, due to gunk fron the head change? Also it is missing the air intake hose, but i dont think this would make a difference would it? We are going to change the spark plugs and stuff, as it doesnt like to start too well, as it has been sitting so long, but i think the new plugs and good run should solve that.
Please please, can anyone help!
Linz Read more
I used to have the same problem with a 306 xsi of mine.i thought the head gasket had gone but a collegue
took some time bleeding the cooling system properly and it was fine after that.
Browse
**PROBLEM SOLVED**
Picking up on Petes comment, I realised I had changed the fuel filter a couple of days ago. Tade supplier, unmarked filter. Too much of a coincidence. Fitted 2 decent hose clips to the fuel pipes at the filter, pipe looked ok. Still poor starting. I think that the thing that always concerned me was the difficulty of obtaining a decent flow of fuel from the bleed screw on top of the filter. (the outlet pipe is higher than the bleed screw).
With the system properly bled, started first time. Left overnight, poor starting. again. Took the plunge Sat PM and purchased another filter, this time from Halfords, not my usual trade supplier. On bleeding the system, it was noticeably that a solid flow of fuel was obtained from the filter bleed screw. Left overnight, started first time this morning.
Re the No.4 glowplug, on this engine you see the casting on the behind the fuel pump has a provision for a glowplug but it has not been machined out.