March 2007
The small job of changing the O ring seals on the low pressure fuel pipes of a Mercedes diesel has turned into a big one. After changing the seals, I asked SWMBO to start the car while I worked the disconnected throttle lever on the injector pump. When the fuel got through, and the engine fired, it sounded more like something Fred Dibnah would be proud of than the nice smooth 6 cylinder rumble I was expecting to hear as reward for my work.
The engine is an OM606, so, it's a 24 valve, naturally aspirated indirect diesel. With the inlet manifold off, it was obvious that the noise was coming from the rear inlet valve, which wasn't sealing properly, and allowing exhaust gas to be noisily spat out of the inlet port. With the extensive inlet manifold in place, you can't hear the problem at all. The leakage must sound worse than it actually is, because the cylinder is still firing - albeit probably not contributing all it should to the cause of making progress.
Anyway, I'm now starting to get the cylinder head off, and I would like to ask how people tend to deal with the timing chains on these - I think that the main difference on these engines to earlier MB diesels is purely aft of the timing chain, as the cams are geared together, and counter-rotate, rather than both being driven directly by the chain.
I'm intending to mark the chain and sprockets for both the cam and injector pump, cable tie the chain to the sprockets, and rig up a system using welding rod to keep some tension on the chain at all times, to stop it coming off the pump and crack sprockets. I also intend to initially lift the head by an inch or so, and re-secure the chain to the front cover before relaxing my grip on the cam sprocket to all me to remove the head fully. Is my paranoia justified? Or am I just making a fuss, and in reality, there isn't enough clearance for the chain to fall anywhere untoward?
Number_Cruncher
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The Two-leak-doh (Boom boom) is due up an oil change.
Are Halfords having one of their offers at the moment? (Or anywhere for that matter)
Last time I read about it on here you wouldn't have known it was on offer in the shop... Read more
>>Is it really worth
doing it yourself?
Always. ;o)
We have decided the Mondeo is going - it's been a damn good car, but the list of things needing doing are mounting up, and it's still (just) tidy enough, and the faults subtle enough that someone will probably give us a grand or so for it. So, we're off this weekend to have a look at candidates for replacement. At this stage we'll probably head to a car supermarket to see all the cars side by side and have a bit of a poke and a prod. to see what we like and don't like.
We know we want:
An MPV type car (have one toddler and one baby, and the extra height makes it so much easier to load them into car seats)
A reasonable sized boot (to fit in double pram and sometimes a border collie)
Decent rear legroom - I'm 6ft 2 and drive with the seat fully rearward.
A diesel engine
Ideally no more than 70k ish on the clock (we'll keep it for a few years)
Nothing with inherently expensive "known" problems.
Budget £8k
Liking the look so far of:
Renault Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi 120 - Budget seems realistic for an 04 plate with 70k or so on the clock. 7 seats not a must, but we like the huge boot it gives when 3rd seat row folded. Love the styling and the interior, and 5 star NCAP score is also reassuring. However, mildly concerned with rumours of horror stories of expensive Renault dCi engine failures, and I have never seen another car with so many electronics inside. Not so reassuring on a French car. As a product, it's our favourite of the list, but not prepared to buy something that's going to be no end of grief. What's the view?
Toyota Corolla Verso 2.0 D4D - loads of 50-60k previous shape models on 03/53 within budget. Don't know much about them, but the styling is reasonable, the interior looks like it's well screwed together, and despite some contradictions, I tend to trust Japanese cars to be reliable on the whole.
VW Touran 2.0 TDI - I don't care for the styling, but that's not a priority. If we bend our mileage criteria a little, these come in on budget. I like and trust the PD engine. Know very little about the car itself though. Seem to recall TVM being less than complementary about reliability, but any advice welcome.
Ford C-Max 2.0 TDCi - Budget will get a well specced 04 example with 60k or so on it. Will probably the best to drive, but what about boot space and reliability? I will also have to overcome SWMBO's initial view that "I don't want another Ford!", but if it's the best choice, it's the best choice.
Can anyone recommend anything else worth looking at, or have any comments or experiences on anything selected so far? I really want to like the Renault, but like I said, what will it be like with 100k on the clock?
Cheers as always
DP
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Hello DP,
Don't rule out the C-Max if you like driving!
We have a C-Max 2.0TDCi Ghia (and a baby daughter). C-Max replaced a Leon Cupra, which was great, but to be fair the C-Max is stunning for what is supposed to be a diesel bus. Drives really well, goes like a rocket and in Ghia trim is nicely appointed with cruise, millions of parking sensors, auto wipers, lights, dimming mirrors etc..basically drives itself. Also, it's easily the most comfortable car we've owned (ours has leather seats btw) and very easy to get both us and baby in and out of. Not managed to match the official mpg figures but overall it's averaging about 40mpg and on a motorway run at illegal speeds does 45mpg. I've had over 50mpg if you keep to the motorway limit (never got near official MPG in any of my cars - they must have all been faulty!). Lots of space, decent boot, gangster windows with built in blinds blah de blah all good for baby. Comically good on motorways. Build quality OK although some cheapo plastics and Ghia has electronic parking brake to go wrong one day. Early 2.0TDCi's suffered EGR problems, rear wash wipe motor recall and needed several software patches to cure poor MPG but later ones seem OK. Plenty around and pretty cheap now. Note this is not the same engine as in the Mondeo TDCi.
Reckon you'd enjoy driving this more than the Renault IMHO.
Good luck with your choice tho' anyway.
Another consumer advice question from me...
About 10 months ago we bought a rear-facing car chair from a local shop (it's ok, we are local people). The car chair is a very well known brand. After about 7 months use the handle started clicking out of place sending Junior forwards (Oblivion style, Alton Towers). I joke, but it wasn't very safe to carry him in it relying on the carry handle any more.
We took it back to the shop and they exchanged it for a brand new one. Sorted.
Now, just 3 months on, the same thing has happened to the replacement.
The shop have spoken to the manufacturer who suggest that we are holding it wrongly and have dispatched a replacement for us to collect in a few days. My other half has explained that we are concerned that the fault will recur but this may not be until child number 2 comes along (not for a while thanks!) as Junior is not going to be in this seat for much more than a month. By then the warranty will have expired. The car seat has a 2 year warranty.
After speaking to the shop, my other half agreed we would come in and be shown how to hold it properly. Unless I find that I have been holding the car chair in some inappropriately rough manner, I can't see any reason to believe that the same fault won't occur again and by then we'll be out of warranty.
How would you proceed? The shop are very helpful but ultimately I want this seat to last and IMO it has a design fault. Should I (indeed, could I) ask for an alternative as these goods are not 'fit for the purpose'? Am i entitled to ask for a credit note or refund? Read more
So sounds like you had a similar problem?
Not sure there was anything actually wrong with it as such, but certainly unless the handle was just so, it had a habit of lurching back a notch. I am perfectly prepared to accept that it might have been user error. Leaving it latched into the separate base proved an acceptable work-around until the occupant grew too big for it (although not in fact too heavy). We now have a couple of Britaxes (First Class Si in my car and Eclipse Si in the Panda, if memory serves).
We found that although there was a certain degree of grumpiness at being removed, by and large he soon nodded off again (possibly as a result of being his father's son and liking his kip...)
My 1992 AStra SRi estate (186k miles) pulls to the left, has wheel vibration at 72-76mph and wears the front tyres on the inner edges. In spite repeated balancings and wheel alignments these conditions persist.
Any ideas anyone?
Brian Read more
>>as a further thought these cars had the difficult to undo track rod ends
Yes, the best way to deal with them is to seperate the joint, and undo the track rods from the steering rack, and free the adjusters off in a vice before you start. If you have a decent ball joint splitter, this is only 10 minutes work, and it makes setting the tracking much easier.
Number_Cruncher
Hi
I have a 53 plate BMW M Sport Convertible with the 18" BMW alloys, recently I had some tyres changed and ever since I have had a handling issue. Over 60MPH and usually on long sweeping motorway bends I can suddenly find myself in the adjoining lane!!!!!! This doesn't mean that in a straight line everything is ok, even here I can end up in the next lane with no warning what so ever!
The obvious answer to this problem would be the tyres because this problem happened in conjunction with them being changed however, this problem occurs randomly, some times I can go round bends (the same bend) with no problems and other times i'm jumping all over the show. I am an experienced driver and have had many cars with low profile tyres and would know straight away if it was purely down to new tyres.
The garage that changed the tyres examined them and confirmed they were balanced correctly but agreed there was a handling problem. Took it to the BMW dealership and they are stating there is nothing wrong with the car!!
Has anyone else had any issues with their E46 handling?
Many Thanks
AOCAL
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Good result.
"General Warning about Automatic Transmissions: Many BMWs have "sealed for life" automatic transmissions. Regardless of whether you have a full BMW service history, the dealer will never change the auto fluid. Many of these boxes are failing around the 120-150k mark - often well outside of warranty and to a cost of £3.5k plus VAT. A good independent or automatic transmission specialist can and will change the fluid for you (and any good BMW independents will recommend this anyway). This is commonplace in the US and means the 'box should last the life of the car rather than being the cause of it being written off. General advice is ensure the fluid is flushed out every 60k or more preferably at each Inspection II".
My question relates to the above very sensible advice from HJ, is BMW aware of this issue, if so why no change to advice or service schedule. Are BMW only bothered about reliability during the warranty period or the first say 100 miles. Do BMW not care about their long tem reputation, amongst the 2nd and third owners.
Rgds, and thanks for replies Read more
Its madness.
Mercedes and VW are also at it. What is sadder is that Mercedes had a brilliantly simple system of draining the gearbox AND the torque convertor with 2 simple drainplugs. Undo plug-oil out. Put plug in and fill up. Could not be easier. Cost of oil about £10 -15. Cost of gearbox £3,000. The gearbox filtre and gasket are about £12. and the sump-pan has 4 or 6 simple bolts on it.
I have never changed gearbox oil that was not discoloured after 15,000 miles nevermind 120,000. It must be black.
I have a bit of a project peuegot 205 , a rough guide to the engine is thus.
2.0 iron block bottom end, 1.9 gti head and cam, 4 branch mnanifold, dizzy/coil ignition and bike carbs from a gsxr.
Anyway the issue I have is it starts and idles fine except for a popping noise from inside the engine. I think Ive tracked it to pot1 as when it happens pot 1 has a brighter flash down the gunson colour tune. Im struggling to work out what it is. The head has just been rebuilt so is known good in all aspects, compression test shows up nothing untoward, oil pressure is spot on, coolant is dead level, fuel/air is right at idle and it only makes the noise at idle.
Ive got a quick vid of it, first from the exhaust and then from the gunson so you can see it defiunatley up the engine end and you can see the brighter flashes. Video isnt great quality due to being from a phone.
www.pgacnortheast.co.uk/pop.mp4
anyone any ideas whats going on? Read more
the rubbers are extremely firm, the carbs are right up against the manifold as well so they definatley support the carb and dont flex inwards etc with vacuum.
My daughter is soon to be 17 and we are looking for a driving instructor. We live in the Woking area.
She would prefer a female instructor. Can anyone suggest some name(s)?
Thanks. Read more
What should be of more concern is their ability to teach.
IIRC they are rated 1-6. Ask them what grade they are, aim for a 5 or, if you can find one, a 6. They will be the ones with the waiting list and no bulk buy/intorductory offers.
I have a Vauxhall Astra N reg which has the above alarm fitted. However it's playing up badly and keeps going off, even when I'm driving along! I didn't know it had it when I got the car so my insurance don't know about it. Is there a simple way to disconnect it as it's driving me mad?!
Thanks :-) Read more
lol yeah I didn't really think that one through did I?
OK please can anyone with any information on this one please email me on bunz.prioritypoo@gmail.com
Many thanks :-)
Browse
if you ever have the dash out like i have , theres three/ four ? vacum pipes going to ignition switch, the headlights are also vacum controlled to raise/lower , i found this out when after replacing dash the head lights were "on the floor" and found a pipe not clipped on properly [ my fault ] .