May 2007
my S reg focus seems to be idling at low revs (about the 900 mark) I dont know if this is contributing to it cutting out. When i release the accelerator the revs drop and it has occasionally cut out. I thought this was something i was doing because i have only had the car a month but it has happened a few times now. I know that older cars had an idle adjuster screw. Does the focus have something similar?
The revs have also increased after the release of the accelerator when changing gear.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks Read more
The brake pad warning light has come on, I have replaced the pads ( the old ones still had about 10mm left on them) but the light is still on. All the wiring seems to be o.k. If I disconnected the battery would this reset the system, or could it cause more problems. Thanks in advance. sparky 100.
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I love to bash this spin society, My organisation, is lovenly following Blaire PLC, we are an ex Council housing stock. I thought we were all suffering the same way but, the last two years I have taxed my car via the internet, abosultely no problems, shock, no. I only buy a new car when I am not well, helps me, but maybe not my bank account. To compound that I bought a xxx SUV, A Hyundai Tucson, very poor spec, not, terrible 5 year warranty, and even worse still, a 50000 thousand mile free servicing package. Going off subject I have had one problem, the alloys have a slight problem, they go in Friday for four new ones. Anyway back to our alleged spin society. In a moment of apparent madness I click on HJs banner on top here for number plates, choose a non confrontational, non changeable means etc from dvla, order a very expensive set, paid £250 all in, arrived two days later, went today to their office in Worcester, waited 10 minutes, dealt with a very helpful, friendly guy, and why cannot the govt look at this type of organisation who in my opinion actuely work well and try and run the country like this and forget the spin. Read more
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6705323.stm
A German mistook a subway entrance for an underground car park and her vehicle got stuck on the stairs.
The 52-year-old drove her Volkswagen Beetle across the pavement in central Duesseldorf and into the entrance where it ground to a halt about five steps down, police said.
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Blimey - that's a bit spooky.
2004 Scenic
Had my car serviced 1000 miles ago and was told needed new pads and discs on back. Got a second opinion and was told the pads definitely need done but discs had a bit of life still in them, so I just got pads done at that point.
Cars first MOT is due at end of June but I am currently thinking of trading it in, but it may well be into July before that happens. I obviously don't want to pay the cost of new discs if I am changing it a week later!
So, getting to the point, what is invoved in the MOT with regards to rear brakes? Read more
What !!! and join the riff raff ;-)
I have recently bought a T reg Focus 1.6 Zetec off a neighbour, it has a low mileage 21000 because the car has not been used a great deal the suspension has dried out and is knocking on uneven roads, can I use anything to lubricate the rubber bushes like WD40 or is this a bad thing to do. Read more
that if the car has been unused
for long periods the suspention and bushes can dry out.
It can, possibly, though silcon spray is the thing not WD40.
Instead of pushing consumers to dealers every time a warning light comes up (for fault diagnosys), why can't the cars display error code directly on dashboard??
Is it another way of extracting money from drivers??
I think in BMW X5, dash displayes message like "Check brake light" etc.
I think depending on manufacturers, dealers charge from £30 to £100 just to diagnose the error code!!! Read more
Yesterday my friend bought an Y-reg Vauxhall Astra 1.6.
It says "add coolant" on central console. Also, asks to "check brake light".
Nice feature. Wish every manufacturers do it.
A friend's inherited Golf GTI Mk1, a very nice example needing a bit of fettling, has its clutch pedal set an inch or two higher than the brake pedal. Recently widowed, she has kept the car and is hoping soon to pass her driving test (at the age of 60-odd). Her practice sessions, two of which I have supervised, do rather punish the clutch, and I wondered if it might be on its way out, the high pedal being a sign of terminal wear? It doesn't slip.
The car pinks a bit but otherwise runs perfectly, with no sign of overheating, clean oil and plenty of poke. It has been regularly serviced, until recently by a (good) VW specialist known to me. I am a bit worried that my friend will place it in the hands of an unsympathetic mechanic.
Any gen on the clutch pedal? Is there an adjustment, or is it new clutch time? Read more
Update: the clutch cable does have the white plastic adjuster and there is still a bit of adjustment left, but the threaded metal end of the cable is corroded and I didn't risk tangling with it. Accompanied the owner to Sussex and back at the weekend. She improved a bit, but it was purgatory for me. It is a most unsuitable car for a learner driver, the responsive engine and sporting gearing exaggerating every clumsy twitch of a resolutely insensitive right foot, and the wrong gear selected for at least a third of the time. Very few gearchanges made without a jerk one way or the other. She's a big strong girl but the heavy steering was alarming sometimes at close quarters. Yet my friend is by no means the worst driver I have experienced, being intelligent if prone to exaggerate all actions and change down 300 yards before roundabouts... purgatory.
I made her put in half a tank of Supreme 97 octane (don't know what the other half was, but I imagine ordinaire) and half a bottle of Redex fuel system cleaner. In Sussex I went off by myself and took it up to about 70 in third, still well short of the red line but certainly higher rpm than it is used to doing. My reward was an embarrassing cloud of smoke for the next half mile or so. I did it again, slightly less fiercely, and got another cloud of smoke, smaller this time. By the time I stopped there was no visible smoke at all, and none later. I hope that what I saw was the dust of ages being blown out of the cylinder head and ports, but I suppose the possibility of knackered valve stem oil seals must exist at 95K miles. The oil is absolutely spotless, so clean that it's hard to see the level on the dipstick. After my Italian tune-up, and probably largely as a result of more correct fuel being used, the pinking has pretty well stopped and the engine is running noticeably sweeter.
The chassis is far from perfect however. MoT but needs bushes and probably shock absorbers. Doesn't feel sharp as it should. Very good car in there somewhere though.
Hi everyone
I own a toyota carina e, and have LPG installed.
My question is:
I have had installed the flash lube system, of which details can be found at www.flashlube.com.au/valvesaverkit/index.html
When an engine normally runs, what flows where the lubricant is allowed in (between the butterfly valve and inlet manifold).
The reason I ask, is if it is petrol, then could I use petrol as a lubricant alternative safely as I have found that the flash lube smells exactly the same as petrol. Can this effect fueling in the engine etc?
Your expertise is much appreciated.
Thanks
Greg
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It isn't exactly the same on paper. The flashlube is said to contain a substitute for lead as well as the upper cylinder lubricant.
Is this the same 1992 Carina as you posted about in September 2004? If it is and you have had no valve/cylinder head problems then I would doubt that you need anything added.
We are looking into purchasing a used Audi A3. we've got 5 grand tops to spend, will we get a decent one for that? Does anyone have any info on Audis? We have a baby also but pram isn't big and neither is car seat.
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Don't buy a 3 door car if you have a small child. They look nicer, but struggling to put children in the back drove me nuts - buy a car that still be suitable as your family grows. Nice spec Mondeo will be good for a few years and big enough for hols too.
900 rpm is certainly not low. Depending on the particular engine, my Focus handbook states 700 +/- 30 to 880 +/- 30 for petrol engines, and 825 +/- 50 to 900 +/- 100 for diesel engines.
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L\'escargot.