June 2007
Mazda will be introducing a Miller cycle engine with the new Mazda 2 to increase mpg.
With the emphasis turning more towards green issues can we expect to see more of this in new cars - especially as there are also some increased emmissions targets for diesels on the way that will add circa £300 to the price of each diesel engine.
www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=...6 Read more
Followed a Hummer H3 yesterday - at a distance. Although it looked fairly new and was not damaged, it was driving 'sideways'. From right behind I could clearly see the front near-side wheel as well as the back two. It got worse the faster he drove. He finally turned off into an Enterprise rent a car lot (!). What on earth would cause something like that? Read more
Yep, I bet that was it.
Well,
Dropped mine in at the Local Dealer to check out a cooling problem (they need it cold Monday morning) and they lent me a new one !
Wow - what a difference eh ? Same classic Landie shape, but a completely new everything else (well almost), the bonnet looks a bit odd as it has increased in height to accommodate the Transit lump, the doors now shut with a BMW type clunk rather than a Landie shake, rattle and draught. As stated in the press the front vents have gone (would I miss them - don't think so), the dash looks a little bit strange (almost like a latter version of the Rover 25) but its actually ok, everything else seems a little. a lot of the rivets seem to have gone as well in the process and the thing looks a lot more complete. Gearbox is pretty good.
May go for a play off road tomorrow.... Read more
The archetypal quarry vehicle in Australia is the Toyota Troopie pickup and troop carrier versions using the totally non-electronic 4.2 litre six-pot diesel. However, Toyota have just released a new version Troopie in Oz with a 4.5 litre V8 turbo-diesel and the bad news for Land Rover is that this engine is apparently capable of meeting Euro 4 emissions unlike the six cylinder which is no longer legally importable in basic HZ1 form in the EU. The new Defender -- unlike the Freelander 2 -- has not yet made it on to the UN Development Programme's buying list since it and the rest of the world seem to be staying with the old TDi (not even the TD5 any more). That makes me wonder if Land Rover are not that confident yet of the long-term durability of their breathed-upon Transit engine in truly harsh conditions and routine neglect. I await with interest to see which of the Toyota/LR newcomers gets on the UN-approved list first.
I have a couple of problems with my GTI and seeing as I just paid for a new clutch and 4 new tyres a month back, I want to keep my costs down.
1) Water leak. Standing in front of the car looking towards it. The drips are coming about a third of the way in from the left ( in the UK this would be the drivers side). Looking from the side of the car it would be about mid engine. I cannot work out where it's coming from it. In a day standing it will loose about 2.5lts of water. On a couple of occasions I took off the cap and it was still full but then has started leaking again, I assume there was a vacuum formed and taking the cap off allowed the water to start escaping
2) Noisy heater fan. It's original and is probably a bearing or the motor, it still pumps out hot or cold air. How easy is it to change the unit? I had a look in Haynes and it looked like the biddest problem was getting at the heater unit rather than chnaging the unit itself.
3) High pitched whine coming from the side of the engine on the drivers side. I think it must be one of the belts, what do you think?
That's enough for today!!!!!
PG
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Thanks, hand a poke around to see if any of the pipes were loose, not long after the water started coming out even quicker. Have now had the pump and cam belt changed. Thanks
Our rector has asked me to look at a clean 70k mile Nissan Primera TD 2001 vintage for him to use. Best thing we could find at £1200. Has it got a cam belt or a chain? Is there anything I shouldbe looking out for? Thanks
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I think they also had a belt at the back of the engine for the diesel pump.
From Autotrader
1982 X Reg CITROEN CX 2.5 DIESEL - 4 Doors, Manual 5 speed, Saloon, Diesel, 87,010 miles, Metallic Green, MOT-11-2007. Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Cloth upholstery. THIS GENUINE CX HAS HAD ONLY ONE NON SMOKING DRIVER FROM NEW AND WAS PUT INTO DRY STORAGE EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO ONLY RECENTLY TO BE RECOMISSIONED BY A LOCAL ENTHUISIAST WHO IS ON HAND FOR FURTHER INFORMATION - £1,495
tinyurl.com/2g4ob9
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I saw one of these the other day driving in the Chicago suburbs. Made me do a double-take. I wonder if it was a special import?
A question regarding Citroen's hydro-pneumatic suspension,
It seemed to be that with the old BXs, that when the mileage got high, the car got a little old and the suspension gave problems it would mean big bills.
Is it still the same with the modern Citroens (like the C5), or is the system now more reliable at high mileage?
Chris Read more
Thanks for your replies, I never really understood how it all worked.
I guess the key is finding a good independent specialist if you want to stay outside of the dealer network.
Cheers, Chris.
Wife's Punto (1998 75SX) passed its' MOT this morning, although it struggled a bit on emissions (Lambda).
Figures were (First figures are today, followed by last two years as a comparison):
Fast idle
CO - 0.21% (max < 0.30%) / 2006 - 0.20% / 2005 - 0.13%
HC - 78ppm (max < 200ppm) / 2006 - 52ppm / 2005 - 38 ppm
Lambda - 1.03 (0.97 - 1.03) / 2006 - 1.01 / 2005 - 1.00
Natural idle
CO - 0.15% (<0.35%) / 2006 - 0.15% / 2005 - 0.16%
The car only covers 2,500 miles a year, but gets an Italian tune up when I drive it and always just before the MOT. Usually run on Shell. Air filter and plugs OK.
Had HGF last year and severe overheating (my wife thought it was making a funny noise, but kept on driving!). It got so hot the plastic timing belt cover melted. Could the extreme heat have damaged a sensor?
Any ideas for the gradual deterioration at fast idle? Read more
Thanks greatspirit for the very helpful link. It mentions on the site that contamination by antifreeze will cause the sensor to fail. As suggested, I intend leaving well alone. I just wanted to know what the cause may be out of interest.
The car has done 62k and as far as I know, it's the original sensor. The site lists a universal 4 wire @ £35 and Bosch universal @ £47.
can't wait to see who's going to be the new Mod, i.e. who is going to be shaking the 'naughty stick'..... safe in the knowledge we can go back to some of their previous posts... :-) Read more
Aaaanyway... PG
p.s If you're ever in doubt, the saucers of milk always come from DD
Hi,
Was wondering if anyone can help me out, I have a peugeot 306 1.9 TD (M reg) and having problems with the cooling.
Temperature was all over the place, so took the thermostat out and ran cold as it should, then put a new thermostat in and wouldnt have it, it overheated, so took it back out and now there is no circulation at all and the engine just heats up.
I have tried bleeding the cooling system but has no effect, the radiator stays cold and after 5 mins or so of running the engine, it drops in revs a little bit and diesel leaks slowly out the top of the injector over the engine, very small amount, but sounds to be struggling.
Could it be the water pump that has finally gone and giving the engine a hard time to turn over ? or could it be due to an old radiator with a few bits of rust here or there ?
Would really appreciate it if someone knows anything about this, thanks ! :)
Joe Read more
Regarding the cooling problem, my money is on a knackered water pump, in which case the water won't be circulating. If you're paying a garage to replace it, make sure they replace the cambelt at the same time (even if it isn't due for replacement) as the cambelt has to be removed in order to remove the old water pump. Expect to pay around £180-200.
I wouldn't bother replacing the radiator unless it is leaking. That said, replacing the rad would be an easier job if doing the water pump at the same time, due to the bottom hose which links the two and disconnecting the hose from the water pump is easier than struggling with that dreaded bayonet connection between the hose and the rad- a job which I will probably be tackling for the second time soon :-(
Martin
Browse
Thanks for the informative links. Seems like a lot of dubious extra complication to me. Why has no other manufacturer taken it up?