August 2007
A curious car, attractive for reasons I can't quite determine.
What are they like to own? Good or bad (certainly a bit ugly!)? Read more
peugeot 306 cabriolet
i have just replaced the engine on my peugeot 306 cabriolet (n reg) and ever since
the new engine was fitted everytime i get in the car the front & back lights start to
flash for about 2 or 3 minutes,the same thing happens when i stop the engine and
leave the car.can anybody help thanks. Read more
at a guess id say the alarm is going off and the siren has been switched off. next time you get in turn the key so the dash lights come on, then press the square button next to where the keys go and the lights should stop flashing
hris
This has happened twice now when I have tried to open my new car (Fiesta MK4 1.3 Ghia) basically the motors start whirring like mad and I can't open the car leaving it a few minutes and trying to open the passenger door seems to cure the problem but does anybody know how I can fix it? I am worried the car will one day imbolise itself. Read more
Had this on an earlier car. Water had got into the central locking unit on the passenger door, making it corroded and stiff. Replacing it cured the problem.
JS
My 2000 A6 2.8 is going for a 'tween services oil change on Wednesday at a local independent. They say they use fully synthetic 5W-30.
I know this has been done to death on the site but I struggle to understand oil specifications.
Is 5W-30 ok for this car ?
{Header made less vague - DD} Read more
It's not unknown for Audi's... . semi-synthetic to be switched to full synthetic ... using loads of oil ...... spec of the oil is thinner .....
oh no, is that myth still doing rounds?
Anyone know of a website where I can find out how mechanical fuel pumps work or point me to a decent book?
{Header made less vague - DD} Read more
My Triumph has one with a lever underneath, for priming the petrol if the car has been unused for a while, to reduce futile engine cranking.
The first few strokes produce a satisfying gurgle of fuel, then the lever goes completely loose with no resistance at all.
There are electric ones working on the same principle. They do a rapid series of clicks, diminishing in speed, and finally stopping. Impatient drivers try and start before the clicking stops, discerning ones wait for the petrol to be delivered first.
I still instinctively wait for the clicking to stop even with a modern injection engine, although I know it is just the ECU self-testing, not the fuel pressure building up.
Hello
I am having a problem with my local dealer. We bought the car, a Seat Ibiza 1.2 12v, a year ago and as part of the sale we agreed the car would be serviced, hence us leaving the dealership safe in the knowledge they we do not have to see them for at least a year or 10,000 miles.
The service light came on 4 months later and we went back to the dealer. We queried why the light was on because in our minds the car have recieved a service before it left the garage. They basically then reset the service light. I then queried the service book which stated that a service was due at 19,000 miles, (bought the car on 15k and reached this after 4 months) and they stated that the service was not due for a year or 10,000 miles.
The upshot of this is that they haven't changed the oil for 16,000 miles. I have argued the point to the them about when we bought the car we assumed fully serviced meant changing the oil. Then when the service light came on and we went back asked is this correct and they reset it? Hence nothing needing doing.
The service manager isn't budging and any advice would be brilliant
Cheers
Thinline1
Subject line tweaked to reflect discussion point. Car details edited in for you as well - PU
Read more
Thanks for you replies
Have sorted it out with the dealer. They basically agreed they should have done it and will discount the service (the oil change part anyway)
Cheers
Council are replacing the Traffic Lights with new TLs along a route I drive.
Both of these are at crossroads. When the normal lights were in situ, opposite sides of the crossroads had green lights at the same time .
During these works, there are now temporary traffic lights in place and they now have changed the sequence so that only one direction has green light at any one time. This is causing huge tailbacks.
Before I phone the roads dept to complain, can anyone confirm if temp traffic lights can be programmed to give green lights to more than one direction at at time. Whilst sitting in the traffic jam tonight it dawned on me that I don't think I have ever seen this happen.
Any takers?
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS Read more
The same thing is happening along the A4 in Slough. Huge tailbacks because only 1 direction of traffic flows rather than 2.
The interesting thing is that before they instaled the temp traffic lights, the main lights were 'down' for a couple fo days. This meant that NO traffic lights were at the junction for a short while. In this short time, no queues were there as everybody went through the junction at a safe speed and gave way to appropriate traffic.
Up went the temp traffic lights and the queues then formed. Go figure.
Got an isue with my engine, the timing holes dont seem to line up at all, well they can be lined up with the belt off but the holes make the vlaves be fully open at TDC...NOT GOOD. The engine is a bit of a mix and match though, restroked 2.0 16v to 2.1 litres and long duration cam. So Im going to have to time the engine manually, just need to get verification what I have below is good enough to get me going, the cams are on verniers so fine tuning later is possible. firing order is 1342.
right sorry for the ramblings, my heads a bit stuffed at moment with this damn car. Does all the following sound plausible?
table of how the engine runs:-
1.......................3......................4..................2...
..........
....
Fires..................Compresses.......Intake..........Exhaust.......
.
Exhaust.............Fire....................Compress.....Intake.......
...
Intake...............Exhaust..............Fire..............Compress..
...
Compress..........Intake................Exhaust........Fire...........
...
Assuming I have that correct then the bottom end is turning at 2:1 with top, IE bottom end does 180 degrees and top does 90. And following the firing order etc this means the start of the exhaust cam is 90 degrees behind the end of the inlet cam? Also ideally I need the inlet valves to be fully closing at the bottom of the intake stroke and the exhaust valve to be at the start of opening at the bottom of the firing stoke? Or do I need to be looking for some overlap somewhere? Read more
track
With the TDC sensor lining up with the reference for cyl #1; the valves on #1 will be fully closed and the valves on #4 will be on the overlap - both sides open an equal amount.
What's the engine in? What's the engine code? [RF...?] Are the cams in the right side? Are the cam wheels on the right cams? Is the crank sprocket keyway correctly located.
Do you have a belt timing guide/instructions? Why can't you use the pins?
Does anyone know of a cheap retailer of Texaco havoline energy 5-30 semi synthetic?
Read more
I paid £15 for 5 litres of Formula E at my friendly Ford specialist factors a couple of weeks ago.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
I have just bought a 166 TS Lusso, guy says that a/c needs re-gassing, but internal console display says A/C fault please contact workshop. Doesn't blow icy cold when a/c set to low, Is it likely there is another fault I need to get fixed or would a lack of coolant gas cause the fault display? Any other recommendations for this model. Cam belt and tensioners fitted 6K ago.
It does seem to have a slight low speed judder when pulling away/accelerating upto about 2.5K revs, but is smooth on the motorway or above 3K revs...any suggestions (clutch/flywheel/something else). I'm happy to spend a bit of time and effort putting this car right if it's not silly money as body & interior are in tip top condition Read more
Judder on clutch takeup can be a lot of things, one of which may be worn or damaged engine/gearbox mountings. Of course the commonest cause is a worn or contaminated clutch.
Browse
Yes you are wrong. The luggage capacity of the Avantime is enormous. You forget that it is based on the Espace III from Matra/Renault. That could be up to a 7 seater. I have had 4 17" wheels with tires on in the boot, and luggage besides. An extra parcel shelf is an ideal accessory. It provides a higher "floor" in the boot. The back seat is also ideal for babies/small children in car seats. Drop the rear windows and pop them straight into their seat, and the same applies to shopping. Useful also, for carrying buckets of junk/earth, with a dog cover to protect the leather seats. Access through the large doors is also very good, even in tight car parking spaces. The double hinge system held up production, but it was worth it. The biggest risk to reliability are the electronics on the outside in the door handles, and in the engine compartment that are subject to the weather. A Renault engineer in a supermarket car park in the UK confessed that Renault was itself to blame for the complexity of the electrics/electronics, and they could have been more complicated. The initial plan was for electronic card controlled entry. Thank God the key controlled access was left in the UK passenger side door. They also left the inner bonnet opening latchon the same "foreign" side of the car. The basic handicap to every journalist is pertinent information and their own imagination.