August 2007
Long story behind this one! My sister forgot to put the oil filler cap back on her 1996 GM 1.7 diesel, and consequently the oil drained out and the car overheated and stopped on a steep hill. Trailered home where I refilled with fresh oil and surprisingly, it ran fine, although a bit tappetty.
I revved it a bit the next day and there was a loud bang and it stopped again. After making sure the timing belt was still in one piece and taking off the rocker box cover, I discovered part of one of the valves broken off. It's the bit that has the flat edge that is pushed down by the cam. It's broken off from a round thing that presumably sat on top of the valve. Apart from that, everything inside there looks in one piece. The metal is clean and covered in oil, and there's no swarf. At the moment, it won't quite start which I suppose isn't that surprising considering one cylinder isn't working.
Photo of broken bit:
www.pocketgamer.org/dave/broken-rocker-thing.jpg
Is it worth attempting to salvage the engine - and if so, what needs changing to get it going again?
Much obliged,
David.
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My car is now 23 days away from the end of the 3-year warranty and I've got the corroded alloys sorted now - thanks all.
I plan to keep the car a while and note that the air coming from the vents is nowhere as cool as it was and the system is only just about coping with this weather now. Is this yet another warranty issue or do I just accept it's wear, tear and old age and pay to re-gas it? Read more
And that kipper they left in the air vent is going ot be ripe in - why 7.5 days time.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
Just been on an all-night blast from one side of Germany to the other. Is it just my car, or are there some really poor surfaces on their autobahns?
Not much point doing 200km/h if you feel your teeth are about to fall out?! And i'm sure the suspension on my car is creaking and groaning at low speeds today, as a direct result?
If it's not their road surfaces, I'll be regretting the 17-inch wheels and "sports" suspension on the Volvo :-(
I'd read that Audi A4s had "firm" sports suspension, but I didn't really expect this on a Volvo?! Read more
I regularly drive through Germany , as a rule heading to the south east and south west on business. I tend to find German roads are very good apart from the long delays at roadworks. Tend to find that the whole route is very smooth riding apart from Belgium which is diabolical road surfacing.
Everything is smooth and quiet in Germany and it is only returning to England that the poor surface in the UK and the variability of surfaces is drawn into sharp focus.
My boss has a V70 on (and I quote him) "silly bling alloys". And that is just the 17" Thor ones. When I ordered my S60 with 16" he was keen to pull rank and swap the wheels between our cars. I resisted prefering the ride on the 16" (even though it is still hard).
You will find at approx 70k miles on either wheels that the suspension will have settled down a bit (or your spine will have got used to it!).
Ummm, just phoned my insurance Co. the one in Hastings as I'm off to France for an exhibition with work later this year. Since the car is covered SDP with Class 1 bizuse I was checking A. if their was any issue taking it abroad on the Class 1 & B. did I need to notify them.
Response came back "Your policy doesn't cover business use abroad!" So I then gave them the dates & said I was going for pleasure with the wife. He then made a comment that he'd made a note about the question over business use on my file.
I'm not carrying anything except myself, briefcase & a suitcase.... e.g. no Co. stock etc.
Not sure where I stand now to be honest, do I take mine or one of the classics, either the 944 or the TR7?
subject line tweaked to give an idea of the issue - PU Read more
Not directly related to the question but it does pay to check just what you are covered for. Only the other day I noticed in HJs FAQ the question of third party insurance when driving some other persons car.
It alwyas used to be standard cover but apparently many insurers have dropped this from their policies due to people taking unfair advantage of it.
My Insurer does allow myself to do this and also gives comprehensive cover for someone else to drive my car but only in an emergency medical situation.
wemyss
As some of you may remember I've been having problems with my Fiesta burning oil. N reg 1.1 Kent engine with fuel injection.
Anyway I took it for the MOT in June and amazingly it passed with only a seized rear brake cylinder causing it to fail. The machanic but some stop smoke in to get it through the MOT and it passed on the emissions no problem.
A few weeks later the oil warning light came on so I decided to switch from 15/30 to 15/40 as I got sick of the blue smoke and this actually cured it, it still burns oil but nothing like as much and there is no smoke at all now.
However twice since changing the oil (twice in 3 weeks) the car has refused to start for no apparant reason. The battery, coil pack, HT leads are all healthy and it was getting a spark. I removed the air filter and turned the key for a constant 5 minutes (I am aware this is doing the starter and battery no good) and both timed it finally started after a loud of back fires and huge amounts of black smoke coming out the back.
Then the car remains puffy until taking it round the block and the smoke goes. Once the car starts it runs lovely.
Am I right in thinking this is a problem with sticking valves? There is all sorts of rattles from the camshaft area when cold.
Can anybody else suggest what I can do why does turning the key for a constant 5 minutes cause the explosion and then make it start? I assume the camshaft is turning as a result and thus finally opening them stuck valves?
It is a shame because apart from the odd bit of rust the car is in great working order so I am a bit weary of selling it, its done 104k. The breaks, suspension, steering, alternator, starter, battery, gearbox, clutch seems to be perfect.
Thanks.
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put ngk plugs in it, they may be sparking in the open air, but not under compression, but to be honest from the mileage and oil use you quote the engine sounds worn out and when cold has a very low compression anyway.
When Backroomers speak about what a car is worth, or its monetary value, what do they mean?
Do they mean
a) What you would get for it if you traded it in
b) what it would cost you to buy such a car from a dealer, or
c) what you would get if you sold it privately?
I decided to try to value my car. The "What Car?" website gave the value as
a) £2645
b) £3700 (Good mark up, eh?)
c) £3090
Out of idle curiousity, I looked on Autotrader at similar cars. Traders were selling them for £3250 to £4495 - averaging about £4000 - a bit more than what was suggested, but not a lot.
So - how much is my car actually worth? Read more
Maybe I misunderstood how you were trying to describe it. You are correct that if you buy at £1000 and sell at £2175 the profit after VAT is £1000 - I think we're trying to say the same thing in different ways.
My point was that whether margin or not the figures work out just the same and the VAT always exists it is just not stated seperately.
i.e. if the car was qualifying the purchase invoice would read £851+VAT and the sales invoice £1851+VAT = profit of £1000.
Hello, just seen a V6&8 plate at a reg company - the V8 costs more by a few hundred, my car is v6.
Are V8 registrations generally costing more or is it just luck of the draw?
IMO, the V8 carries more weight, what do you think?
Thanks. Read more
i had v6 gtv on my alfa gtv at one time and also s50 tvr on a 5.0ltr griffith until i killed the car using a concrete lamp stand. still have the tvr one on retention so may sell it eventually.
Well, I'm off to the States next week for several weeks backpacking (work is on hold until I run out of money)in CA and my '95 Defender is also off to a new home. The potential replacement ..a friends 04 non turbo Forester is over my budget of £5k. He paid for a Glass's valuation and it came out at £8200 for a private sale... although he was going to sell it via the auctions to save hassle, and is now contacting the supplying dealer to see if it can be sold on a commission basis!
After owning 3 (or maybe 4) 2.0 Legacy estates I really need something with a bit more ooomph, but given my circumstances cannot afford to fuel the turbo Forester. Having carefully read several recent posts, the Legacy 2.5 '03 on seems to be the one to go for, but again looks beyond my budget. I honestly don't want to go back to work just yet!
Any other suggestions...my criteria are M/L hatch/estate, 30mpg + in combined driving,excellent reliability and decent handling, petrol or diesel. Image not necessary!
Perhaps a Mondeo 2.5 V6, late model petrol Astra estate, old style Primera 2.0 Sport (if I could find a good un) some kind of Focus??
Any suggestions please...petrol model will presumably be cheaper to repair if anything goes wrong, and I am a bit wary of high mileage TDCi diesels...perhaps unnecessarily so.
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HGF = Head gasket failure
Just read HJ's part exchange trick. Bought my a3 in april 2006 as an ex demo (6 months old) for £18k. Intend on keeping it until its 2nd birthday. Hj's says when you part ex it compare it with similar models of similar age and mileage which the dealer has for sale, and don't accept less than £1,000 or 10% (whichever is the greater) less than the sticker price on these cars.
So when comes the time to buy my 58 plate motor, according to the audi website some 55 plates are still going for £17,495 meaning this time next year my A3 is potentially worth £16,495 in p/x??? Surely there is something i'm missing as this would be pretty cheap new car motoring??
Dunno if all this is explained clearly, but if i haven't understood, could someone explain it to me clearly?
How much will my A3 be worth!! Read more
Only tried to sell a car privately once (my A2) and it was such hassle I will probably never do it again.
I prefer to do research and go with a "cost to change" figure in mind. Getting information is so much easier than it used to be and it's easy to become savvy quickly.
A friend is looking for a car for his wife - found a pre reg Fiesta 1.6TDCi - 20 miles on the clock, 3 months old from a dealer. Car was up for £9,800 for a Zetec Climate. They are cash buyers, but he is one of the old school thinking car sales is a black art and as it has so much off it must be a bargain.
He mentioned it to me and I said as its a Ford there will probably be better deals around.
5 minutes surfing found a brand new Zetec climate for much less. For £9,800 they could have a Ghia spec.
Hello all, I'm a first time poster, but a long time reader.
I've just been out in my 1999 Megane hatch, and the first time I have used it in the dark for ages. When braking the rear fog light telltail dimly lights up on the dash - indicating the fog lights are "sort of" on. I've asked the missus to press the brakes while I've had a look 'round the back of the car but I can't tell really if they are on or not. I'll take the brake/side bulbs out tomorrow when I have time (and when I can see what I'm doing!) and then check again. It looks like an earthing problem to me - the thing is I have zero experience with auto electrical stuff, is this likely to be something that's relatively painless to sort or is it a garage job? Is it worth pointing out that the car has a towbar as I was wondering if the towing electrics might have something to do with it?
I appreciate any advice & guidance you may have.
Rob Read more
Rob
That symptom is fairly common with an earthing fault. This could even be a bad connexion actually in the bulbholder plate itself.
Arm yourself with a ordinary test-light [tiny bulb type] and then you can find the bad earth and follow it back.
Browse
Oh yes - apologies to milkyjoe! It's taken me all day to realise that something can be out of sync by 360 degrees in a four stroke cycle. My ol' maths tutor will be spinning in his grave.