October 2007

ukcar

Hi,

I have a Fiesta 1.25 Zetec that is losing power.

It has almost no response to the accelerator, will not go up hills and eventually grinds to a halt. Ford dealer says it is either ecu failure or complete exhaust and catylist replacement but will not commit to either.

Basically they have given up.

All the usuals have been checked: HT electrics, fuel, etc. and seem OK.

Anybody able to throw some light onto what it could be?

Thanks Read more

Rattle

If the ECU had failied you would not even be able to start your car.

boxsterboy

Following on from the 'first plastic wheel hub' and 'last starting handle' threads, does anyone care to hazard a guess as to the first car with plastic bumpers (now universal) and the last car with metal bumpers (once universal)?

My opening guess is Renault 5 (1971?) for first plastic bumpers and 2CV (1990) for last metal bumpers. Read more

henry k

>>Replacing the colour coded section of tissue paper on my '96 Mondeo

would probably class the car as an insurance write-off.

>>
I would agree that they are "insubstantial. A replacement was about £200 ( plus fitting) last time I looked.

Kingpin

Hi there, I wondered if you could throw any light on an issue - this morning I noticed when idling in traffic (normal 900rpm) the dashboard display for date, time etc went brighter when I raised the engine revs, the headlamps were on at the time on dipped beam.
I thought it may be either the alternator not keeping enough charge at low rpm or else the battery is not 100% even though the green eye indicator looks fine.
It is a 2002 Astra 1.6 and I suspect on its original battery five years old. At the weekend I changed the timing belt, water pump and thermostat and refitted original alternator belt, it has one of those automatic tensioner wheels so I assume it's at the right tension.
I am considering fitting a new alternator drive belt, then cleaning up battery terminals before looking at the battery.
If you have a voltmeter can you test battery and alternator function by putting it across the terminals and it should be 12 volts or more as the engine increases?

Thanks Read more

Kingpin

Cheers, thanks for replies. Yes it was probably under load with headlights and heater on. Will do basic checks and keep an eye on it's cranking speed. At this time of year you start to notice how cold affects batteries that are getting past it.

Mapmaker

So far as possible, I stick to 70mph +/- 1mph. Drivers who speed up and slow down the whole time interrupt free flow of traffic. They are also very irritating; you start to overtake them; they speed up; you drop in behind; they slow down; you start to overtake them etc.

I find I have no trouble at all at cruising at a specified speed. Strangely, nor do other drivers when average speed cameras are around. It does not require me to stare at my speedo the entire time. Traffic flows extremely well in 50mph average speed zones. I suggest average speed cameras for the entirety of our network.
Read more

Lud

Of course I understood you perfectly dc. If you insist on driving at the same average speed as these knackered old vans, but without the same spread owing to your vehicle's superior performance, they are bound to annoy you by passing you downhill and then falling back uphill.

The solution for you is to go faster. Or, if you must, slower.

Whether you want to or not has nothing to do with it. If you don't like knackered old vans buzzing round your ears, go faster than them. Or slower.

See? Easy.

donwendy

I am a complete girly when it comes to cars so baer with me. The engine is making a noise that sounds like it is over revving any ideas and approx cost?

{year of registration updated from 1992 to 2002 - see further down for explanation - DD} Read more

Saltrampen

Possibly a blocked catalytic convertor due to oil over fill. (check the oil level and make sure it is not overfull) - sometimes if overfilled car may run lumpy.
Does it make the noise at standstill if you rev it up to 3000 - 4000 rpm?
Is the idle lumpy in any slight way?
Sounds like the engine is either working harder than it should or something is slightly loose
causing a high frequency vibration.

steveo3002

right weve got a polo mk2 1300 MH engine

over a couple of days it started to have a mild judder that turned into a violent jolt (maybe misfire not sure ) and its so bad its undrivable now

it starts on the button and seems to drive reasonbly at very light throttle...any normal to heavy throttle and it jolts like crazy...idles great and revs at standstill nicley

i thought it was the hall sender and fitted a new dizzy complete with cap and rotor, plugs, leads and coil are very recent as is the fuel pump and carb base

its got the dreaded pierburg carb that wasnt running to bad apart from cold mornings

any ideas what to do next? could it be the carb causing those faults (id planned to weber it when funds allow) no airleaks that i can tell

not sure what to do now , apart from replace random parts Read more

steveo3002

right for anyone intrested

ive took the loom of for the coil/tci/dist and poked it around ...i could find any breaks but i put it back and its fine now

so i'll either rebuild the loom or find a used one in better condition

Surrey_Scientist


I am considering buying a modern diesel, particualrly either Toyota avensis, honda accord or Mazda6, and was wondering what the position was with these newer-style diesels when they start to get past their first flush of youth, and the mileage racks up, and they have to get through the emiisions test on the MOT.


My father used to have an old-style diesel (Citroen XM 2.5TD) and I always remember him getting rather twitchy near MOT time, putting in injector cleaner, and thrashing it down the bypass before the test to clean it up.

The older diesels used to be either worn/clogged injectors and/or diesel pump calibration that caused excess emssions/smoke, or possibly blocked filters.

This wasn't necessarily huge amounts of money to put right.........

With these newer diesels what can cause failure,and what is needed/cost to rectify - do the injectors clog as easily (Are they more expensive to replace ?) , and is the timing done by the injection system now ?

What else can be a problem ?

The toyota D4D engine seems to be particularly refined from what I hear (they are certainly quiet driving past) , does it have any quirks, and how to people rate its longevity and general perfromance/economy/reliability ? Read more

Dr_Duffy

659

I appreciate your comments, however since having my own problems I have been researching what problems other people have been having. In addition to problems with Ford engines there are lots of reports of problems with Peugeot and even Kia diesel engines. In fact if you look at this months Car Mechanics magazine (I was tipped off about this on another forum) you will see an article saying that there have been many problems with Siemens diesel pumps fitted to Peugeot and Kia, and some Kias have failed at as little as 20000 miles, like my Mondeo. The cost of repair on a Kia can be as high as £4000. I am now definitely of the opinion that unless one drives astronomical mileages the risk of having a diesel engine is not worth the candle.

Mo_Jo

Hi, my heater isn't working on my Mondeo the fan just blows cold air on all four settings, the hot air stopped working instantly. I've checked the pipes going into the cabin & they are hot, the engine is not over heating. Would there be a blockage somewhere? Can someone help please?
Thanks Jo Read more

AshT

I hit a pothole in a lane on Sunday, not at any great speed, but the pothole was deep enough to buckle the wheel rim (it's a steel wheel, not an alloy).
I'm writing a letter to the highways office at the local authority now - can I recover the cost of a new wheel and tyre from the authority, and how do I go about it? Unfortunately I was without a camera on Sunday, so I don't have a photo of the pothole.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

Read more

tobykaly

dont give in to them the same thing happend to my brother they paid for new wheel but only half for tyre as they say it is used it was a alpha 146 take a photo where and depth we used a cone time is on your side keep at them they will try and dour you out keep at them best of luck

GolfR_Caravelle_S-Max

Does anyone have any good advice as to where I could market this car?
It's in the Garage and I need to get at least 33% of it's new price 2 years ago!

Subject line tweaked after the post was taken for Clasifieds and an e-mail consultation with F1 Read more

Pugugly {P}

This is a question relating to a car currently for sale in Classifieds. Brought in here for a bit more debate.