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?

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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?

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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

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

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.

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