October 2007
Hi,
I don't know if these two problems are connected or not.
1.
I find it difficult to regulate the heater temperature: turning the knob a little makes absolutely no difference, turn it a bit more and the temperature soars or drops.
Then this morning, outside temp correctly showing as 7deg and by the time I got to work the temp guage was showing normal (ie straight up) but heated air was only just lukewarm, even set to fully hot.
Any ideas if this is the heater control switch playing up (incidentally - are the digital units swappable for the normal dials?) or a temp sensor somewhere?
2.
Now the second problem - the car pinks badly. Just been serviced (80k) and new plugs (platinum) put in. Car was pinking before the service and is still doing it: particularly bad when holding a constant speed, say 40mph in 4th, up a slight hill. Give it some gas and it rattles like hell for a brief moment then OK, but by which time I am doing 50 in a 40 limit...
I've heard that this can be due to the ECU not getting the right info about the engine temp, so not getting the timing right. Is this a possibility, and might this be linked to the heater blips?
Any advice gratefully received, as always.
Thanks,
Gary. Read more
Can anyone recommend a good, cheap place in Stratford to get my Golf serviced? It's done 75k miles and I don't think it needs anything more than just an oil change. Read more
Not in Stratford, but the VW/Audi independent in Evesham is very good (Avonside Motors, near centre of town).
Driving along the M1 on Sunday, in fifth, climbing a bit of hill,the engine made two loudish bangs apart 1 second apart. I lost power during the bangs but it came back straight away and was ok for the rest of the journey (another 150 miles).
Is this just a misfire or could it be more serious? Read more
Thanks.
It's a 16v SE... so I guess my next question is does this overheated coil point to anything more serious?
My 2002 yaris verso is very noisy under load from cold - it actually sounds like heavy pinking and seems to go when the engine is hot. There are no em lights showing. I have been told that it might be the catalytic converter. any ideas?
Read more
The Wife's Daihatsu Sirion (same family of engine) is very noisy when cold especially when weather near freezing, Just a symptom of the exaggerated clearances when so cold. As soon as it has some temperature in it it's quite quiet for a little sewing machine, also as the interior warms up all the trim stops rattling!
Folks,
Later versions of this basic and lovable van used Ford powerplants.
However, earlier ones (to 1996?) used Peugeot.
Does anyone know of which type (2.5 is surely too big for the XUD), and what the main vices and failings were?
Thanks
rg Read more
Our company owned a Sierra in which a 2.5 had been fitted in place of the 2.3-made it a much better car but we never got round to fitting the turbo version.
I don?t post here very often but read all new posts every morning, but I just want to vent my anger somewhere!
My fiancée was driving home the other afternoon on a semi-rural road and she was 2 minutes away from arriving home. She had my one year old son in the back and was going no faster than 30mph. As she passed three youths, who were aged around 13-14, one of them threw a large rock at her car. This rock smashed into the top of the near side wing and bounced across the bonnet. She then slammed her brakes on, but by the time she had opened her window to shout at them they had fled (they were all on pushbikes).
When she arrived home, visibly shaken, I jumped straight in my car and tried to find them. It is probably lucky I didn?t find them as it probably would have been me who would have ended up arrested.
I think that it is a sad reflection of the youth of today that 1) They threw the rock in the first place and 2) They targeted a car with a woman driver and a baby in the back. I just dread to think what might have happened if my fiancée had been driving a lot faster and the rock went through the windscreen!
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I remember my dad doing exactly that! (in the 1950s, which ever war that was after.)
A bit of firm parenting worked for me, pity the balance has swung so far from common sense.
motoring link - I dont throw rocks at cars! {And a tenuous one at that, so thread locked - DD}
What power are you happy with and why?
For me, I`m happy with little, contrasted with todays cars.
Why? Well my first `car`was an 850cc Mini van back in the 60`s. You were really aware of hills and Shap fell on the M6 used to really take the speed off.
I can remember years of climbing the M62 eastbound over the pennines at 40MPH in 3rd gear.
Of course all that is forgotten about these days with modern cars, but i was reminded of it reading a forum on LDV (old post office) vans. They were aware of Shap and it reminded me of old times.
So i guess i`m quite contented with little, in terms of power in modern cars.
Just enough to make the Shap and eastbound pennines seem flat.
Regards Read more
>Good on you Jim. You have some interesting cars. Always liked the TR7 except for the build >quality, 220bhp sounds good, have you uprated the brakes?
Yes it now has Austin Princess 4 pot calipers & bigger solid discs. These are adequate for road use.
Mine is now so full of Waxoyl & shutz I'm told you can smell it from behind as I drive along.
Handles very well, a standard TR isn't bad but this is lowered adjustable shocks, 200lb springs, polybushed etc.
Pics are here www.pbase.com/tr7v8/rover_v8
Jim
54 Jaguar S-Type 2.7 SE Diesel
87 Porsche 944 Lux 2.5
80 TR7V8
I feel I have to recommend the tyre fitter at "We R Tyres" here in Sunderland for his attitude and prices. I have no interest in this business other than being a loyal customer.
This well-mannered chap has charged me only £5 per tyre to fit, balance, dispose of old tyres, etc. tyres that I had delivered from MyTyres. He did the job well, no scratches on my alloys and the wheel bolts tightened with a torque wrench.
At the time I enquired about puncture repairs. A well-known tyre fitting chain who are not slow charge around £17 for this service, enough to buy a new budget tyre for some cars. My fitter quoted £7. Well, I had been tempting fate as only 3 days later my daughter had a nail in her tyre. I took it to be fixed. "How much did I quote?", the fitter asked, "£7.50?". I said no, it had been £7. "Oh well, £5, please", he said.
The loneliness bit. Well, he works on his own in the corner of the premises of a large coachbuilders and I asked if he found it lonely, he replied that he did. I think treating him with respect and as a human being has paid off for me here. I only hope that his "off the cuff" pricing policy that I have highlighted does not cause him problems with his employer. Read more
Oh, and Clarks are also recognised fitters for Blackcircles, another on-line tyre supplier.
Is there a product additive available that will improve the compression on my Astra engine. If so, is this product any good and will it do what it says on the tin. Many thanks in advance Read more
Again many thanks, the questions seem to be answering themselves on the posts. It is a 2000 X plate model. I have always had it serviced at the required times and very happy with the performance as stated. It is just this slow starting which annoys me especially with the cold mornings arriving and the extra strain on the battery (which is under 1 year old).
Driving home the other night around 9.30pm along a 40mph tree lined road and some pedestrian with one of those high candle power lights shone it straight in my face from point blank range. For a moment i thought a motorcyclist was coming straight at me off the pavement. I was temporarily blinded and could easily have braked hard and lost it in the split second I had to make a decision. Why he /they /she did this I don't know as there was no reason for it at all. Just shows you have to be on the ball all the time for the unexpected. Read more
I assume it is hard to see a pedestrian [unlit] from greater than about 30 yards away so dipping for them isn't as easy as it sounds IMHO.
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Gary
There is a knock sensor to detect pinking and retard the offending cylinder[s.]
If that's working properly, but not curing the problem; then there may be a software update to allow it a larger adjustment range.
Ask your dealer.