February 2008
Hello to all car nuts.
Recently I have been trying to decide if I should get a pre 2004 1.6 focus. All the sites I have been on have been a little vague on fuel economy and performance. I want a car which is fun to drive but not to thirsty. Could any owners give me a heads up on these issues or would a pre 2002 fiesta be better!
Is the zetec focus better than an LX, whats the difference in performance and costs.
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When testing if the head gasket has gone a garage sniffs the coolant what are those crystals?
Where do you get the kit from? all i have is a old pressure tester sykes pic which does not fit most modern car's.
Any idea of cost?
This is not for a ferrari i had to put some details in to get on!!! Read more
Any decent MOT place could just stick the exhaust analyser in the coolant bottle and get a result or not. Likely to be very acccurate as the machine costs several thousand pounds, and take 4 mins.
I'd like to know if there is any electrical test I can do to check the coil pack is functioning as it should.
And how does the diagnostic tool used at dealers tell if the engine is knocking? I mean what physical electrical test does it perform to know this?
My reason for testing is that mpg is not what I expected, it should be 54mpg urban, I got 44mpg. car is 2003 (53 reg) 1.2 16V
Also what is the best constant speed to do to get the best MPG? Someone said a Ford focus/fiesta whatever said in the manual the car is most economic at 70mph, I find that difficult to believe.
cheers Read more
possible mass air flow starting to fail but 44 to the gallon go you
I have just bought a 2006 1.4tdi 80PS Polo 5dr privately. Just done 20k miles. Looking through the service schedule it looks like the cam belt change is 80k miles - have I read this right?
Any other problem areas with this car that I should look out for in the future? Read more
Steve
I don't do the spanner work; but it's not a particularly nice job - the tensioner alone will give you brain-ache. 2.9 hrs book time.
Anyone heard of them? Got a cheap deal on them.... Read more
"I have Republic of China manufactured tyres on my car"
Stuartli,
What was their brand name?
my alternator belt keeps sweaking when it is cold and need tightening its well embarrising. but i had a look and like on my old corsa it was on a rale but on this engine i cant find it and at the top of the alternator its just bolts.
any ideas. thanks
{year picked up from a previous post} Read more
I use a hammer with a hollow metal shaft to give the extra leverage required to get those allen screws undone - but as mentioned, make sure the allen key is well seated (hammer it in!) before you try.
To tighten the belt you need to move the tensioner downwards ie you effectively need to unscrew the tension screw on the bottom.
One question though - does this car have air con? That changes things....
Hi Guys,
My car's MoT expires in a few days and I need to know if it will fail due to a missing locking flap - ripped off by SWMBO a week ago when filling up from the 'wrong' side of the pump.
The (non-lockable) fller cap itself is in perfect condition, and seals correctly.
A search seems to indicate that 'lockability' is not a requirement, just that the cap and seal operate correctly. However, one site did imply that the filler needs to be lockable. Read more
The old fuel caps with a pin hole actually have a valve mechanism built in
Really? The ones that I've taken apart have had no such thing. A cork washer, a dished baffle plate with a hole in it, and the cap (sometimes a spring) - and that's all.
Usually, in most petrol engines, each 1L of displacement produces max 100 Nm (usually less) of torque.
But in Mercedes Kompressor engines, they exceed this value eg. C200 (1.8L engine) produces 250 Nm of torque (from 2500-5000 range)
How do they do it? Is there any other similar engine?
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When I was young!! I used to secretly put a Peco booster on the end of the exhaust pipe of my late father's Austin A40. It gave a fraction more top speed so I thought!!
Seriously I truly love Mercedes cars.Ever since the later 1950s they have been my favourite car. The Kompressors amaze me. They change the output so much. I remember five years ago, a pupil's father had one of the more powerful petrol E Classes, his father raved about the engine.
hi
Ford Focus 1.6 115 54 Titanuim 3 door
What should the tyre pressures be the tyres are michelin 205/55 v 16 sphp
i cant for the life of me find out what the ideal pressure should be
thank you for any help
tony
I know its difficult to spot the requests for engine/year details in the subject line, so I've done it for you. Read more
Ask Michelin what they mean is the answer to your questions, although normal usually means up to 3 adults in the car, plus tank of fuel and normal UK motorway legal speed. The load you mention sounds like it fits into the normal category for tyre pressures, just add an extra psi front and back if you want to make sure you're ok. If you drive the continent at higher than UK legal speeds then increase tyre pressures according to Michelins advice as per their high speed advice.
The bottom line it is about preventing a blow out or excessive tyre wear due to the car being loaded at more than the tyre is designed to handle for a given tyre pressure, plus maximise fuel economy, braking distance, grip etc.
Sorry if this has been discussed before but I'd appreciate anyone input. I have a leather seated 2003 Vx Omega auto thats crippling me in the lower back region when I drive. Sitting statically in the seat seems ok but drive half a mile and I can feel an ache coming on then I start having to shift round in the seat all the time and fidgeting. Its making me miserable as I had no problems with a previous cars (except a Citroen Saxo which gave similar pain) and the trouble started teh same day I picked the car up. I've go all sorts of adjustments - lumber / tilt / height but its no use - I cant get it right. Is there a psycology to pain - i.e if you expect to be uncomfortable you will be and then it becomes self fulfilling and tension builds up in the muscles? If I have to get rid (and I will - its that bad) whats got a good reputation for comfy driving position/seats thats in a similar class to the Omega for under 5 grand? Cheer + Thanks, David. Read more
I have one of those heated vibro massage car seat covers. £20 @ Maplins plugs into the cigar lighter. Hard day sit down vibrate the stress away....bliss!
...
Browse
I second that about the Zetec seats. I had a pain to the side of my right thigh for a long time, before I twigged it was the car seat causing it. If you press down with a thumb on the bolster, the side rail can be felt pretty easily. Having said that, I still rate it as a great motor.