June 2008
Please Help! - I've just changed my diesel engine for another second hand unit and I can't get it to start.
the car does not have a "chipped" key (not had one since i've owned it). Does it still need matching ti the ECU and if so how.
Read more
Last summer, one of the bolts holding the head to the block snapped due to corrosion.
My mechanic has now got the head off, but two more bolts snapped in the process.
The bolts have broken near the bottom of the block, and need drilling/helicoiling out.
Does anyone know of a mobile service that could do this work in the Surrey/Middlesex border area?
Thanks in advance
MVP Read more
I found this article on "jag lovers forum" (!) might add some more to the debate relates to XJ series 3 but i think the block is the same
Michael Neal?s Technical Advice : File 1
Head Stud Breakage
If a stud does break there are a couple options. I've had to repair a number of cars that the local under educated butchers have mauled. The most common incident is to repair a broken stud by tapping the top of the block. Many times the head has been drilled to 1/2" also to put a bolt in. Many times the repair was attempted with the head still on the car. Needless to say, they all leaked. If a stud does break there are several avenues. If you are feeling cheap and pressed for time don't even think about threading the top of the block. Most S3 blocks have a narrow passage between the cylinders that intersect with the stud holes in the deck surface. When the hole in the deck is threaded all it does is spread and will not hold torque. A quick fix is to use a thread-sert, a machined heli-coil basically with a shoulder. Remove the freeze plug for access and insert it upside down up through the stud hole in the deck. This provides a fairly good anchor. Use a short stud like the front or rears and it even looks oem. The correct way to repair a broken stud is to remove the freeze plug for access near the stud base. It may not have broken off flush so the stub may have to be removed. My weapon of choice is a 90 degree die grinder with a fresh carbide bit. With a bit of grinding you can remove the protrusion. Grind it down so you just start to hit block material. This will outline the stud. Use a new titanium coated drillbit welded onto an old stud. Start a pilot hole with a smaller bit first. Don't drill too far or too much off center. Too deep will end up in the crankcase. Of course this is much easier with the head off but I have done it with the head on. With a low speed, high torque drill you can make short work of this. Next, retap the hole. Finish it off with a bottoming tap. These taps will also have to be welded onto old studs preferably with an old cylinder head nut welded onto the top. If you screw up go the next size up. This, however, will require a sized stud to be made, roughly $100. Stud holes must be cleaned and chased with a tap. Vacula makes a air blower nozzle with a 16" extension on it to reach down into the stud holes. Be sure to use a rag on the top of the block to catch the high speed debris. Use a bottoming tap welded to a stud to chase the threads. OEM style studs don't corrode badly using coolant properly. Snap On makes a great stud installing tool that backs off easily once the stud is installed. Installed height is 5 1/2" from the deck for the short studs and 5 3/4" for the studs that mount the brackets. Being a professional Jaguar Certified Technician with a whole lot of experience at repairing these engineering nightmares I have confidence in these methods and tecniques. I worked for a Top Fuel Funny Car Drag Racing as a bottom end man. Basically this is just damage control and maintenance. The motor is torn down after every run! One run puts the stress of 100,000 miles of wear on the motor. It is almost unbelievable what occurs. Worst case scenario is splitting the block into several pieces. From my experience I've found that the average mechanic tends to really screw up Jags. If you have to resort to a mechanic please find someone qualified. Would you take a prostrate problem to a oby/gyn? It's too bad that they don't require licensing to work on particular makes of cars.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7452033.stm
Afraid I have no sympathy for these guys. The latest offer would take the average salary up to £41.5k by 2009. That is a hefty salary for driving a lorry. Read more
Benjurs
I'm sorry you had struggle for so long to qualify, but you had the choice to take and complete the course or not, some people either didn't have the opportunity or maybe their choices in life meant they had to provide as relative youngsters for their family, maybe they dropped out of school for a myriad of reasons.
Because someone hasn't been through university doesn't always mean that they are not decent and worthwhile people in their own right.
I didn't think that Pat had made any reference to any percieved advantage to be gained by someone's social standing in her posts, but hey i'm wrong most of the time.
anyway..
For one thing, these wage figures quoted for the tanker drivers will be including any extra payments,,eg overtime, shift allowance, any bonus's etc.
I'm maybe paid similarly to the tanker boys, its took me some 20 years and some luck to get to the best type of companies, you could call those 20 years my qualifying period..:)
If i worked a normal houred week, then for one thing the job would not get done, secondly the company would not survive (you cannot operate a car transporter for less than 12 or more hours a day economically), and thirdly my wages would be very poor.
Before anyone says we should be running the vehicles 24 hour, many are, but those on RDC work delivering to dealerships don't really work out that way.
When high wages are quoted for manual work, be very assured of one thing, hard graft is the only reason those wages are paid.
Truck drivers are in a position where their work performance is monitorable and costed presicely on an individual basis, providers of haulage in this country have to be competitive in cost but also in service and performance, to get the better staff its necessary to pay the better wage.
You seem to be working for 50 hours (but only have to do 37.5) with probably a decent salary, good for you, but you shouldn't begrudge others who by working the extra 20 hours or so more can probably equal your salary.
Maybe i do equal yours, i don't know and don't want to, i maybe have to work harder and for much longer, its my own penance for not trying harder at school and for making wrong decisions when younger, i make no complaints, its life.
Most weeks i will have done 37.5 hours or more by Wednesday night.
Its a great pity no tanker driver involved has really given a breakdown of their job, not as its any of our business, but a bit of good PR could have been gained, its quite obvious they wouldn't get a fair hearing from the media (who does these days, but many still believe the media is unbiased) so they should have argued their case on forums such as these, at least the internet does give some freedom of speech, at the moment.
Hi Guys
Complete newbie to this so please bear with me if I sound a little naive,
I have recently found a legit supplier of biodiesel at 96ppl and I am seriously considering using it in both a Peugeot 406 2.0l Hdi (2000) and a Peugeot Expert 1.9d (53plate), My question being will I have any problems that I should be aware of up front? Do I need to modify my vehicles in any way? Im just a little wary about taking the plunge.
Thanks in advance
Luke Read more
I've got a 306 HDi (2000) and having been using Biodiesel for a year now. Its currently over .40p a litre cheaper than regular diesel and with the high mileage i do, the savings are huge.
The two things I advise to using it in your 406 HDi are that you change you fuel filter after the first 500 miles and then 1000 miles after that. After this just service the car as normal. (This is due to the parrafin residue buildup over the years in your fuel tank/lines etc). When I change the filter I normally fill the housing with diesel.
The second important factor is to slowly introduce biodiesel to your car. Start by putting £10 biodiesel and £20 regular diesel. After a week, try £15 biodiesel and £20 regular diesel etc.
I dont recommend you EVER run 100% biodiesel. I find that a mix of 70% biodiesel and 30% regular diesel works best for me (although Peugeot do suggest you run 30% bio and 70% regular). In winter I use a mix of 50% bio and 50% regular.
Not too sure about your van as I havent tried it in the 1.9D engine.
hi i have recently replaced a brake master cylinder on my passat 2001 2.0 petrol but the EPC warning light went on is there any way to to fix this light thing with the ignition key and a combination of buttons.thanks in advance T Read more
hi mate thanks for the tip u were 100% right it was the brake light switch with few adjustments
i have got it fixed.again thanks a lot.
evening folks, a friend asked me to have a look at his '02 plate astra 1.6 16v (Z16XE engine i believe) done 60k, as he said it was making a ticking noise. after looking at it and speaking to him ive ascertained the following,
it had no oil in it (not registering on dipstick) may have been this way for awhile, once putting a few litres of oil in it is significantly quieter although still tappety in my opinion, i told him to check oil when stone cold in the morning as it may well need some more and i suspect it may quieten down some more once the oil has had chance to get back around the system and into the tappets, really hoping he hasn't damaged it seriously, there are no bottom end knocking noises but it could need new tappets.
the engine emissions light is on, he said it's been on for a month. he was driving it one day at about 80mph, went to overtake and the car just wouldn't go and started to slow down, he lifted of the accelerator and pressed down again and it went and the light came on. he says it
seems to drive fine since but the light is permanently lit, my first suspicion is egr valve, but any other suggestions would be helpful.
also the car seems to take a good few turns to catch before firing, suspect this could be the car needing a good service as he's unaware of when it was last serviced, but any other ideas?
and finally, it's due a cambelt change, the parts seem reasonable just wondered if there's any hints or tips i should know? ive read the autodata info on the change seems quite straightforward, the only mention of a special tool is to lock the flywheel to loosen the crank pulley bolt but i believe this can be done the old fashioned way by putting it in gear and holding the brakes on.
cheers
chris Read more
would that put the emissions light on?(orange one) id of thought that would of tripped the the engine management light?(yellow one iirc)
think my next step is to remove the oil breather hoses, throttle body and egr valve and give them all a good clean with carb cleaner then leave the battery disconnected for half hour to reset the warning light and see if the problem returns.
do you know if the fix vauxhall released where they fitted a blanking gasket then updated the ecu to disable the egr valve applies to this engine? (yes i know i should just ring them)
chris
I notice my radiator hose clips are now not much more than metal bands. No way to remove without destroying them.
I remember a Polo C though from 85, that had `spring grip` in other words you compressed the top of the band with a pair of pliers and moved it off.
Is this sturdy and convenient clip still made? and what have you used when doing the antifreeze on your current car for the first time? Replacing the bottom hose clip, that is.
I know there`s always the jubilee clips, but you would think there would be a more elegant solution.
Read more
>>scalding coolant <<
The Automotive "Baked Alaska" me thinks!
***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 237 *****
In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.
It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be.
No Questions About PCs. Please use the current "computer Related Questions" thread instead.
No politics
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which we think is not following the spirit of the thread
Nothing that risks the future of this site (please see the small print for details -
www.honestjohn.co.uk/credits/index.htm )
Any of the above will be deleted. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain it will simply be removed.
However, as has been said a couple of times, there is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.
This is Volume 236. Previous Volumes will not be deleted,
A list of previous volumes can be found:- HERE
PLEASE NOTE:
When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.
Read more
Thanks for the replies....especially Robin + Billy.
Robin.....vinyl's a no-no, but thanks for the offer
Billy......Limewire is notorious for sc*ewing up systems, so I'll leave that.
I'll keep looking round the second-hand shops and fairs...it'll crop up one day.
The tragic news of the death of Arron and Ben Peak, whilst travelling in the rear of a Toyota Previa, has got me thinking about MPV safety again.
It would appear that both boys were travelling in the rear-most seats of the Previa whilst their friends, travelling in the middle row emerged largely unscathed.
Whilst you can't stop [alleged] dangerous and drunken drivers of other vehicles, as a parent you are keen to protect your children as much as possible.
So how safe are rear seats on MPVs. Does the "safety cage" extend behind them. Does the seating area form part of a "crumple zone" if rear-ended?
AFAIK NCAP don't carry out tests of accidents involving rear collisions, and even side intrustion tests are carried out on the middle row of the car. EC Type Approval seems to follow NCAP lines with Frontal and Lateral tests only. The only published rear end collision simulations I've seen (IIHS) just test the seat for whiplash injury protection outside of the vehicle!
With the huge growth in the sale of midi-MPVs, with the most vunerable passengers being placed in the rear seats inches from the boot door, surely this is a huge failing!
Can anyone point me in the direction of statistics or crash tests that show that rear-most seats are safe? Or should one just assume that rear end collisions with a large speed differential between the two vehicles are rare enough not to need to worry about it.
Rufus. Read more
Less kids?! (only joking, bb!)...
As you say they are rare, but the problem is you have very little control over a rear end shunt as its invariably the other drivers' fault - they should not allow seats in the crumple zone....
Does anyone have any feedback they can privide on the pros and cons of a Ford Focus III 5 door hatchback for the specs below ?
Ford Focus III : 2.0 TDCi 136 ps Style, Zetec & Titanium
Ford Focus III : 2.0 petrol 145 ps Style, Zetec & Titanium
Also what differences have you notice with the Focus II compared with the Focus III ? Read more
Thanks for the feedback so far.
Has anyone driven/experienced the Focus III 2.0 petrol/TDCi and if so what are your thoughts in general ?
Browse
DP you sound like the person I need to speak to.
I bought a 2000 focus tddi cl in november 2010 and has lots of starting problems with it. As the weather was very cold and we'd been told that glow plugs needed changing we had no reason to think it was more than that as it runs so well but after changing glow plugs we still have an intermittent starting-from-warm problem. It's starts perfectly from cold but every now and again (less since we changed the battery) it turns over for about 30 - 40 seconds before it fires up and then we get a big cloud of white smoke which stinks of diesel. I had thought maybe it was an immobiliser issue but without the owner's handbook I wasn't sure what was what. Now I have a handbook I'm thinking maybe not and then I read your message about the injection pump, and I know that this motor had a new injection pump not long before we bought it. The guy we bought it off said he had a mechanic friend who got one cheap and fitted it for him. So maybe we have this coding isssue? Do you know if this could cause an intermittent problem and can it be sorted out easily?...