July 2008
Make your own gas at home
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7496644.stm
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I have an old grand voyager which has developed a long delay when I engage any forward gear when it engages it will drive ok, when I select reverse it engages instantly
can any one advise
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When did you last change the oil & filter in the auto box?
There is valves in there and a clutch pack's that require good quality oil to work correctly.
The filter may just be a strainer but if a filter replace and see if the oil smell's burnt, or any black bits of plate swimming about.
my 1989 190e 2.6 auto refuses to start its trying to fire but coughs and splutters ive replaced distributor cap/ rotor arm/ plug leads but still same problem any help would br gratefull Read more
getting a spark ok at the plug
Need a bit of help and advice.
My alternator belt snapped, i've got the replacement part, but need advice on fitting it.
From looking, I have to remove the other belt, and it almost looks like I have to remove the red / fans to get access?! Is that really the case?
Also, i'm working on the vehicle outside- my work is 20mins drive away and can work undercover there- would it do any harm driving without an alternator belt?
Thanks in advance! Read more
a well juiced up battery will get you home , dont use any electrics .. radio , lights , etc etc ... should be good for 100 miles or more
Saw this today- looks like BMW will be working with Fiat Group to support the relaunch of Alfa in the States.
Is only a memorandum of potential cooperation at the moment, and would involve Mini/ Alfa
The BMW Group and Fiat Group Automobiles (FGA) are considering the
possibility of co-operation in the areas of components and architectures for
their Mini and Alfa Romeo vehicles. As part of possible cooperation, BMW
Group will provide FGA with support in launching the Alfa Romeo brand in
the North American market.
A Memorandum of Understanding to this effect has been signed by
Friedrich Eichiner, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG
responsible for Corporate and Brand Development, and Alfredo Altavilla,
Senior Vice President, Business Development, Fiat Group Automobiles
and CEO of Fiat Powertrain Technologies.
"We are currently examining with the Fiat Group possibilities for the joint
use of components and systems in Mini and Alfa Romeo vehicles in order
to achieve economies of scale and thus cost reductions within the
framework of our Number ONE strategy", Eichiner said on Monday in
Munich.
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Group and Fiat Group Automobiles, said:
?The proposed co-operation with BMW is a significant cornerstone of our
strategy of alliances. We are delighted to work with such an esteemed
and respected partner in the automotive industry with the clear objective of
improving the competitive position of both parties.?
The two partners have agreed not to divulge details of the possible
collaboration. The results of the cooperation discussions will probably be
achieved by the end of the year.
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Just had a horrible though. Hope Alfa learnt the lesson from the Arna of mating their dodgy oily bits to the boring body of the Nissan Cherry.
Wonder if this is BMWs way of getting rid of an excess of Mini Clubmans.
Like many others I am experiencing problems with my speedometer and traction control light in my 1999 ford focus 1.6 Zetec.
At first the speedo would intermittently surge and then stop working, followed by a few moments later the Traction Control light coming on and the odometer clearing to -----. This would correct itself when the engine was turned off and on again.
Now the speedo does not work at all, and after driving a short distance the same problem occurs with the TC and odometer.
I have taken the car to several garages, including Ford. Ford could not diagnose the problem a few months ago and by re setting the computer the problem corrected itself. It reappeared last week when I drove through a puddle!
So far the garages have said it could be either the whole display panel or the Vehicle Speed Sensor.
Any ideas, both fixes are costly and I don't want to pick the wrong one to find that it doesn't fix the problem?!
Many thanks for any help that anyone can offer
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Thanks for the advice, I had the battery tested and it showd up ok. Took it back to Ford and they found a fault with the VSS, I have had it replaced and the problem seems to be fixed (touch wood!).
I want a small pick-up, and thought about getting a Cabstar (second-hand). What are the pros and cons of this, and similar? Read more
FT
All of those are chassis-cabs with an added [aftermarket, often alloy] dropside body - not pick-ups. The only Transit pick-up was the Flareside - ugh!!
If you are prepared to go to that size; then either get an LDV Pilot for pennies [nobody loves them, but easy to fix] or pay strong money for a Tranny with as little rust as possible.]
A few weeks ago I was in Perth Scotland.Having an empty tank I filled up at Tescos , before I had a full tank the pump shut off and I had to que up and pay.I mentioned to the cashier it would have been nice to have got a full tank of fuel before the pump shut off.The explenation was the pump shuts off after 3 minutes as a safety precaution and no one else complains.Well says I most people have probably not an empty tank as they are local, I am completety empty due to driving up from south. So returned to pump continued to fill and que pay for the remainder much to the annoyance of the que of vehicles waiting behind me. This got me wondering if anyone else has had this problem elseware?
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I never fill up on the wrong side having damaged a car with a hose that had frayed exposing the wire braiding but then again i never forget which side my filler cap is on having to perform an impossible reverse maneouver to get to the right pump like i have seen some numpty's attempt causing mayhem and choas in doing so.
is it really that hard for some people to LOOK as they pull in to see where they need to head for, it seems they stop and assess the next move, obviously thinking and driving is far too difficult
Hi all
would you like to help me in this matter
i got bora 1.9 TDI X reg the engine is misfiring and there is smoke when i strat about 10min then no smoke.
thanks for you all
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Have the compression pressures tested, hot and cold, to see if this is a piston issue.
I know leaks can be notoriously difficult to find.
I'm getting loads of water in the driver's footwell, I've run a hosepipe around the door seal and left tissues all around the door rubber overnight in the very heavy rain but they all stayed dry.
I'm not losing water from the engine so it isn't the heater pipes.
I've left tissues above the pedals which have stayed dry.
Has anyone experience of a leak in these cars?
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The answer is obvious:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7499067.stm