August 2008
I took my Ford Focus into the Ford garage yesterday to have the rocker cover gasket repaired as it had a slight leak. They also topped up my engine oil and coolant.
When I checked the oil level first thing this morning (before running the engine), on level ground, it was slightly above the max notch by about 2 to 3 mm.
After I checked the oil I drove to the shops about 4 miles away and after I had been in the shops (55 minutes after switching the engine off) I rechecked the oil level on the dipstick and this time it was 3 or 4 mm below the max notch.
In the Owner's guide it says :
"For an exact reading a cold engine should be run for a short time. Switch the ignition off and wait some minutes for the engine oil to flow back into the sump."
From what I have said do you think I have too much oil in my engine ?
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The brake lights have stopped working, I've checked the bulbs and the fuses and they're ok, is there a switch somewhere I can/should investigate? And suggestions welcome. Read more
yep, switch replaced, all working, thanx for help.
I've been offered a 2001 C5 2.2HDi at a very good price... the downside is, it has some declared faults...
The suspension apparently raises itself up for no apparent reason - can anyone shed any light on this? Googling indicates that the Hydractive system on this model automatically raises the suspension if it detects poor road surfaces (so that's ANY UK roads then...) - perhaps this feature is getting a bit over-zeaous...? alternatively it could be a problem more "physical" in nature - any Hydractive experts out there care to offer some insight?
(Apologies for the somewhat sketchy info, this is all second-hand and I haven't actually seen the car yet.)
[Other faults are the "Anti-Pollution fault" indicating the Eolys fuel additive tank is empty (I've already estimated the refill cost via this forum) and a "replace fuel filter" fault-code that needs to be reset now that the filter has been changed.]
I'm going to phone the local independent Citroen specialist on Monday morning, but would appreciate an idea of what's involved before I speak to them. All constructive comments welcome. Read more
Any more than £20 is not a good price for this model and this age. Your hand will be forever in your pocket with this. It's an unreliable piece of French junk and should've gone to the scrapyard years ago.
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I think it is possible to make an HDMi cable so cheap and nasty that it impacts the picture, but anything from a tenner upwards should be OK. The digital signals down the HDMI cable ( which have no error correction) have fairly fast rise / fall times on the pulses, which can get distorted by very cheap cable or, more likely, crosstalk between the signals. This can cause visible picture problems, known as 'sparklies'
hi im getting an engine management light now and a then but the car runs fine just uses more fuel when the light is on and then it will go off a few days later and its back to normal.
my question is does anyone know where the diagnostic socket is?.
cheers tam.
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It should be under the bottom edge of the dash; either on the driver's or passenger's side.
Just wondering out loud what people think of these and why they've become so popular all of a sudden?
Cars with them seem nice and light inside when the shade is drawn back. Can't think of a downside but I suppose there must be some.
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Black rain clouds where I live.
Hi everyone
I have the chance of a 2006 V70 D5 SE Sport with about 130k on the clock for around £7000 direct from a fleet whose manager I know.
I'm thinking of using it to replace my current taxi, which I use mainly on days doing local contract and airport runs etc, and also quite a bit of long distance motorway driving in my private time.
I was originally looking at either a A6 Avant, C class Merc estate or a V70 D5, aged around 2004 with probably 70-80k miles to fit my budget but this particular one has caught my eye. Obviously the mileage is high but it has a full dealer history and is the right spec. I intend to keep it forever, putting on around 45k a year for the next 4 years and then to the wife for the school run etc.
Anyone got any thoughts? Whatever I have has to be very comfortable, quite wide (to match my physique!!) and reasonably economical (plus be an estate).
I know I should buy a Mondeo but we have quite a few requests for 'premium' cars on jobs, hence the reason for my shortlist.
Thanks in anticipation...
NJGLeeds
ps I do all my own servicing/repair work wherever possible as a keen(ish) car restorer in the little spare time I have left, so the labour aspect of running costs is irrelevant. Read more
On mine the sticker is on the black box (I guess it's a fusebox) between
the power steering reservoir and the o/s headlight. Has the date and mileage that the
change was done.
That box is the ECU. Take the cover off and you will see the blades/slots.
There are two slots in there, manual cars have just the one blade.
Hello all. I have a Volvo V40 2.0 Turbo S-Reg (1998).
The car has climate control that has recently gone into fault mode.
The cabin cooling fan doesn't work and the LEDs on the AC button flash - the user manual says this indicates a fault with the climate control system.
Does anyone know where the climate control ECU is and if there are any common problems associated with the climate control system on these models? The Haynes manual doesn't cover this in much detail.
The car isn't worth much so I'm trying to avoid having the DTCs read.
Thanks in advance. Read more
Thanks for the info, DP
Unfortunately they can only repair my existing unit, they don't have one to part-exchange. So my vehicle would be out of commission for some time..
Any other suggestions?
Thanks
SpecK
My kalos has been back and forwards to a Chevrolet Service Centre for the same EGR fault since I took ownership in Feb 06. The end of Jan 08 the engine valves were replaced as they were 'sticking' and I was assured the fault had now been repaired and I should have no more problems. Unfortunately, just 6 months later, the engine management light is once again illuminated.
Before I get into any discussions with Chevrolet, I was wondering if anyone out there has had the same type of faults and if anything has/was done to rectify them
Thanks. Read more
Dear Wendy
Any news for readers of the forum, newbies, anyone who searches on the internet about the KALOS problem you had -were it resolved or how?...
Why are Luton vans so called? Where does Luton come into it? Read more
It's just another piece of clever marketing rubbish put out by GM to make stupid people still think that Vauxhalls are British after all these years....
As someone else mentioned, I read ages ago that the name came vehicles used to transport boxes of hats made in Luton.
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2 to 3 millemetres above the max mark on the dipstick will not make a blind bit of difference to the performance of your car. Stop worrying and relax.
You could always keep wiping the dip stick with a rag untill the 323.257ml of oil is removed.