August 2008
I have an older car I don't use much. The battery was running low so I removed it and trickle charged it on a ' clever ' charger until it was fully juiced .
On connecting it back to the car , suddenly smoke emerged from the engine bay - I quickly disconnected it... I investigated and saw that a cable ( no more than 2mm core ) covered in red insulation and feeding the starter solenoid off the main loom had begun to melt ... or rather the red insulation begun to melt and expose the cable
I will call the 4th emergency service out, but beforehand , anybody got any tips on what could have been the root cause and what I can do to cure it ?
many thanks Read more
Hi all! I have a mazda 5 Ts2 08(facelift model) 2.0lt petrol which I plan to tow with.I carry in the boot space a fair amount of disability equipment plus a 1000w generator when out with my caravan.I have been told that the suspension on the mazda 5 can be a little soft and that I might need spring assisters.Is this the case and if so what size would I need? I know that I would have to measure the gap on the coil when the car is raised to get size but my disability makes this impossible for me to do.My son says he will fit them if I get them.Please can anyone help? Read more
Give Grayston Engineering a call on 020 8974 1122. They are the premier manufacturer of rubber spring assisters.
My wife's Punto has developed an issue where when you brake hard the red handbrake warning light comes on sometimes for 5 or 10 seconds and then goes out.
I've checked the brake fluid which is OK and the the handbrake lever was fully down when this happened. I can't see any other issues that this could relate to according to the manual.
As far as I know the 1.2 Active model does not have brake wear indicators but I may be wrong and it could be this.
Does anyone have any ideas please? Read more
Having had a closer look it looks like the feeder filter is partially blocked hence the actual fluid level is less than it looks.
Evenin' all
SWMBO's Zafira has developed the usual wiring fault where the leading edge of the rear door chews through the loom between the B pillar and the door connector - central locking and speaker have stopped working on OSR door.
Having already done this on the NSR door it was a real pain trying to solder the wiring with the door still on, so this time I'd like to remove it. Haynes just tells me to punch the hinge pins out, but I can't see how to do this, given the curvature of the door skin there's nowhere to locate a punch and swing a hammer. Is there an easier method? Read more
If you can't find one locally, then look on the Draper website. tinyurl.com/2z7w5p
I went to a historic car rally recently and saw a Model T Ford. The car looked like it had just been discovered in a barn so shabby it stood out from all the pristine, done up to perfection other entries. The owner had the bonnet open to show the engine and I could hardly believe what I saw. In place of the HT leads was rusty barbed wire. The engine actually ran as it was driven to the site. Just thought it might be of interest. Read more
Model Ts were meant to be like that, I think - go on forever as long as they could still be botched up.
I'd love to drive one and have a go at that two-speed gearbox with the foot pedal change. My grandfather said it was once reckoned you could drive a car or you could drive a Ford Model T - but rarely both.
i romoved my instrument cluster yesterday to replace a blown bulb. when i put it all back together my speedo, rev counter fuel and temp guages have stopped working. All mt warning lights are working and my mileage is displayed but not advancing as i drive... does anyone have any ideas o i forgot to mention it still lights up when i turn my headlights on. Read more
thanks for your help have ordered second hand cluster will try again when it arrives
My Mazda 323TD (90k miles) has started running rough recently hestitating and surging at low speeds. Today I felt a distinct lack of power pulling away from stop. Runs okay at higher speeds. When revving at c2k when staionary there is first blue smoke then black from the exhaust and the engine stutters then runs okay above 3k revs. Engine has been regularly serviced. Still on original exhaust - could this be on its way out? Any ideas most appreciated.
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Turned out the problem was down to a dirty air filter element. Lifted out the old filter by chance and although it was only replaced in March (7k miles ago) it had collected a lot of crud and dust. Pity the mechanic in the dealership didn't think of that before me. Could have saved me £60 replacing a fuel filter unnecessarily.
Gives more meaning to the phrase, "Blind Drunk" don't you think?
Afternoon all, i've just joined and looking for some help.
I'm unlucky enough to own a face lift vectra on a T-plate, which i believe has the x18 xe1 lump. The coil/dis going across the head with no leads.
Anyway, the trouble i'm having is, that when i'm in neutrel and revving the car around 2k revs, it seems to be missing. The EML is on, but the car still drives pretty good, no missing whilst driving, lurching etc. Only seems to miss whilst revving in neutrel! I've read loads of threads and posts about re-earthing the maf etc, about egr valves, but both of these seem to be working fine. I have re-earthed the maf though just incase. I tried my neighbours egr valve and the problems still there, and when i disconnect the maf with the engine running, it dies down almost cutting out, so it must be working?
I've checked and cleaned as many breather/air pipes as i can, stripped and cleaned the throttle body all to no joy. I've checked the plugs which are coverd in black soot/carbon, which i thought meant a lean mixture? The filters are both good and clean,and new plugs recently.
Any ideas whats wrong as it's driving me nuts! And need it done asap for the dreaded M.O.T comming up..
Cheers all
mike Read more
Doesn't the paper-clip method have a clearance function?
Not that I'm aware of, but mentioned over on vauxhallownersnetwork is to disconnect the battery for ½ to 1 hour.
Heard on the BBC World Service that Toyota were going to bump up their prices due to the price hike of raw materials, and that 'the more popular models including the Prius' were going to be affected. The report went on to say that this would likely be followed by other major manufacturers.
I've had a look on the BBC website for confirmation, but can't find anything as yet.
Looks like the perfect storm for the car industry - falling sales, increasing prices and the Govt 'encouraging' people to ditch post 01 large cars, thus extra cars on the market I suppose.
Peanut. Read more
Re: why links to The Times aren't allowed:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=62...0
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I think you might need to check that the alternator is actually charging, and all 3 phases are still working.