August 2008
Failure of wiring harness in engine compartment leading to shorting and failure of Fuse 57.
Root cause was the wiring harness rubbing against one of the engine compartment insulation fixing screws spot welded to the bulkhead and abrading the insulation of the engine control unit wire until it shorted.
MB are proposing a repair by "cutting" out the damaged section of wire and soldering in a new section, the joints being protected by heat shrink tubing.
Anyone else encounter a similar situation ?
Would like comments on the proposed repair method; personally I have misgivings with regard to the long term effectiveness of the insualtion properties of the heat shrink tubing and it's weathertightness.
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hi,i'm a german car mechanic and i am having problems with my passat 1.9 tdi 130 6 spd, i have just replaced my front wheel bearing, now whenever i brake very gently as i come to a stop the abs fires on that wheel.[grinding noise] when you brake hard nothing happens, i've tried changing the abs sensor as i know they dont like to be disturbed but it has made no difference , when you drive normally the car seems fine it doesnt pull or make any weird noises!!!!!!!!!!!!
so any help would be appreciated ....thanks
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just to let you know it turned out to be the gap between the sensor and abs ring...
i pushed the sensor in as far as it would go without touching the abs ring and that sorted it out !!!!!!!!!! so thanks to those of you who helped..........
Hi All
Just to let you know as a heads up, that the M1 at Sheffield is to be closed this saturday night and all day sunday ASFAIK due to the Demolition of the cooling towers next to the Tinsley Flyover
of the top of my head, i cant remember which junctions they are.
Thanks Read more
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/757826...m
'tis no more.
A bit of a heads up for anyone planning to drive to or through Epsom in the next few weeks:
From this Friday 22nd until Sunday 31st [ with a short break for the Bank Holiday ] there will be round the clock roadworks as a gas main is replaced under the A24 [ East Street ] at the northern edge of Epsom from the roundabout at the junction with Chruch street / Upper High Street / A24 High Street.
The B284 Hook Road will also be closed between Chase Road and East Street, although I believe access to Hook Road car park will be maintained.
And apparantly when this work is finished, the entire length of Hook Road from East Street to Horton Hill will be resurfaced over the course of two weeks, with one way systems being put in place for the duration. I have no details yet of this - I can only confirm the A24 works so far. Read more
Hi,
Browsing this morning various online car sites for my area I am a tad surprised to see loads of CRVs for sale - mainly petrol but quite a few diesel.
There were only a handful a week or so ago but now there is choice of colour, mileage, age, manual or auto? It has gone from a handful for sale within a 60 mile radius of myself to close on 60 or 70.
I can only assume it is because of the tax hikes and/or the fuel? Anyone else noticing this? Btw, I haven't checked other 4x4s in my area.
T. Read more
It is all very good going down to a small car and getting better MPG/cheaper running costs but what about these:
Lose abliity to carry large loads as and when you like - be it to the tip, the DIY store, camping or surfing kit in the back, mountain-biking, etc.
Arguably less safe in an accident
Definitely not so good for your health if you are a tall or ''larger' person trying to cram yourself into a smaller car
Not so pleasant to drive on long trips and/or on motorway
Um, there must be more.
I just wonder how many people worrying about their fuel/tax costs on a CRV, MPV or whatever are going to sit down and discover that they can no longer afford the CRV but going for a smaller car is just impractical for their needs?
Hi there
i have a peugeot 306 1997 miami 1.4
my key snapped in the ignition, so i got a replacement barrel and key, was all fitted and went to start the car it would not tick over.
i was then told it was the immobiliser in my key thob and to swap the magnets over in the new key thob.
but my new key thob does not have the same kind of magnet in it, it has a chip with buttons on.
so to start the car i have to wiggle my old key thob on the top of the igniton barrel to get it starting, which is a right pain because that means i have to leave the steering wheel covering off to do so.
was wondering if there was a way of taking out my immobiliser all together?
or try another way of solving the problem????
would be greatful for all advice. (i am a novice so please dont get too technical)
many thanks. Read more
>>>>
so to start the car i have to wiggle my old key thob on the
top of the igniton barrel to get it starting which is a right pain because
that means i have to leave the steering wheel covering off to do so.
>>
Is there a "ring" around the ignition barrel with a wire attached to it?
You should be able to detach the ring and let it hang down.Now cable tie/tape your broken key to the ring if you can. the car should now start using the new key that you have. You may have to try this procedure a few times until you get it right.
If the car now starts, secure the ring & key to the steering column or under the dash and then you should be able to fit the steering cowlings.
The only downside to this is that the immobiliser will now be "off" at all times but on a car of this age, it should.nt matter too much.
James
Hi, occasionally the revs will drop and the engine dies. This usually happens on slowing down for a roundabout/junction or low speed manouvering.Idle is 600/700 revs most of the time but sometimes hunts between 400 - 1500. I have had the throttle body cleaned and new plugs and plug leads fitted. Any pointers would be apprecated.
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>>He recommends increasing idle revs by 50 - 100 as next move.
That is the symptoms being disguised rather than the fault being cleared. Bad move IMO.
Is the KE jetronic ECU receiving electrical power?
Is the primary fuel pressure within tolerance?
Is the coolant temperature sensor resistance within tolerance?
Is the EHA working correctly?
Hi,
Just bought this for my g'friend. only 58k on the clock and is S reg. Everything seemed to be in good condition. However, 2nd gear is really hard to get sometimes and as she has only passed her test v recently, she is finding it a bit of a pain. Any ideas what it could be? All other gears are fine.
thanks
Mark Read more
Cheers for the reply John!
The bite point is quite high (as in you need to bring the pedal up away from the floor)
The missus is beginning to moan about it now too.. so any help would be appreciated!
Hi,
I hope someone really can help me with this.
I am hiring a beautiful 1960's VW Camper van to go over the Isle of Wight in. Only thing is the excess on the van is high and I want to take out Excess insurance (to cover the excess)......... only one problem though, it seems all the companies out there will not cover a vehicle of this age? I'm not sure why?
Anyway, does anyone please know where I can get this cover for this type of age vehicle...... please!!!!!!!!!
Many thanks,
--
Phil Read more
Try insurance4carhire.com - they will give you a daily rate or an annual one - £49 for Europe for a year. Also I have used Peart brokers in Kendal who are classic car insurance specialists.
A friend and myself have often considered going 50/50 and buying a convertible...It would be my daily driver (I only drive 5k miles pa according to my last MOT certificate) and a fun weekend car for her...she drives 40k + pa in her company Passat TDi. Given all the recent talk about falling car values, should we look to buy now or wait until the depths of winter? We shall initially look to buy privately, unless a garage can offer us a deal we can't refuse a couple of days before the end of the month....private sales displayed on Autotrader seem to be valued 20% above Glasses part/ex values on the Vauxhall website.
Her last convertible was a Spitfire (I also had one of these in BRG, plus an Alfasud with opening floor rather than roof, and more recently in '97 an Elise during my first MLC). The only alternative to an MX5 would be an S2000, but the MX5 wins on points (just).
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I started looking for an MG TF 160 last March and bought in October. I was specifically looking for a certain year and spec so kept my eye on the prices and nothing really altered throughout the summer and into autumn. Granted last year was a washout and not really convertable weather, but this year seems no different.
The MX5, like the TF, is likely to have varying specs, models etc and you will want the right one. As there are not 1000s sold every month it will probably take time to get what your looking for so it will probably be winter before you buy anyway :-)
I test drove the MX5, Z3, MR2 and Alfa GTV spider as good measure when I was looking for the TF and would say that the MX5 and TF are proper old school roadsters - I liked the others but they didnt have the right feel. I went for the TF due to mid-engined, rear wheel drive layout and the fact that you can get a 160bhp car that will do 0-60 in less than 7 seconds for the 9K I paid for my 3 year old one. I am pleased I did now as there will be no body part probs now they are being made once again!
The MX5 is a good car though and is in some respects the car the MGF should have been from the beginning - obviously with a bit less interior character!
Browse
Yes; it wasn't a serious proposal; as you say, crimp ferrule and solder is nearly always best - although I've done hundreds of temporary twist'n'tape joints over the years and, if done with an inch-and-a-half of greased tail, they're surprisingly durable/conductive and they'll never pull apart.
The colour of the workshop air would depend on who did the bad joint...? As long at it was nothing to do with me, I don't mind spending half a day - at £80 an hour......