September 2008
Does anyone know if the 2 1/2 % of bio-fuel thats now in all fuels acts as a lubricant in diesel? Read more
Hello,
I have previously totally reliable 1999 Honda mower powered by a GCV135 4.5hp engine, there is a GCV160 5.5hp version of the same unit so any knowledge / experiences would apply though the later GCV135 3.5hp, GCV160 4.1hp and GCV190 5.1hp may be mechanically different.
The engine still starts first pull and appears to run perfectly though every now and then the revs die and it pops and bangs, spitting back through the carburettor, if it is immediately put back to idle it can be caught before it cuts out completely. Then if throttle is applied it with pop and spit unless left to idle for a minute or so after which it will operate as normal for a while until the next episode.
When it is running normally the governor lever resists any pressure on it however when the revs die and it pops and bangs there is no resistance on the governor lever perhaps indicating a problem with the govenor. I have yet to invistigate the workings of the governor fully.
Any thoughts and ideas?
Thanks. Read more
Thanks Steptoe, from experience with inlaw's old Briggs & Stratton they have a very simple carb enabling constant speed operation where as the Honda has a conventional carb rather like a car or motorcycle enabling variable speed operation though with a govenor to maintain constant revs under varying loads.
I have a Citroen Picasso that likes to go into 'get home safe mode' showing an engine fault message. The car only occassionally gets to drive over 35miles an hour but when it does - the engine fault appears. I am now told I probably need a new turbo ......which is going to be expensive.
How common is this problem on these engines? Read more
I guess you need to drive the car more. Put a tank of Shell V Power or BP Ultimate in, drive until warm then drive fast, accelerate hard and give it some revs.
Looking in the convictions section of the local rag, I was ogling the various people "getting" away with no car insurance and faced with so-called fines ranging from a mere £100 to £500, less than most policies, especially for the younger folk.
Now, we all know that if you set the fine too high (i.e. more than their insurance premium) then these scum won't pay it anyway, so how about an alternative method:
Set the fine provisionally high, say a minimum of £2000 and 9 points on their licence and hold their car in a pound with the threat to crush it if they don't pay up.
Then, offer to reduce the fine to £50 + costs (and no points) if they can produce a new insurance certificate (checked against the database, obviously) within 10 working days of the court date.
At least then people have some incentive (and still might have the cash) to actually get insured, which is surely the objective of fining these people in the first place?
Any thoughts? Read more
No I don't think it is. If you lend me your car I can drive it with minimum 3rd party cover on MY insurance. If I use a garage courtesy car I am covered as if the car was my own, while mine is in the workshop. The latter is not the case with all policies though.
i have a ecotec engine , can anyone tell me if the square box at the end of the camshaft is the ignition coil, and it is not under the spark plugs thanks john Read more
sitting here at 4.30am wondering why i cant sleep like any normal person i decided to have a look at what manufacturers are offering in the way of concept cars.........and there it was on my screen in full technicolour.....a vision of lovelyness.......wait for it wait for it.......the suzuki x-head.
thats it my aspirations for the rest of my life is only to have suzuki to put these into production and to be the first one round these parts to have one
just google suzuki x-head to see it.......for a bit of fun we can have a hit/miss/are you %^&&*% kidding me poll
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Try counting sheep there must be plenty in your neck of the woods !!
>>
the farmers round here take them in after dark and before closing time at the pubs (for reasons i wont explain here
:-) )
My '97 306 "Style" 3D Manual 1.8L petrol (with standard leaky sunroof and leaky door seal) also has a problem with the driver's seat slide mechanism.
When the driver's seat is moved forward to allow access to the rear seat, the driver's seat never quite latches back into position. This can make life quite exciting at times, especially when accelerating up and out of a T-junction while turning right. The seat goes backward and you tend to hang on with your arms and put your feet flat on the floor to stabilise yourself. Of course, you usually have your foot on the accelerator when all this happens!
If you jiggle the seat (prior to the T-intersection in question) it usually locks back into position, but not always.
I examined the slide mechanism and would guess that it is the annodised (brass coloured) sliding/locking bit, but it could also be the fixed rack, which looks like it could be worn (but so does the passenger seat, which doesn't move).
Any suggestions before I part with my life savings at the local workshop?
Peugeot and proud (and going to be spending next weekend unblocking drains, changing various door seals, membranes and whatever thanks to other tips found here!) Read more
To answer my own question. the mechanic sourced a second-hand seat and took off the whole slide mechanism and did a swap.
Hi All,
I'm after some of your valuable advice and opinions
I have just been offered my parents ford cougar as they are buying a new car, they are giving it to me pretty much for nothing so im very tempted.
The car is in mint condition with 100k on the clock and has all the extras and leather interior and i know it has been well looked after with a full service history.
I have two cars just now an escort 1.8 diesel and a escort gti i use the diesel for work as its cheap to run so the cougar would replace my gti which i currently do between 10 - 12k a year in. my dilemma being -
As the cougar is only going to return at best 35mpg but realistcaly im probably looking at 30mpg should i go down the route and convert it to LPG? and what are your opinions of LPG?
I would be planning to keep this car a few years until i changed again. any advice is greatly appreciated,
Kind regards,
Mark (escortgti) Read more
If the conversion costs £1200 and you drive 12000 miles per year for say two years (which is how long the government say they will give notice of abolishing the lower duty rate for LPG) you would need to save £0.10 per mile to be in profit. It's already costing 1p per mile, it is unlikely you will save 10p of that. I wouldn't bother on anything apart from a large petrol car such as a Range Rover, BMW 745i, VW Phaeton etc...
I think this is what is causing my squeaky brakes.
How much should a garage charge me to replace the rear disks? (the pads are new - only done last week)
Is it possible to grind down the lip of the disk or is there another alternative?
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it's not the new discs that cause the calipers to sieze but corrosion so if you fit new discs without replacing siezed calipers then the new discs will soon get worn as the caliper pistons stick in the on mode. you may be lucky and your calipers are perfectly ok. jag.
Just been trawling the net for a good value second hand family car and noticed that a brand new Dodge Avenger 2.0SE is available for ....£7995 no strings attached. UK cars and full warranty from a Chrysler/Dodge dealer? Surely they can't be that bad at that price? Read more
Your reason for buying it would be the same as mine - someone else is paying and you do very high mileage. Whatever car you buy won't be worth much after three years and 100,000 miles so get something as new as possible for as little as possible.
Strange, I reckon mine is slightly more economical on V-Power, it costs about 7% more which equates to about a 3 mpg benefit to pay for itself and I dont think it quite achives that though I also think it runs a little more crisply and V-Power should lube the pump etc better.
Unlike my V6 Vectra than was more economical on the old Optimax to the extent that it made it cheaper to run.