January 2009
Hi
I am at my wits end. When I start engine all dials go up to maximum then settle, car drives ok (although sometimes revs high for mile or so ) then at any time speedo stops working and when slowing down car will stop- it will start straight away with no problem but can be dangerous as loose power steering etc. Have had diagnostic check twice but no faults coming up!!! Can anyone give any clues as its costing a lot of money with no results Read more
hi
my drivers door speaker has stopped working any ideas???? Read more
Also check balance/fader settings on the stereo - in case someone else has altered them.
Hi all,
my ABS light and taction light have been on for some time.... in very cold weather sometime it goes off but but only for a second or two.
I took the motor today to my local indepant garage and they plugged her in to the computer... it spat out 2 faults
31 Speed Senor Front Right Suspension
32 Speed Senor Rear Right Suspension
(I'm in prague....so comm's is a little difficult, but the guy gave me the print out)
He also said it was not possible to clear the problems.
When we say right I mean right as you sit in the car...
I got the car home.. now the most simply test I know for an ABS sensor is to check if they are Open Circuit or not...
Checked the front right... open circuit.. happy days
Checked the rear right... open circuit.. happy days think I'm tracking down the problem.. just to be safe check the left side..
Front and Rear Open circuit.. okay.. now I'm mega confused... I know how to use a meter fine.. checked the meter is working etc... dunno.. not a clue..
I thought that the speedo also worked off the rear sensors? everything else works fine on the car accept the ABS/Traction (and of course the cruise control)
SO... has anyone had 4 x sensors go duff in one go? am I doing something STUPIDLY wrong?
I'm tempted to call the local dealer - (I presume that's how you meant to spell it?)tomorrow and have her checked there too....
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Okay, did some more digging and it appears that I needed to actually read the Ohms not use the open or closed function on the Fluke.
I chose to measure the reading from main plug on the ABS block to save pulling the wheels off etc (this would also give me a good indication that the wiring to the block was good)
Right Front Pins 15 & 16 = Open
Left Front Pins 12 & 28 = 18.65Mohms
Right Rear Pins 30 & 31 = Open
Left Rear Pins 13 & 29 = 19.01Mohms
This test has confirmed to me that the two sensors are duff.....as indicated by the garage OBDII computer. I plan to order two news ones asap.
Also worth noting... the Speedo gets her signal from the rear left sensor hence why it still appears to working even thou the ABS is playing up.
I will come back once I have new sensors with some closure to the thread.
When the ignition is turned on, the display for the digital clock and temperature seems blank, but if viewed in bright sunlight can be seen to be showing the correct information.
I'm assuming the display should be backlit by a small bulb and that this has failed. I would be grateful if someone could tell me how to get at this to change it. Read more
In my case it was clearly poor contacts. Both bulbs worked most of the time, and AFAIK they were both original.
I've been riding bikes for 45 years now and currently ride:
1999 R1, my commuter bike that does 100 miles a day and is showing 67,000 miles
2005 Kawasaki ZX6R, showing 21,000 miles
2007 Kawasaki ZX10R, showing 4,000 miles
Clearly I like sports bikes, but what other bikes do forum members have? Read more
My first bike was in fact a scooter ? an old Lambretta that I brought in fifth form in anticipation of my 16th birthday. The details are lost in the mists of time. It scared me somewhat ? with the benefit of hindsight I realise it was totally worn out. After a few hundred miles it broke down and I sold it to someone a couple of years older. He rebuilt the mechanics and re-sprayed it ? but it took him a year.
After that I got a brand new Honda sports moped ? an SS50. This was a lot of fun (faster than the Lambretta) apart from the tendency of the tyres to let go on a damp surface ? it sent me down the road three times. Unfortunately it did not live up to Honda?s legendary reliability and has to go back to the main dealer (as a non-runner) four times. When it broke down again after the warranty expired I gave up on it and decided to get a real motorcycle. An older person (well 35?ish seems old when you are 17) brought it (as a non-runner) for a winter run-around to save his 650 from the salt. I warned him about the tyres but he told me that he knew what he was doing. Two weeks after he got it going (something had sheared in the engine) he dropped it on a damp road, breaking his arm in the process, and wrote it off.
My third and last bike was an old Triumph T20B Super Cub. What a revelation. It was easier to ride than the Honda with more power and torque, and decent grip on damp/wet roads. Fuel consumption was better as well. They had a reputation for unreliability but it never let me down although there were a few niggles along the way. At 19y 4m I passed my car test and got a succession of old bangers.
Over the years I have fancied another bike a number of times. In the end I decided to go for the Direct Access route last year but an accident before, which resulted in a badly broken leg, meant I had to cancel. I still fancy a bike but friends tell me I am mad. Maybe one day?
FYI, a tabloid today is running a prominent story comparing diesel costs with petrol costs when buying and owning a car.
The article highlights the extra purchase price, repair bills and takes several cars and points out that, for example, at 10,000 miles per year it would take 24 years miles to break even for the additional cost of diesel over petrol, etc, etc.
I mention it as the article is prominent in a mass market paper and will no doubt be a wake-up call to many car owners.
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Can you explain what you mean by character DP ?
In essence I find many of them flat, over-silenced and lifeless. They sound and pull the same at 6k as they do at 4k, throttle mapping seems to knock the response out of them in favour of smoothness, and there's just no joy to be had from working them hard. The rev counter might red line at 6.5k but really it's pointless going there.
In use, and from inside the cabin, the noise levels of diesel and petrol engines are largely indistinguishable to most people, and that as far as I am concerned is the end of petrol's big advantage. I hate the sound of a diesel engine, but now I no longer have to put up with it unless I'm ticking over with the window down. Otherwise I have a gutsy, responsive engine that shrugs off my NCAP weighted bodyshell and the four big geezers riding passenger in a way that an equivalent petrol engine simply wouldn't.
Hope that makes at least some sense. :-)
Cheers
DP
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Keep it tie related in there !
Any thoughts about architectural salvage places ?
A friend got a tile she was short of (!) for her bathroom by placing a Wanted ad on E-bay.
Watching this on TV, want to describe a scenario.
Police following a newish Honda Civic driven by a young bloke. Driving carefully but the plate is coming up as "Not found" on the computer. They suspect the car is stolen, especially as it was just reported for bilking.
They flick the lights on and as he pulls onto the hard shoulder they pull in front and stamp the brakes on. He nearly goes into the back of them. Before the car's stopped the policeman's out and running over to the car, reaches in and pulls out the keys and then tries to pull the driver out while screaming "You're under arrest" etc.
Driver somewhat surprised by this, gives the policeman a shove back. Bearing in mind this is on the hard shoulder the policeman is a bit scared and gets even more abusive, dragging him out while putting him in an armlock. Escorted and elbowed into the police car.
Turns out it's a clerical error and on top of that, the petrol station was lying. His card wouldn't work in their machine, so he left the card, his name, and address and promised to come back. Barely out of the place when they called the police.
He's a bit upset and even more so when the police dole out a £30 penalty. No apology. Am I missing something here? I'd have been demanding a copy of the tape and making a formal complaint.
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When did the bobby turn into the slobby? Really interesting article in today's Teleg, and see the website for all the reaction, much of it from both serving and ex-coppers.
Hey all,
My Astra, W reg has not long had both its radiator and water pump replaced, yet two weeks after having the pump fitted, the water/coolant had gone down to about 3/4 of an inch full.
I'm getting a bit annoyed now as its getting too expensive to run if it keeps having these issues.
There is no gunk under the oil cap so I'm thinking and hoping its not the head gasket, but I have noticed some water coming out of the exhaust (trickling), not sure if that's normal/relevant or not.
I need some advice really, so I can return to my local mechanic armed with some info.
Any recommendations on things to suggest or ideas of what it could be?
Thanks. Read more
Why did the rad and WP get changed?, did you see leaks from them?. Did you put newspaer under car overnight to see if leaks were present?.
Someone is just guessing and taking a round about route to the problem, ( which is a nice earner) which is most likley the HG all along .
Check for leaks overnight before plunging into the HG chnage which will be expensive.
Coolant cannot just vanish- it can go into steam of course.
My car has just failed its mot becuase the fron cross member has corrosion and need to be replaced. The car is quoting me £800 for the job. Does anyone know if this is a good price or not.
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That seems way too much. I would have said £200-£300
The part is around £40. I replaced one on our 98 Micra.
It is quite a job. It took me a couple of days but it was my first time.
There are some spot-welds that need drilling out. I did not weld it back on as there are several large bolts attaching it to the chassis.
A few pics
www.photobox.co.uk/album/28638068
I painted in black stone-chip paint rather than the original colour as it can't really be seen, being behind the bumper.
Ring around some local body shops for better quotes. It is a very common problem on the Micra.
Browse
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Thanks for that am going to try battery first although have been told it ok. If it is vss shouldnt that have come up on diagnostic check ? Will have to use process of elimination .