March 2009

stratos

Hi, can anyone post details of how to get to and then check / change the diaphragm within the EGR system on a 2001 2.2 HDi.
I have the dreaded ESP/Anti-pollution fault which only comes on every time and i mean every time!!! i use a dual carriage way or motorway and cruise at 70mph.

I have had the ECU faults read by a friend who does my MOT's and the only faults recorded were;
1, Glow Plug Fault
2, Mass Air Flow Sensor Fault
3, Swirl Chamber Fault

The Glow plug fault does not as yet trouble me as the car starts fine even on a cold start and also as they seem to be a bit of a sod to get to, i'll wait for warmer weather to start that one.
The Mass Air Flow Sensor is easy enough to change but,
The EGR system seems to be a nightmare to get at.

On a separate note but may have some kind of connection?? i am having problems with a vibration which i was hoping was the wheels.
I have recently had the crank pulley fail and this reduced some vibration once replaced. I have checked the drive shafts and they appear to be fairly new as they still have the bar coded stickers on them!
I swapped the wheels around front to back and this helped as well so i had all 4 wheels balanced. This proved a pain as i have centre-less wheels! Anyway, all 4 wheels were way out but on checking the car afterwards i was disappointed to find that the vibration was still there albeit a bit better.
Any ideas on what this could be and could this problem have any bearing on the ESP system as its the ESP light that illuminates first before the 'Anti-Pollution light comes on.
The mileage on the car is 180,000 and the fuel consumption is a very disappointing 31MPG

Can anyone help with the above??? Read more

craig-pd130

That's a really useful post, thanks.

Vacuum systems on turbo diesels can be extremely complicated, with lots of opprtunities for leaks from poorly fitted or fraying pipes, not to mention at all the joints with actuators and tee-pieces, etc. ...

sparkyy

I need a little advice. The other day the rev counter on the wife's 51 reg corsa stopped working and the engine electronics warning light came on followed by the emission light, the electronics light then went off. I had a fiddle under the bonnet and the next time i tried it everything was back to normal. We took it for a drive and after about 4 miles it cut out at a junction and the warning lights came on again I got it going and drove home. I tried to start it today and no joy, it sounds like it's trying to start but not quite. Any ideas. Read more

sparkyy

The car's back to normal, a new crankshaft sensor did the trick.

CarlP

Hi all

I'm unable to open my rear driver's door on my C5 hatchback and it's coming up to MOT time, this may be a fail if the tester cannot open the door.
I've had the top half of the panel off so can gain access to central locking unit, check connector is on and pull bar moves when handle is operated.
I'm suspecting that either the unit is not working or the solenoid is at fault as the dead lock is stuck in the bolted position as the door will not open or the solenoid is at fault.

I'm unemployed so costs must be a minimum for me or the car will be off the road due to funds to repair it.

Any ideas on removing the dead bolt manually from the lock with a locked door?

Appreciate anyone's help on this one please Read more

GOLLUM

my n/s/r door wouldnt open with key fob or keys on my c5 hdi vtr 54 plate. disconnected battery,no good,took door panel off and looked ok ,could feel motor clicking when pressing remote,so got a price from citroen garage 195 pounds.started saving up then 3 weeks later it started working on its own. about 5 weeks later o/s/r door did exactly same thing then 1 week later n/s/r did it again so i had no back doors working and looking at a 400 pound bill.someone told me the solenoids are prone to sticking so i took door panel off and with a nylon hammer gave about 4 taps on the motor/solenoid then locked the doors with key fob then opened them again with key fob then using the operating arm that connects the opening handle to the motor pulled it and the door opened.once the door is open you can remove the three bolts that hold the motor in place and give the motor a good spraying of wd40.i did exactly the same thing for the other door and it worked same.they have been fine now for about a month.the garage told me they have to smash them out to put new locks in thats why it costs 400 pounds, it cost me half a can of wd40 and about a hour an half of my time, hope it works for you.the money id started saving to pay the garage was wisely spent in my local pub.

Nomag

A few weeks ago noticed a vibration particularly at speed i.e. 70mph+ in my wifes Octavia 2.0TDi. Thought it odd but don't drive it that much apart from long journeys occasionally. Wife thought all was fine.
This weekend have been to Surrey and back (600 mile round trip). Vibration definitely there intermittently, felt though steering wheel/seat etc. Took until the journey home to establish this was occuring under throttle (use cruise a lot so this masked this).
I had originally thought this could be a tyre/tracking/wheel bearing problem but I now find myself wondering whether this is symptomatic of the beginnning of DMF failure and wonder if anyone could shed any light before I contact the dealership (lease car)?
Apart from the vibration, mainly felt at 70mph + under throttle (mainly cruise at an indicated 80) the car drives normally. There is no vibration at lower speeds. Read more

stanley

Have experienced the same symptoms on my Octavia Ambiente 2055 1.9tdi and have been told that Skoda insurers will need to examine the problem. They are also advising a new clutch and release bearing should be fitted whilst the the gear box is out, even though the car has only covered 25000 miles! I see from another blog that someone with a VG Passat 2.0TDI had a flywheel failure and the clutch renew free of charge ( his car had covered 22000 miles).Have you had your flywheel fixed? What are the details?

Henry
SQ

billmx5

i am having an intermittent starting problem with my mazda mx5 icon.it only happens when the car has been warmed up and running for about 10 minutes.it starts 1st time every morning or if it has been sitting for 1 hour or more.the problem only happens once the car has been running and then parked for about 10 -20 minutes.the car will turn over but wont start or on the odd occasion it will start but appears not to firing on all cylinders but this normally clears after a couple of minutes.I have taken the car to 2 garages but because it is so intermittent they can not find the fault, also no error codes coming up on the computer.Could it possibly be the coil pack if it only happens once it is warmed up?i have tried spraying the cam shaft censor with freeze spray to see if that would make any difference but no joy.what ever the fault is if the car fails to start i leave for an hour or so and will start every time.Any advice would be really appreciated. I do not want go and buy a coil pack at £250 just find out that it is something else.Is there any test i can do to see if it is the coil pack?

header typo corrected Read more

Miniman777

Just as an aside, had a similar no start problem with my 2003 Mx5 1.8 some 7-8 years ago.

Recovery agent felt it was the fuel pump or relay (though what he said was a fuel filter was in fact a breather). Car was recovered to a local garage and they checked fuel, coil packs, plugs and loads of things....

andyp

Hi, a colleague has an auto Focus 2.0 petrol that has now covered 86,000 miles. It has recently started making a droning noise that starts at 30 MPH and gets slightly louder as the speed increases, it seems to be coming from the rear of the car, and probably the OSR. There is no difference if you are going in a straight line or round a bend/corner in either direction. Having passengers in the rear does however make it louder !

My first thought was a rear wheel bearing, but there is no play at either rear wheel, and the OSR wheel bearing was replaced about 18 months ago. Could it still be faulty though ?

Any ideas please. Read more

andyp

Hi, a quick update, it turned out it was the OSR wheel bearing, it came out in a hundred pieces ! Could have been a duff bearing or not fitted properly when it was replaced i suppose !
Anyway, thanks to everyone who replied

hondanightmares

I bought a new Honda CR-V CDTi Sport in March 2005. A third set of front discs was necessary at 36,293 miles (suggesting they only last an average of 18,000 miles) and although Honda had extended the manufacturers warranty because of earlier problems which is still extant, Honda made me pay for the labour. The full story can be seen at {8< snip - although you're not naming/shaming here, you're doing so via the website link you posted; hence the removal}

Although there was a lot about this vehicle that I liked, the number of problems I had made me dispose of it.

I did tow a caravan but this was well within the weight range stipulated by Honda and it is regularly serviced. Whether the fact I towed made any contribution to the brake problem or whether there is an inherent problem I do not know. Similarly, whether the new model has had any improvements made to the brakes I do not know but potential purchasers need to be aware. Read more

pmbbiggsy

Scheduled servicing is paid for 5 years under 'Honda Happiness' - the 3 year brake fluid change was ticked as done on the August 2008 service schedule. I recently changed the very dirty cabin filters myself, only to find that they had also been ticked as being done on the 2007 service schedule.

o_ptic

Hi All,

I know there have been several posts asking for help with a cam belt change but I wanted to be 100% sure of the complexity before starting the job!
I have the 1.5 diesel as opposed to the earlier 1.4 with 73k miles on the clock. The previous owner who had the car from 6 months old and 3k miles assured me that the car was regularly serviced but did not know what a cam belt was or weather it had been changed?
I am a pretty decent DIY?er and actually work for a major OEM in the UK but have always tended to shy away from the diesel cam belt replacements. Having purchased the car this week and found that its actually a reasonable drive whilst being ultra conservative on the fuel I thought it may actually be a long term investment?
I would really love to have a crack at the belt and wondered if any tech?s out there have a step-by-step guide that was more fail safe than the Haynes manual that seems to muddle the 1.4 and 1.5 engines?

I know the cover removal parts etc the things I?m interested (or concerned) with are the 3? Pulley locking procedure, the removal and refitting of the new belt (and should I change the pulleys and/or the water pump) and how is the belt re-tensioned on refit?

Any help would be a great help!

Many thanks, Steve
Read more

659FBE

Steve, The vernier adjusters are very simple, but lots of mechanics get it wrong. They serve two very important purposes - to enable absolutely precise setting of both the pump and cam timing and also to enable the belt to be tensioned correctly without any "locked in" torque from the camshaft or injection pump.

When you peg this engine, you actually peg the wheel hubs, not the wheels themselves. Consequently, if you fit the belt correctly (a Dayco belt has marker lines on it which correspond to the marked teeth on the wheels) the slotted adjusters will be somewhere in the middle of the adjustment range for each. If it isn't, you've got it a tooth out. Remember that the crank TDC belt mark is at 12 O'clock on the crank toothed wheel, so you need to move the crank to check for registration with the belt mark. This is obvious when you actually do it.

The tensioner system is very simple and is an eccentrically mounted wheel. You need the door handle square to set it and make sure you turn it the right way - Haynes is correct here for once.

I bought a belt kit from German Swedish & French which included the tensioner and the idler. The wheels were made by INA and were identical to the ones removed in every respect, including part numbers. They are of excellent quality (VAG please note) and the ones I removed appeared perfect in every way. The water pump was a pattern - no problems but the old one was just beginning to leak. The water pump is hard to get out of the block - there is a trick...

The supplied belt in the kit was a Dayco - my favourite make.

You only need to jack up the front RH side of the car and remove the wheel - there's no need to go right underneath it. Remove the alternator belt tensioner to make a bit more room. The job is straightforward - this engine is very well designed - and 3 hours would be a reasonable estimate if you have not done the job before.

659.

chumiester

hi please can anyone help! i have a passat tdi 05 . it has developed a starting proplem
when you put the key in it says's engine fault . and the glow pluge flashes. it turns over fires up then dies. sometimes it sat's steering colum defect! i have had it pluged in twice and they say there are no fault codes. it say's intermittent starting blocked ecu! please help its driving me mad!!! Read more

dieselnut

Is your car the B6 model where the key fits into a slot on the dash? If so, this could well be caused by an intermittent fault with the electronic steering lock. The lock can be repaired DIY if you are handy with a soldering iron, otherwise it can be an expensive fix requiring a new module. Being a VW, there has been no recall for this common problem & you just have to dig deep into your pocket. You really need a code read to determine exactly what the problem is. Below is a link to an excellent site which explains how the overly complicated system works :-

sites.google.com/site/1810martin/b6-steering-fault

gmacdon

Hi,

I've got a problem with my Audi A3 1.8T - the battery has gone flat and I've traced it down to fuse 37 which is listed as 'engine timing'. Sure enough, remove this fuse and the drain stops but the engine wont start.

Any ideas what on earth could cause this? (or am i off to the dealer?)

(Clue? I had a bluetooth car kit installed 2 weeks ago but its gone dead and due to be replaced next week, but thats on a different fuse. Its also due a service in <100 miles which happens to be the timing belt change)

Thanks for any help,

Gordon Read more

gmacdon

First kit was a Parrot MK9000 and the second is an IO Play.

The 'head engineer' from the installation company is on his way here today to have a look at the job thats been done.

I have a feeling that Halfords would have done a better job that this company i've got. I called Halfords and asked about installing the IO Play in my car and immediately they've picked up on needing an additional adapter cable so they contacted the supplier who hav said that they don't make a cable for the A3 stereo and hence not possible to fit to this car.

Remember, the 'head engineer' is on the way... this will be interesting...