December 2009
A Fiat Panda drove past my house a few minutes ago. As it approached I noticed it had a yellow front plate. Ah, foreign I thought. But then I realised the font and arrangement was typical UK, something like AF04 ABC. So then I thought it just had a rear plate on the front.
However when it had passed I noticed the rear plate had a light blue background. I don't remember ever seeing one like that before.
Does it come from a far flung part of the UK or have some other significance?
(I didn't remember the correct reg so can't use one of the usual sites to see what it should be.) Read more
This is just for advice/info for others, and I suspect also applies to the V70 and S80 of similar vintage.
My S60's indicator stalk was becoming intermittent, so with a guaranteed secondhand part delivered this week, set about the task this morning, with my trusty Haynes manual in tow.
According to the Haynes manual, you have to remove the steering wheel and airbag, itself a convoluted procedure which can easily damage the contact unit if not done correctly. You then remove the column shroud and switches as appropriate.
I could not see any reason for the steering wheel or airbag to be disturbed, and sure enough it doesn't. This makes the whole thing about a four minute job instead of the hour plus if you follow the Haynes instructions! If you want to do this job, all you do is:
Adjust the steering column so the wheel is as close to the driver as possible.
Undo the three Torx screws on the lower column shroud.
Carefully separate the two column halves (they lock together with a series of plastic tabs).
Once the lower column shroud is free from the upper, manouevre it carefully down over the steering lock and pull it towards you to free it from the steering column adjuster lever.
Lift the upper shroud out of the way. It is attached to the bottom of the instrument panel by means of a flexible leather/plastic "gaiter". There is no need to disconnect this, as it has enough slack to allow the shround to be moved out of the way.
Undo the two phillips screws on the relevant switch, and using a thin flat bladed screwdriver, gently prise up the small locking tab , (not mentioned in the manual at all) on the top corner of the switch body nearest the instrument panel. Then simply pull the switch straight off the column. The connector is a multipin jobbie which breaks automatically as the switch is withdrawn.
Refit is a direct reversal of removal, but align the screw holes on the switch first to ensure the multipins line up (you can't see them at all so you have to do this blind. It is typical Volvo though in that everything seems to slot together naturally correctly, but you could in theory line it up wrong and bend the pins.
The most difficult bit of the whole job is ensuring the rubber gaiters on the stalk engage properly with the holes on the column as you refit it. It took a few attempts to get this right.
Hope this proves useful to someone. Turns what Haynes suggest is an hour + job into literally a few minutes.
Now my indicators don't switch themselves off at random! :-)
Cheers
DP
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I have just had the emmisions warning light come on the dash display, the one that looks like a engine symbol. Car runs fine, any ideas anyone before i go to dealer ?
Pastyman.. Read more
When this happened to my wife's Corsa less than 2 miles of a good thrashing in 2nd and 3rd gears cleared the fault and it hasn't returned. Assume it was a slightly dirty plug.
A friend has a Freelander - perfectly horrid thing (the car !). She's had trouble with the transmission and a non-mechanic friend has removed the prop shaft. Are there any safety implications ? Read more
This is none of my business of course - I know none of the parties
involved - but if the person was a friend/acquaintance of mine I'd advise strongly to
get it checked by a mechanic & pay for that professional opinion.
You must have a high regard for the mechanic you use. Very few that I've met would have a clue on an issue like this.
Best place to ask is probably one of the landrover forums - someone there will have done this already. eg. forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=9100
At the time of writing (approx 11.30pm) the temperature here on Merseyside is below 26 * Fahrenheit so I imagine that it will plummet even lower as the night progresses. If I have to drive tomorrow morning at, say, 7.30am (something that I dearly hope will not be necessary) how much allowance will I have to make bearing in mind that my theoretical journey will involve me being on a motorway within a mile of me setting off. The engine will obviously be very cold. Am I likely to do any damage to it by setting off immediately after starting, as recommended, and getting up to 70mph within, say, 2 minutes of moving off. My instinct is to cruise along for a couple of miles before gradually accelerating to cruising speed. Does that approach qualify me as a 'mimser'- bearing in mind that there will almost certainly be very little traffic on my route at that time on a Saturday morning - or just a careful and considerate car owner? Read more
Avant....My computer has been taking over five minutes to get online also until a couple of weeks ago.
I read good reports on Microsoft SecurityEssentials free anti-virus and spyware.
Removed AVG anti-virus and Ad-Aware and installed the above.
Computer now boots up in around one minute. It had to be the removed programmes which were the cause of the problem.
i took this ecu apart earlier this year,its the ecu for the airbag on a fiat and i bought the car with the airbag light flashing,turns out someone had stolen the one out of my car and replaced it with a used one
if you look at the photo attached you can see where the ball bearing is loaded and held with the spring until the the car hits something solid that makes the ball move forward and complete the circuit that sends the small electrical current to detonate the airbag
not sure why it needs all the gizmoes on the board though
tinyurl.com/y9trxzu Read more
You need a better camera !
Hi,
Is it unusual for a radiator fan to seize? My Boxster is 2.5 years old, well maintained by the dealership and used daily. Do you think it is a wearable part or was it a manufacturers fault?
Thanks Read more
Fan is a non-servicable part. Quality of some of the parts on these Boxters is not fantastic, they are alright, but no better made than say a Polo. Bit unlucky to have it sieze but not a lot you can do other than replace it and moan to the dealer for a goodwiil payment or at least trade price.
Hi. I think I have a slight problem with my 05 Focus 1.6 zetec (100BHP). When the engine is cold it hesitates on acceleration at low revs/speed 1800rpm 20 to 30mph 2nd and 3rd gear. 1/4 throttle. Once warmed up this does occur a little but not as much and only when the vehicle is on a slight gradient. As if the engine is under more load. If the revs are higher 2500rpm it pulls away no problem. It has a new air filter and plugs (Bosch gap set to 1.2mm). The exhaust seems a little throaty. This has been checked and no blows were found.
Anyone with similar, is it a characteristic of the vehicle? Read more
Thanks Rattle the car is going into the dealer I bought it from tomorrow. Won't be suprised though if they say nothing is wrong. The hesitation is minor and I put some 97 U/L petrol in yesterday and things improved slighlty.
Hello fellow dirty fingernail men,
My daughter's 100bhp diesel Passat has done 113k miles and been trouble free. I heard a different engine noise last week and suspected the alternator bearings or the PAS pump. Her garage confirmed it was the clutch drive on the front of the alternator and replaced it. The old one could not be turned by hand after being removed. Result happiness ??- not quite.
Just been on a 400 mile motorway run in it and it performed well, as usual but at exactly 1500 rpm there is now a booming noise from the engine bay.Not alarmingly loud but quite noticeable and just at 1500 rpm - not 1400 or 1600. Change down or increase revs and it disappears totally. I dont think it was there before the alternator was changed.
Its almost a "harmonic balance " thing - bit like when you can get pipe hammer in your house copper central heating pipes at certain water pressure/flows.
She's not even aware of it (and I wont tell her) and I suppose it may disappear in time when a drive belt or something settles down but I would like to further my education if anybody has any ideas.
Thanks for listening/any advice and a Happy Christmas
Mike
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I had the same problem on 53 Passat tdi. I used a cable tie to hold the duct in place (looped the cable tie through the headlight bracket). I also found wear on the wiring loom where it had been rubbing on the air duct. Used self amalgamating rubber tape / electical tape to protect the loom from further damage.
Was at lights and a 58 reg Prius was in front of me puffing away due to the cold weather. Correct me if I am wrong but they I thought they used stop start and didn't use the engine at low speeds? Read more
I'm fairly certain the Honda IMA doesn't have a "battery only" mode.>>
You're right Bagpuss - We had three of these in work one after another >>
Aha!
Browse
Fully deserving of a fixed penalty just like all these morons with their front fogs on. I remember the police clamping down on that a while ago. Wish they'd do it again after a couple of fines maybe these idiots would think twice - same goes for badly displayed plates