December 2009
Does anyone know what exactly is the difference between these two engines ? there is apparently a " tuning box" you can add to the engine management system of the 140 version to increase its horsepower to 170.
Does that mean all the hardware is identical between the two versions, and the extra power and torque is coming from a simple software change ?
Cheers Read more
hi all this is a strange one,i have a vauxhall vectra(B)sri 2.0l..the car has been running excellent since i bought it a few weeks ago. i got into the car tonight,bearing in mind all the snow we have got. driving down the road and i can hear a small knocking noise coming from the dashboard. earlier when i went out in it i put the traction control on because of the bad snow we have got. just wondering if anybody has any ideas. its not a loud noise,you can just about hear it. all ideas will be appreciated.thanks. Read more
Probably best answered by Mike H or any body who has done the journey in the last 12 hours.
Using the A75 A71 Clermont-Ferand - Orleans - Chartres - Rouen - Calais on Sunday . Does the preesence of the Atlantic /channel moderate the worst of the snowfall cf with the areas furhter East?
I prefer not to think about P&O / Norfolk Line and Kent. I have bookings on both ferry lines and will pick the most appropriate.
Read more
Just reading this thread gives me the shivers. Apparently this cold weather in France has given eurostar all its problems the train then comes into a nice warm tunnel
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
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
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
Read more
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.
Browse
Do you get this noise only when you turn the key to the start position.
If so, sounds like the starter solenoid is chattering due to a low battery.
Can you connect to a trickle battery charger for a few hours or overnight.