May 2010
I have a Y reg. MK2 Mondeo Zetec-S. My speedo drops to zero after about 4 miles of driving, it then resumes normal operation after about another mile. The mileometer also stops, the car loses a little bit of power, and the volume of the radio suddenly drops.
My fuel warning light is NOT affected, and nor is the rev counter. Also, it is not an intermittent problem (i.e. probably not a loose or poor electrical or mechanical connection) because it happens JUST ONCE on every journey from cold, and always after about 4 miles of driving.
Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks. Read more
Hi.
My other half's airbag light has come on and won't extinguish on this car. There's no seat sensors and it has a switchable on/off lock using the door key but even switching it off does extinguish the light. There is a label in the glovebox indicating the gas generator needs refilling or replacing before Oct 2010 but i've never heard of this being done.... Read more
hi we had this problem on my wifes punto a few months ago. tried reading the diagnostic codes but there was no codes stored. a web search brought up known problems with the wiring to the passenger airbag. this wiring runs above the glovebox with i think a connector somewhere near that glovebox. fiat said sometimes shutting the glovebox hard can cause the light to come on. it could be as simple as the connector has worked loose. but i was told that only fiat could turn off the airbag light.
so rang the local fiat garage up, knew straight away what i was talking about and would cost, if i remember rightly about £80.00. car booked in job done £80.00 lighter but at least the light is now off and hopefully the airbag is ok if ever it is needed.
I have a 2002 golf 1.6 16V SE which for the last year has had an intermittent starting problem. Working with my local independent garage and following the codes so far they have replaced (at different times) the lambda probes; the temp sensor and the crank shaft sensor. However the problem remains and the codes coming up (injector cylinders 1-4; purge valve; o2 sensor) apparently seem unlikely considering what has already been replaced.
I am now in a dilemma about how to progress with this having spent quite a lot of money and time - not to mention being stuck in various locations with small kids, on the problem. I have contacted my local vw garage who when pressed said that they could look at it (this would cost around £100+vat) and if at worst it was the ecu it would cost around £1000 to fix. To be honest I would be happy to pay this if I was convinced it would resolve it once and for all but there seems no guarantee of this and they do not seem too interested in helping. ... Read more
Hi guys,
I've been scouring the forums for help with mine, which seemed to fit the same description as this thread. I have a VW Bora 03 plate 1.9TDI. Had this intermittant starting problem also. After 7 months of replacing;...
I think I have narrowed down my buying choice between the Nissan Note and Mazda.
What I am looking for in a car; 1) Reliability 2) Safety 3) Fuel Economy 4) Not Very expensive servicing and parts.... Read more
From JH's car by car review:-
"2000-2001 petrol models were average for breakdowns and faults but poor for problems; 2001-2003 petrol models were average for breakdowns but poor for problems and faults in 2003 Which survey. "...
Hi
can anyone confirm whether the door mirror housing on the CC is the same as the hatch or indeed estate 206? I've been daft figures for a replacement, and told it's unique by one spares place.
I'm after the black plastic housing - i have the colour coded bit on the top and the glass is intact. Don't know about the electrics, but one thing at a time.
Thanks Read more
And 14 years later Kev Wades in.. LOL. Mekon you are both right and wrong depending on your DIY skills. I have fitted electrical foldable 206gti180 mirrors to my 206cc. The mirror and housing are the same, however the bases of the mirror that joins to the car is different due to the rake of windscreen. However the union (where the two halves join) is the same, so you can just swap it over (a bit of fiddling with taking the connector off - takes photos and notes beforehand). I added a switch for the fold mechanism as the loom already supported the function. Job done
Hi,
I had a C5 2.0 HDi go for a 100,000 service (at a Citroen authorised garage), during which the timing belt was replaced. On the first significant journey, I noticed the vehicle performed oddly (while accelerating), and with not as much power as usual, but put this initially down to not having used it for a while and perhaps a bit of water in the fuel. (In hindsight, this is clearly crazy. Suffice to say that I now know much more about a HDi engine than I did a few months ago.) I also noticed the turbo didn't engage, and the cruise control didn't work. I continued my journey, but after 700 miles, the vehicle suffered another problem which lead me to call out the RAC.
I had booked the vehicle in back at the servicing garage to be looked at when I returned, but it didn't get that far.
It was taken to another Citroen garage who found the timing to be incorrect (about a tooth out; the timing pin wouldn't go in, though which way and on what gearwheel I don't know). The Lexia said there was a "synchronisation problem". Unfortunately they removed the belt in order to further investigate the cause, which they did not find. They did find a couple of failed rockers on cylinders 2 & 3. The other garage confirmed the water pump bearing had not failed, nor tensioner bearing.
Having transported the vehicle back to the Citroen garage that carried out the service, at their request, they are refusing to take any responsibility, and, as the belt is now removed, they refuse to believe it was in the wrong place anyway.
A consultant engineer suggested the most likely cause was the tensioner being set incorrectly, and the belt having jumped.
The servicing garage said they would have fixed it if they vehicle had been presented with the belt on, and the timing off. That indicates they would have warranted this work if it wasn't for the fact they don't believe the timing was off.
Given the belt has been removed, I think it's unlikely I'll get this resolved without cost to myself. Hence the following question:
The consultant engineer suggested, sometimes, if the vehicle timing is corrected, and the rockers are replaced, often the vehicle will be "fine". (Obviously I'll have that nagging doubt hanging over me for quite a while, but there's the chance it'll be okay.) Is that a reasonable course of action? Or is it far more likely that there'll be lots of other internal damage, which would require a full rebuild? The former work I've had quoted for around £ 550, which is potentially something I can contemplate. But the latter comes in at £ 1,800+, which I can not.
Couple of other things...
The lack of turbo ties in with a lack of power so that seems consistent.
But the Lexia saying a synchronisation problem indicates the vehicle itself knew there was a problem - wouldn't this have caused the STOP light to come on (which it did not)?
And wouldn't this have been checked by the servicing garage too?
The servicing garage also says they find it strange that cylinder 2 & 3 rockers failed, not 1 & 3 or 2 & 4. To me that's just chance that these rockers randomly failed first due to stress, which could happen in any order, but is there a good reason to think this strange?
Is it at all possible that the timing belt didn't jump due to the tensioner? Could it be that the servicing garage replaced it, and didn't time it up correctly in the first place? (I've seen the kits they use to replace belts, and they seem to have pins that would make an incorrect fitting impossible. But could they have missed something somehow?)
Thanks and appreciate your advice.
denty. Read more
I think this engine is the same as the Peugeot engine. Rocker breaking has been mentioned before. ie The timing is out (or goes out) pistons hit valves and rockers break (as the valves are vertical rather than inclined, much better than the valves bending). Seems like it wasn't done properly first time round. As you say you won't be going back! Hope you find a good alternative garage.
I recently had a leaking hose repaired by the AA after my coolant warning light came on. He also told me that my radiator was staying cold even after several minutes' revving the engine at 2000rpm. The temperature gauge reaches normal and stays there (I've never noticed it above normal in 2 years' ownership) so I don't think the sensor is an issue.
He advised that I get the thermostat replaced as it was not opening up to start the radiator. I've also been advised that as long as the engine isn't overheating there's no problem. I've no intention of fixing this myself, I'd just like to get the right parts and take to a garage sounding like I know what I'm talking about so I don't get ripped off (always a risk, being a girl!)... Read more
The PD diesel engine is so efficient that it does not produce enough heat to open the thermostat unless the engine is under load. Off load, the heater matrix provides sufficient cooling.
I would suggest that there is nothing at all wrong with this engine. Try feeling the return hose from the radiator after a spell of hard driving (uphill in a low gear is a good test) by which time it should be warm. It's unlikely ever to be hot....
OK, another thread says nothing is happening here, so I started a thread on Electric cars since there's a lot of buzz in the motoring press about them at the moment.
My view is that battery electric vehicles do have a bright future as a niche product - small urban electric cars and vans where range is not an important factor. ... Read more
So, if we had massively improved batteries which don't rely on rare minerals (which we don't) and an endless supply of neodymium electric motors (which we don't) we still have a bit of a problem - how do we charge them?
A household power supply will not deliver enough energy to charge a super-duper battery with enough charge to give the vehicle a decent range within a 12 hour charging cycle. 3kw, which is what you can draw from a 13Amp socket, converted to kilowatt hours worth of charge and then into good old fashioned horsepower is just over 1 horsepower (for an hour's) worth of energy per hour in old money, of course that energy has to make it to the wheels - motors aren't that efficient. Even if you used a 30 amp supply the "energy transferred" figures still don't look good. Are we going to upgrade every household to 440v three phase power supplies? Our electricity infrastructure is already on its knees as it is. If 30% of households started drawing a constant 3Kw let alone 5 or 10Kws, the national grid would trip and shut down!
Electric cars are not the solution.
Hi, my van has been slowly losing power at low revs until this weekend it totally lost power at a hill start. Limped up and over hill with foot flat at less than walking pace and black smoke pouring out exhaust. Not been that bad since, but very low on power and leaking diesel somewhere in engine bay when parked (stops after a while). Dripping/running off front crossmember. Coincidentally (?) speedo stopped working recently too (suspect faulty/dirty gearbox sensor?) In neutral, with foot flat it doesn't get past 3000ish and has a muted stuttering sound. Sounds like some kind of starvation? fuel/air? Can hear turbo whistle, so assume it's fine? Please help - need van for work and dealer here is useless! Thanks, mark Read more
Hi, not sure what the technical term is but basically the handle that you lift on the top of the passenger seat has failed. You lift the handle and It is some sort of metal wire that runs down to the bottom of the chair to spring it forward. There seems to be some fault in this mechanism. Any one any advice or experience on how to sort this out? Any help much appreciated Thanks Read more
Hi there, just checking if you fixed this ok? and if so how, as I have the same fault? Did you need to get a new wire, and if so where from? many thanks in advance.
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Thank you for the reply.