February 2011
My wife has a Mk2 Galaxy, 2.3 manual petrol, 73000 miles, which is driving her crazy due to a believed immobiliser issue. As follows:-
Put key in ignition, turn, all dash lights etc come on as normal, wait a couple of seconds and turn to start........normally it starts just fine....but then....sometimes it doesn't. Aaargh a an intermittent electrical type fault - nightmare!... Read more
When I put the engine under load, ie accelerate hard to overtake, the glow light comes on and the engine still runs but with reduced power. When I stop the car, turn off the engine, then restart, it appears to reset and all is ok until the next time I put it under load. I would be very grateful for any advice.
Cheers Colinf... Read more
If you do a search on this site you will find detailed descriptions on the subject.
To increase the power on the diesel engines provided to Jaguar/Ford they changed from a vacuum actuator to a electronic unit matched to a garret turbo,these units are supplied as one piece as they have to be calibrated together failure to do so causes the turbo to run out of sync.Fords/Jaguar charge mega bucks for the replacement unit they are actually available at around £675+vat and take around 4hours to remove the old unit and replace the new one.The reason the actuator fails is through to much heat it bakes itself there are companies around that say they will supply just the actuator but you then need to calibrated it to your turbo.The Jaguar/Ford diesel engines when they have done a reasonable mileage need the EGR valve and inlet manifold removing and thouroughly cleaning failure to do this normally manifests itself as a poor running engine or a blown turbo. ...
Hi,
Having recently moved out to the sticks, my city car isn't coping too well with the bumpy potholed roads so I've been looking for a replacement. ... Read more
I see... What would you recommend, then ?
The heating/AC blower on this stopped working and the dashboard display simultaneously started showing a temperature of -36 degC, or " --- degC", and the ice symbol.
I would assume that the air temperature thermistor/IAT sensor has gone out-of-limits or become disconnected, and that this is stopping the fan working.... Read more
I did a battery reset previously, just forgot to mention it.
However one thing I did not know about is the two underside multi plugs you advised to check as they were covered by a white protective panel. One of them might have been loose.
Fan and environmental temperature sensor work fine now.
Thanks for you help.
I have a 1999 ford focus 1.8 petrol I put in aprox 16 litres of petrol and got 80 miles of mainly (90%) driving on motorways at aprox 60 mph seems a bit heavy. Car is well maintained, tyre pressure correct and I drive as light footed as possible and drive in very light traffic. What do you think? Read more
If fuel consumption is of serious concern to you, I would seriously think about getting a diesel next time.
Leaves blocked plenum chamber drain and water ingress caused £1300 damage to a ECU (I think!) under passenger footwell. Now no MMI functions working at all. I've never been notified of a known problem by Lancaster Audi, where I bought the car from new. Last service was September 2009 and not yet due for next service. They say that they have no responsibilty for this damage as I've had the car serviced the last 2 occasions at an independant Audi garage. They have inspected the car and agree the damage is as a result of a blocked plenum drain, but that this is due to poor service. My argument is that they can have no idea when the leaves started to block the drain as there is such a long time between services. I also feel this is an inherent design fault.
Has anyone had any success in getting help with this problem? There has been an American class action regarding this and VAG agreed to settle the case. Is there a UK case going on? Any advice would be appreciated!... Read more
Hi, I need help with this issue. I've got a 2005 A6 C6 saloon and I have water in the passenger footwell, found this morning. I thought a window had been left open but when I got to work I noticed water leaking down the right hand side of the footwell and after readin the forums it seems it is coming from the sill inside the engine.
I read a lot of posts about removing the battery but this is in the boot?!? What needs to be done to get to resolve the problem. Where are the plugs and how do I get to them.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Ben.
Just bought a1999 ford focus which is a fine car a part from one problem when I come to a stop the revs shut up to 2000rpm then comes down to 1300rpm then finally 900rpm the problem seems worse when I brake could it be a vacuum leak? I've cleaned the iacv which seemed to make matters slightly worse I can't hear any hissing from the manifold area may check the tps when it's a bit dryer cheers Read more
i have the same problem with my 1.6 zetec but if i press the brake a few times it revs up can anyone help me
Hi, my driving license is due for renewal in April , do they send you a reminder or do you have to do everything by yourself???
The DVLA website seems a bit vague.... Read more
If you have one of the new biometric (think that's right) passports, then the DVLA can use the picture from that, it's is retained somewhere in the bowels of a government dept.
Not that it's automatic features have ever been used during my many trips in and out of UK, it is always checked by a guardian of law and order who insists it has to be removed from its cover.
I’ve recently been on a speed awareness course and there was one specific point mentioned that I’m unsure how reliable it is. It is related to the use of 3 rd gear as being the best gear to use when driving on a 30 mph limit road.
Apparently, it is usual for motorists to rush into 4 th gear, and trundle along at a little over idle engine speed , whereas it would be better to change down to 3 rd and drive at higher engine revs. The instructor added that at just over idle speed not all the fuel in the engine is used, so is wasted, however at say 1800 - 2000 rpm all the fuel is used, thus avoiding wastage. ... Read more
I still consider the person in front poodling along at 29.95 mph is more of a nuisance / danger than the person driving at 32 - 33 - 34 .... speed in itself is not a problem, inappropriate speed is the problem.
I have had a diagnosis of a broken piston ring on one cylinder of my 2002 Ford Fiesta mk6 with a mileage of 52000. I have been advised by the garage that they recommend replacing the piston rings at a cost of 1000 GBP (600 labour, 400 parts). This is assuming the cylinder hole has not been damaged. Firstly what is likelihood of the cylinder hole being damaged from the piston ring breakage and how much would it typically cost to get this resolved? Could you also advise as to whether you consider this the best course of action or would you recommend replacing the engine with a reconditioned one? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Read more
Swap the engine, its basically a zetec motor rebadged with different manifolds. the have a habit of gaining end float in the crankshaft. this kind of movement can almost certainly cause major piston faults. Ypou shouldnt have any problems picking up a decent second hand motor and a competent mechanic will swap it in a day.
Browse
I just had my 99 2.3 galaxy cut out on me while drivin up the motorway, pulled over and failed to start with the immobiliser light flashing. RAC came out to me and managed to get it started by putting a short in from the battery live to the air flow meter. Apparently by passing the said faulty relay. I don't know if you could leave the short in safely to overcome the problem in the long term.
Just to note In the last few weeks I have had trouble starting and a slight judder when drivin as if it was cutting and coming straight back in, tho before it cut out I'd driven 500 miles without a glitch