March 2011
After ignoring the problem for longer than I should, the timing chain has gone on my corsa and I have been advised by a garage that the valves have probably been damaged meaning it needs a new engine....?
Should I get a brand new vauhall engine or a second hand one...or risk getting a new timing chain fitted and finding out the valves are indeed damaged?!... Read more
Hi
I'm wondering if someone can advise me on the following matter, any help would be much appreciated.... Read more
Hi thanks for taking the time to reply.
Obviously it's not something i've gone into lightly, i realise that driving is a part of their livelihood so it's a massive thing to take it away from them....
Can anyone tell me how much transmission fluid this car takes, I,ve been given a couple of different figures 1.9lt or 3lt....any advice would be appreciated. Read more
Yeah, the oil fills to about 1.5lt before overflowing, wasn't sure if I then had to top up to 1.9 or 2lt.....car is 89' model so shouldn't have to.....but I just have the feeling I should!
Thanks
Not a new problem, according to masses of chatter on websites, but has anyone managed to get Honda to accept the full cost of fitting a new clutch master cylinder to cure this problem? Honda have greased the pedal , re-aligned the cylinder etc, but nothing hasn't worked. My grouse is that Honda have knowingly continued to fit a defective part which makes them liable under the Sale of Goods Act for 6 years from date of manufacture. Read more
Errr- I think you need to revise your knowledge of the Sale of Goods Act-Honda may be the cause of the problem, but you can't touch them with the SOGA. It's the company that sold you the car-the vendor, that is liable in law. If you bought it privately you won't get anywhere with the SOGA unless there was deliberate deception.
My 1998 Fiesta (1.3 Endura-E) has just failed its MOT on emissions:
Fast idle test: CO 0.65% (too high, fail), Lamdba 1.038 (too high, fail), HC 105ppm (pass)... Read more
Lambda high could be an air leak , even in the exhaust system ! this will also make it run richer. Oxy sensors are common but have you tried a real good italian tune up, not just a few miles at higher revs. Check all vacum pipes etc as well.
May be find a really good long incline on a motorway/dual carrige way and make it work really hard to burn off the cat and sensor
hi, i have a puzzle, my car can sometimes smoke from the engine when started, and if i turm it off and wait a minuite and restart, the problem dissapears.have replaced egr valve, and gasket seals within enging, and is costing a lot of money now back and forward to the garage, ran diagnostics no show.not oil leak, and smells like diesel when smoking.the car has no drop in performance either.im worried now but is so intermittent its a problem to diagnose.any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks sandy Read more
What colour is the smoke? If its whitish its unburnt fuel which is common on a cold diesel, doese it eventually go if you don't turn the engine off?
hi the smoke is whitish, i ran it for 10miles and it was still smoking, dont like to go much further as im worried it may break down.sometimes it doesnt smoke at all, but i think its getting more frequent, last week it was really bad and i took it to the garage with smoke coming out it looked like it was coming from the wheel arches and mechanic thought my brakes were stuck on but it was a diesel smell that was the worst iv ever seen it, mechanic now thinks it maybe a valve in the turbo intermittently sticking and resetting when turned off.theres no oil leak and not losing oil either,the car is a great car apart from this problem, but its making me think of changing car....
I will shortly be renewing all belts, idlers and tensioners etc on the engine and understand that it is also advisible to replace the Variator at the same time.
Does anyone know what actually wears out on the Variator and is it possible to refurbish with component parts as it is rather a large chunk of machined metal to throw away? Read more
The variator normally gets quite noisey at idle when worn, makes it sound like a diesel.
I am not aware of any recon units available
I'm thinking of buying a 2007 Vectra 2.8 Estate 58k, but it has 18" alloys and low profile tyres. I carry quite heavy loads long distances in the back. Will these be ok ? or if I buy would I be better changing to 17" or even 16".
This could affect my decision whether or not to buy. Any other comments on this car ? I know it will be expensive to run, MPG, Insurance, Road Tax etc.... Read more
I changed the wheels on my car 17" to 16" - if you do change wheels size consider whether the car's speedo will need to be adjusted, and don't foget to discuss with insurance company.
See site http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html...
Hi backroom, it's been a while!
I'm driving on a forthcoming Sunday from Norwich to Ambleside. Will leave around 7am. Can anyone recomend:... Read more
Fast route - A14 cross country to M6 - Sunday is quiet so Birmingham area shouldn't be a problem.
Scenic Route:...
Bought a renault clio in sept 2010 started having problems with cold starting took it to renault dealership today to put on diagnostic machine came back with allsorts of problems will cost alot to fix, also guy at garage told me the car was brought there in 2006 with a different mileage reading then 102000, todays reading 86912 do i have any legal rights for this and any help on what to do next. be grateful with any help. thanks Read more
Not been back to the garage where i got car from, should i go back?? Have been looking at the mileage checks for the car online and the mileage in 2006 was 98,230 and then in 2007 the registration was changed i guess because of new owner the mileage then was 107,912, 2008 mileage was 119,428, then 2009 was back down to 74,009 from 2006 till now it has failed 4 times, all at different garage i may add! My mot is in 2wks, doesn't look good hey!!
Browse
Almost certain to have damaged the valves. Unless your engine is very high mileage or was poorly cared for servicing-wise, I would expect most garages to take the cylinder head off to see if you can get away with new valves (plus new chain kit of course) or failing that just a new cylinder head before suggesting a whole new engine. Of course, if the engine is worn out then a whole new engine may be the cheapest option, but any secondhand engine is always a gamble. A genuine Vauxhall replacement engine would be more than the car is worth I would guess.