February 2012
My errants sons girlfriends Fiesta's flashers need a new relay (or so she has been told !).
Can someone PLEASE help me identify it, like a relay number or position on the board ?... Read more
Over the last week I've had issues getting my car started. Its a 2004 320D tourer on 154000 miles.
When you turn the ignition to position 2 the Engine Warning/MIL light doesn't come on, neither does the oil pressure light and the temperature gauge goes all the way into the red and there is no sound from fuel pump. It will crank fine like this but show no signs of firing. I can get it to start eventually by turning ignition on and off until all lights etc come on the dash as normal, you can then hear the fuel pump working but takes a long time to build pressure - around 13 seconds. It will then fire up and run normally. After a reasonable legth drive (50 miles to work) it will restart no problem, fuel pressure builds in 5 seconds and pump sounds much stronger.
After reading various threads with similar issues I've replaced the fuel pump relay and this made no difference, I'm not inclined to spend £170 or so on a pump just yet as people who have gone this route seem to continue to have problems and I get the feeling its more of an electrical issue i.e. signal to/from ecu or instrument pack etc.
Has anyone found the root cause of this issue?
Thanks in advance. Read more
Early models of E46 3 series suffered problems with erratic ignition switches leading to a non start condition and warning light/dash failure.I wonder if you have the same fault.The part is cheap,around £35 from dealer and about 30 mins to fit.hth
Hello, I'm posting because I've reached the end of my tether with my 02 1.8 Focus.
In the last month I've changed the battery, had 2 new alternators and had a wiring loom replaced.... Read more
Given that I've had the alternator replaced twice, I'm assuming that the new (120 amp) one is on the way out too. I'm spending a fortune trying to find out the cause, so if anyone has any ideas I would be very grateful.
I'm betting there's a bad earth somewhere in the car. That explains the flickering dash, and it could also explain the dying alternators....
I currently have a Mondeo TDCi. This is my second Diesel mondeo, and will be my last. I have been a fan of the blue oval for many years, and my best car to date was my ST200.
I need a diesel car for commuting (or a car on LPG) . I have been looking at Mazda 6's (due to price) and was wondering if they are a reliable car?... Read more
I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a reliable and affordable diesel.
Does anyone know if the 2.5 TDI V6 in the passat is any good?...
Hi everyone, I'm just getting to grips with the forum and would like to know how many of you use biodiesel in your vehicles?
I have a 1991 Land Rover Defender 110 with the naturally aspirated diesel engine fitted, and have so far clocked up 7000 trouble free miles using my own home-made biodiesel.... Read more
Higher cetane means it burns quicker, so less energy is wasted as half-burnt reek going out the exhaust valve...
Higher cetane causes it to ignite more quickly. But the flame itself is diffusion controlled and the combustion duration depends on the injection pattern and the motion of air-nothing to do with centane....
right so the deal is some old biddy didn't see me today how i don't know i'm big enough but anyway ran into me and pretty much killed my car although drivable there is some substantial damage to drivers side and all my air bags went off quoted £1000 for body work alone nevermind air bags with insurance companies writing off cars willy nilly i don't hold much hope for them repairing mine which is pretty heart breaking for me i paid half when bought 2 years ago and the rest was on finance now i know the insurance will pay my finance but what about all the early repayment fees?!? for what i have left to pay on finance plus fees i'm litrally going to have nothing and i can't be without a car for uni, work and other commitments. the accident wasn't my fault and other party took full liability is there any way around the early repayment fees i'd rather carry on paying the monthly payments and just recieve the full payment from the insurance company but no idea if they'll let me (its with black horse) any info on all this would be appreciated i'm only a student and didn't expect to be bumped on my way to uni this morning and havn't got money to be splashin out thanks to someone elses mistake, thanks in advance Read more
As Tony says, cashing the cheque is seen as acceptance of the offer. Indeed, it would not surprise me if this was not laid out in black and white in the policy small print.
Insurance is meant to cover the 'value' of the car and to put you in the position you were in just before the loss.
I am currently looking to buy an Octavia Estate to ship my young family out. It seems there are some pretty attractive deals around for the "ex-demo" 1.6MPI version, especially when I compare it with new 1.4TSI. I believe that one reason is that the MPI is an engine that has been phased out of late. Some reports seem to suggest that the 1.6 version lacks oomph, while HJ's comments suggest that the 1.6TDi CR is not the answer due to its engine problems. Can anyone out there give me any advice? Read more
Yes you're right it's old technology, less less powerful than the TSI but simpler and given recent reports on the TSI engine, maybe a better long term bet. Only way is to test it's fit for your needs. Also worth checking out new ones at drivethedeal for 20% off to make sure you're not paying over the odds for a demo car.
Hi
The EML came on in my car making it run lumpy hesitant and misfiring, after checking it read faults code for the MAF Sensor.
After talking to my local garage I replaced the ECU, Coil Pack and MAF,
The car ran fine for about two days, then it started to cough, misfire and lose power, flat as a pancake. After a while the EML reappeared.
A compression test and fuel pressure test were both fine.
I have since disconnected the Lambda Sensor and Knock sensor making no difference to the performance at all. Please any help and advice would be very much appreciated !!
Read more
What code did you get when you had it checked ? Was it P1555 by any chance ? This code can in some cases (depending on the diagnostic equipment used) point towards the MAF sensor, but in fact is caused by the throttle body air bypass port being blocked which in turn gives a false reading at the MAF (hence the trouble code).
What usually fixes the problem (well it did on my identical Vectra) is cleaning out the throttle body.
Take the throttle body off, get some carb cleaner (or use petrol and a cloth) and clean the carbonised gunk from the body above and below the butterfly flap.
Also a common problem is the idle air by-pass port gets blocked up (like this one was). When you take the throttle body off, you'll have a small bore rubber hose going from the rocker cover to the lower right hand side of the body onto a small brass stub. This allows air to by-pass the butterfly when on idle and it gets blocked easily as condensation builds up in the hose and dries / hardens, causing the blockage. I used a small straight pick tool (you could use a thin, strong steel wire or 2~3mm drill bit) and cleared it out by working it through the crud in the stub. Give it a blow out with compressed air and spray some carb cleaner down it to make sure its clear.
Bolt it all back together, check the fault codes and clear them and roadtest. If it was the same as mine, all should be OK with no hunting and the emissions light should stay OFF.
All the best,
Graham.
Guys
I installed 3 LED bulbs to replace the lousy Toyota bulbs in the overhead courtesy light box (including the map reading lights) and seem to have blown a fuse (I stupidly tried to fit the bulbs with the switches still in on position). The handbook on this car is frankly rubbish with guidance on changing a fuse spread over 3+ pages in different sections which is really confusing!! Can some kind soul point me to the correct fusebox please (are there 5 in this car???) and how to access the fuse? Handbook suggests the correct fuse is under the dash down to the right hand side of the steering wheel (RHD car) but I can't see a fusebox just a black plastic tag that may be hiding something else and I'm reluctant to do anything for fear of doing any damage. Also, I may have to draft in a limbo dancer if that's where the fusebox actually is!!
Incidentally, since blowing the fuse (if that's what I've done) the clock has defaulted to 12:00 and the rev counter/fuel and temp gauges are resting in odd positions only when ignition is swtiched off. Is this because a separate circuit has been interrupted?
Many thanks in anticipation! Read more
If it's of any help to others I got an Auto Spark to change the fuse which was located in a junction box next to the steering column (very inaccessible!). He also changed a fuse for the rear lighting array after I tried, unsuccessfully, to change a blown tail light. My point is, the once simple matter of changing bulbs has become a science which doesn't bode well for roadside fixes, especially at night.Will RAC/AA etc agree to come out just for a bulb change?
Auto Spark advises that modern vehicle fuse systems are now so senstive to protect the sophisticated electronics that even to change a bulb requires care to ensure that relevant swtiches are in the 'off' position before toching and removal. As it happened, I found myself with no tail lights or indicators/hazards/fogs but luckily one brake light still working enabling me to drive to the mechanic!!
Browse
Manage to get a relay from another Mk4 Fiesta. Even after taking the steering wheel shrouds off, it was not easy to locate, as it is black and fits in very fluch with surrounding plastic.
Anyway, replaced into failing car and "hey presto", all working. So, it was the relay after all. Happy Son and Partner now !...