March 2012
Any thoughts of why my Saab has suddenly started to pout out clouds of white smoke from the exhaust? I have checked the oil and water res. and both seem OK. No mixing.
I would appreciate any thoughts on this,... Read more
I have an intermittent diesel leak from around the back of the injector pump somewhere. The pump itself is dry on the outside, all around the injectors, glow plugs, the high-pressure pipes are all clean and dry; but underneath and behind that there is evidence of a diesel leak. The back of the car also gets covered in diesel when it is leaking, including the rear window, which is how I know when it's happening.
It only leaks on warm days when I am driving at about 60 - 70 mph, or if I am accelerating hard up a hill. The rest of the time I cannot make it leak even when I try (or at the garage when they try). We steam-cleaned the engine, then revved the nuts off it with the bonnet up, looking for the source of the leak. Then we put it on a ramp, more revving, but still no leakage.... Read more
Hi! The warm weather is here, and so is my diesel leak. I tried the bandages trick, and it worked, thank you very much. The culprit was the return hose from the injectors to the high-pressure pump.
The hoses appear to be in fairly good shape, but there is a little non-return valve mounted inline (it's about 15mm long) to stop the pump from pumping diesel straight back to the injectors, I guess. It was not allowing fuel to return, the only problem being that it wasn't allowing fuel to pass in the correct direction either. I suspect that is the cause of my leak....
Does anyone know what causes this issue of a pull on the wheel when the steering is on half to full lock, it feels as if the power steering is trying to straighten up and happens as a series of rapid regular jolts to the steering wheel. I have seen other Berlingo owners posting about this issue but there seems to be no definitive answer, my local Citroen dealer has never heard of it. I have had a r/h drive shaft and the ram replaced. Thanks. Read more
its a common prob, my 1.9 diesel is the same, you can feel the pulsations through the steering wheel, some days worse than others, its been doing it for years
Can anyone enlighten me as to what the little oblong cut out is on the new Audi A4, for example, please? Read more
Perhaps the OP should RTFB?
With the price of fuel the way it current is, isn't it time to revfiew the silly 40p/mile claim when using my own car for the odd business errand? Read more
I'm a civil servant, and I get 42p a mile, it just went up from 40p a mile a few months ago.
I still prefer using the fleet cars, though. Saves waiting for months......
Hi
My C5 110 HDi has started showing a reluctance to start when the engine is hot. Once it cools down a little it starts with a lot of turning over.... Read more
This problem was caused by the starting motor not turning over fast enough. It sounded OK to me but the RAC and other mechanics told me it was slow. The RAC man put a booster on the battery and reckoned that with the amount of current that it was drawing the motor should have been flying. I took out the starter motor and took it to an auto electric specialist. The gearing system was the problem and not repairable. The windings were OK. I bought a replacement off the shelf and fitted it myself. That particular problem was sorted in about an hour and a half altogether.
When starting now I disengage the clutch to try and reduce the load on the starter motor.
I've a 2006 Seat Ibiza Stylance, 1390CC Petrol, 5DR, Manual which has a slow coolant leak.
Loses about 750ml after a 3 or 4 short runs 3-4 miles or after a long run > 30 miles.
Can't see any puddles or any visible wet patches.
It's done about 45,000 miles.
Any suggestions as to how to locate the problem? Read more
Thanks I had a look but no evidence of dry antifreeze. But the leak got progressively worse & so needed a garage to look at it. They found that a plastic manifold attached to the head had a fine crack in it, replaced this (a SEAT part) and the 2 hoses to it and it's ok now.
Are there any legal bods here who can help me with a complicated query?
I passed my first driving test in South Africa in 1983 and subsequently moved back to the UK. At that time SA licences couldn't be transferred and so I took and passed a UK driving test in 1988. I then moved to Germany from where I sent off my pass certificate to obtain my full licence which I never received and, because I was out of the country, never actually followed up. Skip forward twenty years to 2009 and I needed to produce my licence to buy a car on credit. I contacted DVLA for a replacement and they responded by telling me that I had not claimed my licence and consequently it had expired and I would have to take a new theory and practical test. They sent me a provisional licence. I argued with them but brick walls are made of much lesser stuff.... Read more
My Husband is in a similar situation to you. I'm curious to know where you stand now with regards to the new driver status and having your licence re-instated. As you say it can be very difficult to get information from the DVLA. Everyone we have spoken to have given us a different answer. Your response would be very much appreciated.
Relatively new car - 54km on the clock.About 6 months ago the car started to shake when it was idle, most noticeable when I was pulled up at traffic lights. Since then the shake has got noticeably worse. This all happens at a low rev, but on some occasions the revs will jump up and down from 10 to about 6 and continue this way until I pull off again.
My local mechanic tried a few things – replaced the coil pack a number of times – tested to see if it was the petrol injector but to no avail. When he plugs it in the computer says that there is a problem with the #2 cylinder firing. His final conclusion is that there is a problem with the car's compression and that it will be a big problem to try and fix. It’s hard to believe that is the case when the car is so new. ... Read more
I have a VW polo 1.4 Petrol 54 plate 70.00 mls. I bought it in June last year and have had it several times to garages but still left with it shaking when idle. What I am begining to realise is that when the weather is cold outside the car runs 90% good, but as the warmer weather comes back the car starts to run bad, the warmer it is the worse the car shakes. Strange!! What would cause this ?
I wondered if anyone could kindly help with a problem that appears primarily from a cold start with my Santa Fe (90k miles)?
Occasionally, the engine starts and ticks over slightly unevenly but there is no power available, ie putting it into drive won't get it to move up the small incline on my driveway. The throttle has no response. Black smoke pours from the exhaust and there is a smell (to me) of unburnt diesel.... Read more
Hi
I also have a Santa fe 2007 producing black smoke on start up and acceleration. I also had cold start problems over this winter. The cold start problems were sorted when i fitted new glow plugs - not an easy job as they are right at the back of the engine block - the inetcooler radiator etc has to be removed. Due to the same problem you are having loss of power I also had to clean out the EGR valve which was cloged with black soot. My car eventually actually failed to start. The Spring in the EGR was stuck solid with the soot - this was first done approx 12 months ago. since then i have cleaned it out once more and it appears i may have to do it again. After cleaning it out each time the black smoke cleared - but i am sure i shouldn't have to do this as frequently. So it sounds like a blocked EGR valve in the first instance.
Browse
If the turbo seals have gone it is burnt oil you are seeing. Driving it could see it run out of oil or the engine run its self to destruction so I'd be very careful doing that.
Recon turbos usually cost about £500 ish + fitting. It depends on the exact model.