February 2013
Hi
For the past couple of weeks when the temperatures have been at or below around 4 degrees I'll start the car from cold, it will fire up, make a feeble attempt at idling then just die. Then i'll start it up again but this time the car will put the glow plug light on first, then make a much better job of starting, even though it will be idling roughly for a few minutes.... Read more
After many days of reading and deliberation I have opted to go down the LPG route. Reason being I heard diesel cars to have issues with DPF's and petrol cars just not giving me the best MPG for my needs.
I do around 20K a year, mainly motorway mileage but I'm looking for advise on which are the best systems out there. I hear BRC and PRINS are the best.... Read more
I had a Lada 1600 converted to LPG in the mid 1980s - the system was Landi-Hartog, and it was excellent. A subsequent move to rear engined Skodas meant that LPG was no longer an option. I am still a Skoda driver, and am considering LPG for my next car. Surprisingly, Skoda positively discourages LPG conversions..... or at least they do in the UK. But, for example, in Hungary, Skodas can be purchased from new ready converted for LPG.
Which make me think that the low take up for LPG in the UK has little do with its undoubted financial and environmental benefits (for the owner) and a lot to do with the financial interetss of manufacturers and the petrol/diesel refiners and retailers.
Hi all,
After starting my Grande Punto I sometimes get the message "check glowplugs" flash up on the screen and the glow plug indicator flashing for 10 seconds or so. ... Read more
Most common rail engines don't need the glowplugs to start uless its very cold but they do keep the emmisions down when starting from cold so you probably wouldn't know if one or more had failed.
You can do a quick check be connecting a voltmeter between any glow plug and earth, if they are all working you should have about 10-11 volts for 15-20 seconds from switching to the glow plug position, if its nearer 12.0 volts you have failures....
I bought some servicing items from Ford to do a home service on my Fiesta.
I got one of the new spark plugs out to see what size socket to use. It appeared to fit in a 16mm. When I went to use this on the one I was removing from the engine it was a loose fit and spun round the plug.... Read more
You can buy the correct spark plug sockets at most good accessory stores. They have a runbber insert in to prevent the plug falling out.
Here is a tip I picked up some years ago. Never start screwing a plug into an alloy head using a socket. Its very easy to cross thread them and the resulting damage is expensive to fix. Get a piece of 8mm fuel pipe about 8" long and push it onto the plug, inset down into the head and start to screw, if its cross threaded the rubber will simply slip on the plug with no damage, otherwise it will screw the plug in correctly. Tighten with torque wrench to correct setting, again alloy is easy to damage and expensive to repair....
So far we have been informed by a garage that both the gearbox and radiator need replacing (apparently oil has escaped from the gearbox into the rad). £1700+
A common fault we were told.... Read more
This is beginning to look like a risk assessment exercise by GM, so how do I change the odds.
On behalf of my daughter and the many others who struggle to finance the purchase and running costs of their cars, this message goes out to all GM dealers....
I have had since new a Jan 2008 (last of Mk2) petrol 1.8 Hatch, done 23K miles just going in for a service soon is there any point in having brake fluid changed ???
I read it had to be changed after so many years - is there any advantages in having this done or should I leave it longer ?... Read more
I have had brakes fade down mountains and fluid boil.
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On my 06 plate A3 2.0 tdi the rear wiper starts up - for about six wipes - each time I start the engine. Anyone know what is going on ??
Harbottle... Read more
I have had the problem on both my A4 Avant, and my wife's A3 hatch.
The problem stems from the corrosion of the washer nozzle that also acts as the wiper spindle....
During my 50 mile commute to work I am finding that the temp gauge on the Polo rises and falls regularly during the journey. If I stick at 70 on the motorway this equates to 3000 rpm and at this speed the needle drops from normal to about 1/4 temp and then raises again.
I suspect the sender may be faulty (and I'm also suspicious that I'm getting a poor fuel economy too) and this could be causing the needle to rise and fall.... Read more
Thanks for the responses so far.
I'm not 100% convinced I'm getting poor fuel economy but I struggle to get 400 miles on a full tank and my previous Polo (1996 vintage) seemed to go a bit further than this on a tank....
Hi, I have a Nissan Almera Tino 1.8S - 2001, 104K on the clock. Always been as good as gold, so reliable. About a month ago I noticed it was driving a little bit 'jerky' when accelerating - I thought it may have just been the excessively wet and cold weather we have had recently. Then a few days later the Engine Malfunction Indicator came on. It stayed on for a day then went off again. It stayed off for a week (during this time it was still running jerky), then it came back on again. I had a mechanic friend rig it up to a diagnostic unit which reported "Random Misfire" - he suggested that although it was fairly common for various sensors to go, the fact that it was driving jerky suggested it was unlikely to be a sensor. We have changed the spark plugs and added some Redex to the fuel - no change - although after he fitted the spark plugs the light went out for a day (still drove a little bit jerky) and then came back on again! He said the spark plugs were pretty dirty.
From what I have read on the internet and speaking to him, I'm worrying that it may be the timing chain that has stretched. The other sympton is the rev counter flickers (only a little bit) which apparantly is a sign. And of course this is a big job - possibly not worth it considering the age and value of the car - which would be a shame. What is odd though is that if it was the timing chain, why did the light stay off for a day after changing the spark plugs!!??
I also read somewhere that someone had this issue and it turned out to be the air filter sensor that required cleaning.
And apparantly its 'only a 5 minute job' to determine if it is the timing chain, by lifiting the cam cover and seeing if it has expanded by more than 10mm - although I think this check is probably beyond my simple DIY skills.
I'm tempted to take it to a local garage and get them to see if they can give it the once over - it's a difficult one because you may obviously end up spending money for them to conclude that it's definitely the timing chain.
Does anyone have any other suggestions/ideas - I did also notice this morning when going through paperwork etc that the MOT from 18 months ago reported "(rear connection) - Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2a)".
Thanks in advance for any advice. Read more
As everything's pointing to the cam chain, then I'd suggest it's the logical path to take. It's not a big job to remove the cam cover to check and as has been suggested there's a forum dedicated to Nissans that may be able to help.
Let us know how you get on please.
Hi, we are starting to have problems cold starting the car, it seems to turn over for a while and then starts but seems to be getting worse. Also every now and again it seems to pause a little around 1800rpm. Any ideas what this could be?
Thanks Read more
Hi holmesdaren
I have exactly the same car and exactly the same problem, I've been trying to sort the problem out for months now and I just can't fix it, I checked:...
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A car that will run properly on garage fuel and will not run on supermarket fuel ,just think about it.Thosands of cars do thousands of miles on supermarket fuel without any problem and your car will not sounds like a snobbish car to me.