July 2024
On here we often see reports of heavy oil consumption in certain engines - e.g. MINIs. I am wondering just how much the early servicing history of an engine affects its later life.
The 1991 Pug 205 (1.4 petrol) car I got at the end of 2022 from its original owner came with an almost complete servicing history. The car's handbook advises 15/40 oil or (amusingly) 10/40 'for sporty driving'. As far as I can tell it had 15/40 until about 2011, when semi/synth appeared, and after 2016 it got Millers 10/40, though I don't suppose the lady owner started to drive sportily from then on.... Read more
This car sat for about 5 years without being started.
I fitted a fresh battery, it started in about 8 seconds.
I drove it about 1/2 a mile and put it back in the garage. I noted that fuel gauge showed very empty. Zero needle movement.
A few days later someone else attempted to start it. It turned over but would not start.
I added about 3L of petrol today. Attempted to start it multiple times, including with jump leads as the battery got low. Turnover time was about 3 min in total.
I assume that should have been plenty to get fuel up to the injectors. I have never had to bleed a petrol system. Maybe bleeding is needed with Clio.
I have zero experience with fault diagnosis on Renault Cars.
If this was a 40 year old car with a carburettor and points I would be able to quickly diagnose the issue.
I believe this diagram is correct for a 2001 Clio, but I have no idea where to find the various components
Please suggest what I need to check to eliminate some issues and find the problem. If possible link to photos or a video so I know where to find the items to check. Read more
Uh?
As above, with a "Waiting for Facebook" message. Last couple of days
I dont use Facebook, but I did post a link elsewhere (on Forumosa) to a video clip on a Facebook page recently.... Read more
Thanks. I was aware of the Microsoft official semi-workaround, but not the other tricks. Might give them a go, perhaps in a dual boot setup with LXLE or Mint.
One wonders why, if the new hardware isnt actually a requirement, they want to make it one, since they dont mostly sell hardware....
That time of year for the Venga..
Rescuemycar went from £40 to £59.... Read more
I used the link you gave me on moneysupermakets to get a discounted quote from Start.
Its belt and braces as I don’t want to rely on the AA relay service that comes with my bank. I prefer to come home to a garage of my choice in one go !
I've just bought a 2009 995cc Matiz. Driving home the coolant light came on. I topped up the coolant (it was low) and ran the engine for a few minutes with the cap off and foam appeared in the expansion tank.
The expansion tank or foam doesn't look oily and I checked the oil cap and dipstick before buying and saw no mayonnaise. There's no white smoke from the exhaust. These are my usual checks for possible head gasket issues.
Anyone have any ideas what might be causing this? Is it most likely a head gasket failure, or could it be something else?
Sam Read more
Thanks. I've drained and flushed the system, taken out the rad and tank and flushed them separately. Nothing messy or oily came out, tested thermostat. I'll refill, bleed and see what happens.
My 1991 Pug 205 still has its original steel wheels, which were given new tyres 3½ years ago by the previous owner. Since I got it at the end of 2022 I can only remember topping up the pressure once or twice by a psi or two. The 207SW, which is half its age, needs more frequent attention despite having its rims thoroughly cleaned with each new set of tyres, and occasionally in between if bead-leaks become tiresome.
It seems a shame that alloys corrode less visibly than steels - which unfortunately always rust at points of high curvature - rims, bolt holes, etc. - while alloys seemingly always suffer corrosion at the bead. Is this because of reaction between alloy and rubber compound ? Read more
Back in the early 1960s, as part of my Metallurgy Degree course, we had a visit to a Rubery-Owen plant making steel wheels exactly as described by focussed.
They were also pressing truck side chassis members using a hydraulic press which leaked water copiously on the press stroke, and BMC Cambridge/Oxford rear axle casings....
Hi All,
Off to Croatia at the weekend and in for a long drive when we get there, from Dubrovnik in the South to Riejka in the North - about 360 miles. Mostly toll motorways with 130 KMH limits.... Read more
Thanks all - yes fully understand the tolls, we had a property for many years in the South of France and have had the liber-T tag system for over 12 years, which was always great fun driving through the lane with no queues !! Yes a fairly long drive, but the horses will not be spared.
I will definitely get the info from the hire company, and, if possible, get a tag, rather than use cash/card....
Is there a known issue with a whining noise on over run with the gearboxes
on this model .My car is a 2020 manual gearbox and has only done 9,500 miles.... Read more
Jazz models from 20 years ago had gearbox issues, never heard of the current model with problems. Take it back to the Honda dealer for assessment.
According to HJ
"The new BYD Seal U DM-I Boost and Comfort have a 98PS petrol engine and 197PS electric motor, for a total system power of 218PS."... Read more
Presumably it is limited by a control system. In petrol only mode you can get 98 PS and in electric only mode 197 PS but the system doesn't allow you to use full power in combined mode.
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That's fine if you want the engine to last half a million miles but for most of us, changing every 10k miles or so should ensure 200,000 miles in a decent engine. Few have done anything like that mileage when they are sc***ped. None of our cars have ever gone beyond 12k between my oil changes. But my 1980 TR7 handbook says every 6,000 miles, and it has never gone further than that between changes - far less recently as fewer than 500 miles a year now. So far this century it has had fresh oil and a new filter in 2003, 2013 and 2019. ...