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• White smoke from M Reg Astra 1.4 2 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  Having major problems with M Reg Astra 1.4. Was blowing out white smoke, going through hell of a lot of coolant and temperature gauge was hitting the red mark after only a few minutes stationary. Head gasket had blown so set about replacing it. Had head skimmed, replaced the thermostat, water pump, cam belt and used all new bolts tightened to the correct torque.
• cavalier derv cooling problem 28 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  The build up of pressure has forced a small leak in the car\'s radiator, which has been temporarily cured using \'Rad-Weld\'. Today I fitted a new thermostat, re-filled the coolant and ran the car with the heaters on hot, full fan speed. The offending hose still balloons and the system will not bleed itself, or allow me to do it. I can release the build up of pressure via the expansion bottle lid but within a few minutes of the lid being re-tightened the hose again expands.
• Pug 306 Head Gasket? 4 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  Second was on Saturday I noticed that the radiator cap wasn't sealing correctly. A replacement sorted that out straight away & no more coolant loss, but I am getting pressure in the radiator after the car has cooled down. Not a lot of pressure, but I've heard that this is the first signs of a blown head gasket. Any advise or signs to look out for are welcome, I've never had any issues of this sort before so I am a little unsure.
• Vauxhall Omega 2.0 16V 3 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  About a week ago I noticed that there was a patch of water on the garage floor just left of centre in the engine compartment. I assumed that I had been losing water for a while as when I checked the coolant level I found that it needed to be topped up with around 2 litres of water. Since then, although the car still seems to be losing water I haven't noticed any more patches on the garage floor. Another, possibly unrelated, symptom is that over the past couple of days the car seems to shudder/judder a little when just started and whilst idling; I don't remember it doing this a week ago.
• Not getting top speed mph 27 May 2003 (Forum)
  Also, at start up, there is a lot of white smoke coming out of the exhaust which clears after a few mins. Oil level is okay and so is the coolant level. The engine is also quite erratic at start up but once warm, is okay. Someone suggested that I should change all of the glow plugs as one maybe faulty - would this make any difference. I seems to "drink" quite a bit of diesel as well but maybe this is because I am recently doing a lot of short stop/start journeys in it.
• Dandy Highwaymen? 28 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Replace choke unit. Clean out inlet manifold. Sounds fair enough - the inlet manifold is preventing sufficient coolant circulating round the carb. What wasn't fair enough was the price! 200 quid for parts plus four hours labour (at 55 quid an hour). Plus obligatory VAT. I've done my own research on the parts and know that they were marking up them up by 100% - I am just interested whether that seemed to be a fair estimate of the labour involved.
• Ford Ka Misfire 6 Sep 2002 (Forum)
  I am reluctant to shell out for a set of HT leads (does anyone know how much they are?) especially since the problem seems to be temperature related. There are no warning lights, the coolant level/colour is fine and the rad fan is also fine. On the subject of taper fit plugs: I have always been told to install any set of plugs with a smear of copper grease on the threads, after gapping the electrode of course...
• Servicing BMW 318i 30 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  I have phoned the BMW dealership which has serviced it during the last 2 years and they very helpfully went through their computer records. Coolant has been changed in the last 12 months, but no mention of brake fluid. Should this be changed as a precaution? 5. Does this engine have a cam chain? 6. Anything else I ought to consider doing? Thanks in anticipation.
• Fiesta watery oil 1 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  I changed the head gasket a few weeks back, there was no sign of damage or of a cracked cyliner head, that I could see. And the coolant level seems to be stable. And a mechianic friend tasted the residue and said it isn't coolng fluid as it wasn't sweet (which anti-freeze apparently is). I'm now aware that the emulsion also builds up on the inside top of the rocker cover, so my quick paintbrush clean has to be supplemented occassionally by cleaning that out too.
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  I just bought a 1993 MG RV8 - what should I look out for in terms of servicing? 5 Feb 2018 (Ask HJ)
  I have just purchase a 1993 MG RV8 UK model with 12,500 miles on the clock. Do I need to change the cam belt or anything else that may need attention?...
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  Is turbo cool down necessary for modern cars? 27 Sep 2017 (Ask HJ)
  I've just acquired my first turbo car, a Renault Megane GT Sport and am somewhat unclear about the need for turbo cool down. My manual doesn't mention...
• Jeep Grand Cherokee - Car dangerous 2 months after sale 19 Aug 2016 (Forum)
  (i did test drive it before buying obviously and all seemed ok maybe the steering a bit wobbly but thought nothing of it at the time as it had just gone through the mot) Ok so after having the spray job etc i was using it for about a month and loads of issues started coming up. there was knocking and whining from various areas and the cars abs light came on and the digital display kept flashing randomly with coolant sensor bad. the cars handling was terrible and it became a battle to steer....all the time. i took it to a local garage i use all the time this week and explained the issues.
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  Cam belt failure - what can I do? 15 Feb 2016 (Ask HJ)
  Our cambelt shredded, causing sudden and complete power loss on a busy motorway, with no warning. We discovered on searching through the full service history...
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  Getting a classic back on the road - what should I do? 12 Mar 2014 (Ask HJ)
  My 1991 Nissan Sunny has been off the road for many months. I've bought a new battery as the old one is completely dead. I haven't fitted the battery yet...
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  Flat spot at 2000rpm in my Honda FR-V? 11 Jun 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I wondered if you may be able to help me with a problem I have on my 56 plate 2.0-litre petrol Honda FRV. It has a very odd flat spot which manifests its...
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  Starting problems with a van when warm - any ideas? 23 Mar 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I'm having trouble starting my van when the engine is warm. I've just had a new timing chain put on by my mechanic and since then I have this problem....
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  Passat with no heater and overheating at high rpm 11 Jan 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I have a problem with my Passat TDI 130 PS 2001, on motoway journeys over 50mph, the temperature rises, or when holding revs over 2000rpm. I have had the...
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  Engine Problems 24 Aug 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I have a Fiesta Mk IV Zetec 1.25 Ghia 1999 (T Reg). I seem to have two problems and I am not sure if they are related or not. Problem 1 - The car...
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  Peugeot 307 anti pollution fault 4 Apr 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I have an 04 Peugeot 307 petrol. When the car is cold, it judders as though there is not enough fuel going through. If the engine has not warmed up by...
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  Golf cutting out intermittently 21 Nov 2011 (Ask HJ)
  Over the past 6 months my 2003 Golf has been sporadically cutting out while I am driving it. I have had it in the garage for a total of 3 weeks and...