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• clattery Golf mk2 23 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Thing is it only does it intermittently, especially when cold or idling - tho' not always. The oil level is fine & it doesn't burn or use any. Still runs well too. Any ideas what's wrong?
• Herald starting 22 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  If it has stood for, say, a couple of weeks, it takes a long time winding it round on the starter before it starts. However, if I start it the day after it has been run, it jumps into life very quickly. I suspect, as the fuel pump is mechanical, the fuel drains back to the tank after a while and it takes a long time to get to the carbs. Should their be a one-way fuel valve somewhere?
• Vx Vectra normal operating temp? 29 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  I never really noticed, but I lent the car to my Father and he was concerned as all his (non Vx) cars have run at an indicated 90oC ish
• Astra Question 10 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  One problem is the temp gauge does not work, possible source of awkward questions ie have we stuffed it to cover up hot running. Likely cause is loose connection, but where the h** is the sender?. There is something low down on the block/crankcase at the cambelt end but guess it is more likley for the oil light. All contributions gratefully recieved.!!!
• Stalling Golf Mk III 1.8 Auto when cold 4 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  Hi I've posted this problem here before and despite all the suggestions and an expensive visit to a VW dealer, it is still stalling and running rough when cold. I've had the water temp sensor changed and the VW diagnostic shows nothing wrong. An RAC man tells me it may be the Lamda sensor in the catalytic convertor? Its got the Bosch injection system.
• Anyone seen a Renault 12 recently? 27 Sep 2002 (Forum)
  Back in the 70s & 80s, I had a succession of Renault 12s of various models (7 in total). They were roomy, reliable, comfortable and cheap to run. None of them seemed to have much in the way of a rot problem. Where have they all gone? Has anyone seen one recently? I was reminded of them because I saw an almost new Romanian version (built under licence - they used to be sold as Dacias) in Austria this summer.
• hondanissantoyota? 9 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  I am thinking Accord/avensis/Primera 2 yr old 50 k miles or corolla with lower mileage. I want ABS and aircon, nothing to attract attention, and maximum reliability, modest running costs for 8 years. Are all these pretty much the same or does one stand out ( I know they are bland motors as such but I want VALUE) Mark
• Which Oil? Synthetic/Semi or Min 27 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  Can all cars run on synthetic? Is synthetic the best choice for all cars? with semi being a compromise? or does it depend on the cars age? Are the claims in other threads about some synthetics being too thin true?
• Seat Leon 1.6 Fuel 8 Feb 2002 (Forum)
  The inside of the petrol cap says use 98RON super plus unleaded. I thought this was only necessary in seriously high performance engines? The car has been running great on the normal unleaded the dealership stuck in it when I test drove it. Are there any long term effects of not using 98 RON? Tim
• Noisy fuel pump 11 Jan 2002 (Forum)
  Slowed down to turn into my drive, and... what's that whining noise? The previously silent fuel pump now sounds like someone has left a cordless power drill running in the boot. Any suggestions? I suspect this may be expensive. I left the car at home and came back in the Land Rover, as it is only 3 miles to work, so the AA wouldn't tow me home if the pump died on the way.
• astra missfiring 9 Jan 2002 (Forum)
  my 95 astra 16 sport has atendancy to run very rough firing on only 2 or 3 cylinders mainly when cold but not from the off. usually after a couple off minutes into the journey and lasting for a further couple off minutes. it has been known to happen after 15-20 mins of driving resulting in lack of power.having had countless visits to main dealers resulting in valve stem modifications and ultimatly a complete short block replaced the fault still occurs. any ideas
• Thanks. 8 Jan 2002 (Forum)
  I wish to thank all the contributors for offering advice on my old diesel Escort which was experiencing problems in starting(understatement) My friend has now managed to get it going and its running okay. He says it was a combination of things, and that the problem may have emenated from my excess use of the throttle when originally trying to start it. Anyway if any of you ever require any assistance or advice on antiques, jewellery, watches or clocks, do not hesitate to E-mail us, and we will be pleased to help.
• VECTRA 1.8 OR 2.2 7 Jan 2002 (Forum)
  Is it worth paying an extra £300 for a 2.2 LS as opposed to a 1.8? I appreciate that the larger engined car will cost more to run and insure, but is the new 2.2 engine considered to be more reliable (cambelts etc) than the 1.8 Ecotec? I have read the car-by-car breakdown and know that HJ does not recommend these cars, but I rather like them.
• clamping area. 22 Nov 2001 (Forum)
  today i parked my mothers citroen BX in a clamping zone, but i put the car in its lowest suspension height setting, so the clamper couldnt put a clamp on the car, it was brilliant seeing him trying to fit a clamp on it :-) p.s. he wasnt around when i started the car up, but as soon as the engine was running he ran out of his office carrying a clamp, i was in a panic waiting for the car to go to its proper height, and then i had to quickly drive away.
• BIO Diesel 12 Nov 2001 (Forum)
  i was watching "scienec shack" on beeb two last night ( daughters homework!), during the show they had a section on running a car on "bio diesel" ie cooking oil. the guy was driving a big merc around. He mentioned a "conversion kit" that is needed. Unfortunately, no details were given of what thsi was, where to get it from etc, Any body got any ideas?
• runabout classic??? 21 Aug 2001 (Forum)
  i hope to buy a classic car, but what kind. i have looked at the following cars... ford prefect, rover p4, rover p6, triumph 2000, ford anglia, triumph herald, and of course the good old morris minor, but i dont know what to buy, any advice would be very helpful, and any other models that i should think about, the only problem is that i have about £1000, and the car must have mot, i am looking for a running restoration.
• What Car - again! 10 Jul 2001 (Forum)
  Annual mileage is about average, but is made up of a large volume of short journeys, the rest is infrequent long runs mainly on motorway. I guess from previous threads a non-turbo diesel is recommended, but which one?
• Xantia mystery gauge 28 Jun 2001 (Forum)
  Hi, I have recently bought an old Citroen Xantia 1.9 TD LX. There are 2 orange indicator lights on the dashboard, none are on whilst running, but I do not know what one of them is for (I do not have the Citroen handbook). Bottom right is the Glow-Plug 'coil' Top Left is the mystery gauge which I'm guessing is either temperature or level for a liquid (Water, Oil, Diesel or LHM) Anyone know what it means?
• Pug 205 26 Jun 2001 (Forum)
  i own a 1987 peugeot 205 1.1 and have just changed the engine. It is running, and it starts fine, but has very very little power, and in neutral or with clutch to floor, when accelorater is pressed, it doesn't rev anything like as much as it should. I've tried everthing i can think of such as distributer and making sure all the plugs are ok, but want to know if there is anything i can try before sending it in to see about pressure/exact timing.
• Fuel Mixtures 10 May 2001 (Forum)
  I think my cars running a slightly rich mix (spark plugs were fairly black when I changed them) so... I know where to change the mixture but which way do I turn it?! Is in more fuel/richer mix or is out? The car's an '88 Audi 80 1.8 carb.