April 2003
Hi all
I have got a 97 Mondeo Verona with 58k on the clock. Just recently I have noticed a slight squeal or squeak when pulling away under load - eg a hill start - it sounds just like a tyre squeal though it cant be that as it happens at low revs and I dont spin the wheels anyway!The noise itself lasts for about a second then goes away.
Could it be a clutch problem? It happens just as the clutch bites and the car starts to move off.
Any help much appreciated
Thanks Read more
Evening.
I wonder whether anyone can help me. This evening I gave my
Astra diesel a special Saturday treat of sixteen quid's worth of
unleaded. The nice man from the RAC was duly called, and he
offered me two options - an expensive one (£150-ish) involving a
24-hour garage, or a tow home and a wait until Monday for a
cheaper garage to open. I opted for the latter, and the car is
now marooned here awaiting a stomach-pump. The RAC chap said
that if I could remove all the fuel (or almost all) and then
fill it up to the top with diesel, a trip to the garage would be
unnecessary (he said that even the cheaper garages would charge
me the best part of a hundred quid). As I am one of those
congenitally impractical buffoons whose cluelessness provides
Halfords staff and garage mechanics with hours of amusement, I
decided to ask the advice of my father and uncle. Before I knew
it, they'd produced an array of petrol cans and a length of hose
and were trying to drain the tank. Unfortunately, the hose
didn't seem to get to the petrol - it went inside about two or
three feet, but failed to find fuel. They switched tack, and
jacked the car up in order to look underneath it for something
which could be pulled out to drain the tank. So far, they've
not had much luck there, either.
Is there anybody out there who knows how to empty the tank on an
(R-reg) Astra LS 1.7 TDS? I've looked through the "back room"
stuff ("Petrol in a diesel car" and "Petrol into diesel don't
go", etc) but - apart from giving me a good laugh and making me
feel less of a chump - I still don't know the best way to go
about it. Is draining from beneath possible, or is there likely
to be a valve in the tank that requires a vacuum applied by the
engine before fuel can flow? And if siphoning is possible, what
kind of tube is needed for my car - i.e. what diameter, what
length, and is it necessary to put a weight somewhere on it?
Has someone out there ever managed to drain an Astra?
Any information would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks,
Paul. Read more
How about something that can both clean gungy engine parts and oil them at the same time ? :)
The front brake pads on my Astra have just been replaced and although the car stops as normal, the pedal travel seems longer / softer than before. The Haynes manual warns that master cylinder problems can be created by pushing the piston back. How can I check if this is what has happened? Read more
Nearly 8 years, is this a record?
Driver's seatbelt is not keen to retract into its holder these days - I remember somebody posting something about giving it a light spray with silicone spray - I think.
Is this correct? If so where can I get this?
If not, what's recommended?
thanks Read more
I found the silicon sprey helped the belts glide back but the rear belts were still stiff after years of being around child seats. I pulled out the belts and pegged them into buckets of hot water with washing powder in. I didn't let the belts retract until fully dry; by looping them around the front seat headrests (I thought they might not dry out properly and go mouldy if I let them retract whilst wet). When dry (the next day) I applied the silicon spray as mentioned in this thread. They glide in and out perfectly well now. It was an easy job.
Hi,
I only recently found HJ site .
Can any one tell me if their is any difference between Texaco or Shell petrol. And which is the best petrol? Read more
All Rover V8's have soft value seats prior to the SD1 EFi V8's. My V8 is a 1972 with the power increase that came with the 'S' of that year. I think the compression ratio a large 10.5:1. It will knock without an octane booster.
I need to know how to convert Miles per gallon to Kilometers per litre. Does anyone know how to do this because i aint got a clue. I have tried this
KPL = MPG/4.5x1.6
but i'm not sure if this is correct. Can anyone help??? Read more
Simply Googling shows the answer :)
1 MPG = 0.354 km/L
1 km/L = 2.83 MPG
Hi,
Can anyone help me please.
I have a Clio 98 'R' reg 1.2 which keeps cutting out on me with no indication that its about to.It will cut out on me while i am in motion or at a stand still.Once it has cut out i cant start the car immidiately,it takes anywhere between 15 mins to 4hrs to start agian.The engine turns over OK and ive fitted a new battery & plugs.After reading one of the other reports on Clio starting problems it was suuggested that the (CTS) should be changed,i did this as it was a cheap option,but still have the problem.Even popping down to my local shops which is only 5 mins away,i know that when i get back into my car it probably will not start.My travelling time every day is only 15-20 mins (to & from work).Starting the car in the mornings is no problem,whatever the weather.
Please Help.
GN.
Read more
I live in Northampton and would appreciate a recommendation if you can as i feel Derby is a little too far,and i probably wouldnt get there (if you know what i mean).
GN.
I'm thinking of changing the wheels (and hub-caps) on my 98R 306 LD to something a bit wider. Current wheels have 175/70 R13 tyres fitted, and I've found some wheels for 185/60 R14 tyres. Is the overall diameter different of the two tyres and hence there will be speed / distance implications for the odometer ? Read more
Dan - you've had some comments about appearance but not about the odometer. This doesn't measure distance, it counts wheel revolutions and converts to distance. The circumference of the wheel is about 1750-1800 mm. If your new tyres will be 20mm more in diameter, that is about 63mm more in circumference or a bit over 3%. Fitting those wheels will probably (in my limited experience) roughly cancel out the built-in overindication of speed, and cause a 1-2% overestimation of distance. Similar to the variation that occurs between new tyres and those on the wear limit (10mm less in diameter).
a mechanic friend has recomended "redex" to me,to me it looks like ordinary two stroke oil.is it beneficial or just a waste of money? Read more
As someone has pointed out before, Redex is just 95% parafin with 5% ATF for lubrication and to give it a nice red colour.
I think it probably does work, or does no harm, in special situations like gummed valves or injectors, but is totally unnecessary as a routine additive. I suspect it works by the placebo effect, like a red pill.
I heard about this scheme today whereby you can earn money by doing very little - you get your car wrapped in advertising cling-film. I just wondered if anyone else has heard about it or knows anyone who's had it done and what would be the practical pros and cons of such a scheme, coming from someone with first hand experience rather than advertisers' hype.
Their website has most of the info you should need and it's
www.comm-motion.com/index.php?referer=&refererref=
Personally I wouldn't mind doing it, it could be a bit of a laugh but I haven't got a garage to keep my car in and I'd be too worried about the "little darlings" in my road taking pot-shots at the advertisements!
Read more
Saw this Audi TT at last year's Netty Q rally:
groups.msn.com/honestjohn/davestaxiphotos.msnw?act...6
groups.msn.com/honestjohn/davestaxiphotos.msnw?act...7
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It depends on the circumstances of what the clutch has had to go though during those 61k miles. Stop start journeys will shorten the lifespan, for example. Our works van clutch completely burnt out at 8,000 miles; its mainly used on a private site for short start stop journeys of no more than 3 miles a day.