December 2005
Hi everyone,
My dad's ford focus was recently serviced by a local mechanic. After the service the engine warning light came on and the car was running badly. He took it back and it turned out one of the spark plugs was cracked. The mechanic also mentioned that he'd "washed the engine" . The car ran fine for a while but now the engine warning light is coming on again. He has taken it to the ford dealership who hooked it up to the ECU analyzer and told him the catalytic converter needed replacing, however, it passed its MOT with flying colours on the emissions test 2 weeks ago.
Is there any way that the catalytic converter could actually have degraded so badly in two weeks or is it more likely that there is an issue with water/moisture in some sensor connector giving a false result to the ECU, if so which sensor is the likely culprit? (DPFE perhaps?)
Cheers,
Graham
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I intend to buy a car from auction shortly, and was wondering how to get it home without breaking the law (since most of the cars do not have MOT's).
Short of towing it, is there any way to at least limit the ramifications if I was to have an accident or get pulled over by the police? i will get the car insured before I set off but I imagine that will probably be invalidated by the lack of mot and tax anyway? Read more
I once booked an MOT at a tester that was the opposite side of home, drove home, and then cancelled the MOT.
My argument in my mind on the remote chance of any follow-up later would have been that on the way to the test I realised there was something wrong so decided it was safer to stop at home and not go any further. That would have been all too true - the car was a total wreck and I only wanted it for spares.
who makes the best diesel engine peugeot mercedes ford vauxhall has the new jag got a peugeot diesel or is it codeveloped with ford
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Only on French cars;50k on a Peugeot!
>>
Your single experience is not statisically relevant, as I have been told many times when relating my experience of Citroens. As has been said earlier, the XUD is one of the most reliable diesels ever made and is noted for its longevity.
I was referring to the earlier comment on the need to replace the head gasket on XUD engines, at around 100K. I asked this, simply because ours is now past 100K
My Golf Mk4 (T reg TDI 110) windscreen wipers have suddenly started to sweep slowly; I guess at about half speed. The higher of the two speed settings is a bit faster but not right. Intermittent works but at the reduced rate. I've tried pulling the blades clear of the screen to see if the rubbers were sticky but there is still no improvement when the blades are not in contact with the glass. Any one know what controls the sweep speed? I cant really get access to the motor but the bits I can touch ie the spindles are cool which may suggest its not mechanical friction. Any ideas guys, before I try to raise the inevitable VW mortgage!. Read more
Use a well fitting 2 jaw puller. The wiper arm hubs are mazak (light zinc based alloy) and you will break them with injudicious force.
659.
Hi
We have recently purchased an Audi A6 2.5TDi Avant, and the other day I noticed the carpet in the rear passenger footwell was very wet we have checked the door seals and they seem to be in alright condition.
And the other fault which I do not know if this maybe associated with the water is the other day we found all the indicator lights stuck on ( not flashing ) so called out the recovery service and the guy that came out started pulling out fuses to find out what was going as he pulled out the fuses for the hazard lights and turn signals and they still stayed on then he pulled out the fuse for the central locking, electric windows and boot light and the lights went off but the push button for the hazard lights was still dimly glowing even though the fuse was out.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
Tony Read more
Vorsprung durch Technik.
Hi,
My niece has a 'W' reg Citroen Saxo 1.2 that the heater blower and the heated rear window are not working. I have tried all the fuses and I suspect that relays are to blame. I checked both the handbook and the Haynes manual which says that if it clicks - it works. That does not help identify which one has failed if it does not click. It does not give you a diagram to identify which relay is which. Anyone have a clue as to the problem and/or how to identify the offending relays. The ignition key has been causing a few problems with sticking but I think this is unrelated.
Any advice and guidance is, as always much appreciated
--
These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am... Read more
Hello can you tell me when you use the relay fix you posted, should the relay get hot to touch.
Many Thanks
Ben
The gearbox on SWMBO's 2000-reg Nissan Almera (1.4 petrol)has just packed in:
1. What would have caused it to go so soon? The car has covered 62,000 miles.
2. When replacing the gearbox, would it also be prudent to change the clutch? I'm wondering if changing the clutch while changing the gearbox would only add the price of a clutch to the total cost of the job?
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Aprilia,
Thank you for the advice - I'll get a merit repair arranged as soon as possible. I'd be amazed if the gearbox is entirely gone.
Thanks to everyone else for their advice!
Can anybody tell me where the front windscreen wiper relay is located on a 1996 (The early type 306s) Peugeot 306. The wipers will not park, work on intermittent wipe or autimatically wipe when using the washers. I have checked the wiper switch which is OK.
The fault can't be down to the park switch contacts in the motor itself because it will not auto wipe after washing. I have followed the circuit through from the Haynes Manual but I am unable to find the location of the wiper relay.
If I pull the wiper stalk forward to wash the windscreen I can hear the relay pull in and then switch off after a few seconds of letting go of the stalk. It sounds like it is somewhere behind the dashboard. I have checked the fuse/relay compartmeant above the pedals and it definately isn't one of those as I pulled them all out and you could still here it. It doesn't sound like it is coming from the fuse/relay box under the bonnet, the only relays in there are for the headlights. Read more
Well people, I have had and still the got this problem too with my 01 306, I have put a new (brand new) wiper motor in, a new relay and still didnt fix the problem ie no intermitent or fast wipe or one swipe. The only thing left to do in my opinion is a new stalk as I tried a second hand one and that didnt work either, after that I'm stumpted.
Hi Stewart, am experiencing same problem and have tried all above, wondered if it was anything to do with rain sensor disconnected. If you've had any luck since would love to hear....
A colleague has just arrived and his Focus cambelt has given up the ghost - car is a V reg 1.6, has done just 52,000 miles and has FSH. As Ford indicate belt replacement at 100,000 miles should he pursue a claim aginst Ford? Read more
FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED
EAGLE WAY,
BRENTWOOD,
ESSEX,
CM13 3BW
Have a look on the Companies House website.
Chris M
Evening all.
I spent most of this morning changing the front bumper on an old Vauxhall Belmont I acquired recently - the original had a fist-sized hole in the corner which couldn't easily be repaired.
So, now I have the old bumper taking up space in the garage. But I'm in a quandary. Can you take something like this to your local tip, or does it need to go to a scrapyard?
At my local tip there is a little area to the side where you can leave old things (TVs, furniture etc) which may have some value or use to others - when changing an interior or wheels I have often left the old seats or wheels and tyres here. But given this bumper is effectively scrap, it may not be appropriate.
Can anyone offer any advice from their experiences?
Thanks
Richard Read more
I have not had probs getting rid of car parts,including a bumper at the start of the year.
>>It would not have been recyclable as the shell was filled with foam.
>>
I too have had no problems getting rid of several Sierra bumpers at my local tip.
In case you are wondering, I replaced several friends Sierras bumpers as they were so cheap at the breakers.
Oh how I wish my Mondeos bumpers were foam filled like the Sierras, rather than the terrible thin air filled shells that split so so easily.
At least I could cut up and pop it in a little pedal bin bag rather than visit the tip.
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Cracked spark plug - £4