My Saxo has 91,000 miles on the clock. I put it in to National for oil / filter change every 6000 miles. I put it into garage to get timing belt done previously and will do that also next time it is due.
I check fluids myself.
My question is, is there any point in me putting it in for a "service". Is there anything that would be done other then oil / filter? Is the car at the stage that I just do the oil changes and deal with any problems as and when they happen, as opposed to doing "preventative" servicing?
Hope this makes sense?
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That's exactly what I do with my cars, plus anything else that needs replacing periodically such as spark plugs.
Just make sure you have, and can use, a Haynes and toolkit and you'll save a small fortune.
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Is there anything that would be done other then oil / filter?
Brake fluid change every couple of years.
Antifreeze change every 3 or 4 years.
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Change the fuel filter every 30k miles,air filter every 20k, check the rear brakes: by removing the drums.. the rear wheel cylinders start to go after about 8 years and leak and linings break up - but brakes appear unaffected until one day..., hose out the lower radiator half external to prevent salt corrosion..and check the engine hoses: the more complex one with bleed holes tends to go . Use Halfords Long Life antifreeze - lasts 5 years and saves money.
Oh and check the underneath around the spare wheel carrier and all the various seams : they tend to corrode badly. Waxoil to the rescue.
madf
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Thanks for the advice guys.
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Reminder to myself - never tempt fate with a thread like this!
Last week I was sorting through paperwork and noticed that my MOT had expired at beginning of March!! Asked SWMBO to take for MOT next day to my usual garage. It failed on pads and discs so had to pay to get these changed rather than having done it myself. Oh, and of course the obligatory blown number plate bulb as well!
Anyway, cutting to the chase, the car is getting harder and harder to start especially first thing in the morning. I have changed the glowplugs recently. My mechanic (who I trust) says that his experience has been that these cars need work done on the valves about approx this mileage. He is looking for £120 for a 2 day job, apparently its along the lines of stripping down and then having to get shims (?) fitted to the valves?
Does anyone have any experience of this, is it common and did it solve starting problems? I don't want to spend this money if it is not going to make any difference.
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Is the starting problem first time in the day and it gets better after that?
The fuel primer - a rubber bulb, tends to leak air and hence make starting difficult after a period of no use. When the car starts, it pumps out the air.
Check for air bubbles in the fuel lines.. after an overnight stop.
The glowplug relay can sometimes fail? Check the plugs actually get a current when switching on (use a multimeter or a 12volt bulb and wire (with acre).
As it's a morning thing I guess it's air in the fuel lines...
madf
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madf, yeah its only first thing in the morning, or certainly after the car has been left for a good number of hours. My mechanic had said that he had checked the glowplugs and the supply to them and it was fine.
Will mention the fuel primer idea to him though, thanks.
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try it yourself first in the morning it looks like a grenade (by the battery) pump it till it goes hard wait for the light on dash to go out and see what happens,.
There are cheap glowworms for these at £8 each if these were fitted then they are only short term reliable, ideal for the trade that want to move a motor cheaply.
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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you might just have a simple case of fuel run back thats when air gets into the system via a seal,worn pipe or faulty connection if your certain you have no air getting into system insist on having a compression test done before you pull the engine apart.........
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Oldman, I tried your theory today with the "grenade" but it didn't seem to make any difference. The grenade was quite firm and hard before I started so there wasn't much scope for "squeezing" it.
Does this then rule out the fuel / air theory?
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Oldman, I tried your theory today with the "grenade" but it didn't seem to make any difference. The grenade was quite firm and hard before I started so there wasn't much scope for "squeezing" it. Does this then rule out the fuel / air theory?
yes.
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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Back to
"the car is getting harder and harder to start especially first thing in the morning. I have changed the glowplugs recently. My mechanic (who I trust) says that his experience has been that these cars need work done on the valves about approx this mileage. He is looking for £120 for a 2 day job, apparently its along the lines of stripping down and then having to get shims (?) fitted to the valves?
Does anyone have any experience of this, is it common and did it solve starting problems? I don't want to spend this money if it is not going to make any difference."
The shimming of the valve clearances (assuming this is on the 1.5 engine) is a long job, but the checking of the clearances is relatively straightforward. Suggest you get an estimate for this part of the job, and if happy with it, get your trusted guy to do it, preferably witnessing it. You then know what to plan for. 91k does seem a little early for this to be so serious though
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Firstly, check that power is reaching the glowplugs using a multimeter at the plug busbar. The glowplug line should be live as soon as the key is turned to the "ignition on" position, and remain live. It is a common misconception that the plugs turn off when the yellow light goes out. The pre-heat time as indicated by the yellow light should be about 5s for these plugs in coldish weather. Leave the "ignition" on without attempting a start - the plug line should go to 0V after about 20s. This is a safety time-out to prevent overheating and flat batteries.
After starting (with luck, in your case) the plugs stay on in post-heat mode. This is a variable time depending on coolant temperature, and can be up to 5min for this engine.
If your plugs draw 20A initially (each) dropping to about 5A after 3s or so, they are OK. Check with a car-type ammeter, connecting each isolated plug in turn to B+.
If your plugs are not Beru or Bosch, change them anyway.
Then check valve clearances; re-shimming this engine is easy and can be done in-situ. Best of luck, report back.
659.
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