My dads car is not running right. It passed the emissions in August in this state but I have fiddeled about it with it and its running a lot smoother but its still not right.
First symtpon was the car was loosing brake fluid, this was assumed to be a leaking clutch slave cylinder (posted about it at the time) however 8000 miles later the clutch is fine the only thing when driving it I notice is the 1st gear feels a little bit worn.
It failed the MOT in August on brake pipes and the inspector said the car was dangerious to drive, the pipes were replaced and since then the fluid losss seems to have stopped, could a slave cylinder repair a leak by itself if gunk got built up or was the leak probably a brake pipe after all? (it has a hydraulic clutch).
The other issue is that we have done nearly 15,000 miles in the car and the top end has always sounded silent, but its now showing symptons of stem seal failure (there is a puff of blue smoke at start up and it does use a bit of oil although only around 1 litre per 1000 miles which is normal anyway for the engine?). However the engine sounds really noisy its not a rattle it is almost like a pump (the temperature gauge reads fairly high but never over heats). Could this be a failing water pump? Again its been like this for ages.
There is also a thick black ring at the tip of the exhaust so I assume it is running rich. I've just had the plugs changed so its running a lot smoother now, it was mis firing before it still does a tiny bit but its hardly noticable. Would I right in thinking that worn plugs would cause it to run rich because of unburnt fuel? Also would it be wise getting those valve clearences checked in case they are too tight?
Sorry for the long post, I have foudn most the issues with this car have been silly niggles which have been very easy to fix once I know what the fault was.
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Rattle,
clutch is fine the only thing when driving it I notice is the 1st gear feels a little bit worn.
When you say worn, do you mean it's whining or that the synchromesh is easily defeated? If it's difficult to go in first then it's either you're going too quickly when you try to, or the clutch is dragging.
to have stopped could a slave cylinder repair a leak by itself
Cars don't fix themselves, contrary to what many owners think and hope.
the engine sounds really noisy its not a rattle it is almost like a pump
Like a knock, or a rumble? Does it happen only when you accelerate? If so this could be big end or main bearing issues.
The way to check the water pump (as I've told you before) is to grab the pulley and try to wriggle it up and down. If there's any more than a millimeter or so play then it may be worth renewing it. Having said that, mine failed in relative silence and only got noticed when it leaked.
Would I right in thinking that worn plugs would cause it to run rich because of unburnt fuel? Also would it be wise getting those valve clearences checked in case they are too tight?
Worn plugs is a possibility. If it passes the MoT emissions fine though I suspect the carbon on the exhaust is normal and is more a sign of exhaust system age.
The valve clearances should be checked every 2 years on these engines.
Edited by mfarrow on 19/02/2009 at 12:41
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Its certainly not a knock, more of a hum almost like a hoover sort of sound as if the blower was on full but it comes from the engine area.
The back box is only 4 months old.
The 1st gear is just a bit stiff even from idle, it goes in perfectly fine but its not smooth and fluid like it should be on these gearboxes.
I will check the water pump later and get the clearences checked, we just need to get this thing up to another 10k without spending too much money (this is linked to the fact I need a new car).
I can put up with noises as longs as its not killing the engine in the process.
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