Car faults that were difficult or have never been solved.
Discussion
clarkey328is said:
varsas said:
Halfords 'classic' 20/50. The engine is a diesel, if that helps....
Obviously oil thickens in colder weather making the engine more difficult to turn over. In your owners manual it should have a list of different grades of oil to be used in different temperature conditions. Might be worth a look..varsas said:
clarkey328is said:
varsas said:
Halfords 'classic' 20/50. The engine is a diesel, if that helps....
Obviously oil thickens in colder weather making the engine more difficult to turn over. In your owners manual it should have a list of different grades of oil to be used in different temperature conditions. Might be worth a look..It's a cheap fix if that's the problem, and an oil change never does any harm!
clarkey328is said:
varsas said:
clarkey328is said:
varsas said:
Halfords 'classic' 20/50. The engine is a diesel, if that helps....
Obviously oil thickens in colder weather making the engine more difficult to turn over. In your owners manual it should have a list of different grades of oil to be used in different temperature conditions. Might be worth a look..It's a cheap fix if that's the problem, and an oil change never does any harm!
had a mk3 supra turbo G reg.
No probs for a year, then every so often it wouldn't start, nothing happened when you turned the key.
Being an electrician thought 'how hard can this be?'
Checked all the leads, 12+VE from the batt to the starter - Yup
-VE from the engine to the chassis - Yup
-VE from the battery to the chassis - Yup
12+VE on the ignition terminal on the starter when the key was turned - Nope.
Found it!
Pulled the lead off, and tested again, turn the key, 12V at the spade connection. Plugged it back in, gone again!
In the end, i bought a relay, and wired +12 and -VE from the battery to the relay, a switched lead down to the solenoid of the starter, and hooked the ignition lead onto the coil of the relay.
Problem fixed.
Seems like there was enough current flow to energise the relay coil but not enough to pull the solenoid in.
My thinking was a dry joint or faulty ignition switch, but was a b
d to diagnose as it tested all ok on the multimeter, just wouldn't pull the starter in.
That relay was still working on the car at least 5 years later, I had it parked up for 2 years, then sold it to my mum who ran it for three, before trading it in against a Ford Scorpio!
No probs for a year, then every so often it wouldn't start, nothing happened when you turned the key.
Being an electrician thought 'how hard can this be?'
Checked all the leads, 12+VE from the batt to the starter - Yup
-VE from the engine to the chassis - Yup
-VE from the battery to the chassis - Yup
12+VE on the ignition terminal on the starter when the key was turned - Nope.
Found it!
Pulled the lead off, and tested again, turn the key, 12V at the spade connection. Plugged it back in, gone again!
In the end, i bought a relay, and wired +12 and -VE from the battery to the relay, a switched lead down to the solenoid of the starter, and hooked the ignition lead onto the coil of the relay.
Problem fixed.
Seems like there was enough current flow to energise the relay coil but not enough to pull the solenoid in.
My thinking was a dry joint or faulty ignition switch, but was a b
d to diagnose as it tested all ok on the multimeter, just wouldn't pull the starter in.That relay was still working on the car at least 5 years later, I had it parked up for 2 years, then sold it to my mum who ran it for three, before trading it in against a Ford Scorpio!
Edited by davethebunny on Monday 3rd January 15:26
Jo Po said:
Renault Megane 2.0 16v
Trouble holding revs on start up
Misfire on idle
Only error code is 'Catalytic Converter Malfunction'.
Brand new cat, coilpack, spark plugs, throttle body. 2 years On and it's still doing it.
Does this engine have the variable cam timing? A friend at work had a couple of Renaults and had similar problems. Seem to remember something about an adjuster that kept breaking...Trouble holding revs on start up
Misfire on idle
Only error code is 'Catalytic Converter Malfunction'.
Brand new cat, coilpack, spark plugs, throttle body. 2 years On and it's still doing it.
A friend of mine had a 250cc wind up and go scooter. It kept boiling batteries ! This had been ongoing for about 6 months and was the reason he got it cheap. I told him to check the voltage at the battery whilst the engine was running. 16 volts he replied !!!! So a new battery and a new regulator at £150 fitted. Problem still there..I told him I would come over and have a look..
I had a good look over it and being Italian I had doubts about the wiring. The battery terminals were corroded so I changed them as there was a small voltage drop across them when charging. The problem still persisted.. Upon closer inspection I traced the 0 volt reference wire from the regulator to its connection to chassis. This was heavily corroded as it was underneath the bike unprotected from the weather. Fitting a new connector and making good cured the problem.
As the Earth/0volt battery and regulator connections were at different points then the regulator couldnt reference its charge voltage to a common point, hence the silly voltage when charging..My mate was gutted that all it cost was 50p in connectors and a bit of time with a multi meter..
I had a good look over it and being Italian I had doubts about the wiring. The battery terminals were corroded so I changed them as there was a small voltage drop across them when charging. The problem still persisted.. Upon closer inspection I traced the 0 volt reference wire from the regulator to its connection to chassis. This was heavily corroded as it was underneath the bike unprotected from the weather. Fitting a new connector and making good cured the problem.
As the Earth/0volt battery and regulator connections were at different points then the regulator couldnt reference its charge voltage to a common point, hence the silly voltage when charging..My mate was gutted that all it cost was 50p in connectors and a bit of time with a multi meter..
varsas said:
Welshwonder said:
varsas said:
My diesel land rover gives every symptom of a low battery, but I've now tried about 5 in it...same every time. Sluggish cranking/reluctant or no starting. Fires up fine after being jumped. Checked earthing, batteries, glow plugs, for electrical shorts, alternator (why does everyone say the alternator...surely that doesn't have anything to do with starting the car?)....I am waiting for decent weather to fit a new starter. If that doesn't fix it I will be out of ideas....
Doesn't sound like a big problem but the car is so simple it should be an easy fix...
Has the Landie had this fault ever since you owned it, or has the fault appeared over time?Doesn't sound like a big problem but the car is so simple it should be an easy fix...
I don't really know. I put a new engine in it over the summer, so everything has changed recently anyway. It was fine while the weather was warm but as the nights got colder it got more reluctant to start in the mornings. Could have been coincidence I suppose but it did seem cold related. I have only had the car about 9 months total so don't know if it was the same last winter.
Edited by varsas on Saturday 1st January 16:31
Not one of my own, but as soon as I read the title my mind was drawn to the Vectra C handbrake fiasco from a few years back.
There was something inherently wrong with the ratchet mechanism, and cars left on even slight gradients with the handbrake on would simply roll away. Featured on Watchdog eventually.
Vauxhall's highly paid technical staff issued a recall and the subsequent fix was a sticker to be applied to the sun visor reminding the driver to leave the car in gear when parked...
There was something inherently wrong with the ratchet mechanism, and cars left on even slight gradients with the handbrake on would simply roll away. Featured on Watchdog eventually.
Vauxhall's highly paid technical staff issued a recall and the subsequent fix was a sticker to be applied to the sun visor reminding the driver to leave the car in gear when parked...
Had an intermittent fault on a Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo. Every now and again when starting from cold the car would have absolutely no power, to the point that it was dangerous to drive as you had to give it the beans to pull away and even then it was 50:50 whether it would stall or not. Once it was warm the problem rectified itself. Took it to the dealers repeatedly but their computer said no, eventually, I suggested that the next time the car played up I would take it straight there and they could see.
A few weeks passed and then one morning the car played up, so I rang the dealer and said I would be right over. Arrived at the dealers and he was very busy finishing a cup of coffee, 20 minutes later once the car had had time to sit and heatsoak the engine the dealer wondered over. I explained that at low revs and when cold the car had no power. So the dealer jumped in and proceeded to redline the engine as we raced round town with me trying to explain that by low revs I meant somewhere under 4,500rpm. Needless to say, they didn't find the fault and I never did find out what it was.
A few weeks passed and then one morning the car played up, so I rang the dealer and said I would be right over. Arrived at the dealers and he was very busy finishing a cup of coffee, 20 minutes later once the car had had time to sit and heatsoak the engine the dealer wondered over. I explained that at low revs and when cold the car had no power. So the dealer jumped in and proceeded to redline the engine as we raced round town with me trying to explain that by low revs I meant somewhere under 4,500rpm. Needless to say, they didn't find the fault and I never did find out what it was.
davethebunny said:
My thinking was a dry joint or faulty ignition switch, but was a bd to diagnose as it tested all ok on the multimeter, just wouldn't pull the starter in.
That's why I prefer to test car things with a brake/fog/indicator light bulb soldered to two bits of wire, rather than a multimeter. So many car electrical faults are down to bad connections of one form or another and a multimeter is too high impedance to notice anything wrong. A brake light bulb puts a decent load on it and makes it more obvious.d to diagnose as it tested all ok on the multimeter, just wouldn't pull the starter in.I think the bloody flux capacitor has gone on my DeLorean DMC-12, I have turned on the time circuits, activated the unit containing the seven-segment displays which shows the destination, present, and last-departed dates and times, I entered a target date, accelerated the car to 88mph but the flux capacitor wont activate? I am miffed??? Any ideas?
Edited by joeel on Monday 3rd January 21:03
Welshwonder said:
Jo Po said:
Renault Megane 2.0 16v
Trouble holding revs on start up
Misfire on idle
Only error code is 'Catalytic Converter Malfunction'.
Brand new cat, coilpack, spark plugs, throttle body. 2 years On and it's still doing it.
Does this engine have the variable cam timing? A friend at work had a couple of Renaults and had similar problems. Seem to remember something about an adjuster that kept breaking...Trouble holding revs on start up
Misfire on idle
Only error code is 'Catalytic Converter Malfunction'.
Brand new cat, coilpack, spark plugs, throttle body. 2 years On and it's still doing it.
Thanks for trying though and taking the time to reply.
Octavia vRS has a whine between 40-60mph, getting worse with mileage (now at 60k). Been back into dealer 4 times now, currently had it for last six weeks, two full gearbox rebuilds and still no luck. It's going to another dealer tomorrow for "more diagnosis".
It's had four wheel bearings, bushes, an ARB, new tyres and now these rebuilds with new shafts etc. all under warranty. I kind of want my money back to be honest.
It's had four wheel bearings, bushes, an ARB, new tyres and now these rebuilds with new shafts etc. all under warranty. I kind of want my money back to be honest.
Not a car but a bike, well moped really. When I was sixteen I bought a Kawasaki AR50 from a friend cheap. In beautiful condition but after about 10 minutes riding it would cut out and refuse to start until it had cooled down. The previous owner had sent it to the local motorbike repair shop numerous times but it always came back the same. I tried to fix it myself but being young had no patience. I eventually went away to college and left the bike at home, returning every few weeks or so. One weekend my Dad announced he had finally fixed it. Turned out it was the ignition pick-up coil, which was located behind the flywheel making access very difficult. He had been able to get it up to temp so it failed, quickly remove the flywheel and gain access to the pick-up coil and eventually found it went open circuit when hot. A quick trip to a local bike breaker and it was cured!
jagracer said:
varsas said:
Welshwonder said:
varsas said:
My diesel land rover gives every symptom of a low battery, but I've now tried about 5 in it...same every time. Sluggish cranking/reluctant or no starting. Fires up fine after being jumped. Checked earthing, batteries, glow plugs, for electrical shorts, alternator (why does everyone say the alternator...surely that doesn't have anything to do with starting the car?)....I am waiting for decent weather to fit a new starter. If that doesn't fix it I will be out of ideas....
Doesn't sound like a big problem but the car is so simple it should be an easy fix...
Has the Landie had this fault ever since you owned it, or has the fault appeared over time?Doesn't sound like a big problem but the car is so simple it should be an easy fix...
I don't really know. I put a new engine in it over the summer, so everything has changed recently anyway. It was fine while the weather was warm but as the nights got colder it got more reluctant to start in the mornings. Could have been coincidence I suppose but it did seem cold related. I have only had the car about 9 months total so don't know if it was the same last winter.
Edited by varsas on Saturday 1st January 16:31
I have a 2.5tdi A4 which on a very light throttle is a bit jerky and does not have any engine braking - if I knock it out of gear (i.e. not using clutch) then the engine revs do not go down and sometimes rise. The only way to return the revs to tick over is to dip the clutch. Nothing showing on diagnostics (and I have fitted a new AFM)
Neither dealer or specialist can find fault but admit to above being what is happening.
Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Neither dealer or specialist can find fault but admit to above being what is happening.
Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have finally managed to find a mechanic (mobile guy) that was recommended by a friend of mine to come and look at my car next Friday.
He called up yesterday evening (impressed as I was not expecting a callback on a bank holiday!), and we had an honest conversation about what his, and my expectations of car diagnostics were, in so much that I mentioned that if he only went by what his gadgets told him, it was probably a waste of time going forward.
He seemed very keen and up front about how he works, so hopefully he will be able to exorcise the ghost that has been haunting my car for the past year
If he is any good, I will certainly be recommending him as the last of a dying breed.
He called up yesterday evening (impressed as I was not expecting a callback on a bank holiday!), and we had an honest conversation about what his, and my expectations of car diagnostics were, in so much that I mentioned that if he only went by what his gadgets told him, it was probably a waste of time going forward.
He seemed very keen and up front about how he works, so hopefully he will be able to exorcise the ghost that has been haunting my car for the past year
If he is any good, I will certainly be recommending him as the last of a dying breed.
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