DougJones

I have a 53 plate Alhambra & have removed the centre row of seats to give a load space which suits my needs. (rear seat have been left in place). I am looking at upgrading to the new Alhambra but I am uncertain if the centre row of seats can be removed from the new model as opposed to folding flat, (which effectively raises the floor height). If anyone who owns one of the new models who has removed these seats successfully, confirmation would be appreciated.

I've used it for the past two services now, seems to be no problems at all. Besides being the right 505.01 spec. it states on the plastic container PD oil. Because I tend to do low mileage & shortish journeys I change the oil every 6 to 9 months, usually by then the service indicator is saying 2000 miles before the next service. With the price of Planet oil being so reasonable compared to others it's worth doing it more frequently.

Many thanks for that, is now on order.

I am going to replace my injector loom, (the reasons for that are another story) but see that when replacing the camshaft cover you should place a drop of sealant on each of the bearing caps where they meet the cylinder head. The correct sealant is AMV 174 004 01 @ £25-00. Does anyone know of an equivalent at a cheaper price and where it can be sourced from? Only 4 drops approx 5mm dia are required! Many thanks for any help.

90 degrees is about spot on & 5 mins warm up period is reasonable, will take longer in cooler weather (if the booster heater doesn't kick in) but depends on how hard you drive. When the booster heater kicks in (5 to 10 degrees outside temp)the warm up time will really be reduced.

Just had a reply from Seat technical dept. it's as stated above, the 130 tdi with the ASZ engine - the electric coolant pump does NOT run on but the 115 does. Hope this helps anyone else who like me, thought there was a problem. As long as the pump runs OK with the ignition on, then it's OK, but if it runs intermittently then brushes could be a problem (assuming there is no loose wiring) Many thanks to all who have contributed information.

Is yours a 115 or 130? It does seem to be the case that the 130 ASZ engine doesn't have the run on that the 115 AUY engine has Just to confirm from the original query on this thread, that my Alhambra has the 130 ASZ engine, which would seem to confirm that this is the reason for my electric pump not running on. I have contacted Seat technical section in the past about cambelt change times, and they were very helpful. I will see if I can find there number again (filed away somewhere!) and see if they can clarify the situation re: which models have the run on facility, or if all of them should have this feature.

Thanks SilverBeast, I am now working on the assumption that if the pump works with the ignition on then the brushes are still OK and that having no run on may well be normal. It may well be that when we get warmer weather & the whole system gets warm (including the oil temp getting up to normal) then the pump may well run on. Will monitor this as and when. I will post on this thread if anything changes or fails relating to this situation. Many thanks to all that have replied & offered their advice.

Many thanks gregers, will keep an eye on the situation.

Thanks gregers, I had work done on the booster heater by Seat dealer some 5 years ago when I purchased the Alhambra, & it has worked OK since (had the occasional flame out, but cleared any fault codes straight away with VagCom lite and carries on working as it should). Get constant build up heat when the booster is on & reduces output just before 90 degrees, so all seems fine, have a feeling though that it won't be long before I have to renew the glow plug etc. Get constant heat front & rear and I can feel that the rear heater matrix is hot to touch (rear panel nearside rear seat) so coolant is circulating OK. Will keep monitoring the situation & post if anything else happens. Many thanks.

MadBaz & gregers many thanks for the replies, but which one of you is right? I can feel the pump running when the ignition is on with engine either running or stopped, it's just as soon as I turn off the ignition the pump stops. Will try feeling the pump after a run to see if it is running, but to my knowledge I can never remember the cooling fan running, temp always peaks at 90 degrees and stays there, even when the booster heater has been running or towing a caravan in summer.

Many thanks for the reply but turning the ignition on starts the pump straight away, but as soon as I turn off the ignition the pump stops! Any ideas?

I've been browsing the forum and seen reference to the electric pump running on for some 3 minutes after the ignition is turned off. I thought as a matter of course that I would check that mine is still working OK, which it appears to, can feel the vibration of the pump running when the ignition is on. I started the car up and then switched off to see that it was performing the "run on" as it should, but it stopped running immediately after switching off. Is there a timer somewhere or is it linked to the run on of the fan in the Aux. heater and only performs the run on when the booster heater has kicked in? Any thoughts or explanation would be welcome as I don't want to overheat the head etc. through lack of coolant dispersal because the pump is not clearing heated water after switch off Seat Alhambra 2003 130tdi 46000 miles

Many thanks, by reading the radio handbook more carefully :) I realized that it states you have to leave the key in the ignition, with the set turned on for an hour (has the same effect as driving around) problem now resolved :D Many thanks for the reply.

I disconnected my battery to check the terminals were clean and have locked myself out of radio. Has gone into safe mode. I have waited for the one hour period to pass, but every time I turn it on (with the key in the ignition) it come up "2 SAFE". How do I get back to the mode to input the correct code? I got into this situation as last time I disconnected the battery the radio came up with the word SAFE & then LEARN, without me doing anything, and I was waiting for it to do the same thing again but to no avail! :) Any suggestions very welcome, many thanks.

Checked the battery voltage this morning with engine running - 14.2v Went to local garage to get battery & alternator checked, both came up as good. no problems identified, will just keep monitoring the situation to see if anything fails completely. Many thanks for the suggestions posted, will keep forum up to date if anything drastic happens as it may be a help to others.

Thanks for thoughts, was going to try today, but the weather got the better of me. Will try in the morning to see if I can get a sensible reading.

Checked out these points this morning, distribution/fuse box under the battery cover seems fine. Disconnected the main feed power cable to it & no signs of overheating or corrosion. Reconnected the battery cable as well. Started up and the problem is still there, starts at 14v and rises to approx 14.4/14.5v then falls back to 14v again after 4/5seconds does the same thing again :rolleyes: Previously checked the alternator pulley for "freewheeling" and seems fine. On the unlicensed version of vagcom will alternator faults show up? as when I run a scan no faults appear on my laptop readout. Any further thoughts would be appreciated.

Many thanks Seatkid, will check out those points in the morning.

Many thanks for the reply. The pulley seems to "freewheel" fine, what seems strange, is the regular rise & fall of voltage, and the fact that most times after switching off the voltage remains stable. Many times when starting, the voltage remains stable at 14v with no indication of a problem.

Hi everyone, Over the past few months my ammeter on my Seat Alhambra 130 1.9tdi has started "drifting" from 14v to 14.4v every 4/5 seconds at all engine speeds. When the engine is cold you can feel the extra load at low speeds. If the engine is switched off, then on many occasions the fault disappears. Is this a sign that the alternator is on its way out, or that something else is happening that the voltage regulator can't cope with. I have the "home" version of vagcom but no fault codes show up. Battery was replaced a few months ago. I have tried switching everything electrical off, and switching everything on ie heated windscreen, seats, lights etc. but this makes no difference to the apparent rise and fall in voltage. The car is a 53 plate & has just done 45000 miles. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Many thanks Doug Jones

PROBLEM SOLVED ;) Was checking rocker cover prior to removal in the next few days, and thought I would have a look at the fuel filter replaced by the independant mechanic just prior to the start of my problems. Decided to check fuel line connections with manual I have, and tracing through found that this mechanic (who I previously trusted) had crossed over the supply and return line to the filter. The supply line from the filter to the tandem pump was attached to the return line on the filter, with the return attached to the supply. All these pipes are colour coded - white and blue so he had replaced them white to blue and blue to white instead of white to white and blue to blue :rolleyes: Refitted fuel pipes to correct connections - stutter under load completely gone, car back to normal. The fuel must have been going crazy with the pipes reversed, but it still worked. Don't know if this helps anyone else, but if you have the fuel filter replaced, make sure that the pipes are replaced correctly. Next time I won't be so lazy and DO IT MYSELF. Many thanks though for all the suggestions of possible causes, which will be stored away in the memory banks should anything happen like this happen again :D

We are just waiting to get son-in-laws Xtrail back (new fuel pump, garage fitting) before starting on the Alhambra, didn't want two vehicles on the go at the same time, will post what results are and what I've found, if anything. As Seatkid said, at least I can see what is going on under the rocker cover, and checking the solenoid connections will eliminate one of the low cost checks.

Thanks for that, will give it a try as soon as I can. Will post what the results are, for information to other people who may experience similar problems in the future.

As an update the Vagcom check has revealed no fault codes and the Audi/VW service centre said that the Maf sensor was working ok when the took it out for it's diagnostic check. Following up on the possible replacement loom the Seatkid talks about, I've enquired at my local Seat dealer about Injector looms, who tell me that I have to buy the whole loom as one piece, at