Andrew T

Guess what I was doing on Saturday night ? Grappling with a jammed spare wheel winch in the pouring rain. It's only a few weeks since I used it last time, when it came right out to allow the wheel to stand against the bumper without a problem. The garage put the tyre back again, but apparently without problem. Trying to get it out this time it dropped a few inches, but then as I continued to wind down it went back up again! Eventually, by sitting on the road I managed to push the wheel up with my knees and undo the fastening. I've removed the winch (took 2 minutes) but I can't see how to get into it. Can anybody tell me how to break it open ?

If there is nothing obvious externally, It may have a Mecury filled switch inside the tailgate trim.

We had a citroen for 3.5 years and 60,000 miles until we changed to the Galaxy and I never, ever want another citroen as long as I live. It wasn't that it suffered any really major or expensive failures but there was always something, and usually 2 or 3 things going wrong with it. Seats aside, it was a very nice drive but a car you can't trust is no use. Did anyone mention that it's French?

It won't be your glow plugs, as they are only used for starting.

On the facelift version you can bypass the Alarm without using the remote by pushing the drivers door opening handle/lock in from the inside, i.e with your arm through from the OSR door, then slam the rear door (which is by then locked) shut.

That's interesting, its fitted with standard spec Ghia 16" alloys with 215/55 x 16R Dunlop SP2020s. I make that 4.66" sidewall 25.31" dia 79.52" circumferance. That means it is7% bigger than the smallest size you qoute. Do we get a "one size fits all" milometer calibration from Ford ? If correct, my 99500 miles is really 106K. :D

Fair comment, although I think the GPS gives a warning if it cannot acquire sufficient sattelites. I measured a few trips each of around 20 miles and 6.3% was the average. Accuracy varied between 5.63% and 6.58%, I put the variation down to the milometer only registering to the nearest 10th of a mile.

Is the control unit under the passenger seat sitting in a pool of water ?

A couple of weeks after we got our Galaxy we visited friends in Cornwall, and I noticed that the Journey was 25miles nearer than it used to be in our Citroen. I've finally managed to run some tests using a borrowed GPS and sure enough the Milometer under reads by 6.3%. The speedometer over reads by just over 1mph at 30,40,50,60 and 70 MPH. The fuel consumption feature on the trip computer always seemed to over read by by 5% or more compared to a manual check, but may really be accurate based on the true milage covered. That should delight the V6 owners. Any guesses why this should be ? Tyre wear means that such a device cannot be completely accurate, but according to my CSE grade 5 maths (equivalent, I think to the modern A*) the difference in rolling radius between a new tyre with 7mm of tread and one with 2mm is less than 2%, my tyres are at 4mm. Has anybody else checked their accuracy ?

My '01 2.3 Ghia does not have a light that works despite one being shown in the handbook. However the Cruise Control does not work properly either, so maybe it is supposed to not come on if there is a fault.

To be fair we lived up a long unmade lane with huge puddles on it, and the house was 700ft up on a hillside, so we could get frosts in june (eeee but its grim oop north lad <_< ). However I've not experienced this problem in cars I've had where the handbrake acts directly on the front brake pads (Subaru, Citroen) which would snap off as soon as you started driving. The Vectra would just drag its locked rear wheels. And If that had been the Vectras only problem I would have been a happy man. :rolleyes:

The Vectra has a small drum within the hub of the disc, a completely crap idea. It was so prone to freezing on that we stopped it in the winter and just left the car in gear.

Or does it have a hidden mercury switch ? trying opening and shutting the glove box repeatedly, it might shake it into life if it has one.

Ours is a post facelift model with the early solid type headrests in it, but it has an adjustable lumbar support. Was yours an EEC import originally? Our was an Eire market model supplied by a dealer in Belgium. Somewhere we have a copy of the original order form for it, and several options had been specified to bring it up to UK Ghia spec, e.g. the electric rear quarter lights and cruise control. I have a vague feeling that the Lumbar support was also on the list.

I think MrT and I are talking about a different noise. This is very faint and could never be be heard over a running engine, or even any background noise. It comes on every time the key has been removed from ignition, even if it has only been in the "ACC" position, it runs for 15 minutes or so and then switches off. Also my engine is petrol, not Turbo Diesel. Any other ideas ? :huh:

Hmmm...I've noticed that as well, seems to come from the rear nearside the engine. It runs for 15mins or so after the keys are removed, weather or not the engine has been started.

Parkers Website Gives

If it was you're glowplugs then you would have problems with cold starting, not hot. My best guess is that you maybe have an air leak into the fuel system that is only there when the car is hot. :(

My one experience with the local Ford dealer left me reasonably impressed, when I put our Gal in for diagnosis of an Aircon Fault. For the quoted price of the dignosis they found and also rectified a broken feed to the compressor which had eluded an Aircon specialist. The work was done in the time quoted and I was phoned when the car was ready. The dealer is in a small country town, where they probably service few fleet vehicles, and people round here are not noted for throwing their money around. On the subject of Honda dealers (who always do very well in Customer Service polls), four years ago when I put my Civic in for service I was told it need new suspension bushes before the next MOT at a cost of

Is the blackbox under the passenger seat the Central locking control unit or the ECU or both ? I'm confused, brcause after it went for a swim the other night the Engine fault light came on.

My '01 2.3 requires 10W40. I've just had it changed, with a filter, at National Tyres for

Indeed he doesn't, he eats it up again. If only travel sick children were as helpful! :blink:

Welcome, as a newcomer myself I can answer your questions in part at least. 1. Coming from a Citroen Xantia, I initially found the amount of body roll on our Galaxy a little disconcerting, but i've not driven one with sports suspension. The ride is pretty compliant though. I find if I corner too hard the Dog vomits. 2. the Ford Galaxy brochure at http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/galaxy/-/- suggests that you will get roof vents, but I have a feeling they are one of the changes for 2004, so make sure you are not being sold old stock. 3. Your cruise control should work. Mine evidently doesn't but it's coming up for 100k. .

There is an article on this product in the CSMA (Civil Service Motoring Association) magazine this month. Highish milage members cars were tested before and after treatment and all showed an improvemt in power, torque and emmissions. The exception was a car with a overhauled cylinder head which only showed an improvement in emmisions. If it does blow all the cr@p out of the engine, what does it do the catalyst in the long term ? Years ago I remember a mechanic friend recommded pouring used brake fluid into the carb' as a poor-mans alternative to a decoke, is this the modern high tech alternative ?