Scorpiorefugee

I have chased this around on my AFN engine and the following may be helpful. The vacuum is produced by a vacuum pump on the front (radiator side) of the engine and this is also the source of the vacuum for the brake servo. The feed is teed off to the variable vane and recirculation control systems and it is possible to pull off a tube and check for vacuum. The control system uses 2 three way solenoid operated valves and a reservoir tank behind the radiator header tank. The solenoid valves are operated in pulse mode and are known to fail occasionally although, when I took mine out I could not make any sense of how they actually work. I suspect that mine are faulty but I still get good turbo action. It helps if you have a TIS disc and can trace all of the tubing but, even then, it is not easy to follow a logical fault finding path beyond checking for leaks and vacuum while the engine is ticking over. Good luck.

If you can not find the right size brushes, screwfix.com sell a direct power angle grinder for

Cold air blowing from heating Turn off the fan White smoke from auxilary heater exhaust for a few mins Adjust LH mirror so you don't see it Car overheating when going high speeds Drive slower That's what I'd do everytime. Trouble is, I'd still worry about it, but then, I've got pills for that problem. :lol: Ronz, I got your message and I'll send a cople of discs (one 1998 and one 2002) prob tomorrow.

Hi Ron, Sorry, I can do no more than try to rationalise this. Can I suggest that you concentrate on the loss of heater and overheating. The old fashioned approach was to get it hot and feel all the hoses. The fault codes may be misleading. If you need any help finding where everything is, I can send you a copy of the Ford TIS disc. Unfortunately, while I have both MKI and MkIIs, I have never had to investigate this sort of problem. My only problem was a failed water pump on the MkII and I drove that home 200 miles up the M5 with a nice warm heater and cruising at a steady 55 and about 60 mpg. My guess would be air lock or thermostat. Another Ron. :lol:

I've had the water pump loss of impeller problem on the MkII and the heater worked fine. In fact, at speeds above 60 it was the only thing keeping the temperature down. Also, on longish runs, the fuel comsumption improved dramatically, presumably helped by the reduction in loading on the drive belt. I was lucky in that I became aware of the rising teperature before it got too hot so avoided any secondary problems like head gasket etc. Have you been that lucky? Did this all happen at the same time or have you put all your begs in one askit? ;)

I think that I can eventually understand how George Bush managed to get elected. ;)

Its obvious many owners with an auto that starts to play up will get shut pronto - so buyer beware! ALWAYs take a 2nd hand auto for an extended test drive and check everything about the box is OK. Insist on a warranty if buying from a garage/trader. Funny, I was thinking much the same when I put in my last comment. It doesn't just apply to autos but every vehicle I have bought in the past 20 years has had one fault, not immediately obvious but seriously elusive, that was almost certainly why the last owner dropped it. I know that I tend to be a bit of a mug but I have seen similar trends in others. Funny thing is that most of the problems that I have met of this type have been precipitated by incompetent mechanics. Happily, after a bit of pain I have usually sorted it and the purchase has gone on to give a lot more trouble free service. Let's hope this holds true here.

Ouch! You don't actually say that all is now well but I do hope it is. I reckon you've suffered enough. It's tales like this that make me steer away from autos. Did the garage give any suggestions as to why it broke?

I found the advertising outweighed income so I am applying for goverment funding. Isn't there an enterprise fund somewhere? I also thought about a bit of PC. It's not my fault I've got the wrong bits and pieces in the wrong places and age shouldn't be a factor. Maybe I could get a grant for some clever plastic surgery. Thanks SK. You've given me fresh hope. :( Just got to keep a positive outlook. ^_^

I know mine works on the MK1 but I haven't tried it on my Mk2 yet. I hope someone else picks this up and can offer some advice. I'll have a look and let you know.

And God created the great depression and said "That should scupper their plans for a bit"

Just found this topic and one thing stands out - were all a lot wiser, but sadly, worse off 'cos the wisdom came from watching ourselves get poorer. And the sad bit, the ones that got rich are the ones that caused it. It all went wrong when those imbeciles currently doing fecklessly incompetent government impressions sere elected on promises which were mathematically impossible. We all have to accept some responsibility. We get the government we deserve. Mind, I wonder if the others could have done better but at least we did have a health service and education system we could afford. It was imperfect and there were a lot of problems but, hands up anyone who would like to go back to Ken Clark as Chancellor. The old rules stand. If it sounds to good to be true, then it is! Somone advised not to put your money in a bank. Probably good advice. A building society is a good idea. Nationwide is one of the few establishments which doesn't have a crisis and that is one of the few that has a board which didn't have a get rich quick plan. Sorry! Not preaching. I'm just as angry as everyone else. Just to relate to one of Greger's posts (among others) Morgage - Nothing to speak of - thank heavens! Job - Not really these days thanks to Gordon. Savings - A few bob, mainly with Nationwide - Gut feelings over the years. Pension - Not any more - thanks to the imbeciles above. In 1998 I had a useful fund from my own hard earned contributions over 35 years Now virtually worthless thanks to useless regulators, Law Lords and other assorted beneficiaries of safe index liked pensions funded by - you and me. Sorry for myself - Yes, but a lot more sorry for those younger folks with families who were sucked into the pyramid financial fiasco perpetrated by the selfish and incompetent. Worried - Damned right. Especially because, of all the rubbish spouted by the pundits etc, no-one has yet addressed the simple fact that, if we ain't making anything worth selling, we can't keep borrowing to buy the nice things in life - including food, and once you've sold the crown jewels, and your house, and - your body, it's all over.

Wayne, There must be loads of us who already have these things and would be happy to help but all we know is that you are in the Midlands. I, for one should be happy to read your error codes if you were anwhere near Kidderminster. Try giving an indication of where you are. Ron.

Just a quick additional comment. My trick of adding unleaded was a genuine accident and I didn't use the "Italian tune up". My problem cleared over about half a tankful (400 miles) at gentle motorway cruising having been a problem for about 4k miles. My old tub has done 220k and is now running sweetly again. I think it started when I put some cheap Supermarket fuel in. I would be nervous about adding unleaded to a more modern engine. Perhaps others who are better informed may comment on this. P.S. Just had a quick re read and a silly thought. Have you checked the intercooler for blockage (Gunk). I ran mine for a test with the pipe disconnected from the feed to the manifold. this does mean no filter or turbo but it did run and, in my case, proved the fault to be elsewhere. I also checked the manifold pressure tube to the ECU bu blowing down it and monitoring the read out on the VAG thingy. Beyond this I can only offer sympathy mate.

Sorry, I can't help much but, as far as I know, the switches are down by the pedals. I don't even know where the cruise control electronics are 'cos I've never had to look. Can I suggest that you search the site for "Brake switch" etc. Also for TIS disc which maye cost a few quid although they are basically free and will give you all of the information you need. You will probably find all that you need on the site somewhere but it may take some time. The search facility needs patience but it is all there somewhere. Good luck.

I know nothing about what goes inside this particular cruise control (But I could design one if necessary) but always think it best to start by treating it as a black box and think about what it needs to work. Basically, speed above 30, in gear, clutch not pressed and brake not pressed. A study of the wiring diagrams if you cen get hold of one may give you more. In short, I think Nik's suggestion is a good place to start. Mind, I am bemused by the need for a vacuum pump. Maybe someone can enlighten us.

Yup! I think that's what fixed mine, except I used the 'Oh dear, I've just put a few litres of unleaded in. &0

Back to the MAF briefly. It is always possible that the MAF could cause problems but my experience was on a Ford Scorpio when the symptoms were not as yours but more a reluctance to change up once warm and this could be made worse by cruising at a light throttle setting. However, the result of disconnecting the thing was to give very positive gear changes and somewhat harsh at that. You had no change so it seems to point elsewhere. With the MAF disconnected the system is supposed to run on default mapping so if there was a problem you should have noticed an improvement. I think the other advice is more helpful. My experience is that it is generally cheaper to live with it if possible and try the simple things first. The trouble is that there are lots of simple things that are not immediately obvious but it is often a question of looking for other symptoms which are not always obviously linked. I hope you get it fixed soon.

At risk of being accused of being silly can I suggest unplugging the MAF.

Just to clarify. I suggested

Hi RadioTwo, (Where did that come from by the way?) Plase don't take the following comments personally but your reply contained common arguments and I did expect something of the sort. If you are a law abiding citizen and a competent driver you do not need a warning device! If you are not, you should to be made to account for your deficiences. I accept the point about lorries but heavy vans and pickups are not regulated and as for the speed, it does not take much intelligence to assess the speed of an oncoming vehicle when, at 30 it takes 7 or eight seconds from appearing round a bend to passing a fixed point and a speeding vehicle does it in less than 4. or even, when travelling at the correct speed, vehicles in front gain several hundred yards in a few seconds. It is not just speed or anything else in particular that causes accidents. It is mostly an inability to deal with the unexpected and that involves factors like time, speed of reactions, general awareness of the options available and an individuals experience. Remember that at least two people are involved, the victim and the killer. How do you know that everything is going to your plan? You may be confident (justified or not) of your own capabilities but you cannot control those of the third party and they have as much right to be there as anyone else. That is why we have laws, rules and guide lines. Please stop making excuses to justify what you would like to be able to do and start behaving responsibly. The rules are there for the common good.

At risk of becoming the target of a lot of flack I am going to state my belief that all forms of speed trap detectors should be banned and users fined. What is the point of speed limits if they are not enforced? That is not to say that I do not advocate fining everyone for minor infringements but I have to pull out onto a 30mph road every day and drivers of everything from school buses to heavy lorries come past at speeds of up to 70. Their argument is that it doesn't matter because they know that there is no speed trap!!!! If you cannot drive within the limits you should not be on the road!! Where's me pills? :rolleyes:

Mine does seem to have cured itself - a thousand or so miles and running well - so far! I think it must have been a dodgy Needle lift sensor which the 115 engine doesn't have (I am told) Fireski, I agree with insider. Guessing is not a good idea. If you haven't got a VAG - Com, It's worth

Vicki, I am sure that there are people on this site who are far better qualified to advise you than I am but my advice is that you need to be very careful and really should be leaning on tha garage to be a little more helpful. It does seem certain that they have disturbed something and, if they genuinely cannot advise you as to what is wrong, you have little chance of sorting it out unaided. Tracking and suspension geometry can be tiger country and working under 2 tons of galaxy can be downright dangerous. Tracking needs to be done with the wheels on the floor and if the suspension geometry is out then there must be something probably damaged or out of position which would mean any attempt to sort out the tracking would be couter productive. It is vital to start in the right place and be certain that your judgement of what is right or wrong is correct. If you get it wrong you can only make things worse. By all means have a look but do please get someone to stand by if not to help. And....... Good luck!

It sounds like you're no further forward and one has to have some doubts as to whether they did take the box out again. If they did, they would have disconnected the steering again. Are you aware of any changes to that? Does the steering feel normal - apart from being off centre? Is there any sign of wear/feathering on the edges of your front wheels. The tracking would have to be a long way out to generate noise and you would certainly be aware of the problem. Have you used the garage before or do you now anyone who has?