Shabazmo

Rear susspension bent causing toe out on rear wheels and hence wear on the inside. Get 4 wheel alignment done to prove this or otherwise. If bent, you require a bodyshop with a hydraulic ram to straighten it so that allignment is spot on. No adjustments possible on rear wheels

I locked the camshaft and the fuel pump, so they are fine. I could not find TDC on the flywheel and used a scewer in no 1 glow plug to find TDC. The car now runs well. How can i check if I got TDC spot on. Can vagcom help with this by checking the fuel pump timing. Thanks

Yes all my work and all was well before I started. I may have found out what is wrong. My TDC marking established by looking at the flywheel may have been flawed. What I saw was a reasonable dimple with lines either side of the dimple. Having inspected the flywheel all around the circumference, there are 3/4 of these around the flywheel. I then removed glow plug No 1 and put in a long BBQ scewer and watched it rise to TDC. My original mark was slightly off the highest point. I can now see a micro dimple further along which is at the centre of the flywheel width. It is so small that I cant be sure. Can anyone advise whether I am looking at the right TDC or is there another mark. Engine is AFN 1.9tdi 1998 110bhp

Found out how to replace the tensioner. bought a new one from GSF but its not much better. I managed to get the aux belt back on.

One of the nuts is not accessible unless all the pulleys are removed. this includes the fuel pump pulley. I got round the problem by removing the oil pump pulley and replacing just the impellor part of the pump, and threw away the new body

Cam belt and water pump replaced and now I have a problem. The aux belt tensioner is very stiff. I can move the lever after disconecting the roller and putting a deep socket and ext bar over the lever. But when the roller is connected and I use the roller bolt to turn the tensioner, the bolt continues to turn and I will probably shear it if I continue. I have put plenty of lube on it but am running out of ideas. Any suggestions? Thanks

Cam belt and water pump replaced and now I have a problem. The aux belt tensioner is very stiff. I can move the lever after disconecting the roller and putting a deep socket and ext bar over the lever. But when the roller is connected and I use the roller bolt to turn the tensioner, the bolt continues to turn and I will probably shear it if I continue. I have put plenty of lube on it but am running out of ideas. Any suggestions? Thanks

I found the rubber bung and tdc, quite obvious, but only when it got darker this evening. Now the water pump which I was also going to change, What a pain. I had to give up. i removed virtually everything only to find that the bracket that holds the alternator has to come off and one of the nuts is hidden behind the timming cover base plate. so after scrathing my head for a long time, i gave up. I completed the timming belt only and have to put the rest back on. Perhaps next weekend. i need a new cam cover gasket and a PCV pipe which broke during dismantling. Thanks for your help

hi, did you get that last nut off. i am stuck and not sure what to do next.

I am in the middle of replacing the cam belt but can't find the TDC hole on the gearbox bell housing. Can anyone help Thanks

Get the 4 wheel aligment done and post the results. Likely that you have a bent rear wishbone, but we need to see the results of the alignment

Its time to replace my shocks. I am looking for a more controlled ride. Has anyone experienced brands other than Fords for the galaxy which will give a firmer ride. I don't want to replace the springs. e.g. Are Delphi's any good which is selling on ebay at a good price. Thanks Shabaz

My galaxy 1.9tdi AFN engine 1998 200K miles has been sufferring from hot start problems for a few months. when cold it starts instantly but when hot it takes several seconds to start. Vagcom reveals no fault codes. The engines runs great. Just made a 1000 mile trip to Scotland. Any help would be appreciated

My 2001 mk2 galaxy's passenger door won't open from the outside handle and the handle is stiff from the inside but opens just. Before the outside handle stopped working it was also stiff and I should have lubricated it, but now it does not open the door. does anyone have any idea on how to fix this. Many thanks

My 2001 mk2 galaxy's passenger door won't open from the outside handle and the handle is stiff from the inside. Before it stopped working the outside door handle was stiff and I should have lubricated it, but now it does not open the door. does anyone have any idea on how to fix this. Many thanks

I agree. With 6 owners, I bet its got a chequered history. Best to stick to one or 2 owners. I prefer to buy from a owner direct as I can gain a lot of history and can judge whethyer I trust the seller. Unless you do a low mileage, I suggest you look at the diesel, The 2.3 auto drimks lots of fuel. My brother in law has a 51 plate, lives in Croydon and gets only 25mpg. He has also had lots of problems with the car. My MK1 diesel is still going great with 198K on the clock. I will probably get the new Galaxy out in 2010 with the powershift autobox.

Look at the anti roll bar bushes. Grab hold of the bar at the centre and shake it hard. Regards

5 minutes from J5 M3. Let me know if you want help.

My brother in law had severe inner rear wheel wear when he bought his 2 year old Mk2 galaxy privately. I had 2 new tyres at the rear at 18K miles so we should have guessed that there was a problem. After 3 years and many sets of rear tyres, I used a wheelforce tracking set which showed that the rear tracking was out on the near side. So much so that you could visually see the ofset by looking down the length of the car and comparing it with the other side. Given that there was no damage, I could only assume that it was a factory defect or done by the previous owner. I fixed the problem by using a hydraulic strong arm against each wheel hub and bent the o/s hub to give the correct toe in. The tracking guages was connected as I did this. After 10K miles the new tyres are in great condition. My b i l also said that the car is a lot quieter since the rear tyre scrub was no longer happening. hope this helps. By the way, new hub/wishbone is about

Someone must know a good auto box specialist.... please

Sometimes you can bleed the Brake fluid resevoir. On the Golf and audi A3, air can get into the reservoir when if the level drops too low whilst bleeding and gets stuck there until it's bled via the bleed nipples on the resevoir. Best of luck

My brother in laws gearbox has failled. Galaxy Mk2 2001 1.9tdi. The oil is dark brown and it smells awfull. Symptoms are it stays in first gear until the engine warms up. New engine is

Surely a waranty job. Not fot for purpose.

Got the information from Gowrings, the Basingstoke Ford dealer. I understand your concerns but the reports on the motoring magazines are excellent. The box is cuttently being fitted to the Focus and the Cmax and will be offerred on all Fords soon. Type in "powershift Ford" on your search engine and read some of the articles about its installation in Focus and Cmax. M intereest is the low emissions, better performance 0-60 etc and of course lower road tax as well as a very fast shift. I have heard about the DSG issues but these were early models and hopefully Ford will have learn't from VW.

Saw a white Galaxy recently and I am afraid to say it looked like a wedding car. White will get you noticed but after a year, you will have to T Cut it to keep it looking good. Try the colour Chill which is a mix of silver and gold. Great at looking clean even when dirty. I heard that Galaxy's wil be fitted with the new auto gearbox after September. Called powershift its like the VW DSG box and is excellent. Also the abilty to store all your ipod songs onto the car and select the songs via the dash controls. Might be worth the wait.