Kevinb

Hi everyone, One of Johnpic's questions was the size of the top mount nut. I'm also after this knowledge. Can anyone tell us as to what size ring spanner I need for the nut. Many thanks, Kevin

I had a similar issue with my Mk.1. I greased the catch slightly as I noticed water built up in the boot catch area when the boot was closed, leading to corrosion etc and evidently the sticking problem. The greasing seemed to do the trick.

Cheers Shabazmo. It certainly explains why VW went for a particular grade of oil.

Cheers for your responses gents. Much appreciated. I did notice the engine seemed to run much happier once I put the Mobil oil in; even the missus noted it ran quieter and seemed "happier". I'm assuming that most oils that conform the 505.001/505.01/507.00 specifications are much of a muchness when compared to each other (of the same grade and spec)? Seatkid, going by your post, I'm working on the basis that it IS in fact ok to run the engine on a 5w-30 or 0w-30 (diesel) oil instead of the "standard factory grade" 10w-40 - providing it confirms to the 505.0x (and upwards) specification? Cheers for your input, K

Cheers Marinabrid. Much appreciated for that. I don't feel quite so worried now! Started putting Mobil Super 2000 (Diesel) as I've always been pretty happy with Mobil oils (and used to work with a chap whose other half worked for Castrol as a chemist who refused to use Castrol oils!). I didn't want to continue using an oil - no matter how good - if it was going to mess things up! K

I was a bit cheeky and asked a local vehicle electrical place in Swindon and they helpfully suggested cutting out the broken wiring, then fitting new wires long enough leave a large excess. Then stuff the excess into the bodywork and seal it back up using the trunking. Their logic was that the wiring will always fail due to the design and as soon as it fails, the damaged section can be removed and a new section moved into position. They also pointed out this worked fine for the door wiring too. Hope this helps.

Hi everyone, I've searched for oil on the forums but the search engine doesn't allow for words less than four letters long! I thought I had a handle on the type of oil to use in my Mk.1 TDi and so changed it last year. However, I've since read some of the posts regarding the oil type which have, quite frankly puts the proverbials up me. I've seen SeatKid's post that states using anything less than a 505.01 grade will screw up the engine in X amount of time and other peoples' stating what they've used other oils with no issues (yet). I've also now read that this only applies to the VW PD engines from around 1999 (W Reg) onwards. I have a 1999 T Reg and so it seems prudent to use the better grade providing it won't mess up the engine. Where on the engine do I look to find the model type and what would determine a PD engine? If it's a true Mk.1 TDi, what should I go for with regards to the grade? 505.01 or settle for 505.00? Also, I've heard garages make a big deal of ONLY going for the correct viscosity of the oil for these cars. Is this such a big deal if I went for a better grade (providing it conforms to the 505.01 if necessary)? If memory serves the car uses 10w-40 as standard. I'm also aware that the Ford (and VW) garages can be a bit lax in following their own recommendations. Apologies that I'm probably treading very well trodden ground and if it appears I've ignored previous posts, I'm starting to get a real headache from the bewildering array of oils apparently required for a simple oil change! Cheers, Kevin

Paul, cheers for your advice. I'm also assuming that the filter frame needs to slide into the outer frame recessed track in order to keep it secure in place. I ask this as I've never actually seen it properly in place and want to make sure I'm doing this right. If anyone out there has a close up picture of the filter slid into place it would be very helpful. Many thanks for your help, it's one of those "not sure until I've done it jobs". I hate the idea of having a very large paperweight on the driveway which I've caused, especially in this weather.

To everyone who's posted on this thread with advice and their experiences, Many thanks for the information. I seem to have one of "those mk.1s" which mates a Mk.1 car with a Mk.2 wiper linkage. Can it be removed without loosening bolts? Not a chance! I managed to carve my hand up and have almost nothing to show for it at the end. I did however find out the last person to fit the filter didn't bother fitting it correctly which explains why we get such lovely aromas in our car.....! Right, can anyone confirm I need to remove the nearside and centre wiper securing bolts and loosen the offside bolt in order to allow for more room? Also, given I'm a little worried about screwing up the wiper system(!), do I need to be careful about anything with the wiper system? Do I need to re-align anything etc if I start loosening anything? Cheers for any help people can offer. Kevin

I tried this method last night after nearly two years not having a remote fob. No joy even after repeated attempts. Had a chat with the local Ford stealer and was quote over

Everyone, Right, had a chat with a local auto electrical specialist in Swindon (can I mention them by name?). They advised the paddle has probably broken off in the lock console, and it jammed in the "unlock" setting. This means the door won't lock and and the windows are permanently set to "lower" even if they aren't actually lowering. They also reckoned the door handle can be removed and refitted without removing the door card. Okay, removed the door handle without a problem and found the cause of the issue. The Lock cylinder components (5 in total from what I can see) are mostly in place but bits have broken off and don't work, and basically it fell apart as I removed it; so it's a replacement job. Been recommended to speak with the local VW dealership instead of Ford for some reason(?). Also told to not get the eBay bits as they are not good apparently. Checked the locking console inside. Yep 10/10 to the company, the inside lock was set to open (or at least almost) and as soon as I set it to vertical all the windows started working fine!!! Last problem then, despite what the auto specialist reckoned, it's basically impossible to refit the blasted handle to the door and catch the opening arm without guiding it from inside the door! If anyone can recommend anything to do this though that would be great, Cheers everyone, Kevin

Gents, Cheers for both your comments gents. The odd thing is that none of the windows work properly, not just the driver's door. They all lower just fine, but none raise. It's almost as if the commands all go through the driver's door, I can't find any logical reason for this though. My dread feeling is that it's something central that's all *&^%ed up. Not a good thought... Door card off job definitely for sure. On a related question, is sourcing the door insulation foam easy? Or what would the alternative be? I've always gotten by with being extremely delicate with getting the foam lining off and reusing it, or having it lucky and it being easy to take off. Any recommendations? K

Hi everyone, Got a real wierd one here. Any suggestions would be greatly received before I have to start tearing open the door innards... Over the last week the drivers door lock has felt a little stiff so I was about to oil it to loosen it a bit. However, today it suddenly "gave" as I tried locking it, followed by a the ominous sound of metal falling through the inside of the door.... Without thinking, I tried unlocking the door and the windows wound down. Upon testing them straight away using the interior controls, no windows rose. In desperation, I tried the passenger door which thankfully did raise them. So, it currently stands at: - The drivers door lock doesn't work, spins but isn't loose, and the door handle works fine. Any ideas anyone? I was thinking the locking mechanism has broken away from the barrel. Also, the only way to raise the windows (all the interior switches work fine when lowering the windows) is to hold either the passenger side door or the boot locks on "lock" for long enough to close them. The electrics certainly seem to be working or I wouldn't be able to lower them, surely? Could the front drivers door lock have some kind of control of the eletric window system? Is there any electronic diagnostics I can run? Is there a reset mechanism? Many thanks for anyone's help, I'd really appreciate it. Kevin

Everyone, Cheers for your input into my query. It seems my dad has also got this problem, on a Chrysler Neon so it's reassuring I'm not the only one... He was told to to go Chrysler as they have "special tools" to diagnose the problem. Uh huh.... Based upon the diagnostic tool not being able to test a piece of (non-electrical pressed or cast metal while the car isn't in motion, I can't see how a diagnostic programme can possibly tell whether it knackered and so it concluding the signal from the front left wheel was intermittent makes me think the sensor is faulty as well. Isn't hindsight wonderful? Thanks in particular Xavier for detailing the way the sensor goes faulty - especially with the ring cracking, it makes perfect sense now. Sparky Paul, what can be the issue with the sensor? On the face of it, there's just the one (very exposed to the elements) Allen bolt. It didn't seem particularly difficult to get to? What am I missing?! Cheers again everyone, Kevin

Hi everyone, I'm after the torque setting for two sets of bolts: - 1. The oil filter engine mount 2. The Breather hose (engine) mount just to the oil filter's left as it's viewed from the front. I believe they both have gaskets mating them to the engine block itself. As you might not be surprised to hear, I'm not in a hurry to strip the threads off the engine....! Many thanks for any help people can give. Kevin

Hi Xavier, Many apologies for not replying to your post, I didn't see that I had been replied to. I found the probable cause of the issue - the reluctor ring has broken and needs replacing. However, the garage I spoke with reckoned the warning light staying on probably meant I had a fault elsewhere as the light should go out once the ABS management system has run it's tests and concluded everything was fine, and then light up once the car is moving and it sees the connection is intermittent. This seems to disagree with a few posts I've seen on the forum which seem to indicate the light will stay on until the system sees it working fine (ie after a repair). Any thoughts? Kevin

Hi everyone, I've followed other posters' very helpful advice and run diagnostics on the car and found there is an intermittent reading from the front left sensor. Okay, on the face of it I'm thinking a new ABS sensor lead, but have also read the toothed ring (coming loose) can also be a common issue. Is a loose ring likely to give an intermittent reading in peoples' experience (bearing in mind the car was not in motion and I was not bouncing around(!) when the diagnostics were run? If the ring is the fault, how easy are they to resecure? I'm assuming it's a "driveshaft out" job as I can't see any other way of re-securing it? How easy is it to check the ring for fitting etc? My Haynes manual doesn't seem to make any reference to the Given the proximity to the road surface, I'm also assuming these leads take a fair amount of punishment and so can go wrong over time. However, are they known as a "common fault" in Galaxies at all? Any other helpful advice/recommendations? Many thank in advance, Kevin

Fair enough. Cheers for your help with this. Much appreciated.

Chris, Many thanks for your answers. I'm glad they (did) have splines as I know the arms are the bits that need replacing... The bolts were properly done up before as it was me that did the work when I bought the car, in order to correct the rest location of the arms. Some prat had had a play in the past and they were all over the place... However, I'll take your point on board. Cheers for the link, I had a look at that yesterday and so knew the general layout of the mechanism before looking today - a real help. Fortunately, the spindles (bolts?) are moving freely - a good sign considering what I've read about them on this forum! Apologies, you're absolutely right about the mark. My car is a Mk.1 but for some reason I was thinking it was a Mk.2. (Ahem!) Is there any particular reason why you would recommend the original blades and not the newer flat blades? You've mentioned the older ones are quieter? If it comes to it, I'll just use the older type. The end result is the windows will be clean after all. Cheers again, Kevin

Hi everyone, This may have very simple answers but I'm just looking to back up my conclusions with other peoples' knowledge. 1. Do the wiper arms have splines inside the bolt hole to marry up with the splines on the mechanism bolt? I'm asking because after the snow and subsequent freezing weather, someone forgot to unstick the blades from the windscreen and I think the wiper arm splines have been stripped off - inside the bolt hole, it's pretty smooth and I'm thinking there should be but can't remember now! I've checked the rest of the mechanism and it all seems to be working fine (phew!!) and the wiper arm mounting bolts are spinning in time with the rest of the mechanism so I don't reckon they're jammed which from the forum seems to have a bit with Galaxies. Also, the bolts seemed a litle loose which made me wonder if they had loosened with the effort trying to move the wipers! When I tightened them down, the wiper arms seemed to work a bit better for a few wipes, but then stopped working again... 2. Also, are the wiper arms for the slightly newer Mk.II phase 2 Galaxies that use the flat wiper blades compatible with the older Mk.II phase 1 cars (like mine)? I've wanted to replace the older style wiper blades with the newer flat blades as I was under the impression they tend to work better(?) This seems like a good time to change them. Opinions anyone? 3. Does anyone recommend using any kind of grease/lubricant etc between the bolt and wiper arm? I ask because I want the wiper arms to not become jammed on, but also don't want the very shallow splines to be stripped off more easily by the torque which grease may help happen. 4. Would I be right in saying Ford did the right thing and made the mounting bolts out of a stronger alloy than the wiper arms? This would make sense in an engineering way, but not "making a profit" way. It would also back up my conclusion that the mechanism is generally fine. Any help with this would be appreciated. I'm not looking forward to stripping out the wiper system in this weather unless I really have to! Many thanks, Kevin

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about replacing the door speakers on my Mk.1 Galaxy - the smashed in speaker grills are just becoming too much for me to handle... I have looked at other posts going back a few years and have found some answers, but still have a few questions. I've found a post that reckons the speaker specs for a Mk. 11 are: - Depth: - 57mm Circumference: - 16cm - 17cm RMS: - 60W Power Output: - 180W Are these the same as the Mk. 1 as the two cars are fairly similar? Also, I've found there are two sets of connectors for each speaker, giving four pins on the speaker in total. Why is this anyone? I'm assuming they are necessary for some reason (to carry power to the next speaker for example?). I'm not in a hurry to start chopping cable to enable connecting them to aftermarket speakers and so does anyone have any suggestions/experience with this? Are there any speakers out there that use this kind of dual cable setup an ones that people would recommend? I've seen a few people recommend the Sony Xplod speaker but that doesn't seem to be on sale anymore. How have other people gotten around the issue? Many thanks for any help anyone can offer with this! Cheers, Kevin

Chris, Many thanks for this, I truly appreciate your reply! As I said in my post, I know (roughly) what I'm doing with cars and PCs separately, but this is truly a dark art for me and the last thing I want is the car being damaged as a result of my "ministrations"! Cheers.

Hi everyone, Hope someone out there can help with what should be a relatively easy one.....(!) Apologies in advance if this has already been covered but I couldn't find it anywhere in the forum. I've had my 1999 Tdi Ford Galaxy for nearly a year and last week have found the ABS warning light is permanently on. From what' I've read, it may well be a sensor cable that's been cut/damaged. I'm also aware that it's possible to buy a lead that can be plugged into the car from a laptop to run diagnostics and inform me where the issue is. Please can anyone tell me: - 1. Which lead would I need for that car as I understand there are different leads. I believe they are available on eBay(?); 2. Which software would I need to use and where could I get it from; 3. Where on the car is the connector to plug the lead into; 4. Is it easy to understand the results? 5. Alternatively, does anyone know where to go to find this information? I work in IT and like to think I know what I'm doing, but this combines two very different disciplines for me and is very new territory! I'd really appreciate any help anyone can give me on this. Many thanks, Kevin