pearly king of surbiton

if the engine is cold and a hot coolant light comes on, then the fault may be the temperature sender gauge. on my understanding, all temperature senders are essentailly bi-metallic strips of fixed life. the other possibility is that the engine really is running hot, which would suggest the thermostat not opening. both these parts are cheap. might i suggest clearing the fault codes after the car is back on the road and all the wiring and components back in palce to avoid false positives in the fault code system hope this helps john

this is a common problem with volvos, and its always the linkage rather than the gearbox itself. sometimes its the position of the front wheels, sometimes being on an incline, sometimes when an engine is hot or cold i dont think its the gearbox. incidentally, no reverse gear is not an mot failure! all the best john

if the shock is incomplete, you need to find out from the mot centre what is missing remember shocks must be replaced in axle pairs. headlight allignment is not a diy job, but check first the bilbs are correctly seated in the holders a tyre fitter is probably the cheapest souce if they need replacing, its not really a diy job all the best john

it sounds like the plastic pulley wheel with sealed bearings. you may be able to grease the bearing by smearing grease around the bearing and working it into the bearings. you remove the belt to spin the pulley wheel by attaching a socket onto the pulley wheel bolt and a long levering arm and turning anticlockwise to slacken th band, then slip the band off. you can then grease the wheel by spinning it. if the pulley wheel fails it is not serious but time consuming to source a replacement off ebay for 30 pounds. a new one costs 150 pounds because you can opnly buy the pulley wheel and tensioner assembly (nice one Ford!) all the best john

i know it sounds an obvious point, but first you must check whether all the rear brake lights, including the high level light, are working. sometimes the warning light is a bulb failure light, at least on volvos all the best john

1.trace the broken cable by colour back into the rh side plastic removeable cover. 2.pull a new piece of cable up to the tailgate through the rh pillar through the rubber trunking and into the tailgate. 3.join the cable using elecrical tape in the tailgate and boot, do not join at the rubber boot or the problem will recur all the best john

if the car starts well from cold its the high tension cables that have corroded. next check the ht sealed dual coils. try and borrow from a donor vehicle before buying because faults like this require substitution of parts before purchase to save costs all the best john

if there is a smell of burning or melting plastic in the cabin, then the loom is in meltdown. sometimes it can start with the clock not working, then the interior lights, spreading to the speedo. this is a really expensive fault, and can easily right the car off. the main thing to remember is that the correct fuse ratings are used, some owners simply put in a higher amp fuse-WRONG! all the best john

also remember 1.to undo the lid of the brake fluid reservoir as the level of the brake fluid will rise in the chamber as you wind back the brake pistons. 2.you will need to suck out some of the fluid as the level rises using a pipette or piece of tubing. dont suck the tube though because brake fluid is poisonous. 3.also remember that as the hand brake is off, the car should be in first gear and on level ground with the wheels chocked with wood 4. they sell the winding toll in halfords, it costs about 20 pounds 5.tie the the undone callipers to the shock absorber to avoid straining the rubber hydraulic tuving which could cause splitting 6.do not use grease on the calliper sliding pins because if it gets on the pads it will ruin them, a light amount of engine oil on the sliding pins themselves will suffice all the best john