PembsPanther

Well it is on and working well :) Nightmare to do though, I must have totally looked at this from the wrong way surely? No access to the alternator bolts at all and removing the black fibreglass headlight housing that runs the whole width of the car was impossible, only thing I could do was smash a hole in the back of it so I could gain access to the bolts, crappy engineering! Why am I not surprised FORD!!!! Just need to go and put it all back together now, the stuff I took off trying to get that housing to move :( oh well back to it!

Just went to start it this morning and battery light still off as soon as I put it under load though it came back on, 11.52 the reading this morning. For kicks, as Brian suggested I gave it a whack with a rubber mallet and it jumped back into life putting out 13.64 volts! Alternator or connector we will see when I take it apart, lol the joy! :)

Hi Brian Thanks for that, had a feeling it would be that kind of tensioner, had nightmares with this type in the past on 2 different Picasso's :( Oh well I will figure out the bolt size and invest in a nice extra long spanner :) Went out t it last night and started it and annoyingly the battery light went off,, alternator must be on the way out but I might postpone it until tomorrow when it is supposed to be dry, did front brake pads on a friends car yesterday in the rain, not much fun! I will take some pictures along the way and see if I can coddle together some kind of guide, if I have to take that nightmare under tray off I might as well give it an oil and filter change at the same time.

Evening All :) Battery light came on today totally out of the blue, no flickering nothing just on and stayed on, got home and dusted off the multi-meter the battery itself had just over 12 volts in it yet running the alternator was only outputting 11.63 so presume alternator knackered, ordered a good second hand one off Ebay being delivered tomorrow but could do with a bit of help fitting it, I have found the basic 7 or 8 step procedure but wanted to ask more about removing the auxiliary belt, where and how do I release the tension? Also I understand it is best to hold it up somehow to keep it on the bottom pulleys and advise on this? Thanks in advance :)

Hi Big Dave :) So am I right in thinking that this worn bush will make the whole front end of the car sound as though it is about to fall off when going over certain bumps in the road? Going to be a few days before parts are delivered but need to carry on using the car in the meantime, is the only thing to be worried about the dramatic noise? ie nothing should actually fall off?? Thanks ;)

Thanks for the replies I really appreciate it http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif Think I have found the source of the clanging, just added another thread about this with a video looks like wishbone bushes (?), did have a go at the top nut on the passenger side tonight, uhhhhhhh not good, planning on keeping this beast around for a while will soon be a second car so will treat it to new shock and springs and do it all at the same time in a few weeks, then keep it all greased up just in case I ever need to take them off again! Found the good looking set on Ebay from Germany: Galaxy Suspension Will do some more research first though but they look very good quality. Thanks Chris

Thanks for the replies, after a day driving round with a very spongy pedal on Wednesday night at 9pm off came the wheel, WD40, heat, socket voila it submitted, bled lovely got rid of lots of yucky looking brake fluid as well pedal back to being lovely and firm now. Thanks for that link looks like I will have to take it off again and dismantle it to see what is going on, will have to see if I can find a diagram somewhere of how things should look inside. Thanks for that link it has been driving me crazy trying to find it! Thanks again http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif

Hello http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif Suspension knocking and clanging got a LOT worst today, was convinced it was the strut tops but after advice here and a ot of research I am no longer convinced so off came the wheel and had a good look and poke around with a bar, think I have found the culprit what do you think? Any advice? Presuming this is the problem? Full wishbone replacement easier than messing with bushes? Any how to's anywhere? Thanks in advance

Hello :) Something else on my ever growing list of Galaxy repairs is knocking suspension, had it up on the jack and all seems well around the wheels, nothing obviously moving with the old pry bar, actually seems in pretty good condition but every time I go over a pot hole it sounds as though a wheel is about to fall off! Not drop links as I did these last August for MOT and still as solid as they were when I put them on, I did notice a little up and down movement in the whole leg though so had a look under the bonnet, now I am far from an expert on these matters but me think some rubber is perished: and These do not look quite right do they? Presuming the rubber tops are the issue? Something else? Will they continue for a couple of weeks whilst I get spring compressors etc together? What do you think my chances are of undoing those nuts? If I cannot undo them will I have to cut them off? If I do is that also new shocks? Thanks in advance :)

Afternoon All http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif My old Gal still going strong however after nearly 12 months it is me who is letting it down and now have a long list of things to fix, great! Today it was the turn of the rear brake pads, passenger side started grinding a couple of days ago so got replacement pads this morning and then set out on an adventure, why do the simplest of jobs ALWAYS turn into a nightmare?? Anyway here we go http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif First thing, get the wheel off, this is where the nightmare begins, crappy Ford locking wheel nuts arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh! My "key" had one of the pins missing so has been a total pain to use since I got the car, tried everything to get the damn bolt off, hammered sockets on it, hammer and chisel nothing would work and of course I have none of the removal tools, in the end I cut about 1 inch off a tent peg and bashed it into the empty hole of the "key" then bashed this onto the bolt, unbelievably it worked! Wheel off http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif Next caliper off, bolts released with no issues, took the old brake pads out, got my Laser rewind tool out, the square one and it was too small by I would say less than 1mm and the piston was stuck solid just to be helpful, again after much tooing and frowing decided it would be easier on the bench so disconnected the handbrake cable, the handbrake mechanism seems seized solid however I have read elsewhere that if your pads run too low it can do something that causes it to appear seized?? Any info appreciated something to do with an adjusting screw?? Cannot find the thread now! Anyway finally got all that disconnected the went to remove the brake pipe, seized solid blah blah got it off in the end. Took the caliper into the garage and the piston point blank refused to move, so I sprayed the rubber boot both ends with Gas Pro so it would not rip and then got some stilsons on the edge of the piston, managed to rotate it a bit lots of jiggling got it rotating 360 degrees but would not rewind, got it in the end by rewinding and applying a LOT of pressure to the piston at the same time, it went all the way back with no boot damage http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif Re-assembled it all but now have a spongy brake pedal so need to bleed it, problem is the bleed valve is totally seized, anyone have any words of wisdom? http://www.fgoc.co.uk/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif Thanks in advance

Ha! Just about to start a new thread all about my rear brake shenanigens today! Have a read when I have done it later it will probably make you laugh! Anyway this problem was one of many many problems I just had, in the end after much much swearing I ended up taking the brake caliper completely off the car so I could get better access on the bench and also no risk of damaging the brake pipe. Once on the bench I sprayed around the rubber boot on the piston both ends with Gas Pro, WD40 will do fine then got some stilsons on the edge of the piston and rocked it from side to side until I could move it, I then started to wind it clockwise but it still would not go in, in the end I wound it clockwise as before but applied pressure at the same time, wam it wound right back to its start point, just be careful you do not damage the rubber dust boot. Might be the total wrong way to do it, if so I am sure someone will come along soon and say so but has worked for me, apart from letting air into the system of course so now I have a spongy brake pedal! Will have to bleed it all through later but still have to do the pads on the other side so will do them first as I am anticipating the same nightmare. Hope that helps :)

Hey Gregers Thanks for the reply :) That link looks like the job but already ordered from Amazon earlier today,for the extractors I went with a Hilka set, cheap under a tenner but looked about the best of the bunch: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005UBYGKE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 The the left hand drill bits I went for these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0154WL8IQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 After asking around today I have heard some good things about these left cutting bit so am hopeful, I did have the wheel off today to have a good luck, sods law again a bit of a lip poking up but not enough to get any grip on: http://i57.tinypic.com/242svth.jpg http://oi62.tinypic.com/14awh1l.jpg I spent an hour heating, bashing and spraying penetrating oil around the area where the bolt is and also sprayed inside, will do the same tomorrow for an hour just before I attempt removal. All the other wheel nuts on this wheel were super tight and very hard to undo, lots of rust and goo, soaked them in petrol for about an hour then wired brushed them all off with some WD40 and brake cleaner, the also bashed around the threads on the hub to loosen as much as I could then blasted them all out with brake cleaner, went back together a lot easier, also got rid of the blasted locking nut of this wheel now as well, 1 more to go but I need to source a couple of new wheel bolts first. Any thoughts anyone? Oh do you think it is also ready for some new brake discs? Ha ha ha........

Evening All :) Took the Gal back in for MOT today after I missed the re-test window like a plank last week! Sods law being what it is the examiner found a new problem being a snapped wheel bolt on a rear wheel, typically it has sheared (not done by me!) and now I need to figure out a way of getting the dam thing out! I could pay the garage to do it but then that would be no fun would it :) So a game plan is needed and for this sort of thing I have a tool shortage, never had a need for any extraction tools so not got any, I will have to buy something but the questions is what? Ideally a Mig Welder then I could just weld another nut to the top and spin it off, don't think the wife will be up for me spending that much though :( Was thinking a left handed drill bit: Seems like a common sense kind of idea, doubt very much it will spin the bolt out though not a wheel bolt but you never know I am due some luck :) Failing that I would be left with a nice neat central hole to pop in an extractor something like the one below but I need to research and find a decent quality one: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5PC-Stud-Screw-Extractor-Set-Hand-Tools-Engineering-Easy-Out-Garage-1p-Start-/201438047153?hash=item2ee6a4abb1 If that fails then I suppose the only other way is to replace the whole hub / bearing piece, need to research though and see how these are set up almost certainly press in so really not an option. Have any of you ever had to do this? What did you do? Any other ways of getting them out I do not know about? Other tools? Tips tricks? Anything? :) Thanks in advance

The part is now fitted and to be honest looked really good quality so I am happy for the moment with it so as you say will leave it and move onto the next thing :) Aux heater works great air con not so good, not functioning at all at the moment, there is refrigerant in the lines and it has uv dye in it but the rest of the system will not turn on when the ac button is pressed, presuming something electrical but not even began to think about diagnosing it yet.

Yeah I found the manual adjuster so will level them to the default position tomorrow and then take it for MOT like that, I can get a replacement motor off Ebay that I will order for under £20 but it will not be here till Wednesday, should be fine as long as when the MOT guy switches them on they are level and within range he should be happy. It is enjoying having a bit of a laugh at me this Galaxy, good job I have a sense of humour.............. :)