Sher

Can't understand why it didn't attach from a tablet. Still not apparent? Damn its upside down now!

My typing is. It,s 93. It's in the attachment

In the centre of the driver display binnacle is the red LED information section selectable by the steering wheel buttons. The top line shows the time in Large characters. On start up the time displayed as normal in Large characters. After driving a short distance 0.5 miles approx the time displayed with smaller characters. A number directly underneath came up 97.3. This along with the time was displayed within all the space previously taken up by the time alone. Handbook that came with the car was no help. I've searched for fault codes and even pictures of the display. Nothing! Has anyone any ideas?

I've wondered about doing this, multiple draining and refills, to change/dilute the filled for life (?) auto 6-speed on my 2008 2.0 TDI . It's now at around 75K. My Ford mechanic friend (surname Ford) confirmed the service recommendation for oil changes on the later Powershift boxes introduced later than this model. Having thought further whilst considering the fitment of an oil temperatures sensor, I notice we have a rather substantial gearbox oil cooler. I'm considering fitting the sensor soon at which time it may well be possible to drain and fill the correct oil or at least some of it via the pipes. It should also be possible to change the oil within the cooler as well. Far too busy to even attempt this at the moment though. Pity that the Torque tablet utility doesn't actually detect the gearbox oil temperature, though it claims it does. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torquefree

Seems it is available now:- https://haynes.co.uk/catalog/manuals-online/car-repair-manuals-online/ford/ford-s-max-and-galaxy-diesel-06-15-haynes and cheaper http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-S-Max-Galaxy-1-6-1-8-2-0-2-2-Diesel-2006-2015-Haynes-Workshop-Manual-Book-/162075997018?hash=item25bc7b735a:g:9TkAAOSwH71XPZGD

" Power assistance appearing to fail when turning right at times, particular problems just after starting (reverse slowly out of drive OK, then when straightening up going forwards feels like no power steering)" Mine first started on full left lock and would seem to correct itself. (2008 Ghia 2.0TDI Auto) It was as though the lips on a seal had flipped. The fluid was however clean. I suspected the steering rack as a known problem on the early Mark III. It happened 5 or 6 times before I was back in the UK. In a rush in order to visit Belgium I was forced to visit the main agent. New Rack only NO EXCHANGE AVAILABLE at about

My understanding of auto operation is that the gearbox goes into "lockup mode" at around or above 1500rpm. At which time there is a fixed correlation between road speed and rpm, different for each gear which can be selected to some extent by slipping into "S" mode". In my experience in "S" mode the box drops out of lockup and will switch down one gear as speed drops to some extent (approaching and going around roundabouts, provided I do not stop). On increasing acceleration the speed picks up and it recovers the higher gear. However, if I stop it drops back into 1st gear and sticks there on acceleration unless I select a higher one by paddle movement or move to normal drive. My suspicion is that your box is not leaving lockup mode anytime on slowing down. Check to see if it does switch to a lower gear in "S" mode at under 1500 rpm or so. on the overun? Does it hold rpm consistent with road speed instead below those revs? My auto experience is on a 2.7 litre Honda auto box and my present 2.0TDCI MK III Aisin 6 speed box. I have assumed the box on the 1.8 is the same with "S" mode.

The question is here what is the source of the crud in the filter. I seem to remember reading somewhere about faulty seals in the rack? My automatic 08 2.0 gets heavy at low speed. The Battery voltage on mine seems low and even when charged does not reach over 13.2V (Failing cell? 5 years old almost). When I charged the battery for a few hours the problem went away for a time. But no starting problems! Will investigate more when I return from sunny Spain.

I had a similar problem when I purchased my 08 MK III. Check the multiplug connector behind the rear bumper. In my case this had been tampered with at some stage as it was cracked. I cleaned it, sprayed with WD 40, wiped dry on the outside. Wrapped it in the only tape I had available at that time Aluminium sticky foil acouple of times and it has worked ever since. I know I should have used self amalgamating rubber tape but it was not to hand at that time. If it works when dry then moisture is your problem. Just make sure that there is little chance of further moisture entry. P.S. I had problems in the past with Dirty & wet sensors, in which case a quick wipe tends to restore function ( on a MK II)

@gregers It's me that's cackhanded in cutting the hole in the bumper protection plate using hand held rotary grinder. Anyway I have a good excuse!

Full external Towing ball, with Stainless steel Bumper protector plate and full electrics. All from Towsure. About £160 for parts. Car came with a reversing camera fitted in the Bumper. now attached to the Stainless plate. Unfortunately didn' make a neat job of cutting the hole. Hence the aluminium tape to cover the discolouration as I ground the hole out. Protector plate needed bending inwards slightly. Anyway it all works. Two felt pads on the centre two sensors , treated with Silicone waterproofing spray.

What chrispb123456 says is spot on. Don't labour the engine in top gear.(or any gear). Puts too much stress on the DMF at lower revs. The most efficient part of the engine cycle is at peak torque, somewhere around 1900rpm ? That of course needs to be balanced with increased drag at higher speeds. All the economy of the VW/Audi 1.9 TDi motor can be knocked for six by the cost of maintaining and repairing it, as I found out over the 10 years I had my Galaxy II.

@Gregers I would have but I didn't have any to hand. It's in my Caravan in Spain. The Al tape is brill as it even seals leaking water pipes if the pressure is not too high and also protects against UV damage. Not likely underneath in this case. Since Spraying and sealing the Parking Sensors have mended there ways, behaving as they are supposed to. Now to upset them again with a fixed towbar, stainless steel backplate/bumper protector and twin electrics from Towsure. Well it worked on my Galaxy II and I have already discovered how to reduce the sensitivity of the two inner sensors to zero, whilst leaving the outer 2 functioning. I'm sure I can reduce the reflectivity of the towing fitments or sensor sensitivity enough, even if it does not function right away.

Further investigation today , prior to fitting my towbar, showed an incompletely wrapped against the elements multiblock connector which is almost certainly collecting water as the open end faced upwards towards the weep holes. Sprayed with WD 40 and left to dry. Will then wrap in plastic tape followed by Aluminium Tape ( two layers at least ) to protect against water ingress.

I purchased a 2008 Auto Ghia 2.0 TDCI about a month ago. Came with 2 Keys a standard type remote and a flip key remote. I started off using the Flip key. Until after day 3. I was travelling slowly through some light controlled roadworks to Southport, when all of a sudden everything died and car ground to a halt. I turned the key and the car started up. You can imagine my thoughts. Oh dear! Well after thinking about it and on my way returning home to the Pennines above Manchester, I pondered the Flip key with my house keys etc. Keys hanging downwards along with the flip key. I touch it/them with my knee. Same thing happened again. The movement was just enough to power the car down. The flip key is now the spare and stored in the tiny blue bag along side the caravan keys etc, Makes a better fit as well.

I thought I commented on this? I suggested it maybe the Top bush/bearing on the front strut if the driveshaft and other problems are eliminated.

Have you checked the Rubber bearing/bush at the top of each strut? Only when the off side wheel was off the floor, did it show up on mine as movement. The mechanic said it was not an MOT failure. I replaced it and problem of vibration under power went away. Shortly after the near side went and I replaced that. Sod of a job! Due to corrosion by water trapped in the cup at the top around the bolt. Might be easier to cut the cup away and fit new ones. I don't think they are expensive.

After 130,000 miles and 2 weeks under 10 years. Spending 6 months plus over winter months in Spain. Just about the most unreliable car I ever owned. Cars with comparable mileages but owned by me from about 1year old are with expensive problems mentioned.:- (1) Hillman Imp 875cc -Stuck once Oil drain plug fell out my fault (Inexpensive) (2) Rover 2.7 Stirling - Stuck once Motorway. Auto box broken. Used replacement half shaft from beakers 3 weeks later Auto box oil had to much leak away. (3) Nissan Micra II (bubble) MAF failure at 82,000 miles (4) Mondeo II 1.8TDi Air Con Evaporator failure It would be unfair to compare them with other cars that I have managed only 50k miles in. 2002 Galaxy Ghia 1.9TDi 115bhp new:- 63,000 miles Clutch slave cylinder goes south of Bacelona near Tarragona with Caravan on the back. Repair around £800. NO DMF required but dealer tried it on. 73,000 miles Overheating again. Impellor detaches from shaft on French Motorway North of Lyon, with caravan on the back. Ford Dealer/mechanic no idea. Thought it was Thermostat. Total cost around £550 118,000 miles Overheating again Spanish Motorway, 40 miles from destination, caravan on the back - dreaded pressurized water bottle, no oil in water. Head gasket with skim and new bolts etc. £1300 Tried belt and Pump first as Spanish mechanic did not believe me again! Just to illustrate my driving:- Rear Pads 68,000 miles Front Pads 108,000 miles Rear Disc, Pads + 2 Re furbished rear calipers (Total cost £160 for MOT and selling purposes) 3 full Sets of Tyres -last set Bridgestones symetrical look to be the best after 11,000 miles ( £500 always XL) Oil changed every 9-10k fully synthetic 5W-40 or 5W-30 from 2nd service after I discovered local Ford UK agent using Ford 10W-30's after close inspection of the 2nd bill. Lost my faith (again) in main dealers after that. Alloy wheel refurbed stove enamelled (£220) No DMF required, (Don't trundle along and try to accelerate from less than 1500rpm. Air Con checked twice, partial refill 1st time 20%, 2nd time 75%. (FORCE system to work, even in winter, by selecting lowest possible temperature, once per week at least. DON'T rely upon Auto mode) Of course there are all the other normal bits, alternator clutch, drop links,top front suspension bush/bearings, ball joints, exhaust 1 complete- one part, glow plugs, aux heater failed 60,000 miles no fix as I spend winter time in Southern Spain etc ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My real grouch is about the faults that lead to breakdown on motorways - All VW/Audi related and repeated on VW/Audi marks by those from Belgium and Germany I know own them. Major:- (1) VW famed reliability - Cra@p and Double Cr@p = big time. Minor:- (2) Gearbox (manual) always notchy and I can imagine with unsympathetic drivers replacement required. Noticed it was getting worse and had oil changed (special) at 120,000 miles and was somewhat better. Not expensive €20 + Labour, part of the servicing/ inspection. (3) Rear two seats damned heavy to get in and out (4) Noisy listening to radio at 70-80mph engine noise. (5) Front seats slightly too short along the thigh for me. Seat height tended to compensate. Now we know why Ford made their own Galaxy III. This time I went 2nd hand just in case the Peugeot based engine 2.0 TDCI is fractious ad I can dump the car sooner, plus my mileage has dropped from 15k/annum to around 11k. Look here for one set of reliability figures :- http://www.reliabilityindex.com/ratings/best/MPV Note S-Max is sister vehicle to Galaxy III. Only some body panels are different. Built on the same production line in Genk (?), Belgium, with Mondeo I believe? The Galaxy mentioned lower down the scale may show a III pic but data relates only to earlier Models. Note VW is further down still. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tows really well, 2000kg is correct, easy to drive, good visibility, spacious, good on fuel efficiency but totally negated by engine related faults AND 40,000 mile belt changes. Seems well rust protected but I suspect as most modern cars that are built for/in Northern Europe are nowadays. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wish list:- Mondeo II - reliability, economy and ultra low cost of ownership/maintenance.. Galaxy III - space, quietness, but with rear seats folding to form a completely level rear compartment Galaxy II (Sharan) - high up seating,ease of entry (seats swivel) Towing Capacity of at least 2000kg.

When my new to me, Galaxy III rear sensors started sounding constantly, even the fronts would not butt in as my II used to. I thought it was just dirt as previous. It was raining, we've had a lot of rain. Cleaning them i.e. wiping them with a paper towel didn't work. Some time later after drying out they worked again. Rain later, problem back. Using just my thumbs I was able to cover both central sensors which stopped them sounding but sides would operate normally, when I moved my leg in front of them. Masking tape didn't work but a couple of sticky felt pads (floor/table protectors available in packs from Aldi/Lidl) over the central two sensors allowed the rest of the system to operate as normal. I suspect that water is getting behind, through what look like weep holes, just below screws, in the rear bumper may not be helping. I used small square of Al sticky foil to close them for the moment. Tomorrow I will be able to investigate further, if it is not raining! I may be able to use this feature when I fit my towing bracket plus extras.. So to isolate a sensor use a small felt pad. Can anyone confirm that these devices are Ultrasonic?

Galaxy III is a different car altogether. Put together by Ford in Belgium. I've just sold my 130,000 mile VW built Galaxy 115bhp 1.9TDi Ghia 2002. I know why Ford pulled out of the deal. It was the most unreliable car in the Ford range. The Galaxy II came 68th on the reliabililty table, the Sharan 78th. Why was the Ford model more reliable? Some had Ford engines gearboxes etc. My recently 2008 Galaxy III Auto has a Peugeot/Ford 2.0 TDCI and 40,000 on the clock. Its sister model the S-MAx shares everything but the shape and is the most reliable car in an index here:- http://www.reliabilityindex.com/ratings/best/MPV

In my 52 plate 1.9Tdi Ghia it turned out to be the Top bush of the front offside( right hand) strut. When inspecting it with a mechanic he said the movement in it was not an MOT failure. I was sick of the problem and wearing out the outside edge of the front tyre on that side even after tracking. Only showed up with the tyre off the ground. Problem solved after new bush fitted. Sod of a job due to corrosion around the top nut. The nearside was changed 12 months late as I was aware it could be a problem. Hope this helps.

The advert shows the location. Its just a matter of loosening the two 10mm bolts, perhaps by 5mm. Pull/raise the stainless(?) tube. The blanking plate is then slid into the gap made. (The joint has no gasket) Retighten the bolts. The biggest problem for me was removing the engine cover. Pull up on each side, seperately to disconnect the lugs and then pull/slide towards you to disconnect the rear lug. I think the picture in the add is an S-Max or Mondeo as it seems to have more room/visibilty than the Galaxy. The worse thing that could happen is dropping the blanking plate at the back of the engine.

When I did this on my Galaxy II it revived the performance and economy as I had a faulty control vacuum valve for the EGR. When I bought a 2008 2.0 TDCI recently I found this on ebay:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110907922480?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 10 minutes to fit and less than a fiver. Seems to have improved the economy slightly. I had not enough mileage before to compare with but over the same fixed route the computer indicated an improvement of 1.5mpg. If so it indicates it is working.

So a standard Ford jack does for the Galaxy 3? I have one that may do from my retired Mondeo2.

Seatkid was spot on. Seems this alternator clutch seizing is across the VAG group range. When I went to a Spanish mechanic in a small Spanish village/town at 102,000 miles with my 1.9TDi 115bhp Ghia he diagnosed the problem at once and showed me the special tool required to change this one way clutch. Total cost €100 and the "Alternator Workshop" message never came on again, even after 30,000 miles. Cheaper than a new alternator.