Sher

Sorry to seem a dope but what is a VNT? I know a MAF is a Mass Air flow meter but all searches for VNT or VNT's give only 1 result. The one above!

In that case give it a fully synthetic 0W-30 oil and you can clear out those oil ways. Just make sure the filter gets changed soon after as an extra. (I'm just hoping that the previous comment about 30,000 miles and no oil change is not meant as a Joke. Some readers might take it as serious advice.)

And the door is on the wrong side - not much of a good deal really Since I never tow in the UK its not a problem. Plenty of UK caravan owners now tow more on the Continent than in the UK. For them the Right side door is the right side. One sometimes favourable comment from UK Caravanners I meet is that the door is on the otherside. I would never enter the Caravan on the Hard Shoulder or side of the road anyway. Everything needed is in the car or caravan lockers. These figures are not upto date but refer to when I purchased in 2003 January our second Continental Caravan (1st in 1990 and it still looks new). Now the killer:- 7.5m x 2.3m single axle 1600kg Caravan including Air Conditioning from Germany

Buy a German built Caravan in Germany and save a bundle. (Not so much now since the VAT is 19% now was 16%) Expect 10 or 11% discount on the price Differences:- (1) No Battery and auto charging system (does have mains and 12v Systems,usually two. One 12V DC and one 12V AC. Don't ask me why) Most use 12 V leisure battery wired into the 12V DC system and a small intelligent charger available sometimes from Lidl at 14

Reply to Bleano as regards Snaking is due to incorrect load distribution caused by most of the load being behind the van axle I do not disagree with the fact that incorrect load distribution means that once started the pendulum like motion produced is more difficult to prevent. In certain circumstances it can manifest itself at lower speeds. My previous statement was an incomplete explanation of the effect. The following is nothing more than a starting point. Even an old fashioned tow ball with grease presents some resistance to twisting and turning. All anti snaking devices all seem to rely on a damping effect be it by friction etc. However, the primary cause of the instability is the air stream/pressure on and around the front of the caravan, in particular, that sitting in the turbulent air. This pressure/turbulence is not a constant and is the primary cause of the instability which will happen with any van having the best load distribution and fitted with antifriction devices, if the conditions are right. It was the wind blowing at certain speeds ( not that fast) and the turbulence produced around the Square/rectangular box sections of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge ( I think everyone has seen at some time or other) which caused what looked like a solid road suface, with cars upon it ,to undulate in a frightening manner and eventually cause the collapse. If you have not seen it here it is:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Fi1VcbpAI All bridges are now designed with this in mind ( along with many other factors as well) I'm sure that tall sided vans passing at high speed exagerate the turbulence around the caravan in such a way that they can cause snaking to begin. This is an effect I have mentioned before. They push the rear of the van sideways and a short time later the front. If this is at the correct rate they will amplify the swing and start the oscillation. With enough damping the oscillation will reduce. Otherwise it just gets worse as the turbulent air flow pushes on one side and then the other. Slowing down helps (if one has time when this happens) since it alters the rate at which the turbulent air flows around the van. Snaking is a resonance effect. Vibrate a wine glass at the correct frequency and it will shatter as the vibrations build up.

Why do I always get these problems? Brake warning light came on 50 miles into my journey to Belgium 3 weeks ago at 70,000miles from new. Must be front brakes I thought. Bought front pads en route. Stripped down at journeys end and more than half of the friction material is left. I was able to research the forum and plan ahead. Yes, rears do wear faster than fronts. Still not explained but I have a theory. Time enough later for that however. Inspected rears and they were down but had more than 3mm left so I waited until I arrived home yesterday. Today bought rear pads and the rewind tool as specified by El Dingo, I paid special note to Sealey Left Hand Brake Wind Back Tool VS0243. Spent over an hour struggling with it before I realised that the piston only rotated when I was winding the tool backwards to release it. Also, I then noticed that the 2 prongs to lock into the piston on that tool are too close together to fit well into the slots. Maybe this defines the difference? I was able to return and exchange for the Sealey Right Hand Brake Wind back tool VSO24 . Yes it worked but was not as easy to retract as I expected even then as I needed to use the side of the retraction device with the two prongs which are closest together. I have a 2002 1.9Tdi 115bhp Ghia Manufactured July ( I think). Even then I'm being asked what size of wheels does it have. Yes 16inch wheels do have 2 type of pad fitted (apparently) front and rear. Does anyone have definitive knowledge of the brake differences which exist on the Galaxy related to Engine or Chassis numbers for that year or other? In my mind its a matter of safety and convenience for Forum members that this matter is advertised. Also why the difference in the wind back tool. Surely this is the give away to the difference in brakes and pads? Anyone know?

I quote from Blooming Futures about a (Skoda?) Superb conversion Friday 23rd of February The first single tank unit injector engine conversion We are pleased to say we have completed the first VAG group PD engine conversion and we can now offer a single tank conversion for most 1.9TDI PD engines from the Volkswagen/Audi/Skoda/Seat group. The conversion inculdes a ECU upgrade which is completed in Germany. We are very happy with the conversion and even happier that we can now offer single tank conversions for the latest generation diesel engines. So it includes a single tank and the ECU is re-programmed. It would be nice to know in which way. It may be that some of my objections have been answered.

I would suggest a large plastic container mounted on trailor of the kind used to transport bulk wine, insecticide sprays etc. 500 litres of oil would be about 400kg or just slightly more. I presume Hazchem Cards/symbols may be required but these oils are non volatile, do not burn easily and are biodegradable. So the requirements may be quite simple.

I thought SVO and PPO were pretty much the same. Normally SVO is edible and non toxic to humans. I presume that PPO could cover unprocessed oil like rapeseed which is Toxic to humans when unprocessed. (True or False?)

There have been discussions before mentioning biofuels, the 1.9TDi engines with the amount of exhaust gas re-circulation and the effect on the EGR valve and intercooler. Lubricity of these Bio Fuels tends to be higher than mineral diesel so wear of the pump and injectors should not be the problem. Ford/ Volkswagen only ever recommended 5% max Biodiesel. I have not heard that this has changed. The use of these PPO fuels is likely to be more successful on older technology diesels. I'm not saying they will not work. They may well do but with the overcomplex bit of kit under the bonnet any work outside normal is very expensive and is likely to far outweigh any savings that can be made on using PPO. Without the tax the cost of PPO is far more than the mineral diesel oil we buy now. e.g. Mineral Oil refined to diesel estimated at 80$ (

you need a 13mm socket to remove the two bolts on the rear calipers and 15mm open ended spanner to hold the nuts on the spring loaded sliders. My Front Calipers use the 7mm hex I bought years ago.

A good description about self fitting. Yes it is heavy. Adding the powerbar will make it even heavier. My only real gripe about the powertouch is that it is VERY slow. It will not rise up a 5cm step with my caravan at about 1600kg. At higher speed the momentum would carry it up, but this is not available. So I need to take small ramps just in case. (pieces of wood which the tyre will rise over bout 2cm thick) After 30months I had a problem with one of the motors near the waste outlet which shows some signs of water splash, when it refused to operate. The problem was easily fixed after I spoke to Power Products. The carbon brushes needed to be taken out cleaned and the spring retensioned slightly. Once you know how, it takes a couple of minutes. Oh yes, the original Rubber boots/cover fell apart. I wrap it better now. I've seen several others makes which all are a bit lighter in construction but move faster. However, one of these was damaged on one side when a tyre burst. I am not sure that it was the tyre or contact with the ground which caused the damage. The owner was able to get a local workshop to fabricate new pieces without resorting to the manufacturer so it wasn't too bad. When I had a tyre explode there was no damage to the mover at all. Though this may be because I fitted it ahead of the axle, not behind. It will increase the noseweight but it is close to the centre of rotation. Note for 4 axle users. Mount it behind the rear axle. One person I saw with the Powertouch on a twin axle had fitted it at the front because the spare wheel and carrier were in the way at the rear. It took 4 of us pushing and the mover to place it. Standard practice when manoevering with Twins is to raise the front as high as possible raising the front axle. The front axle tends to resist turning the caravan when in ground contact. Moving the spare wheel carrier would have made the motor mover useful.

I'm sure that the V6 will tow well but always at higher revs and will sound more strained/fussy. There is more to towing than just torque and economy. The shape of the Galaxy/Sharan means that the caravan sits more in the slipstream of the towing vehicle and there is less pressure on the front of the caravan when towing. This force on the front of the caravan is what makes caravans likely to snake at higher speeds with or without a stabilizer. I have a twin axle Chateau Caravan from 1990 (Max Gross Weight 1600kg) which has a smaller front profile than my larger Hobby (single axle) . The Chateau with no stabilizer and 4 wheels is absolutely rock steady at all speeds when towed by the Galaxy and hardly seems to be there. I have taken it upto 70mph and it showed absolutely no sign of instability. The same caravan behind the more streamlined Rover saloon was a pig at over 60mph. Behind a Mondeo 1.8Td (89bhp) hatchback was more stable at these speeds, was underpowered, but did not feel half as powerful as the Rover. The difference seemed to be much smaller. The Hobby with its larger profile and excellent stabilizer is also rock steady but when tall vehicles pass at high speed one knows about it. If the gap is too narrow the suction caused as this happens is not a nice experience. I used to tow with a V6 2.7litre Rover 800 but that was always sounding fussy, 17-18mpg Towing. I would expect similar for a Galaxy V6 (Comments from those who do tow with a V6?) Its impossible to ignore consumption. The need to refill every 225 miles max along Continental Motorways at enormous prices over Supermarkets saw to that (Just the same as the UK) I have a Dutch friend with a small petrol engined 4 wheel drive Mitsubishi (the road Tax in Holland for diesel Cars is about 600

Can you amplify please. Which pins are corroded?

Mo4 the load rating of the tyre you mention is 97 which is what I have now and is available represents a Max load per tyre of 725kg if I have calculated it correctly. The H and the W or letter following is the speed rating. Since I never travel at 130mph which is the H rating then W is not required. A rating of 100 would give a maximum load per tyre of 800kg. I would always feel happier with this extra safety margin when towing and fully laden. As an extra I have found the present 215/55 R16 97H Michelin Plots more prone to aqua planing than any other car I have driven. The car is on its 2nd set from new at 70,000miles. Prior to this I have always been very happy with Michelin and always specified them. I'm having 2nd thoughts now. I'm even considering using slightly narrower tyres of higher aspect ratio to give the same rolling ratio. This will reduce the chance of aquaplaning and may improve traction on loose surfaces which can be a problem when moving off/on sites with the caravan. This is less of a problem because my Motor Mover (fixed) can move caravan and car if required.

I have never read (or should I say remember reading) that the Unofficial 85% figure referred to the Lowest Gross weight of the towing vehicle. I think the meaning refers to the actual Gross weight of the towing vehicle. Which is why I was very careful to list the different weights and GTW (Gross train weights in my previous comments). The present Mark2 Galaxy even in 115bhp TDi modeis easily able to pull 2000kg because of its tremendous torque maxing at around 1900rpm. The new model based on the Focus Chassis is rated at only 1750kg. The reason should not be the Ford diesel engines because as far as I know the torque is pretty similar at similar revs. ts an unknown quantity for now. Plus a crucial advantage:- a (dual?) chain driven camshaft. I hate this 40,000mile problem!! on the Volks engined model. P.S. Thanks Mo4 for the data. It proves my point even more as I only used conservative numbers to make the point. P.P.S. To lazyb5:-The commercial tyres you use can you quote the size and load rating? I'm looking for 215/55R16 with load rating of more than 97H. Have not found them yet. I can find 205/65 R16 commercial tyres which are rated at around 102/100H which represents an extra 75 to 125kg per tyre ( from my calc's very similar rolling radius so small it matters nought).

I do not understand this previous comment from Bleeno:- No No No ....... Sorry Derek thats the maximum tow limit of the car and as you stick all your bits and pieces in it, you'll be overweight and illegal. Stick with the 85% figures and you'll be much safer. Since the Maximum Gross weight of the Galaxy is about 2350kg, and I think we all load up our cars rather than the caravan then I make 85% in the following way 85% of 2000kg = 1700kg 85% of 300kg = 255kg 85% of 50kg = 42.kg ----------------------------- Total = 1997kg So it seems to me that 1900kg is well within the 85% limit I hear so much about (along with archane "rules" about a seperate hitch for the brake overun etc.) I'm sure that 1900kg represents the Maximum Gross weight of the caravan. However, to stay within the Gross Train Weight of the Galaxy of 4000kg then a 2300kg galaxy can in theory (legally) tow only 1700kg. If Bleeno insists on 85% and not a fraction more then in theory the Galaxy must weigh in at 2162kg with the caravan at a maximum of 1838kg to fit this 4000kg figure. (These figures are really only legal guides as even in Germany the maximum gross caravan weight can be surpassed, provided the maximum speed is reduced. Actual figures I forget) My Hobby 1600kg Gross Weight (Latest almost identical model can be plated to 1750kg for an extra 200

THE PROBLEM IS NOT THE CLUTCH BUT THE LEAKING SLAVE CYLINDER. All users describe the clutch pushing to the floor and sticking there. Garages will claim the plate is contaminated or its not worth leaving in an old one because of the work needed to strip down. I still have the parts from my problem. Clutch nowhere near worn. The garage tried it on by offering an exchange on the Dual Mass flywheel. I scotched that by demanding all replaced parts back. Before I could see the old clutch they had already re-assembled the parts. There is an inbuilt problem with these slave cylinders on the Galaxy. I do not ride the clutch anytime. I have never worn out a clutch in my 41 years of driving. Some vehicles upto 150,000 miles. Have got through one autobox on the automatic I had. Please excuse the shouting.

Depends upon the Autoroute Group Operator. Sometimes I get charged Group1 and usually Group2. Autoroute cost is not my main worry when towing abroad Having a problems with the car or caravan whilst travelling abroad makes the slight increase in cost for the caravan pale into insignificance. Autoroutes/Motorways are always safer when towing if you try to keep up with the commercial HGV vehicles over 7.5Tonnes and avoid high Speed tall sided Vans like Renault Traffic and Ivecos. The suction they create if they pass at high speed can be felt and seen in the side movement of the caravan. If you have to overtake on 3 lane motorways ALWAYS look out for a tall van coming down in the 3rd lane. I often wait for them to pass, remaining in the middle lane, before I start the passing manouvre. With the torque of the 1.9TDi galaxy the passing is quick. My speed is usually about 60mph (upto 65/67). I can usually average 50+mph and about 29mpg if I follow a slightly faster HGV which romp up the inclines when they are emtpy at about 60mph I find Car transporters are a nightmare.

If I am not mistaken the 2.3 has the same or similar half shafts that the mark2 1.9TDi galaxy has. If that case it could be a similar problem mentioned here with the offside halfshaft and the output shaft from the gearbox. http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.ph...=62&t=13669 The problem did not cause my Galaxy to fail its MOT.

Hello Homer. If you look at this link http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?showtopic=2655 and others (do a search for the excellent photos on this matter) you will find the full problem on 2002 (52 Plate Galaxys). Oafcowl has an earlier 98(?) model I think.. For this reason I'm not saying that its not the halfshaft and/or output shaft from the gearbox. It will be interesting if it is. I do believes the layout of the equipment is different on earlier Models. For Oafcowl, BMS Auto parts, Huddersfield Rd, Oldham are aware of this problem and carry the half shaft but not the output shaft from the gearbox. If this is the problem!!

It may be specific to vehicles manufactered around 2002. Since the fault only seems to appear after 60,000 miles its outside warranty. (1) My friend, a Ford Mechanic warned me about this. Seems Ford specify a particular grease for this part. (2) My local non Ford parts supplier did not have the replacement shaft in his catalogues. When he contacted the manufacturer/ re-manufacturer for half shafts http://www.shaftec.co.uk/ about the correct part, they also told him about this other problem. He in turn told me, but I already knew. After fixing, in 2 stages , half shaft 1st, then the output shaft from the gearbox the improvement was very marked at each stage. Seems to drive like new. For some reason the gearchange seems better as well!!!!!

This is a VERY common fault on 1.9TDis and all owners should be aware of it. Symtom is sloppiness and noise when pushing the accelerator pedal and taking it off. I suspect the bearing on the end away from the splines is not upto the job and allows movement of the shaft so the teeth wear especially if there is slack/ wear in the peculiar (to me) half shaft internal offside universal joint. Even had Ford Mechanics claiming there could be a gearbox fault.

I normally use Aluminium sticky foil which is usually on offer 2 or 3 times per year at Lidl or Aldi. It has multiple other uses as well. I remove it using a wooden cooking spatula and remove the residual gunk with a bit of white spirit on paper towel and finish with alcohol/ surgical spirit . The coloured meths has components which I am not happy with as regards to paintwork. The alcohol is available in French supermarkets off the shelf. I used to use ordinary insulation tape but the heat made it fall off too quickly. Its good for 2 weeks or so. Since I am on the Continent for some months I changed to the foil which has the advantage of relecting more and not absorbing the energy from the bulbs.

Wheel nuts may be a problem that can produce the same effect but the most likely problem is worn brake discs which are thin. On a Mondeo just after its MOT, which works the brakes hard, I developed a shimmering problem when the brakes were applied. It felt like cadence braking and a bit similar to the ABS working wiyhout the clicking off noise. I eventually found that one of the front ventilated discs was thinner on one side at one of the ventilated sections where some ( a lot) of rust had spalled off at the inside of the ventilation slot. Both were a bit thin but within spec. I presume the MOT testing had resulted in this. Once changed back to normal. Discs And Pads are not that expensive and are one of the most easy DIY jobs provided you have the correct sockets, spanners, hexagonal bits, slave cylinder retractors (if required), brake grease etc. Read the Manuals!