sparky Paul

The LED in the door is for the anti-theft system status and should be solid when the ignition is switched on, then extinguish after a short while. If there is a fault here, which a faulty main power relay will affect, you will see a series of rapid flashes and the car will turn over and not start. The relay supplies a number of systems on the car, including the fuel injection systems on the diesel, hence no go. I had a problem with mine, resoldered and no problems since. The bad joints are sometimes very difficult indeed to spot, so as Brian says remove the old solder from ALL of the armature joints, that's the larger soldered joints on the PCB, and resolder - preferably with leaded solder. It's the lead-free solder which deteriorates, it's rubbish. I think it was the joint on the very edge of the PCB which was the problem on mine, with the eyeglass I could see a hairline fracture in it.

As Chris says, symptoms point to relay 109. On your T reg, it will have the later style fusebox fitted and the relay will be on level 3. It's a bit of work to get to, you have to partially disassemble the fusebox to find it... there is a very useful post in the FAQ section which explains how to get to level 3. http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?/topic/8810-relay-30-replacement/&do=findComment&comment=68423 Although the pics show a mk.2 car interior, your fusebox will be the same. Also, ignore references to relay 30, the one you are looking for is 109... it'll probably be uspide-down, so may read 601 ;)

As SB says, what engine is it - is it a diesel or petrol? Fairly common issue, but more info is required to give you the correct pointers.

Yours is a mk.1 car... however the later mk.1 cars (late 98-on) were fitted with the mk.2 type wiper assembly, with three mounting bolts. There are two versions of the mk.2 assembly, IIRC the change was when they changed from standard curved wiper blades to the aero type. If you are fitting the later mk.2 style assembly to a mk.1 car, you may need the later wiper arms and blades.

Sounds like a good plan. Also worth checking inlet pipework between throttle & manifold and vacuum pipes on manifold for splits, etc.

Sounds like you are making progress, anyway! The cable you have should do everything you need, it's just a matter of finding the modules in the software. As for the back wing, if you intend redoing it at some point, I wouldn't bother with a fibreglass kit. Just get a tin of 'jam' (Tetrosyl Fibrofil or Isopon P40), that stuff is magic for bridging holes and is not porous like filler. It will need a skim over with filler after shaping, same as fibreglass matting. Use a cardboard form behind the hole if you have to.

I think you're on the right trail. Was there much gunge in the ICV? You usually only find a light build up of carbon, and not oily. Was the shuttle free to move without any sticking? My next step would probably be the throttle body too.

Did you get one of the USB VAG-COM cables? VCDS will talk to virtually all of the other systems on the car, but only with the VAG-COM cable. That one's easy, look underneath, around where the driver sits.

Most of the cast parts are crappy pot metal, I think there was a repair kit available for the rear window catch. I say 'was', because some of these parts are now on 'permanant back order' in Ford-speak, or to everyone else, obsolete. Worth a try at the dealers though, you never know. For the engine, I believe the HHOBD ELM327 bluetooth adaptors that BrainH referred to have a good reputation. The cheaper units are pot luck - some work with J1850_PWM, some don't.

The one you have is the idler pulley. Not seen the eurocarparts ones, Ford ones were the same pulley - you have to remove the smaller bolt and retaining clip, and fit the centre from the old tensioner pulley.

I reckon I've had mine even more stuffed than that SB! Without the seats, the boot is positively cavernous, it makes a great van. I've looked at other cars but the Galaxy is so useful and reliable, I'm loathed to part with it. In fact I would miss it. Welcome to the forum, by the way! B)

It's normal to have about 10mm up/down play between the top mount and the suspension turret, the weight of the car keeps everything together under normal circumstances. Knocking from the front suspension is nearly always faulty droplinks, check both sides - the tiniest amount of play in these causes horrible noises, and it's not always easy to determine which side, as the noise transmits down the antiroll bar. Rock the car with the roof rails, see if you can hear any of the joints clicking. If you can, get someone to continue rocking, while you grab hold of each joint in turn until the clicking stops. After that, check the other likely culprits - bottom ball joints, wishbone bushes, ARB bushes, etc.

No, I'm not on LPG... wish I had converted it though. Was going to, but I never though I would have it this long - I still have a spare complete inlet manifold in the shed, so I could fit the injector nozzles and do a quick swap over. A flashlube kit is recommended for the 2.3, I have seen reports of burnt valves on LPG. The ignition system has to be 100% too. Otherwise, the 2.3 is as bulletproof as any engine out there. Just stick to the recommended service intervals, and make sure you use 5W30 oil. 28mpg is the official figure for mixed cycle, but I manage 30mpg average with mixed driving, never much worse or better. Don't expect a great deal better on a run either, only a few mpg more... the Galaxy is a big lump, and motorway speeds and above make a considerable dent in the mpg. WIper blades - the later mk2 cars are fitted as standard with aero blades, which have the peculiar fittings.

Yes the VCDS lite software from Ross works great. This will allow you to access all other systems on the car, except the engine and PATS anti-theft. However, it will not work with a ELM327 cable or bluetooth adapter, you need a VAG-COM USB cable - search for "vag com kkl" on ebay. The car is basically an all-VW vehicle with a Ford engine cobbled in.

Used carparts4less many times, no problems at all. The rear window wash squirter is above the window. Doesn't normally block, if you can't find a problem look at the pipe which runs inside the car in the sill capping... there's a joint in the front passenger door panel which comes apart an leaks into the front passenger carpet. I can imagine someone might disconnect the pump or remove a fuse if they were flooded and couldn't be arsed to investigate. Spongy brakes are a common problem on the Galaxy, they don't have the firmest of pedal at the best of times. Get air into the ABS unit and you need VAG-COM diagnostic tool to bleed it properly - USB cable is only a few quid off ebay. Seizing handrake adjusters in the rear calipers can also give long pedal travel. If you're going to attack the back brakes, a wind back tool is highly recommended, the pistons must be rotated clockwise as they are retracted. The VAG-COM tool is an invaluable tool for the few pounds they cost. As yours is a petrol, this VW tool won't talk to the Ford engine, but fortunately an ELM327 cable which will is also only a few quid.

Those plugs must be changed at the correct service interval, or problems soon ensue - 40,000 miles and the platinum tips are all but burnt off. There's some cheap Galaxys about, if you don't mind sorting out a few problems. A lot of car for 410 quid! I've had mine 12 years now, it finally succumbed to rot this year. A bit of welding around the front outriggers, fabricated new front wing bottoms where they meet the sills and fixed the rust around the tailgate lock. A bit of fresh paint has given the old bus a new lease of life... cost me a few offcuts of steel, and 1/2 litre of base coat, but it looks great again!

I don't think it's available separately. Some mk2 owners have fitted carriers removed from scrap mk1s, which are more robust.

If its paired up and connects, but fails to find the correct protocol when scanning, you have one of the duff bluetooth modules that won't work with J1850_PWM.

If it's fast in 2nd, that means the input shaft is spinning... either a gearbox disaster (those 6-speed units do have their moments), or something in the bell housing is fouling the input shaft and/or release bearing. Doesn't sound very good.

A few more thoughts... If it runs okay when warm, then most probable suspects are always going to be weak spark, or fueling when cold running - possibly a sensor issue somewhere. If idle is rough, trying cleaning the idle control valve out with a bit of petrol, its on the top of the inlet manifold... though that doesn't normally hold back the engine from revving. Any type of smoke out of the exhaust when cold? Smell fuelly?

The plug leads fail too, and a weak spark causes all sorts of problems. Do you have the proper platinum tipped plugs fitted, or the cheap standard ones? The early cars have two coil packs, the later ones are like yours BrianH - one coil pack and separate leads. Emissions readings might be helpful, especially as it was a close thing last time. The reason things can improve with the MAF disconnected is that a faulty MAF may be feeding the ECU duff information. If the MAF is disconnected and the ECU cannot see it, it uses default values to make the fuel injection calculations, so that the engine can still run. Also, watch out for those cheap Chinese bluetooth ELM327 readers. Some of them work fine, but some DO NOT WORK WITH J1850-PWM PROTOCOL, which the petrol engine ECU on the Galaxy uses. They all look exactly the same, but some are built with a defective board, and some with parts missing. Pins 2 & 10 on the diagnostic connector, which J1850 uses, are sometimes not even connected. You will pair and connect okay through bluetooth, but you cannot communicate with the ECU. The USB types are a safer bet, but the bluetooth devices are fab if you get one that works.

With BrianH on this one, definitely worth trying the MAF sensor first, any improvement when unplugged points to a duff MAF sensor. Also worth checking for any fault codes, not everything throws up the engine management light. If you can get a OBD2 reader on it while running, it might be worth checking that temperature sensors in particular are giving sensible values.

Yes, I think I've seen ones like those, come to think of it. If you look at the picture of the shocker with the hub removed, you can see that the 2" or so below the hub is narrower, you cannot clamp to this. The clamp sits on the wider part further up. I guess it's the design of the shocker, but the extended and contracted lengths from the hub clamp to the top nut should be a standard measurement.

Looks like you have found the answer. :unsure: Sounds like the wrong shock absorber to me. Should be flush, as you say.

Odd place for a bit of weld. I've seen it done to stop the spring rotating... which it shouldn't, if the coilspring and end stops are intact. The top spring seat on the Galaxy is free to rotate anyway, so I can't really understand that one. Was the replacement strut the same spec? There are different spring rates for different engines. In any case, if you don't replace springs in matched pairs, it's not hard to end up very slightly lop-sided. You probably have a slightly weaker spring on the low side.