sparky Paul

You can check for clutch drag by trying the gears with the engine off - if that cures the difficulties, the clutch isn't fully releasing.

Never heard of Focom, but it sounds a bit rude! Gave it a quick gurgle, looks like third party software for an IDS clone interface - hopefully it should do all the same stuff.

I guess you are using the procedure in the FAQ? The remote locking & PATS is integrated into the fusebox / body control module on mk.2 and late mk.1 cars. VW VCDS has no access to these systems, you have to use Ford IDS diagnostic system. I think the early mk.2 VW/Seat ones are the same, though IIRC there are a couple of different systems fitted which are not compatible with each other - check the manufacturer and frequency on the key label. VW/Seat continued to make the mk.2 up to 2010, but post 2006 VW/Seat models had the Ford PATS removed and replaced with VW bits. My mk.1 has the later electrics, the remote key never worked on mine, the dealer couldn't get it to work either - turned out that remote locking was an optional extra on the Zetec model. Whether it had had a replacement key at some time, mistakenly a remote one, I don't know.

No, the mk.1 lights come apart nicely, but the plastic mk.2 lights are bonded together. As greger says,you'll have to take it off the car and give it some jiggle.

Worth a try, Seat and VW versions were sold up to 2010.

It's because the car isn't a Ford, it's really a VW in drag. IDS will be able to access the Ford engine, and very usefully, the PATS immobiliser system. For all the other systems on the car, you need VAG-COM. Fortunately, you can buy the interface on ebay for literally a few pounds, search for "KKL USB", then sort lowest price + p&p. You can then download the free VCDS-lite software from the Ross-Tech website.

I think we need more info. I'm guessing 2L 163 means it's a Ford 2.0TDCi, and not a VW/Seat. If it is, the OP might have better luck in the mk.3 section. Also manual/auto and any other relevant info would help.

The mark 1 & 2 VW designed Galaxy up to 2006 is a completely different car to the later mark 3 car, which was a purely Ford design. You might have better luck trying in the mk.3 section. http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?/forum/174-mkiii-specific-area/

Yes, some good points there Brian. Over 14 years, I've had around 30mpg most of the time, without trying too hard. Best ever really was Tesco, Wick to Broxden Services, Perth, through the Cairngorms a couple of years ago - brim to brim it worked out at just over 36mpg. I don't think you will find it any worse than the 2 litre. My release bearing has been whirring away for over 10 years, I had a brand new Ford Motorcraft clutch & bearing/CSC on standby, but never needed it in the end. The 2.3 is actually a lovely engine with the balancer shafts, it's the ancillaries that make most of the rattles and squeaks. Turns out I've got two rotten areas, just in front of the b pillar, so within 30cm of front passenger seatbelt mount, and also around the rear jacking point, so rear subframe mount and seatbelt mount again. The only long term fix for alloys is stripping and repainting, but getting the rough bits down to metal with a flap wheel, followed by a coat of rim seal puts them on for a year or two.

What you found as a replacement then Brian? Another Shalaxy? You're lucky to find parking sensors that actually work... What's the sills like? ;) I managed to avoid mine being caved in for 14-odd years, only for them to rot from the inside... :( I'll tell you what happens when you try welding to rust, you end up chasing it half way around the bloody car. My mate came round and had a look at the Galaxy, he's more into the bodywork and painting than I am, being a retired time served panel beater & sprayer. Where I would have patched up the worse bits and left the rest alone, he was all for making a proper job of it. He said if I could be arsed to do it, he would bend me all the bits up to fit. However, he did add, "but really...it's about f**ked mate".

Poked some more holes in the outer sill this morning, trying to find the extent of the rot. Not looking too good. I think you could replace half the outer sill too if you wanted to make a job of it. If you weren't so far away Brian, we might make one good one out of the two. :(

It's a screwdriver hole at the moment, I stopped poking after I went through, but there's about 10-12" length of the bottom lip of the inner sill that looks iffy. The actual bottom of the inner sill sounds okay, it's the vertical lip meeting the outer sill that's gone. The trouble is, when you start poking these crusty bits, you inevitably end up chasing the rot back to decent metal. You can't weld to weetabix.

After just thinking "that looks a bit scabby", then poking a hole in the nearside inner sill, I'm back at the "convince me it's worth saving" stage. :unsure:

If you want my opinion, and I have seen most things tried over the years, don't waste your money. If you are suspecting head gasket failure, none of these additives will work for long, if at all. Radweld, K-Seal, etc. works on joint leaks or weeping radiators. The resin based ones which require you to remove the antifreeze and replace after treatment. such as Wondarweld, I have seen used successfully on porous block and block cracks. Having owned Renaults, sadly, I know plenty about head gasket failures. As Brian says, make sure you do actually have a overheating issue. That said, it sounds like your gauge readings are plausible for a genuine overheating issue. Any other symptoms making you think HGF? Pressurising coolant system. Oil emulsification. Combustion fumes in header tank, give it a sniff. Recurring airlocks. Coolant loss. White smoke from exhaust. Slower than usual starting. Staining around header tank (cap relief valve leakage).

It could be worse, a 2.3 Galaxy would be £520 to tax now if registered after March 2006. The plus side with buying petrols is that the mileages tend to be a lot lower, and often in better nick.

Yes, good advice about flushing from Brian. You shouldn't need to do any more than dropping the bottom hose off the rad and flushing through with the hosepipe. I assume that you're not still losing any water?

One other thing, be careful if you have a poke around inside the thermostat. New ones are just over £100 from the main dealers nowadays. :blink:

Here's the haynes pic The tensioner has to be cranked right back with a spanner to get a new belt on. You can't miss the thermostat, it's a lump in the top hose pipework with three connections to it. The bottom pipe is a bypass back to the block - if there's any debris trapped in the thermostat, I don't think that will help matters.

Just to add to what Brian says above, your car is a 1999 model, so there should not be anything inside the thermostat housing on the end of the cylinder head. The housing looks like it should have a thermostat insert in it, but It should be completely empty. If there is a thermostat, and some people mistakenly fit one there, remove it. The thermostat on the later 2.3 is fitted in the radiator pipework behind the radiator. It looks like a tee piece in the pipework, either made of brass (early type) or plastic (later replacement type). One simple thing, which might sound stupid, but it is actually possible to fit the auxiliary belt wrong on the 2.3, and in fact the diagram on Ford TIS is wrong. IIRC, it is possible to fit the belt wrong and spin the water pump backwards. The diagram in Mr Haynes' book is correct, if you have that. The simple rule is, inside of the belt around ribbed pulleys, backside of the belt go around smooth pulleys.

TIS is a very useful resource. One thing though, don't take any notice of the auxiliary belt routing for the 2.3, the diagram is wrong!

Gulp! Not so bad on LPG, softens the blow a bit. The back boxes will all fit the same. The 2.0 and 2.3 are different, there's a lot of restriction on the 2.3 back box, but I bet the 2.0 is near enough. I had a diesel one with the two tailpipes on mine for a couple of years, was sent by mistake and I didn't realise the difference at the time. Car went like the clappers, but MPG suffered.

It's a dealer only thing, but there have been pirated copies in circulation and were being sold openly on ebay. You could have a google for it, but I think most of the download links are now dead. A 2004 copy of the dvd-rom is still there on torrents.

Even if the parts were free, that's a lot of work piling up there. It's probably time to give in. Find a decent 2.3 pre- March 2001 and swap the gas conversion over!

The most accurate diagrams are on the Ford TIS cd-rom, but they can take a bit of following. The electrical systems on the Galaxy differ significantly for different model years, in particular pre and post 1998 mk.1 cars - that's why there are so many different schematics about. From your VIN, I can see that yours is build date 15/10/1997, so early type electrics. Exact AC circuits vary, but circuit may include de-icing switch, external temperature switch, etc., but ideally you need to identify the exact schematics for your car. Also bear in mind that one side of the pressure switch switches down to earth - so if closed, both terminals will measure at chassis earth. The pressure switches themselves have been known to fail.

What does the LED on the drivers door do when you turn the ignition on? You need to work out whether it is an immobiliser issue, other something else first,