sparky Paul

Yep, that's how it works. :angry:

What's the bore like? Is it knackered, or would it hone? That head looks nasty, but it's surprising what can be done. My mate does engine machining and rebuilds, I know he's fixed heads that looked really mangled - basically cleaning the impact damage up, cutting out and replacing the damaged valve seats and sticking new valves in. Normally, I would say abandon it and get another engine (or car), but you seem fairly determined... makes the problems I have with mine look quite pathetic in comparison.

You can look up a full maintenance schedule for your car here http://www.etis.ford.com/home.do As far as I know, and I'm no expert on the diesels, original fitted belt kits on early cars were only good for 40,000 miles. Later cars, and the new belt/idler kits retro-fitted are good for 60,000 miles.

Only obvious one at the moment is 'skjamth' who dropped a few spam posts then disappeared.

I'll let you off, I thought you meant it had been on 237k miles. :rolleyes:

Okay. I think I see the one, does look a bit suspect. Have you been having a bit of a clearout? The spam isn't jumping out at me at the moment...

Yes, it is a known problem with water ingress and corrosion into the gearbox connectors and wiring loom. Access to some of the loom is not easy, but is possible, and checking the condition of all the connectors and the loom you can find around the gearbox would be a worthwhile start. When you have a bit of time, do a search on here for "gearbox wiring" or "gearbox loom", you might find some further info. The search box is at the top right of the forum header, make sure "Forum" is selected in the drop-down at the end of the search box. I understand that the car has had a recon 'box, but these Jatco gearboxes can be very problematic.

I think it's a relay number 109 on the diesel, probably looks 601 because it's upside down. More info here... http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?/topic/27076-intermittent-non-starting-issue/

I'm not one for changing stuff just because it says so in the schedule, but I think you had you money's worth out of that one. :lol:

I just worked out the first picture, is that the air filter? Bloody hell Brian!

If there's a significant amount of work involved, it's got to be worth looking at replacement. It's surprising what you can pick up if you are handy, nice cars with minor faults going for a few hundred pounds, especially at this time of year. Little more than scrap money really, so there's no risk. I've even seen nice cars with what appear to be classic relay 30 symptoms, going for a few hundred quid after the owner has given in - it's surprising how many garages are still stumped by that one. At the right money, there's not a lot of risk - they will currently scrap over £200 if you weigh the battery & alloys in separately. The biggest enemy now with used Galaxys is corrosion, but there are a few gems out there. On a brighter note, I think mine is going for an MOT. I've bit the bullet and ordered a pair of tyres, it may also need a brake cable if it won't free off, and a bit of tidying on the nearside sill, then we'll see how it goes.

If it's rotational, i.e. in sync with the rotation of the road wheels, then its probably something driveshaft or wheel related. They are classic loose or buckled wheel symptoms. Any recent kerbing incidents that could have led to a buckled wheel or damaged hub? Has this come on suddenly, or gradual deterioration? Any clicking, knocking or groaning/squeaking noises? Have you checked that all wheel bolts are tight?

That looks poorly Brian. Head looks a bit chewed up too, by bits of piston lip I guess... I think anything so serious would be the end of the road for me. Not afraid of an engine swap, but If you are going to put that much work in, you may as well look for something newer to put the effort into.

Ditto, take care, and good luck with the new vehicle, whatever it is. I'm going to be in the same boat if the Galaxy goes, loads of spares to get rid of. Still undecided as to what to do with it, but it might be getting a temporary reprieve if I can get round to testing it.

Here you go, this is the stuff I spotted http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silverhook-D2-Power-Steering-ATF-Fluid-4-54-Litres-Dexron-2-SHS5-/362043465713

£15 not too painful at all, not worth getting your hands mucky for that! At least it's sorted.

No expert on the mk.3 (this is the mk1/2 section), but sounds like alternator failure. None or intermittant charging can cause all sorts of electrical problems, including power steering failure if the mk.3 is fitted with electric power steering - and of that I am not sure. You might have better luck posting in the mk.3 section, or if some kind soul would move this post over there.

It's a low viscosity ATF, you can get cheap stuff. Just look for the Ford N052146-VX00 or N052146VX00 equivalent in the spec. You can get a gallon of cheapo for £19 delivered on ebay.

Welcome to the forum! The forum is not as busy as it once was, but the is a wealth of useful information here - particularly in the FAQ sections.

Yes, most definitely another spammer. Both posts are cut & pasted from elsewhere on the net. At least he's given you the links to the original posts!

First port of call is definitely the wiring, it's certainly not impossible for wires to be broken in both the driver's door and the tailgate, or wiring shorting out preventing unlocking. As Brian says, if both rear door locks failed at the same time, it's likely that the problem is elsewhere, and probably electrical. However if one went after the other, the rear doors are more likely culprits.

No, chip programming can't be done with VCDS or VAG-COM, PATS is a Ford system so the VW software won't work, you need the Ford IDS diagnostic tool. The manual central locking issues will almost certainly be wiring related, probably driver's door or tailgate. There is a post about remote locking key programming in the FAQ section. Bear in mind that the remote locking and PATS immobiliser are two completely separate systems on the car.

The £500 quote tells me they don't want the job, I'm sure you could get one made for less than that... after all, it's only a couple of large pipes that want forming, the small bits could be done with flexible. Whether you could get one made for less than the one from Germany is debatable. You could try someone like http://www.performancesiliconehoses.com/ who will make one-offs, but you'll have to take the hose off, sketch it out and send to them for a quote. Does it have to be an original looking part? I've made them with copper and preformed rubber (or silicone) bends before, solder a yorkshire coupling onto the ends of the copper to make a nice seat for the clamps. A bit of thought, and they can look really professional. Otherwise, you're probably looking for a good used one.

It it's purely a faulty central locking problem, you might be able to force the unlock by putting 12V up the right wires at the door plug. As Brian says, the most likely cause is driver's door and tailgate wiring inside the rubber gaiters - especially the tailgate. I had a rear door stuck locked, all the wiring on mine looked okay. In the end, it turned out water had got into the lock mechanism and seized the motor shaft. It was a pain to get into. In case you have to, you need to remove the door card and vapour barrier, then use a small right angle philips screwdriver to remove the (barely) accessible screws holding the lid on the box around the lock mechanism. I used a screwdriver bit and adapter in a small ratchet. There is then just enough room to insert a long slender screwdriver to the rear of the lock to operate the unlocking mechanism manually.

I was just going on the "chips missing" bit Brian.