Willie Krashitt

No, you don't need anything special, just VAG-CoM to enable the dashboard repeater light. If you are tugging a caravan, then you will need a smart charge relay and wiring between car battery and towing socket for the fridge which is usually separate from most trailer wiring kits. George.

Sorry but they won't fit - wrong stud centres. You need wheels with studs on a 112PCD, Mondeo are 108. George.

Hi, In theory, doing what you suggest might work, but as I advised Mirez some time ago, I think you will have difficulty getting enough weld penentration for it to last long (there is a HUGE torque going through this joint) also you will have to consider that the shaft has to be in alignment properly, and to get this 'in vehicle' with a worn joint will be virtually impossible. Add to this the amount of heat generated during welding and what it's effect on the output flange seal will be, I can only suggest that it isn't really worthwhile doing. If you repair it properly now, at least the weather is still warm enough to let you crawl under cars without too much pain. Put it off, and you can almost guarantee that it will be wet and cold when you need to do it. George.

Hi, Caravan brakes are activated by an 'overrun' linkage on the drawbar/hitch. As you brake the car, the caravan pushes forward on the hitch, which slides a small amount pushing a lever to activate the brakes. When you pull away, the caravan moves back letting the brakes off again. Any towbar will be ok, the choices come down to whether you want detachable or fixed. If you go for the fixed / flanged towball option, make sure your towball is of the 'Alko' type (spaced out further, more slender neck) as the majority of caravans seem to come with an 'Alko' hitch which needs more clearance. Fixed 'swan neck' towballs are fine. Me? I have the Westfalia oem detachable one and it is fine. When wiring up the electrics, make life easy for yourself and order a vehicle specific wiring kit with either the twin sockets (messy looking) or the 13 pin socket (much better) and make the fitter aware that you need the fridge wiring connected ( you will need a 'smart relay' and a wire running from battery to socket via this relay) as most wiring kits do not include this. Hope that this helps, George.

Hi Swifty, Yes, a new MAF is needed. Beware though, the Genuine ones are expensive. Ford now want over

Hi, to answer your question directly, in the lower gears then yes, it should tow better as it has more torque from 2250rpm onwards. For 5th and 6th gears though, you will be down in the 1600-1900rpm range at the speed limit, so the torque will be the same with a 115, 130 or 150. If you rarely rev above 2500rpm, then the 130PS will be as good as a 150. As someone on the caravan forum pointed out to you, how old is your MAF sensor, and if it is relatively new, was it a GENUINE Bosch sensor, not one of the half price ebay far eastern pattern parts? I tow my 1500kg Swift Challenger with my current car without any issues, even up Sunrising Hill near Banbury,(and have done that with 6 people in the car) so for me it is difficult to see what more you would want to achieve. One question for you is what is your final drive ratio? My first Galaxy (2001 115PS) had a 3.08FDR, and was much more relaxed (and economical) when cruising than the current car with its 3.68FDR (also 115PS). Revs wise, 6th in the new one is more like 5th in the old one. Only towed a trailer tent with the old one, so have no idea how it would have been with a big caravan. I believe (but have no way of knowing) that the change to the lower FDR occurred in the 2003 updates, and commonised transmissions with the 130PS. Hope that this helps, George.

Hi, Have a look at the attached. The 150 make slightly more peak torque (320Nm vs 310Nm) than the 115/130PS. Important detail is how the peak is maintained for much longer on the higher output version. All reach a peak at 1750rpm, but while 115 is over the peak after 2000rpm, the 150 doesn't decline until after 2750rpm. At 2750, the 150 makes 50Nm more torque. The 115 only makes 6PS/bhp more power from 3000rpm to 4000rpm, while for the 150 it is 18PS more. George. PowerCurves.pdf

Please do a search, it has been covered many, many times. All info is on here, including torques for all bolts. Also check for play in the intermediate shaft, and regrease it while you have all the other bits off. George.

It depends upon the actual build date of your car. E-Cat states vehicles built from 15-April-2000 until 30 April 2002 had the hydraulic tensioner, and cars built from 1-May 2002 onwards have the mechanical tensioner. Belt itself is the same. A Ford dealer should be able to give you the build date via the registration/Vin decoder. Hope that this helps, George.

Hi, The easy answer is automatically. Just apply the handbrake several times and the adjuster piston in the caliper will wind itself out to the correct position. George.

Hi SK, We use our roofbox every year - Thule Ocean 200, and find economy isn't hit too hard, but then we have also been towing a trailer tent as well so speeds have been a bit slower. However, one thing you will need to be aware of is the number of car parks with height restrictions - typically set at 2 or 2.1m, especially in the more popular tourist areas. Galaxy + roofbox = nearly 2.4m (8ft) tall. For us, when we had pitched up, we quickly learned to take the box off and store it behind the tent so as to avoid lots of frustration. As regards storage if you buy one, I added a couple of small pulleys in the joists at the top of the garage roof and with some rope tied to the roofbars, hoist it vertically up between the joists - fits perfectly and is completely out of the way. George.

Hi, From your description it sounds like the EGR pipe. Not familiar with Mk1's so am only guessing that it is about 25mm diameter and made of stainless steel? This bolts to the EGR valve with 2 allen bolts, and to the exhaust maniflod with 2 stud/nuts. If this is the pipe, they should cost

Hi, Hopefully this will make sense: Torques will depend on your wheelnuts. Torque: Steel wheel nut M12 silver 140 Nm 2-piece alloy wheel nut M12 with conical washer 140 Nm 2-piece alloy wheel locking nut M12 with conical washer 110 Nm 1-piece alloy wheel locking nut M12 140 Nm All nuts M14 including locking nuts 170 Nm George.

Hi, On the 1.8L engines, the temperature sensor is located at the side of the cylinder head above the clutch housing. never done one on a Galaxy, but a bit of a git to get to on a Focus - too many bits in the way/have to be removed first. From memory, you will have to remove the air cleaner and fuel filter to get to it. It is the sensor with a wire attached to it. (no 3 in attached pic). part number needed is 1710151 (9C11-6G004-BB), but this one seems to be a new release as it is unpriced. Alternative is 1552452 (9C11-6G004-BA) and this will cost

Twin electrics aren't a problem, and are very easy if you use one of the dedicated loom / relay kits available - becomes a simple plug and play then. Worth going the extra bit and going 13 pin for both car and caravan at the same time - much more reliable connector and waterproof too. Regards towing the caravan in France, beware that as the maximum gross train weight (car + trailer) of the Galaxy is greater than 3.5 tonnes, you will be (officially) limited to 90kmh (56mph) on motorways when towing, and 80kmh (50mph) on single carriageway roads. Will help your economy at least. George.

Hi All, The long 'Allen' bolt in the centre of the output shaft should be torqued to 25Nm. Intermediate bearing to block bolts 45Nm, and as Mirez says, driveshaft flange bolts 80Nm. Remember DO NOT BEND THE CV JOINTS MORE THAN 20

Hi, Ford dealer prices (Feb 2011) for the badges are as follows: Pre 15th Nov 2003 cars, part F1108560 (bright finish) @

Correction - The one piece filter and housing assembly is for 1.6 not the 1.8 or 2.0L. For the 1.8, there is a knurled ring that unscrews anti clockwise while the top stays in line with the base. For the 2.0L you remove the complete housing from the vehicle, then the top part (with the pipe fittings on) unscrews in an anti clockwise direction from the base. Filter element then lifts out / pulls straight down, and new one drops in / pushes on. I should add that you will need a hand pump to fill the filter - dont rely on cranking will do it - it can screw up the fuel pump if it runs dry for too long, also that cleanliness is absolutely vital. Give the filter and pipework a good clean before you remove them, and blank off the pipes and fittings while you are working on it. Hope that this helps. George.

Hi, Simple answer is I don't think you do - it comes as a sealed filter and housing assembly. Haven't got access to the full knowledge until back at work tomorrow. Will check and update then. George.

Hi, Dump valves: Diesels don't need them as there is no 'throttle plate' blocking the inlet tract to cause the turbo to slow down. Your noise question though. If it is the turbo, the noise will differ with load (ie no load 2500rpm you might have the turbo running at 85,000rpm, whereas at 2500rpm WOT it will be around 225,000rpm. If the turbo bearings were a cause, I suspect it would have failed by now. Does the noise pitch synchronise with the turbo 'whistling' as you go on/off boost? EGR valve: If the valve is open with boost, air can 'short circuit' giving boost issues, but is almost always accompanied with tons of smoke out the back when you accelerate. When you are next under the bonnet, pull the hose off the valve and listen for valve operation as you pull the hose off and put it back on again. As on another post/topic, leave the hose off and blank it and it will remove the valve from your list of possibilities. No noise whatsoever may suggest it is stuck open or shut. EGR valves are a lot easier and less expensive than DMFs and Turbos. When you removed the FEAD belt, was there any perceptible play in the crankshaft pulley? The rubber damping part can fail, but this is extremely rare. DMF noises are usually at their worst at lower speeds and under load. The drive gets horribly jerky very quickly with lots of accompanying rattling noise. If the noise is not there if you dip the clutch on a decel (ie same road speed with engine idling) then it suggests that the wheel bearings/cv joints etc are ok. My car's dry bearing noise was a wheel bearing at just 59,000 miles. This leaves the clutch release bearing, the water pump and the timing belt tensioner and idler as about all that is left. As Seatkid suggests, a stethoscope or long screwdriver (tip on bit to listen to, handle in ear) around the various components might be your next best step Happy hunting, George.

Hi All, Firstly, yes you can blank off the EGR valve and it won't damage anything or put on any lights. It will make the engine a little noisier though. Chris's point is valid though, as if not used the sludge can dry out and flake off as bigger bits. However, I would like to clear up a couple of things from some of the previous answers. 1/ but they only run on overrun . With increasing emissions legislation, EGR valves have gone from being simple vacuum controlled devices to elecrtonic stepper motor controlled ones. Their range of operation is definately NOT just on the overun. They will be operational up to about 60% throttle and 3000rpm, depending on the vehicle and emission standards being met, certainly they will be operational throughout the emission drive cycle that leads to the published fuel economy numbers. As a general rule, the heavier the vehicle, the harder the engine has to work and the more EGR is required. 2/ The reason the egr valves are not on all the newer engines is because they dont produce all the nitrogen oxides that the older engines do Some of the very latest vehicles/engines with "selective catalytic reduction" (SCR)emissions control may be able to meet emissions without EGR, but there won't be many. EGR'r primary function is to reduce nitrous oxide emissions by making the burning process slower and therefore not as hot. Mk 2 Galaxy was certified at Stage 3 emissions, All new cars are now Stage 5 and everyone is working on Stage 6. With each level, smoke and NOx emission limits have been cut drastically, and is one of the reasons why fuel economy has suffered as things like gear ratios, compression ratios and fuel have changed to enable manufacturers to meet these limits. George.

Hi Matt, As far as I can find out, they haven't stopped producing them. It may be that with the change to the newer engine (200PS) there was a lack of availability as they ran out of the old 175PS ones before the new ones came on in volume, but they should be available. Sorry but I can't help you as regards which series they were in. I agree with you that it isn't listed on the website though, but then the website still refers to the 175PS version in the S-Max... George.

Just been on and had a look on eCat. Auxiliary fuse box (Box Assy - Fuse) is FINIS code 1112108 for petrol and 90/115PS Diesel @

Hi, Wheels will fit straight on, but check the wheel bolt lengths - Mk2 has different bolts to Mk1. George.

Hi, The setting is 125 lb-ft (170Nm). George