Willie Krashitt

Well done! and don't forget to change your signature!

Hmmm... E Cat only describes this fitting as a stud and also says that this stud is used on 2.0L engines only. Are you sure that there is a corresponding threaded hole /sheared off bolt behind the heatshield? ECat doesn't give the size of this stud, but from the torque requirement, I am guessing it is 6mm, but who knows. 2.3's had a fabricated steel manifold if I recall correctly, so there might have been a welded on bracket that supported the heatshield that has broken off? Never did any work on these engines so am a bit hazy as to what they fitted to what. Have you tried 'bending' it away from the exhaust to make sure it can't touch anything and seeing if the noise goes? Sorry I can't help you further, George.

Not having a petrol car this is just a hunch, but it sounds as if you are describing the fuel vaporisation canister plumbing? A hose from fuel filler neck goes to 'can' somewhere near the front of the car, and hoses from this connect to the air cleaner duct and to the inlet manifold via a/some solenoid valves that open for a short time after you start the car to draw air through the canister to let the fumes get burnt. Have a look for a solenoid without a hose on it - however, on my diesel these are hidden under a heat shield behind the engine so they aren't immediately obvious. I'm sure that a V6 owner will enlighten you further. George.

very easy to do as long as you can undo and tighten a bolt. Look at other seats for how it fits on. Dealer wuold probably have to order the part in as I imagine it would be a very low turnover part. George.

3 point centre belts were an extremely rare thing until 2003, so it sounds as if someone has either done half the job of adding the centre 3 point belt without completing the job, or has changed/swapped the seats before you bought it. The centre seat with 3 point belt has a buckle on each side and no lap belt fixed to the seat (lap belt is part of main belt coming from roof) - see items 9 and 12 in pic attached. The buckles are available from dealers. Ford part numbers for the buckles are: LHS F1120998 pre April 2001 at midbelt.pdf

I believe that the spring you describe is the handbrake actuator return spring on the caliper. It hooks around the arm, goes around the pivot and is preloaded against the caliper. There should be one on each caliper, and the retail price is

I agree with you Mirez - It does seem rather strange to have this 'sliding joint' in the drive line. As far as I know it is unique in theVW group, and Ford don't use it either. I suspect that it was originally an assembly assist - cv joints could be tightened off the vehicle, and joint took up any tolerance issues. Made even less sense on earlier designs, as the centre bearing was held rigid in an alloy extension from the transmission case. That said, as regard welding, you will only be able to get minimal weld penentration and you run the risk of adding a permanent run out in the shaft. In addition, you will be unable to remove the retaining bolt from the centre of the shaft (or install it if you weld off vehicle). If you pull it down, you may be lucky to find minimal wear and all you need to do is repack it with some really good high pressure grease - motorbike chain grease is excellent - and your problems will be put off for quite a while. If a lot of wear, then if splines shear you lose all drive. Whatever you choose to do (I renewed mine on my previous car at 110.000 miles) read up on your TIS - there is something about not allowing the inner CV to go more than 20 degrees out of line. George.

If the temperature sensor is at fault, I would have suspected that the temperature gauge would not read properly. My first galaxy's sensor failed and the gauge didn't read. Added symptom was it would rev up (to about 1800rpm iirc) on every hot start. Don't recall it going into limp home though. If you do change the sensor, make sure you get the same colour, as this WILL affect the gauge reading. Ford ecat said my car should have had a 'blue' sensor, whereas the one that came out was grey. Result was gauge didn't go over 70

Regarding replacing the intermediate shaft - If you do go ahead with this, check before you pull it apart - if you have a small steel bracket bolted to the block to support the intermediate bearing, then you are ok, however the earlier design used a large aluminium housing bolted to the gearbox/final drive casing, and shafts for that are no longer available. You have to go with the newer design. To do this means ordering the support bracket that goes with the newer shaft. The design changed, I believe, during May 2001. The intermediate bearing is available seperately, but check the shafts - There should be no radial play at all in the intermediate shaft sliding joint - quite a few people have been left with no drive when the splines have stripped. Hope that you cure it, George.

A couple of things. 1/ Conti system: The Conti system I have (got it with my Focus) states in its literature that the tyre must be permanently repaired or replaced within 200km, and that the excess sealant inside the tyre will wash out with water. 2/ Repair plugs: I might well be wrong as tyres/puncture repairs aren't my area of expertise, but 2 years ago I had a puncture in France (more than 200km from home) and the garage there 'repaired' the tyre with one of these externally fitted plugs. I didn't likre the look of it, so finished the holiday running on the spare. When I got home I took the wheel to my local tyre shop and he stated that these type of bungs were illegal in the UK, only the mushroom type were allowed. Having removed the tyre, he gripped the "french" bung on the inside of the tyre with his fingers and the whole thing just came out without any effort! the 'glue' used had no effect whatsoever. Having seen that, and from what he said, I would never use the external type plugs on any vehicle. There are members on here who work in the tyre trade who may be able to confirm or refute the legality of this type of repair- would be good to know. George.

Chain.

Don't forget that as you have the 2.3 petrol engine, vag-com won't communicate fully. It will do the vehicle modules, but won't do any powertrain ones. Your best bet (until you get a TDI) is to get a universal code reader. George.

Firstly, is the heater putting out warm air? If not, then either thermostat stuck open or water pump impellor slipping on shaft (common fault). If car is getting warm then the most likely culprit is coolant temp sensor not working (also a common fault). Covered lots on here, including some kind individual doing a 'how to' with pictures. If it is the sensor, make sure your new one is the same colour as the old one or you will get more problems. George.

The belt will need changing soon, it's as simple as that. By not changing it, you have all the worry of 'will it break' every time you drive it. And they do break, despite what others say on here. As regards them breaking soon after being replaced, well, that might happen, but it is highly unlikely on engines that have a proper sprung or hydraulic tensioner like the TDI has. Something you may want to consider: If you buy a GENUINE belt from a FORD dealer, and have the belt fitted by a VAT registered dealer/specialist/mechanic then the belt is covered by a fitted parts warranty of, I believe 2 years. My neighbour who also has a Galaxy found this out, and even though he worked at the main Audi dealer in town and could have saved a bomb on the price of the parts, he bought the belt kit from Ford and got it fitted at the Audi dealer so he has total peace of mind. George.

Parts list does not give different part numbers for Galaxy / SMax, so should be a straight swap - most likely harder to get the right colour/number of switches etc than doing the swap. You might need a stiff drink if you go to a dealer to get the bits though - Basic "carcass" (runs from bottom of dash to just behind front seat backs) is around

Not exactly sure what you are trying to achieve though, unless it is looking for bits at scrapyards. The FINIS code (used to order parts by dealers) is a unique number for any particular part, whereas the part number comprises prefix, base number and suffix, used to identify the engine/vehicle type& model year, what it is and the design level. It would take forever to compile a cross reference without access to the parts database, which is proprietrarily confidential and rightly, not open to general access. What would it achieve? Nothing of value. (Hmmm, perhaps this is a task for someone from the civil service to do?) For what it is worth, the part number you seek is 96XF-9F715-BA, and the same part was used on all 2.3 DOHC engines in Mk1 Galaxy and in 2.3 Scorpio cars. Part number is different for Mk2 Galaxy 2.3. I don't mind looking up the occasional part number for people, but I would soon stop if everyone started asking. George.

I agree with Tim in that our 06 plate car is really very good. Only issue has been the auxiliary fusebox and loom wiring which melted (as loads of them do) and I had to repair the main loom as a result at 55,000 miles and 3 1/2 years old. George.

Hmmm, Having lookes at eTis, I see what you mean. Definately suggests 98 on as different. Problem is though, Ford E-Cat lists just one thermostat for all 2.0 / 2.3's from 1994 - 03-2000! Part 91XM-8575-AA, F6201247 at

While browsing the TSB info for something else, I came across this for Mk1 Galaxies. Specifically states that info is not on the TIS CD, so could be relevant to owners of these vehicles? George. roll_restrictor.pdf

For all PD engined vehicles: From 03-2003 on (build code 3D) a revised timing belt and tensioner were installed, with a service change interval of 60,000 miles or 5 years. Vehicles built prior to this have a change interval of 40,000 miles/5 years. All 130/150PS variants came with the new belt /tensioner. The timing belt increased in width by approx 5mm at this time, and the new belt was a 'retro-fit' item for earlier engines at belt change time, although the change interval remained at 40,000 miles. So for Frantic, yes, you have gone over the recommended mileage, and if your mileage includes lots of low speed town driving or idling, I would be worried. If it is mostly A-road cruising, then it is less of a risk. Make sure that you install a new tensioner when you fit the new belt. Mr Hogg, you have not got to worry just yet. Hope that this helps, George.

Apart from removing the front wheel(s) from the car and the wheelarch liner to gain access, all that should be done is to remove a section of wiring loom going to the sensors and installing a new section. George.

Sephulcrave, Whilst I totally agree that overfuelling a petrol engine would make it run cooler, many chipping companies also advance the ignition timing substantially, which in turn subastantially increases the peak cylinder pressure. Even if the engine is not running into detonation, let alone pre ignition, this increases the chances of head/head gasket failure as the parts are having to deal with loadings that they are not designed to. Too many of these companies rely on the fact that the customer will rarely subject their car to sustained runs at full power , just a boot it in 2nd and 3rd type of driver, and the thermal stress can be lower for a few seconds due to the thermal lag in the piston/block/head. This is a completely different situation to that experienced by those pulling a caravan over the Alps or driving at max speed on an autobahn when the extra stress starts to show, and it doesn't matter if it is a petrol or diesel engine. My job is , and has been for over 30 years, the development and calibration of car engines, and I speak from experience with both petrol and diesel engines, normally aspirated and turbo. BTW, where has the original poster stated what engine he has? You are totally right that VR6's run hot, as all modern engines are designed to. Hot engines give better fuel economy, lower emissions and will last longer. Too many people in this country panic when the temp needle gets above 1/2 way, thinking something is wrong. Interestingly, many German customers will complain that the engine is running too cold if the needle doesn't go beyond 1/2 way! George.

Yes you can, although many cars nowadays will need the key in the 'crank' position in order to do it. Have bumbed a Galaxy TDI on a grass fieldafter the interior lights drained the battery on a camping holiday. To the original posters question regarding non starting/duff battery - Please check that the auxiliary fusebox hasn't fried, and that the loom connections are good and not blackened. I have had to do this to both galaxies I have owned, and my current car was just 3 and a half years old when I had to do it last year. It is (far too)common problem on Galaxies George.

Do /Get a diagnostic check done and it will tell you what, if any sensors are not working properly or if an injector is at fault. May be more noticeable when cold as more fuel is used then. EGR valve sticking open when it is cold, only to free off as it warms up isn't unknown either. Too much EGR will give lots of smoke, no EGR can lead to too much boost if you have slightly sticky vanes (see your other thread). As an aside though, are you sure it isn't the booster heater glowplug on its way out? Clouds of grey/white smoke from under the car are common when this happens. George.

Other things worth checking: Thermostat stuck shut? (had a Sierra V6 burst a heater hose on the M6 when this happened) Inlet hose from rad to water pump delaminated inside and sucking shut? (my Mk2 Golf did this) Is /has the car been chipped for more power? (very common cause of cracked heads/head gasket failure - no oil in water or no water in oil does not mean that the failure isn't here. A 'sniff test' or water analysis will detect if signs of combustion gas are in the coolant. ) I agree with SK - the pressure cap should have vented long before a hose got to bursting point unless the hose was damaged beforehand. What temperature did the gauge go up to? George.