Willie Krashitt

Hi, "Where can I get it from?" From any Ford dealer. Part number quoted is Ford FINIS code that any Ford dealer would recognise. Costs

Hi, As swimming pool under seat is such a common problem, I am surprised that some of the people who advertise as repairing PCM's haven't taken these up as a sideline. You will be lucky to get one second hand that works. Ford list this part at

Hi, The most significant difference is that they fitted different (higher flow) fuel injectors and recalibrated the PCM.There may be other minor changes - It would take ages to go through the e-Cat and find them all, but all the major bits are the same as the post 2004 130PS. It is most definately NOT just a remap of the PCM. George.

Don't know the engine codes, but Galaxy was the only one of the three to get the 150PS. George.

An '04 should need the belt every 6 years/60000 miles and they were a lot better than the pre 04 cars, where the original advice was changed down from 60000 to 40000 miles because of failures. I expect that VW did a big job of testing the post 04 design for a lot further than 60000 miles in order for them to revert to the longer change interval. However, to answer your question, can the change interval be extended? It would depend on lots of factors, like where you drive (town or motorway), do you leave the car idling a lot etc. If you do a lot of urban driving, (as 44k in 6 years suggests) then you would be at a greater risk of failure, as starting, idling and low speed driving is the worst mode (other than -30

Hi, The supplied puncture repair kit (ContiMobilityKit) will not "ruin the tyre" as the sealant is easily cleaned/washed from the inside of the tyre when you get it properly repaired. That said, these kits won't seal a big hole. If you really want to carry a spare wheel and jack around with you, then the current Mondeo (2007 on) jack can be used. For jacking points, if you look at the sill from underneath, you will see a small 'bump' roughly in line with the A pillar, and another about 300mm in front of the rear wheel arch. For the wheel, again the current Mondeo spare wheel will fit straight on. Others on here have gone to scrappers and got a wheel from a 2000 - 2007 Mondeo as they have the same bolt pattern/offset. 2007 on Mondeo jack is listed at

Hi, Having read various posts on this subject, I would recommend that you buy a dedicated wiring loom kit for your car. Various places do them at a reasonable prices (

Hi, You mention it is only on full lock - this could be the noise from the PAS pump loading up as steering can't move any further? If you back off the steering just a fraction, does the niose go away? Some people have suffered seized shock top mount bearings, and you get a noise when turning, but this normally noticeable in all driving conditions. Also your car would appear to be a bit young for these to have gone. George.

Check all air pipes for holes/splits. Not uncommon to have the alloy pipe going from compressor to intercooler to crack, usually near where it is braced on the oilpan. Black smoke can also be caused by the EGR valve sticking open, meaning no boost and not enough air going into the engine. George.

Many people have done it, and got away with it for quite a while. However, it does cause long term damage, and the injectors aren't cheap. When B100 first became available, most manufacturers issued (wisely) warnings about it, advising a maximum of 10%. VW didn't, and took a massive hit on warranty costs. Having seen the light, VW joined everyone else in recommending a max of 10%. Look a the filler cap - our 2006 car says max 10% bio. I will add that the older generation diesels (non PD, non common rail) are much happier with B100, as the injection pressures are much lower. Finally, if you do use it, you should change your oil much more frequently as unburned fuel and blowby gases cause the oil to degrade at a much higher rate. George.

Do a search on head gasket failure and overheating, then enjoy your "tuning box". George.

Sephulcrave, You may well be right regarding the cylinder head, but you are 100% WRONG on the calibration. The difference between 90, 115, 130, 150PS etc engines is most definately NOT down to just mapping. They ALL have unique fuel injectors, and only the 130/150 have a common turbo. 130/150 also get a much larger intercooler, air cleaner and pipework,a revised water pump, exhaust system and an absolute host of other bits and bobs. The 90PS even has different pistons and con-rods to all the others. Anyone who tells you different is lying. The ONLY way a 90PS can be made to produce 115, 130PS etc (and same goes for 115) is to take calibrated factors such as turbine speed, turbine temperature, cylinder pressure and smoke limits beyond what is designed or legally acceptable. As an example, a turbo that is running just 40 degrees too hot can have its life reduced from 1000's of hours to just 2. Overheating and blown head gaskets are very common with VW (and other manufacturers) engines that have been chipped. George.

SK is right when he refers that Ford Formula E 5W30 musn't be used in PD engines except for emergency top ups, however he is probably unaware of the latest 5W30 Formula F oil. This new oil - Ford Formula F /Castrol Magnatec Professional A1 - is now recommended for the Galaxy. Formula S/SD is still recommended as well though. The latest oil, according to the spec sheet is fully backwards compatible with the earlier oils and will help improve fuel economy whilst being more stable with increased % biodiesel now in the fuel. It also handles soot better. Tech service bulletin 10-2009 (copy attached) gives more details. George.

Mr Rafferty has made an important point. From an engineering perspective. Many people believe (wrongly) that the EGR valve is only used for emissions(NOx) reduction, but this is not the case. A very useful by product of slowing the combustion burn rate down is that the engine becomes much quieter, especially at low speed/low load and at idle (and the PD engine needs every bit of help it can get in this area). The other thing the EGR valve is used for is to regulate the boost pressure in conjunction with the wastegate/vanes to give the correct airflow through the engine during part load operation - Boost control will be in 'open loop' control, ie wastegate/vane position determined by a map, and the EGR valve will open and close to regulate the boost pressure. Only at higher speeds/high loads (when EGR is off) will the boost pressure go into 'closed loop' control, where the w/g or vanes will move to regulate the boost. Having said this, I am sure many people will find that fitting a straight forward bypass will demonstrate a big improvement over an old sticking EGR valve, and will report that it is much better than before, but the car would be even better if a new EGR valve were to be used. George.

If your service was at a Ford main dealer, and they have billed you for 5W40 oil, then this should be Formula S/SD, which is correct for PD engines. It is (allegedly) the only oil Ford list that is 5W40. George.

I think you will find that this is really a relay (C16) in the central junction box. Probably 2nd row, 2nd from left. Exact position depends on build date, but by 2003 most bits had stabilised. George.

Something similar happened to my old Mk 2 as well. The knob broke off level with the end of the chrome trim. To fix it, I drilled a small (3mm ish) hole down the end of the handbrake lever (the bit that releases it), and did the same in the knob. Into this I inserted a short piece of wire from a coathanger, smeared with araldite. Taped over the end to allow glue to set and never had any firther issues. Hope this helps. George.

Hi, I have checked the parts list for Ford, and it would seem that the catalyst is common across the 90 and 110hp diesel models - it is the front pipe that connects to the turbo that is different. As for the starter motor, both VAG-Cat and Ford list different starter motors for each model, (and it depends on when they were made as well - a design change was introduced in Dec 97), but Euro Car Parts list each of the starter motors they sell as being suitable for all 1995-2000 diesels. Hope that this helps. George. PS. Please try and post in the relevant section, ie mk1/2, not mk3.

"dont give ford your money because there stuff is crap.look to a breakers or ebay how many other cars and models have suffered with this problem....not many,if any." Err Marcostiq, The Mk 1 and 2 Galaxies are VOLKSWAGENS!!! It is the VW design that is crap. When you read through the multitude of topics on this site, VERY FEW are unique to the Galaxy and don't ever occur on Sharan/Alhambras. Now when it comes to franchised dealers, (these are not owned by Ford) that is a different story. PROUD TO BE A FORD EMPLOYEE! George.

Quit worrying. This temperature (95

90-110PS non PD engines: I believe the basic engines are the same (the bits inside between the cam cover and sump), but the fuel pump, injectors and turbo are different. Possibly other parts would be different as well, such as inlet and exhaust manifolds, intercooler, exhaust etc. George.

Hi, The 91-AA part was superdeded with module 95BB-12K072-CA, and is common across a variety of Ford petrol models of this era (Mk1 Mondeo, Mk5 Escort, Mk4 Fiesta etc). If yours has run for ages on the earlier part though, and you can get a new one cheaply, then you might as well use that. George.

If it isn't leaking, and if the level stays the same once it has dropped the 1/2", then I wouldn't worry. If the engine gets too hot, the PCM will derate the power to protect the engine. My Focus (almost the same engine) does exactly the same and has done since new. Cold coolant level sits at the minimum mark. Top it up above this, and it soon goes back down but never goes any lower. The coolant pressure cap on virtually all newer cars will open between 1.5 and 1.8bar, (21-25psi). From memory, I think the opening pressure is actually moulded into the words on the top of the pressure cap on Ford cars. George.

Good aircon "specialists" will pressurise the aircon system with a nitrogen/hydrogen gas mix, and use a "sniffer" to pinpoint any tiny leaks. Using this, the Garage found an incredibly small leak from a pipe on one of my cars. Car had passed vacuum leak checks and held pressure for 3-4 weeks, even longer if aircon not used. Changed pipe cured fault completely. George.

New Galaxy: All diesel models have timing belts. For the 2.0L and 2.2L, change period is 125,000 miles or 10 years whichever comes first. The 1.8L belt needs to be changed at the 100,000 miles or 8 years service. George.