turk90210

regarding AA Relay If you are already in the relay service when you breakdown you can be recovered to ANY destination of your choice full stop What seatkid is reffering to but slightly miss informed about is if your NOT in the relay service, in this instance they will allow you to upgrade to the relay( pay the premium + a surcharge) but with the restrictions of only moving you for the first 50 miles for free, after that it is

clamping the pipe would work but could be fiddly as it depends on what the pipe is made out off (rubber = ok hard plastic = no = risk of damage to pipe) If the system has pressure in it you won't cause any damage by disconnecting the pipes (unless you break the pipes themselves) you might just get your arms full of petrol so DONT SMOKE or ALLOW ANYONE NEAR YOU THAT ARE SMOKING 1- The fuel cut off switch Could be used as in most cases it cuts the power to the fuel pump but you need to find it - trip it out which is usually done by a sharp tap and then try to start the engine untill it cuts out (wont run as no fuel pressure) or as has been said leave over night and simply swop, if you want to confirm there is no pressure in the fuel pipe a simple check is follow the fuel pipes to the front of the car and you should find a schrader valve ( looks like a tyre valve) on the fuel pipe maybe under a black screw on cover which is basically a large dust cap. Press the valve with a cloth over the top to stop any petrol squirting over you ( just like you would to let the air out of a tyre) and presto no fuel pressure so swop away The cover/valve I am reffering to is the access point where you can fit a fuel pressure gauge to see if the fuel pump is working correctly and supplying the correct pressure or how about pulling the fuse for the fuel pump ( sorry not sure if it has one as I have a diesel) and start the engine till it cuts out

I was going to agree with seatkid re refilling your cooling system again BUT having read your post a couple of times I take it the car had been overheating for a while ( "a few months") and as you say rad changed no different, re the water pump change did it actually have broken impellors - I would class this as important as depending on how long you have been driving it for in this state (without realising) coupled with the heater blowing cold air after these repairs could also indicate a possible internal combustion leak (head gkt, cracked head ect) I think the best action you could take now would be to get the cooling system tested properly and ask the garage to do a sniffer test aswell which would help to diagnose your fault properly. If you are in the AA or RAC you could call them to check it depending on the patrol you get they might do it properly re a good garage in the south manchester, where abouts are you.

just a cautionary note for you if you replace a coil pack be it a pencil type or all in one unit it is advisory to change leads and plugs, most of the time you find a note from the manufacturer of the coils in the box stating this basically the consensus is that the coils fail due to having to work harder ie larger plug gaps or failing leads which created a higher resistance the coil has to overcome not only that you are almost certain to cure the fault if you replace all the ignition components the joys of having a diesel eh with all of their problems

Some good posts here , Bigger is not always better but having said that on their day all of them can be as good or as bad as each other, it all depends on the mechanic who comes out, some are knowledgeable and some are justs muppets/monkeys who don't even carry any basic tools in some cases, some of the pitfalls are the smaller ones use independant garages (some with liveried vehicles to look the part) and only pay the garages a menial amount hense they only spend so long with you before putting it up for recovery ( unless its a simple job) which is when they might get more money with the bigger ones its again all about money ie bonuses, the larger company patrol's who comes out might be on a bonus so the quicker he can sort you by whatever means is benificial to him. Over the years I have seen both sides so it's a case of you pay your money and takes a chance As Gregers says though check your insurance policy as breakdown cover is sometimes added so if it meets your needs why pay extra

As Gregers says more info needed check under your front seats and front footwell for water/dampness, if poss check under the front carpet and check the underfelt (can act like a sponge) Does it steam up only when you have people in car as it could be poor air circulation - blocked pollen filter as gregers says

Hi Lesa Any chance you can update your profile or put in your post as to which model Galaxy and engine you have and year. Also you say the garage have done diagnostics and come up with speed sensor faults, can you tell us what the fault codes were as it can help

how much for the vag.com lead

Markevs Not too sure what you mean by the volkawagon diagnostic machine as I wasn't refering to getting any diagnostic codes although it does help. The immobilizer code you have could just be that the key was not autherized so the ecu locked it out until the correct one was used, I sometimes get this but just take the key out completely and try again. The diagnostic program I am refering to is called Vag.Com or VCDS is its new name. Within the program you are able to verify the timing is correct with the engine running. I assume with the pump replacement and other work you have done that the timing belt has been disturbed/replaced (due around the 80k mark), was it locked up properly with the correct timing pins or was it a paint and pray it doesn't move job I appriciate your mechanic has 15yrs experience but is some of it on the vw diesel engines, i have seen mechanics with 25yrs experience get caught out by this as there is sometimes a small hole the timing pin locates into that is incorrect and if used sends all the timing for the pump out giving symptoms similar if not identical to yours some have even used the wrong mark on the flywheel to set the crank position. For what it is I would check the timing again making double sure it is set up correctly the reason being 1 smoke from exhaust but not running - usually indicates fuel is entering the cylinders but not firing- main culprits are poor glow plugs or incorrect timing, poor compressions 2 engine runs (albeit rough ) if brake cleaner used to start and smokes - indicates that all the basics are there, ie immobilizer ok, fuel injecting, relays ok ect.- faults could be glow plug (but only needed when cold) injection timing, blocked airways ect from what you have posted to have changed so far I think it is safe to say its def not the glow plugs as they are only used when cold, your prob persists when warm, not the injection pump itself as new (unless faulty) airways are clear fuel ok (again as it runs with the initial help) compressions ok, which for me brings us back to the engine/injection timing Sorry to go over old ground but lets start back at the basics and make sure they are right first as we know for sure that these have been disturbed.

I agree with fuel /air fault,in the fact it might not be injecting at the correct time, when the pump was replaced did/was it timed up properly, its very common for people to get the timing pin in the wrong place and set the timing wrong, do you have vag.com or know someone with it as you can check the timing with it

Jay01438 Don't want to sound rude but stop hi jacking this post you have your own post going with your problems which I have just replied to, your welcome to post relevant info to help Groover but so as to not confuse please ask questions about your problem in YOUR postings rant over (it does get confusing with 2 people posting similar faults you forget who your talking too) Groover1973 ditto Seatkid's post re the water pump you have classic signs of poor circulation, the car copes well under normal driving but when you ask for that bit extra ( foot down uphill) it overheats. There are other things it could be ie blocked rad, collapsed hoses, EGR cooler ect BUT the most common fault is the water pump with impellor problems Have you had it at a garage yet to do a proper cooling system pressure test which can show up faulty water pumps as well as checking for head/gasket faults, are all the hoses of equal temperature , does the radiator have an equal temp all over it let us know the outcome of any test you have had done properly as there are a few things that can cause this type of fault from blocked radiators or hoses through to major head/gasket work which as you say gets expensive

Big Blue Well spotted I misread the post so it looks like its back to the begining, also alarm bells rang after reading it again Jay01438 mentions it sat at 2 bar for 20 mins, thats almost twice the blow off pressure of the pressure cap, Im suprised a water seal didn't go bang ! The cap blows off around 1.2-1.3bar ( about 20lbs pressure) Jay01438 please confirm for us if you have had the cooling system pressure tested while the engine was "running" as this will show if their is any internal combustion leaks into the cooling system (ie head gasket, egr cooler, cracked head,ect), it is also a way of testing the water pump. I still can't get my head round the fact you have taken it to 2 garages and they have not given you any idea of what the fault might be. Its hard to give you a proper diagnosis unless the proper tests have been carried out and i mean properly Everything you have posted so far including it running ok with the thermostat out still leads me to a poor circulation problem which the water pump is the most common culprit, I would for the moment not say h/gasket or head because usually whether the thermostat is in/out should not have a bearing on it, it should pressurize quickley if it was the head/gasket. Having said that their are some exceptions so I think the best way forward for you is to start at the begining, forget what we have all said it can be and get some accurate tests done on it and post back the results, if you have a cooling pressure tester I can tell you the correct sequence of tests to do which should tell you if the water pump is ok and give an indication if the head/gasket is leaking into the cooling system. There is also a sniffer test which can be done to indicate if there are any combustion gasses getting into the cooling system Also while your at it can you confirm if this is the PD engine or the earlier one as my info indicates it could be either, not that it would have any bearing on the tests but it could on the prognosis Turk

In a word YES it would , as the tensioner is bouncing about so much due to the alternator pully being siezed the belt basically is jumping aswell and slipping hense poor air con and I found when mine went the power steering was jerky also. I hear that Fords say new alternator but if you go to a VW dealers you can get the pully on its own

never experienced this personally but I would think if the milage is still clocking up the speed sensor on the gearbox is working also wiring would be ok for same reason which leaves the speedo head possibly at fault or the printed circuit on said head unit

this is an old trick to get the custom in, realistically they expect the average person to change their car every 3-4 years so if they give you that guarantee by the time the pads wear out it will be with the next or next next owner. Unless of course you are some sort of 20-30,000 miles per year driver or very heavy on the brakes. there are the exceptions to this however who will keep the cars longer but they are far and few between, I remember when ford dealers did this 25 YEARS AGO

well the pressure test sounds ok, you basically need to pressurize it like you did and run the engine if the h/gasket had gone you should see an increase in pressure but as yours stayed constant the gasket is testing ok. As a general rule most systems dont run more that 5-7 lbs pressure,it might get to 7lbs then the fan should cut in and the pressure and temp should drop slightly then when the fan cuts out the pressure increases again and this is a constant cycle. The systems can take more pressure but if you look at the pressure cap the majority blow off around 12-15lbs pressure (ie pressure relief valve) The waterpump test gets a massive thumbs down though, that is not the way to test the pump. When you have the system pressurized with a tester you need to watch your gauge and rev the engine, if the pump is ok you should see the needle drop then rise back up again, but this is only a guide. I have personal experience of all these test showing ok on an old astra that was doing the same as yours but experience told me poor circulation and as all the pipes were a similar temp I took the pump out to find it had a crack on the metal impellor, worked fine when cold but as it got warm the impellor became looser and didn't push the water round properly So were back to the water pump again that needs testing properly or bite the bullet and get it changed

reading your post my 1st thought is an idle speed controll valve sticking which a good clean might cure, or the throttle body or even an air/vacuum pipe that has become dislodged but hey I've just finished work fixing cars and even saved a young lady that found a Snake on the stairs to her flat. Its true you cant make it up if you tried,her face said it all really. Would have like to have seen the guys face in the flat that the snake snuck into but his voice said it all when we knocked him up though. just imagine walking to your front door only to be greeted by a 18-24 inch snake, "priceless" sorry gone off topic try the idle speed control valve give a good clean with carb cleaner or brake cleaner or if it is part of the throttle body give that a good clead patic where the throttle butterfly returns too

Well I think we can Safely say you have eliminated thermostat, cooling fans and pressure cap but in other posts we have advised you about other things before but there is no real confirmation mentioned as to why you say they are ok. namely water pump and head gasket How were these tested can you describe the test/tests done, I mention this as if the tests were done properly then we need to look at other possibilities which will start to cost money. The symptoms you are describing are still classic poor circulation problems which usually start with the water pump. Forget the rear heater that marinabrid mentions (sorry marinabrid) as you will probably find an electric pump n/s of the bulkhead which helps to push water to the rear heater as the engine water pump is not that efficient/strong enough for that. Are ALL the cooling pipes radiator ect an equal temperature as I have just remembered that occasionally if the radiator is partially blocked this can cause poor circulation and o/heating. A little more info on the test you have had done patic re the water pump and head gasket would be appriciated

First point of call 1. Is the key straight- might sound obvious but went out to a lady in a similar prediciment and found the key was bent like a banana Gentle persuasion with a vice fixed it after that the only things that come to mind are a worn ignition lock/barrel or the ignition switch which is mounted to the back of the barrel any of these though will involve stripping down part of the steering to investigate from experience the most common fault is the switch hope this helps

I think you need to clarify what light is actually on and what symbols it has and colour. your post is titled regarding ABS sensors yet you talk about brake warning lights and changing brake pads, I ask about the colour as there is more than 1 brake warning light If it is the wear indicator light that is on then so long as the circuit is ok and the wire not broken then it should go out, as said though I think you need to clarify which light is on before we send you down the garden path I find it strange that your mechanic has changed pads but not sorted or even advised you what the light is all about, either that or you are not telling us all relevent info Is your mechanic a real one or a Saturday/Sunday morning tinkerer (jack of all trade type) I don't mean to offend him but I have seen too many brake jobs that so called mechanics have supposidly repaired and been in a more dangerous condition when they have finished. The worst that I have recently done was pads that have gone metal to metal with the disc and making a horendous noise yet the "mechanic" said all was ok and fixed the warning light not to come on, the metal part of the pad was gone and when I got it the piston on the caliper had come out and was now leaking fluid hense no pedal pressure, the vented disc had 1 side completely worn out down to the vented section only If I can find it I will post a picture of a similar job I did about 12/18 months ago which highlights this exactly Sorry if I have gone a bit OTT but brake are not something you should dismiss lightly post which light is actually on and the colour and give us the full scenario of why you have done the brakes

Ask them for the old alternator aswell then buy a pully from VW youll have a spare then hahaha

The brake light switch has a duel function, apart from the obvious it also sends a signal to the ECU to say brakes applied which in turn shuts down fueling to tickover speed ( as near as anyway) basically to stop over-fueling when not needed, alot of VW based cars/vans do this, best cure is as mentioned a new switch but a temp cure is cleaning the contacts inside if you brave enough to strip it down or sometimes just pushing the plunger in/out a few times will do the job

Ha Ha Ha yep its a cracking noise when you hear it you think something is SERIOUSLY wrong. Its more common than you realise, had one recently on an Audi rear brake that i went out too, best part was she was at a flower show and the parking was on Grass. You tent to get it alot aswell when the council decide to re-tarmac ( as they call it ) with the little stones and the speed limit is down to 10mph. The best part is the look on their faces when you show them what was making the noise

Classic symptoms of an alternator not charging properly (warning lights coming on when driving,lights dimming ,wipers going slow ect) the radio/cd resetting itselt are typical of low power in the battery caused by the alternator/poor connections because yours has been checked ??? I would say that the alternator is poss charging intermittantly which can be hard to determine or not charging properly under load (ie start car turn everything on,Lights heated screens wipers heater hold the revs at 2000rpm and check across the battery) you should see 13.5-14 volts anything lower than 13 and the alternator/associated wiring is at fault