seatkid

Brave man! Well done!

Hey! Great to see the site is back up and running. So much info here for Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra owners who want to keep them running. Certainly helped me keep mine going for the best part of 20 years. Thanks to all the members who added so much! Anyway my Alhambra was due to go into scrappage on March 1 but due to the bad weather and a scratch on the new Superb, was delayed by 5 days. Its as if it was trying to say "I don't want to leave" Much sadness as the old girl was in great condition with new Conti tyres, new ATE brakes and discs, new Cat in the last year. Great bodywork and interior. But the temptation of £8k with scrappage was too great and hopefully the Superb will keep me going another 20 years. And hey gregers.....even though it's a petrol (1.4tsi ACT), its easy to get over 50mpg, in fact indicated 52mpg at indicated 75mph. Remarkable. Only downer is I think it unlikely I'll be doing much DIY maintenance on this, too awkward access and old age.....

After posting a couple of replies in Technical section, I notice the threads are not resorting in date order but seem to be stuck. Seatkid

Well I've ordered a Superb. Supposedly got 8k off list including 4k scrappage for the old girl. Only a couple of weeks later I realised that by manipulating PCP (i.e. cancelling within 14 days) I could have got exactly the same deal plus get free servicing/breakdown and NOT have to give the old girl in!! Too late now. Its going to be difficult to see the old girl go in March, especially as shes still looking so good.

2 possibilities I think. Worn inner splines on drive shaft(s) jack up car with wheel in air check for rotational play. Track rod end play (both inner and/or outer) again check for play at both ends (note: inner is in the steering rack bellows but you can still check without removing)

Hehe....She can still just crack a real 54 mpg on a long run. The long term average on the trip is in the upper 40s over the last couple of thousand miles. She is starting to sound a little noisy at idle when cold, mainly due to a twitchy aux belt which I changed but made no difference. The tensioner is fine and I'm pretty sure there's no one-way clutch on the alternator so I think its the g62 sensor (shows faulty when scanned with vagcom) and maybe a stretched cambelt throwing the timing out a bit. Unsuccessful regas last summer so I think the a/c compressor has finally had it. And the lh tailgate rubber boot wiring is a bit of a bodged mess but it works.

Some of you know may not know me as I haven't been on the forum for years now. Ive simply had no problems with my 1998 Alhambra 1.9 tdi but just thought I'd post a brief update. The old girl passed her 19th annual MOT with no advisories a couple of weeks ago. However with another car out on the drive and the cost of VED I've finally decided to SORN the girl and suspend the insurance, after all the VED and insurance probably costs more than my annual fuel bill nowadays. She's still in great condition however the cambelt is overdue by god knows how many years and miles and that g62 sensor I bought 4 or 5 years ago still needs fitting. So at least £500 to bring her back up to scratch. She did get a new CAT (tiny hole in tail pipe) and new ATE brakes/discs last year (18 years / 147k miles on original pads and discs not bad eh, pads still had 2mm left) also some new Conti tyres, everything else original but sadly the VAG scrappage schemes are tempting me to finally say goodbye to her. Decision not yet set in concrete. My wife doesn't want me to let her go. We'll see what the chancellor has to say about our old diesels next week... She's been the most reliable, economical and versatile vehicle I've ever owned and has definitely become rooted as a loved member of the family. Thanks to this forum I've been able to maintain and fix the girl's little problems over the years at next to no cost. Oh...and the new Alhambra? No, its too wide to go in the garage, looks very dull and try getting into the back row of seats, what a joke and its a diesel.... I'll be going for some largish petrol estate, Octavia/Superb/Passat probably to be delivered next March.

I have the 90 bhp afu engine and the symptoms described are identical to what happened to mine when I went on holiday to France many years ago. Going uphill was a struggle like losing power (actually just hitting a limit which reduces with revs) slowing down on steeper gradients and eventually throwing the cruise control off. No mil light. A new MAF fixed it and made me realise that performance had been lacking for some time. You cannot test the MAF sensor on the mk1. Dont waste your time trying. Cleaning doesnt work either. Its the analog sensor that drifts out of range.

Dont think any galaxys mk1 or mk2 have dpf. Check the oil feed pipes to the turbo and for leaking unions. http://www.oemepc.com/seat/part_single/catalog/se/markt/E/modell/AL/year/2004/drive_standart/407/hg_ug/145/subcategory/145040/part_id/1402620/lang/e

Seem to remember something about a pinch bolt that often slackens and something consequently dropping off into the box. The power thing is possibly another sticky turbo actuator problem, or a minor leak in the vacuum tubing somewhere, requiring revs to develop enough vacuum to move the actuator. The blowing noise may be a clue that you have a leak in the boost pipework, either at a joint or a small hole in the intercooler, again requiring revs to get to the required boost/performance.

Well if you had some decorum, ben, you would have put some penetrating oil on that thread and slackened off the nut, even taking it off so you could take the cables off the hook easily. I notice the return spring and plastic bit that screws on the end is missing. Those bits ensure the handbrake cable fully releases. Items 21,22 and 23 here http://www.oemepc.com/seat/part_single/catalog/se/markt/E/modell/AL/year/1998/drive_standart/177/hg_ug/711/subcategory/711050/part_id/1399652/lang/e

Is it 90bhp (1z/AFU engine) or 110bhp(AFN engine)? How do you know the MAF sensor is ok? A failing (calibration drift) MAF sensor does not show up on diagnostics, only faults shown if there is a wiring fault.

If its a diesel, then prime suspect is the MAF sensor, and also check the air filter is not bunged up, the filter should be changed every 40,000 miles/4 years. If changing the MAF sensor ensure you get the exact type for your engine type/year e.g. 1z,afu,afn as they vary and arent interchangeable. If you have the 110bhp afn engine, then sticky turbo vanes/actuator is also a very common problem

Check the belt isnt contaminated, run your finger along the ribbed side and check for oily gunk,(with the engine off of course!)

Well, finally got round to doing the job today, (nearside pads worn down to 1mm!!) I can confirm that the carrier does need to be removed to change the discs. The 18mm bolts came out very easily with a breaker bar, though the ebay 6 point socket proved to be piss poor soft bugger made in china even though sold under a german brandname. It would have been better and cheaper to buy one from ecp.

That big black thing is an electromagnetic clutch. When 12 volts is applied, it goes clunk and connects the rotating pulley to the pump shaft. However on the galaxy there is also a 3 way pressure switch piped into the a/c system, the 12 volt goes via that. The switch disconnects the compressor if the gas pressure is too low or too high. So the usual reason for the compressor not kicking in is due to low gas, due to it having leaked out. Most quick fit type places will regas for around £40, their machines will also check if you have a big leak, such as due to stone damage to the condensor.

Wrong forum, try the Mk3 sections.

If the click is from the starter solenoid, then its almost certainly worn brushes or a burnt out/open circuit winding. The commutator is never perfectly round, so depending where the rotor stops, the brushes may or may not be in contact. Alternatively one of the windings maybe be open circuit which is connected to a few of the commutator segments. Slow turnover also possibly indicates that not all segments/windings are connecting/working. Iirc, the starter solenoid is connected directly to the ignition key, so no electronics involved. It may be easier to change the starter than change the brushes. If the winding is burnt out/open circuit then changing just the brushes wont help.

£212 up from £190 last year, direct line. Not happy.

Well at least they're not those stupid splined round head bolts they fit nowadays..... Got the (Ate original) discs and pads (£72), sealey 750mm breaker bar (£13.50) and 18mm six point socket (£3.50). And now the metal to metal grinding has disappeared, so the job can wait a while.... Need 2 new tyres this year, new temperature sensor needs fitting, door/hatch wiring needs fettling. Battery seems weak. And rust starting to appear, particularly around rear boot lock. Son has monopolised the garage space with the junk from his house move, so shes sat outside and getting weathered. And the cambelt is now about 9 years/70,000 miles old. Renewed insurance today, what with that and £230+ ved, mot costs, starting to wonder if its worth while considering I only do about 5000 miles per year in her now.

Checked yesterday - 18mm reduced head with shoulder.

Very rare indeed! ATE pads/disks all ready, ordering breaker bar later today. Need a nice sunny day and some get up and go (it can be difficult to get motivated nowadays) Just need to check the bolt sizes to get a 6 point socket. The bolts look in good nick having never been touched and are not rusty, just dusty. Will report back later. Will check if disks can be removed sans carrier. And if I do have problems with the bolts, then they'll stay in, and its pads only change and the disks back to ecp (need to tackle the job in the next 29 days).

Good comments guys, yes I'm still procrastinating about just banging in new pads as, unusually, the discs are worn fantastically flat and smooth. But they only have a smidgen over 0.5mm of official life left which I calculated would last only 18000 miles (over 2 years). No ideas how much longer I'll keep the car. Its the best car I've ever owned in 43 years, and even though I also have another much newer car, the old Alhambra is such a versatile vehicle that everyone loves and wants to borrow. Having said that, the cambelt could do with changing (done about 70k in about 9 years) and again I'm not happy a garage could do this right without breaking something else.

Just grab the rubber around the pillar end and gently twist and pull and rubber slips off the plug housing. Bit more fiddly to slip it back on, but not too difficult. Here is a detailed guide but note you don't have to undo the retaining ring and remove the plug as you can peel/pull back the the rubber gaitor directly. http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.php?/topic/10371-galaxy-door-boot-wiring-inspection-repair/&do=findComment&comment=82231

Check the doors first, its easy to pull the rubber gaitor back and have a quick look. The doors usually go first anyway.