seatkid

IMO unlikely to be thermostat - your heater is unaffected by this component. If you drain coolant (which you will) you will need to replace with new coolant. If your car has G11 (green stuff) then you will need to completely drain down and replace with G12+ (make sure its the plus version!) which is pink. G11 is no longer available. Take care when releasing coolant that it doesnt go on cambelt or drivebelts as it can attack them and cause premature failure. Full instructions are on the Ford TIS CD.

:( My usual trick is dropping them (or nuts or washers) into inaccessible places. B*S***D!! :(

It depends on your philosophy regarding Total cost of ownership. Unfortunately the A/C components on the Shalaxy are of such poor quality (see poll) that I think it purely down to luck if you've got a good one or a bad one. That throws a spanner in the works with this whole arguement....

I doubt that Slick 50 sells in any great quantity, its a 1980's product (and thats where it should stay). High profit for the local Motor discount shop. Sorry, but this product appeals to the weak minded and boy racers who want to squeeze another 1 mph out of their Corsa. Slick 50 sales figures are about as reliable as their claims. PTFE based products are known to block oil galerys (the PTFE never stays in suspension) Magnatec (also a highly contentious product with claims banned by the FTC in the USA) does not use PTFE or similar additive, but works on supposed molecular properties disputed by many. All engine oil sticks. I do however recall that guy who ran his car on seawater...... :( Take a look at the very specific VAG instructions on oil in cars using variable interval servicing (i.e. VW503.00/petrol VW506.01/diesel) if the correct spec oil is not available. "In exceptional cases, you must top up only once with Specification VW502.00 (only for petrol engines) or Specification VW 505.01 (only for diesel engines) to maximum 0.5 litres. You must not use other engine oils - risk of engine damage!" So even a small variation from their spec gives them cause for concern. Quieter engines/tappets are simply the results of thicker grade oil - a trick also used to reduce oil consumption (in the short term). Fiat sells a good special MILSPEC oil for this available from dealers - testament to Fiat engines and used in battlefield tanks. More usually, quieter engines are all in the mind - the feel good factor. I've never, in 33 years of motoring and messing with all type of engines, ever seen an additive do what it says on the can inc Redex (only exception is radiator sealer). The longest engine lives I've seen is using standard Manufacturer spec oils only. Of course if you sell the car when its only got 50k on the clock it makes no difference - except your pocket will be lighter. ....end rant......

If both sides affected then the Toe in adjustment is incorrect. Only use a good quality tyre centre with real laser alignment equipment (cheap places with simple mirror gauges are no good). From what I remember of the laser setup chart, the Shalaxy setup is quite complex compared to other cars. (must be loaded correctly etc) If camber was out, it would probably be only one side and the car would drift to one side. Of course I assume you are not running on cheap and nasty budget tyres - it might be them.

Sounds like water pump. Some VAG models, the impeller (sometimes plastic) fails (detaches from shaft). That would expain cold heater and overheating engine. The boiling would occur in the block/head and the water outside eg expansion bottle be a lot cooler. Water loss due to excessive pressure from overheating in the block.

Balls! Lubricant is lost only if you have a leak. The safetys usually stops the system before the gas gets too low. Probably the biggest cause of compressor failure (apart from poor quality pumps) is repeated "climate services" refilling a low system (i.e one that leaked) with gas and no oil. AFAIK to replenish lubricant in an A/C, you need to physically disconnect an item (e.g. the pump) and pour the oil in. To do it properly means a complete strip down (there will be oil in condensor/evaporator etc.) drain all the oil and put in the specified quantity otherwise you wont know if theres too much or too little. Physically disconnecting anything should mean the receiver/dryer should be replaced - another cause of A/C failure is moisture. Personally, if it ain't broke don't fix it...

Sawdust has a similar effect in gearboxes.

Would you add vegetable oil? my 85 passat engine started with blue smoke a few thousand miles after using this product see http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/legal/s50com.html for the FTC's considered opinion. Stick to the manufacturers recomendation or pay the price...

Ivor is evidendently planning on changing his cambelt using 2 by 1 and some bungee cords! :lol: :lol: :lol: (Just a joke , Ivor), seriously I now refuse point blank to entertain any Shalaxy dealer......all tarred with the same brush as far as I am concerned..... <_<

I think I'm the tenth one - the one that has no friends :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :blink: Hey Italiastar interesting link, that spreadsheet throws up some anomolies straightaway like Skoda official 10k service

:rolleyes: shush... high maintenance door hinges the bane of your life eh? Why not try a SKoda instead? :blink: And I hear the insurance is pretty good too... :rolleyes:

If you have to work on the floor I think 15-20 mins a side is more realistic. The nuts are tight. (lever extension required)

My 98 TDi Alhambra has developed an annoying tendency to drift left since I changed tyres, meaning I need to keep pressure on the streering wheel to keep it in line.(No brake problems). After much thinking and consultation... In my case... either its a slight mismatch on front tyres (one side got the unused spare, the other a new tyre) - if I could be bothered to swap tyres I could test this theory.... Or the camber settings on the suspension are slighty out, on the continent, where the road cambers to the right, the vehicle drives straight. i.e. The suspension is pretty sensitive to road camber changes. Maybe my son has kerbed it at some stage.... Dealer wanted just a few hundred

:blink: I feel a song coming on...If I were a rich man ..... dabadabadaba..... Ivor you should know by now its all for health reasons, they're pre-conditioning you for the BIG ONE (40,000) .Customers have to pre conditioned otherwise they go into cardiac shock. I believe it part of their liability insurance requirements ;) Anyway PD oil is reeeellly expensive (is that 20/50 Fred?) and the 134 point check is...hold on.... thats Vauxhall... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: (sung to conga rythm) my skodas got no cambelt, it hasnt got a MAF thing, no undertray, no need to pay.....

As the Galaxy factory in Portugal is now fully owned and run by the VW group I don't think Ford gives a Toss about the Galaxy. It will disappear from their line up soon. Likewise I suspect VW Group will dump their versions soon as they probably feel a little sick buying Ford components.... Galaxy - classic car staus soon??? :rolleyes:

Anti roll bar is a "torsion" component but you would'nt normally call it a torsion bar as it implies it is a primary suspension component which it isnt. The bushes are not a known problem (although they can wear under unusual circumstances) You wouldn't change the bar itself - theres nothing to wear!! Sounds like someone is making a meal of the anti roll bar link(s) (which are a known problem as Ivor says)

Remind me not to buy a car off this man... :(

100% agree with Charles. Either this mechanic is a clairvoyant or a complete chump. Having come up with a "valve which is breaking down" by which I take it he means either a burnt valve seat or a sticking valve (which BTW is a top misdiagnosis amongst this breed), he should confirm it with the appropriate test which Charles rightly points out is a compression test - easily done. Make sure that the results are interpreted correctly - small pressure differences do not mean there is a problem. If that is OK then an electronic diagnostic should be carried out. The conclusion that an electrical (electronic) fault is unlikely is incorrect. I would say that 95% of rough running problems are electrical problems (with maybe 90% of them being simple ignition problems - spark plugs, leads,coil packs, distributors and rotor arms) His observations mean very little. Weak spark, insulation break down etc. often only manifest themselves under specific driving conditions. Your symptoms certainly bear the hallmark of ignition problems.

Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 - "Only the owner, or his exclusive licensee can bring proceedings in the courts against an infringement" It is not a criminal offence (in the UK) despite what the music industry (and others in this thread) say....

See here!

Cats should last the lifetime of the vehicle - why did yours go? Was it damaged?

Dear Confused, If you use the tis you will see that brown/red goes to the tailgate/decklid switch. The other side of this switch goes to ground. Therefore please check you have plugged the loom connectors in correctly, otherwise the fault lies upstream of the loom connector. Please advise the colour of the wire on the mating part of the loom connector and I will try and help. Yours, Confused 2 :ph34r:

Very much doubt airport taxi has only 46k (I presume you mean a long distance airport taxi). If it genuine then why are they getting rid? - Businesses usually run cars for 3 years minimum. Contact the former owner(s) and check the history with a Ford dealer to make sure. Anyone care to comment how easy is it to clock a Shalaxy? (Bet it's real commonplace) IIRC If a car has been used for Taxi work then the warranty will only be one year from new.

Although mines a '98, this sounds very suspiciously like it may be my problem.... Dealer was, at first, certain he fixed my leak - (changed a 'valve' located somewhere behind offside headlight) - but 6 weeks later the gas leaked again - then said he couldn't see any other leak (using dye). After 4th refilling attempt said he thought it was leaking from the evaporator and a bit from compressor (centre joint???) and it was going to cost