seatkid

Probably a faulty throttle position sensor. Its a dual potentiometer device and when one disagrees with the other, the ECU gives up, flashes the EM (coil) light, and adopts a fast idle (in my case 1300rpm) with no further control by pedal possible until the ignition is turned off/on. Mine has done this 3 times now in about 5 years (first time was during a dangerous overtaking manouver that could have ended in tradegy). The solution is to either replace the sensor (about £60-£70 IIRC) or have a go at fixing it - one poster claimed he opened it up and cleaned it out - not sure if this was true. I would have thought the fault is logged and viewable on a diagnostic scan e.g. VAGCOM

WOAH THERE...., late last night (early morning) I swear this topic was in the Mk1/2 section - I'm sure I did check 2 or 3 times... did'nt I? - why is it now in the Mk3 section? My instructions only apply to Mk1/Mk2 models. Something strange going on here... I have deleted my answer.....

Its easy to change bulbs in the instrument cluster. 1. Lower the steering column to its lowest position to give you some more room (flick down the lever located under the column if you dont know how) 2. Look under the black plastic hood/trim that sits on the instument cluster - you will see a couple of pozidrive screws - remove these and then gently pull the hood out. 3. You will then see the cluster is held in by 4 posidrive screws around the edge of the cluster. Remove these and the cluster can then be pulled out. 4. On the rear of the cluster you will see where the lights go. On mine (Mk1 1998) there are two standard bayonet 4w 12V bulbs of the same type that go in the rear parking lights. I replaced with standard 5W bulbs. They are held in two plastic holder which you twist and pops out with bulb. 5 Reassemble...well... you know how by now.

See here!

Wow! Easter and God turns up! My faith is restored :46: Welcome back Glen!

Check the wiring in the door gaitors for breaks and shorts - see technical FAQs for 3 threads with pictures and guides. Common problem leading to many wierd locking/window problems.

??? Those are the ignition leads - you can get replacements from dealers (expensive), motor factors inc Halfords or plenty online places e.g. GSF,Eurocarparts etc and on ebay. My personal preference would be to use my local GSF carparts. google "Ford Galaxy Ignition lead"

It may also be misfiring, often due to a coil pak or ignition lead breaking down (check for signs of sparking or discharge tracking damage)

More specifically, the gear linkage is cable driven and it is common for the ball joint ends to wear and pop out usually the gearbox end (under the battery tray - have a feel around) Do a search for gear cables and look at FAQ 16 for further information and tips on repairs etc (e.g. using tywraps)

I dont know the purpose of the Status Updates which you see on the RH side on some screens. I assume they are for one off comments such as "Going on holiday for 2 weeks, be back xx/xx/xx". i.e. for information and not for discussion. I generally never look at them, but I notice a lot of newbees post technical questions there expecting answers, and it never dawns upon them to start a topic. Not only do we lose new members but they dont get an answer (which they could probably find anyway if they used search) Dont know what can be done about this as Glen seems to have vanished for good, but maybe the Mods can think of something?

This only applies to PD engines i.e. Mk2 diesel engine cars - they also have the infamous dual mass flywheel.

Change the water pump Do you have to start 4 threads on the same problem? <_<

Power steering pump.

Could be a CV joint (probably outer if its louder when turning), or a wheel bearing. You said you changed a tyre, but it may be one of the other tyres, its notoriously difficult to locate the corner these noises come from. I suggest you swap each of the other tyres in turn for the spare to eliminate them before proceding further. Your dodgy droplinks may also be amplifying the noise.

90% chance it is one or both droplinks - they dont need much wear at all to sound like the suspension is falling to bits and in a lot of cases, especially with the vehicle on the ground you wont be able to physically check the ball joints for wear (unless you possess body builder biceps and a fine engineers eye) Replacement drop links only cost between £10-£25 each and only take about 10-20 minutes a side as a DIY job. Droplinks are the most common wear out item on the front suspension and I would do these first before you dive in and do anything else. The ARB bushes are also prone to wear and give rise to banging over any bump. Note: the top strut mounts are meant to float by design - many have been changed for no reason whatsoever except ignorance. The top mounts are checked with wheels on the ground and full vehicle weight applied, when the vehicle is lifted, they will appear to drop, that is normal.

The usual problem with the engine bay power distribution fusebox is a bad crimp on the main cable from the alternator. This crimp overheats and oxidises and melts the fuse box. The bad connection invariably leads to low or no charging of the battery. The beep you sometimes hear is probably due to low battery voltage (the ECU complaining) - low voltage whilst cranking can also mean the fuel stop solenoid valve located on the distributor pump doesnt open.... Your battery may just be old and tired. The AFN engine (and IIRC some early PD engines) seem to have software in the ecu that looks for a minimum cranking speed before starting (I may be wrong here). Often a tired starter motor is to blame - they say the brushes get worn and some segments of the commutator dont make good contact and it spins slower. The T piece on the fuel filter is a thermostatic valve, air leaks here give starting problems (cold and hot IIRC) and you can usually see air in the clear pipe going to the distributor pump. Note some small air bubbles are often seen on healthy cars and are not a problem.

17952 / P1550 - Charge Pressure: Control Deviation - Control Limit Not Reached - Intermittent If its a 110bhp (AFN) engine, it is fitted with a variable vane geometry turbo. Although it could be a number of things (mainly to do with the vacuum controlled boost circuit), your first port of call should probably be to check the vane actuator mechanism on the turbo, this is known to get sticky in old age due to a build of carbon deposits etc. Check it moves freely, there are several threads on the forums about how to do check this and suggested methods of freeing. While your at it, check all the vacuum piping (and there is lots) for leaks/splits etc. The main vacuum line going from the brake servo to the vacuum pump is a stiff plastic affair that often splits in old age nears any connection. The smaller vacuum pipes perishes with age. 17563 manifold pressure sensor short to b+ positive means the output signal from the sensor has hit the upper limit and could indicate an electrical short of the output to the b+ wire. However, I think the pressure sensor for your car lives in the ECU behind the dash so its more likely a side effect of the turbo boost fault. Reset the code with the VAG scanner first and see if it returns. The AFN engine has a known history of problem starting when hot. Various reasons have been sited, a tired battery or low charge (poorly alternator or burnt out fuse box in engine bay) (which might be the reason for the beep) is common, a knackered starter motor (brush gear) is another possible reason - apparently the AFN engine requires a minimum cranking speed to start. An air leak at the fuel filter T piece is another possibilty - usually because the O ring that should be fitted has been lost or has been damaged/not replaced when the filter was changed.

Do a search of the forum. There are quite a few threads on this. Everything from how to remove them without a key, to pictures/codes of the various key sets. Ford/VW/SEAT dealers servicing depts should have a complete master set available and yes you can order replacements both from dealers and the OEM (info in one of the threads). People like kwikfit etc have special tools that allow them to remove them (the bolts will usually be damaged in the process - replace them with a standard bolt)

Insurance companies will try to fix your car if the cost of repairs doesnt exceed approx 75% of the market value. They will use there own assesors/repairers to work the cost out. Otherwise they will write it off and offer you a cash settlement that represents market value immediately prior to the accident. Insurance companies work on retail and not trade valuation. They will use Glasses guide, and examine your car with a view to what it would have sold for (sold price not necessarily asking price) on a garage forecourt. So condition (pre crash), service history, mileage etc etc is taken into account. Your best strategy is to check price guides (some are free on motor mag websites), parkers etc. Also scout around for similar cars for sale. Using all that information, when the vehicle assesor contacts you, you can throw these examples at him if the price he offers is too low. They will in general not be interested in adjusting for any extras fitted to the car unless you have original invoices showing the extras are fitted and price paid. Even then, on a 2005 model they will offer you maybe 20% at best of the cost at most. I've twice had a car written off, and to be honest, the insurance companies have always been pleasant and fair to me with initial valuations that were very close to what I thought fair. Try here for a valuation

You say you got your MAF sensor from a shop? There are several MAF sensors fitted to Shalaxys dependendant on model year, engine code and ECU variants. In particular the Auto box variants do have a torque limiting program to protect the gearbox so I suspect the MAF is different to the manual version. Even though they look similar, they are not interchangeable. Also many Ebay and possibly some motor factor may stock pattern parts that are poor chinese versions of the real mc coy. Personally I would only be happy with a MAF sensor from a (ford/vw/seat) dealer or maybe GSF car parts if it was a genuine OEM part (e.g. Bosch).

First check the battery and starter motor. Are they working well and in good condition? Check the battery voltage when turning over - anything much less than 10 volts while cranking may mean your battery is duff. (Have you tried recharging the battery?) Now the immobiliser:- When it does start, does it continue to run until you stop it or does it cut out? If it cuts out then how long after it starts, i.e. does it run just for a second or two or much longer? Fuel:- Have you got fuel in the tank,Is the car level when when you cant start it or parked on an incline? Eliminate all of the above first and report back before proceding further.

The PATS chip does not need reprogramming. Its a passive thing and should just work.

What a PATS chip looks like here

It'll soon be summer so probably better sorting the a/c out instead! :rolleyes:

Its possible you just have dirty coked up injectors which have poor spray patterns most noticeable at low loads. More noticeable by fitting a new stiff mount. I would be inclined to run some injector cleaner through before diving into other areas. My personal favourite is Millers diesel ECOmax additive. Put in a double dose for the first 2 tanks followed by normal dosing. After 3 tanks the injectors should be cleaned. You can speed the process a bit by doing good old italian tune ups while you have the additive in the tank. (i.e. full throttle in 3rd gear under max load from 1500rpm to redline several times) - you should notice lots of black smoke the first few times, slowly clearing away over until many runs later she runs clear. Another possibilty may be worn injector cam lobes caused by using non PD oil. Only an inspection of the camshaft will reveal that. But I think you would have noticed more running issues in this case.