seatkid

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As Gregers says the MAF sensor is the no.1 suspect. MAF sensor failure does not show up on diagnostics.

Thats so a dealer can charged hundreds of pounds! Glad you got it sorted. This symptom/solution is possibly a candidate for the technical FAQ's

Hi and welcome.

Great to hear you fixed it and great that you posted it here. If only everyone did the same we'd have a lot less of running round in circles and barking up wrong trees. :blink:

Welcome pardner! Dont know bout the lens - try fleabay as there is usually lots of that kind of stuff there - a phone call to a dealer (Ford/vw/seat - they can all supply this bit) should get you a part number and the stealers price.

In Zaz's case it was a relay 30 problem. Your test for a kaput CAT is a handy tip though.

Doubt any noteable improvements were made, maybe a cost cutting here and there. Hopefully the major aircon problem of the Mk2 - the leaky dryer was addressed by quality complaint to the suppliers (i think a tech bulletin was issued) Suspension top mounts dont go as far as I can see - but a lot of them get changed because of clueless mechanics - they are supposed to float! Booster heaters are always going to be a problem - in my opinion you can alleviate this my using a cleaning additive like Millers from time to time (or better still permanently) as I personally think the reason a lot of glow plugs go is due to carbon build up and those photos weve seen on this forum seem to show carbon build up generally as a problem. As for clutches - thats down to you and how you drive. By the way, I fixed my a/c - without changing anything! i.e. everything is still as original factory fit. The dealer couldnt find the problem back in 2002 after putting 2 or 3 lots of dye in - recomending changing the evaporator and compressor at £1700 + vat. Well in May of this year, whilst cleaning the underside of the engine I found the dye was there all along - coming out of the pulley end plate of the compressor. So I delicately nipped up the bolts a touch - they were quite loose and it refilled aok and has been ok since. Oh - I think the spare wheel carriers were improved over the rust prone Mk1 but I dont know exactly when. If I were to buy one I would make a point of making sure the drainage from the front wings was clear - in fact I would take the liners off (rear wheels too) and clean them out thoroughly / treat them to some extra paint/protection. And also paint all the rear axle mountings and check that some kwikfit style numptys havent damaged/cracked the underseal on the front cross members (maybe bending the sills too) when changing tyres/brakes. Oh....and you also have to find out if the correct oil has always been used and been changed regularly. I think the mk2 PD engines are not as reliable as the Mk1 Tdi engines.

Its probably the selector shaft bolt as bigjeeze and sparky says - have a look at his link and do a search of the forums for lots of info.

What strange noise?

The head could have warped/cracked and water got into the cylinders. Try removing the spark plugs and see if it will turn over. BTW I hope you didnt try to top up water with the engine hot - recipe for disaster as the haed can crack/warp because of cold water onto red hot metal.

What year is your car? Is the fob you got the exact part no/frequency? Is the fob brand new or an ebay reclaimed part? - in which case what guarantee they sent you a working fob. Most fobs die after 6 or 7 years. Are you following the correct programming procedure?

If your brake pedal is going rock hard, that indicates lack of servo vacuum. First place is to check all the vacuum hoses, starting with the big rigid pipe from the servo itself. The rigid pipes are prone to splitting at the ends causing a leak. From your description of improved performance with higher engine revs, I think this is the most likely reason. If the brake performance was poor immediately after the pad change, could be you changed the pads without changing the worn discs. If the discs are worn/groved then poor performance is to be expected as contact area between a new pad and worn disc will be poor. This can improve a little with "bedding in" but rarely gets anywhere near 100%. Generally its a good idea to change pads and discs at the same time. If the pedal goes to the floor then you may have flipped seals in the master cylinder or ABS block by pushing the caliper cylinders back when changing the pads, forcing fluid back to the master cylinder. Pushing the piston back should be done with the bleed nipple undone.

Start looking....retrace your son's whereabouts when he had the key - what age is he? How did he lose it? A youngster playing with it or an older son pulling the keys out of his pocket? Maybe the blade is still in the ignition barrel? If possible can your son recall when he last definitely had it all in one piece? It would be possible to get a replacement from a dealer, but it will be very expensive and probably take a long while. I guess you only got one key with the (secondhand) car. You could check with the previous owner if he has/had/can find a second/third key. Did you get a plastic tag with the documentation with a long serial no on it - that is the key info required if you want to get a replacement. So keep looking, and, with luck, the PATs chip will still be in the blade housing. If he was in the car, look under the seats/carpets..... Good luck.

Is this the 1st time you used the heated screen since autoglass changed it? If yes then I would phone autoglass, tell them you had the windscreen changed and the first time you used the heatead element, the fuse blew, incidating the windscreen was installed incorrectly. See what they say. Pointless you trying to fix what could be an expensive fault that they have given you.

I would phone autoglass, tell them you had the windscreen changed and the first time you used the heated element, the fuse blew, indicating the windscreen was installed incorrectly. See what they say. Pointless you trying to fix what could turn out to be an expensive fault that autoglass have given you.

Highly likely I would say.

Remote fobs have a habit of mysteriously dying after several years. The PATS chip (immobiliser) in the key is not connected with the remote and so the car still starts. Ususally they become more and more reluctant to open/close the doors until one day they dont work at all. You could try a new set of batteries in the key (but make sure the PATS chip doesnt fall out when you open the key fob). In my experience the chance of success is slim. The (expensive) solution is a new remote fob - you have to use the existing PATS chip and key blade. Make sure you get the exact same part no and frequency (its in very small printing on the side of the fob) - other types do not work.

I think the likely cause is the injector wiring loom/connectors. Take the rocker cover off, check and clean all the injector connectors. That sometimes cures it, other times a new wiring loom (around

If its been looked after and serviced regularly using the correct PD oil and using good quality components then it may be OK, if not then its probably a bad idea. Same as buying any high mileage car.....ask yourself this, why is this seller selling this car? Dont buy any secondhand car without getting the opinion of a technically competent person that is not connected with the seller. The price you pay should reflect its mileage and the risk that carries - it will probably cost more in repairs than a good medium or low miler.

Doesnt transformer oil contain highly toxic PCBs?

Start by checking the vacuum pipe connected to the turbo wastegate/vane actuator and the vacuum pipe to the EGR valve. Check the MAF sensor is connected. Check the pipe after the MAF is connected properly including the crankcase ventilation pipe that T's into it, checking for splits/damage. Check the boost pipework - turbo to intercooler - intercooler to inlet maniford Check all vacuum piping Check sensors connected Etc etc Surely it was your garages responsibilty to do all this and fix the car?

Look for a flexible rubber pipe about 1.5 inch dia connected to the inner radiator at the bottom rh side (looking towards the rear of the car) It has the typical (probably rusty) VAG spring clip which is fairly easy to remove. If you just only want to top up the antifreeze level rather than change the coolant, it may be easier to just drain the expansion tank and add neat antifreeze. In this case you need to know what the current level of antifreeze is (use a hydrometer see here and here). You should have a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 50%. Total coolant capacity in a Shalaxy is approx 7 litres I think. Make sure you use only G12+ or G12++ antifreeze - other types are likely to be incompatible and can react disastrously to form gels that block the engine.

Try changing relay 30 which often causes this. Look in the FAQs - theres a guide how to get to relay 30.

Could be a partly open thermostat. On my first alhambra (96), some black gunge somehow got into the stat - enough to hold it open about 1.5 - 2mm and the coolant temperature dropped from the normal half way to varying between 1/8 to 1/4. Fixed under warranty. My present alhambra (98) - 18 months ago the temp dropped from the normal halfway to approx halfway between 1/4 and 1/2. This happened shortly after I topped up my coolant with about 1/4 litre G12++. This was the first time I'd topped it up - it still has the origianl G11 factory fill. I suspect that again some gunge has formed and stuck in the stat as the change was relatively sudden and it hasnt dropped since. My oil temps are running about 10 deg lower as well so dont think its the sensor. It also takes even longer to get to the new norm and the radiator runs warm when previously it was almost always cold (esp in winter). G12++ is not supposed to react with G11 - the original G12 did and caused havoc with engines cooling systems. I wont be topping it up again I hope.