seatkid

Those pipes are injector fuel leakage return pipes. If there are any holes or splits, air can be drawn into the fuel system. From the look of them I would say they warrant further investigation. Also noticed your crankcase breather hose is almost completely worn through (the engine cover rubs on it). Better get it taped up before it splits and makes a big mess.

Consult the FAQ re Relay 27 / 30 - Fuel Pump relay which can go intermittent before failing completely (its actually usually just a dry joint which you can fix). Very common and likely, I would say, to be your problem FAQ 22 FAQ 36

Do a search and check the FAQ regarding idle control valve.

I think the bodywork or suspension will give in before the engine. Check the front cross members (next to the jacking points). I found the underseal had split/cracked - probably due to dealeares/kwikfit jacking up on them. Peel back the underseal and there is likely to be lots of rust. This needs properly cleaning and treating - I used hammerite which is not all that good, but much better than waxoyl. Waxoyl is a waste of time unless its for inside a box member.

Take the engine cover off and check the braided pipework on the injectors going right back to the fuel filter for looseness, perishing and leaks.

I had this problem, causing the rear calipers in particular to get stinking hot. I first noticed it when I pulled up at a zebra crossing and tried to pull way and the car crouched in the way it does when the handbrake is on. The handbrake was off, so I checked the footbrake and found it was about 1 inch down! I checked the pads and found the rear pads were worn to the limit and also noticed the caliper parking brake lever was not fully home. So I changed the pads and freed off the lever using penetrating oil and lots of working back and forth. The offside caliper was by far the worst side, the pad was worn to the metal on this side, indicating this side had been stuck for some time. Interestingly, offside rear caliper problems seem to be common if you do a search. I have seen a german website showing a stripped down rear caliper and it seems that the insides get extremely rusted causing the parking brake mechanism to stick on. I regularly check the lever goes fully back every service time and clean and reoil/free it if in doubt and I haven't had the foot brake problem since. I still have the habit of checking the foot brake every now and then by trying to lift it with the foot though! I changed the rear pads at 75,000 miles but I am still on original front pads at 13 years/120,000 miles with about 4 mm left on all pads. This, I think shows that the rears had been binding for some time.

Its a little awkward with the door closed, but I think you should be able to remove the door card from the inside and gain access to the lock that way. (See the technical FAQ for details) Once you have the doors open I would check the wiring in the rubber door gaitors for breaks. The deadlocks normally disengage (electrically) when the ignition is turned on. How did the RAC man get the drivers door open? And did you get the tailgate lock open? BTW, Thanks for the praise, but seeing I didn't actually give you a working solution I don't think its really deserved!

Check the fuses.

Maybe because you got a V6 in which case fuel economy is a term that doesnt apply. :angry2:

Are you sure it doesnt work (mechanically)? If the key doesnt turn in the lock (simply because its seized) then flood it with WD40. Then once the key is freed to move, turn it anticlockwise and then with a little extra effort turn it further to the horizontal position and it will push the mechanical override lever. Another possibility is to hold the key in any door in the unlock position and the windows may wind down.

Check the wiring in the rubber door gaitor for broken wires. Common problem and covered in detaiul in the Technical Faq (3 threads)

Use the tailgate lock. If its not working electrically then a little extra effort anticlockwise will open it mechanically. You will need to hold the key in the anticlockwise position while you lift the tailgate clear of the lock.

Oh ye of little faith...... :48:

Shorted wiring in one of the door/tailgate gaitors?

70 miles for £10 at 1.44/litre = 46 mpg which is pretty good. It all depends on driving style, environment vehicle condition etc etc.. Take a look here on page 3 for a reasonable assessment. I can just touch 70mpg in (rare) exceptional circumstances but this went down to 35mpg on my european jaunt, a lot of which was 85 mph with a roofbox and 7 persons on board. Slow steady driving on clear roads in summer generally gets me in the low 50s - round town that will drop to mid 40's - if I hurry the mpg can drop significantly.

Agreed, get the MOT done and replace the failed items only. Sounds like a standard set of items by garages touting for unnecessary work. Brake discs and pads have minimum thickness. From memory I think the minimum is 19mm or 21mm (disc) and 2mm (pad). The only sure way to check if brakes need changing is to take the wheels off, inspect and measure.

Thats an oxymoron...... Check the O ring(s) on the T piece....the O ring(s) should be replaced when the fuel filter is replaced - its just about the only place for air to get into the fuel line. The T-piece is a thermostatic valve - probably why its worse when hot. The fuel filter is under a vacuum as in your car the fuel pump is in the distributor pump on the engine.

1. Check the foot brake pedal is releasing fully. I have known it to sometimes not fully come up (dont know why) and you can use your toe to lift it up another inch or so. Check the handbrake lever(s) on the calipers are coming fully back to the stops. Even 3-4 mm from the endstop is enough to apply the brake pads to the discs. I'm pretty sure you'll find that they arent coming back fully anyway. Reasons for that are 2. Over-adjusted handbrake. 3. The return spring at the back end on the centre brake cable has gone awol after the plastic retainer slipped/stripped off. 4. Partly Seized rusty cables to the individual calipers 5. The parking mechanism inside the "reconditioned" caliper(s) is rusted and not allowing the levers to come back. In this case, apply liberal amount of penetrating oil on the shaft going into the caliper (lift the simple ineffective rubber seal and of course make sure the oil doesnt get any where near the discs/pads/) and "work" the lever. This will effect a temporary repair, as the rusts still in there and it will require redoing in a few weeks or months time. Usually a combination of all the above.

Check the O ring on the T piece inserted into the top of the fuel filter. It is probably either missing, damaged or incorrectly seated and this is what is allowing air into the system. Also check you have installed the fuel filter the right way round - the T piece is closest to the engine. If its the wrong way round then you'll need a new filter - dont just turn the old one around

You could power the compressor with the engine off if you are worried about the compressor being damaged. You should hear a loud clack as the electromagnetic clutch in the pulley pulls in. 3 way pressure switch on a Mk2 is somewhere else - I'm sure its been covered in the forum so try a search. I don't have a Mk2 so can't advise. Do have electronic climate control? (i.e. the LCD panel in the centre console) That will flash for about 15 seconds when ignition is turned on if the 3 way pressure switch is tripped due to low or high pressure or is disconnected.

On mine (Mk1 late 98) its clipped like so goes to the rear bulkhead behind all the solenoid valves (its the blurry pipe that becomes sharper as it bends to the left) where it goes I couldnt tell without stripping off the plastic scuttle tray - no, don't ask....... The "start end" is in the boost pipework. I expect they pulled it off when changing the fuel filter and didnt know what to do with it. If it feeds the pressure sensor in the ecu, you will have lost turbo function.

Yes that's normal since you had no gas in, and oil is only recovered if its in suspension in the gas. You will only get an appreciable amount if the a/c has been working for several mins immediately prior to evacuation of the the system. From memory I think there's only about 160ml-200ml of oil in a Galaxy system anyway (dont quote me on that though)

The correct quantity for your car is 1050g (1.05kg) - That's why its not working now (the pressure switch is tripped to protect the compressor) and why it didn't seem too cold first round (not enough gas). The +50g on the plate refers to the absolute maximum gas quantity allowed, i.e. 1050g+50g = 1100g sheesh..... Don't go messing with the oil quantity - kwikfit will only put in the quantity recovered + 10ml to replace anticipated average loss. There will already be enough oil in (the total quantity is not much anyway) and putting too much oil in will bugger your system. Not much oil is lost even when there is a gas leak. Just get the gas quantity right and it should be fine....

Mk 1's are 11+ years old - problem will be finding one in good condition. Mk 2's have PD engines - problem will be finding one thats been serviced properly (with the correct PD oil) and hasnt been chipped/remapped etc. I suspect good examples are rare as they are held onto by their owners as too useful to get rid. I also suspect a large proportion of those on sale are problem motors (e.g. a lot of overheating/head problems with PD engines) or simply grossly neglected cars. Mk1's do come with a full range of options - mine has climate+heated seats+heated windscreen etc etc. BTW mines not for sale..... :42:

Woah there GHR! Are you sure you have a dual system? They are very rare indeed. Dual systems have roof mounted airvents at the back and only one rear quarter light that opens (due to the a/c piping in the other side pillar). Just because you have temp dials/controls front and rear does not mean you have a dual system. The standard single system has front/rear display/controls. You probably ended up overfilling the system - the 3 way pressure switch will trip on over pressure. Check on the rating plate next to the bonnet latch to check the correct amount of gas that should be put in. BTW 5 deg C is very good for a galaxy a/c.