Ask a Shiter

[cobblers]

Yeah you'd need to knock the immo off the new ecu, it wouldn't work if you just plugged it in.

ECUtesting seem like a reputable outfit.

[Lord Sterling]

Does anybody know why this Zafira A might have developed an erratic idle? Me and Lord Sterling are taking it up to Yorkshire tomorrow.

IMG_20170317_105513205.jpg

Well, we made it there without a hitch. It cut out twice on me, both whilst still in the Midlands. Temperature guage didn't seem to be able sit in one place, but didn't go much further than just over half way.

[LessThanEqual]

Oh and a 50 quid ecu would need to be coded to the car / immobiliser would it not

 

Yeah you'd need to knock the immo off the new ecu, it wouldn't work if you just plugged it in.

ECUtesting seem like a reputable outfit.

The £50 ECUs are allegedly immobiliser deleted.

[cobblers]

fair doos, Immo off is a ten minute job if you've got the tackle and have your head round it so that doesn't seem unreasonable tbh.

[Dave_Q]

It still has an N75 on the hose between the vacuum block and the turbo.

[wuvvum]

Mondeo question.  Well two in fact.

 

1. What kind of code reader is likely to be able to communicate with a 2002 TDCi?  My cheapo one obviously won't, but I don't know if some slightly more sophisticated off-the-shelf models would?  Without going to a Ford main dealer obvs.  When my Vectra DTI shat its crank sensor, the AA's code reader would connect to the car but wouldn't find any fault codes, and I would imagine that would be a fairly expensive one.

 

2. I'm struggling to diagnose the problem from the symptoms.  The glow plug light is flashing, but that doesn't help much.  The obvious answer with a TDCi is a knackered injector, just as any cooling issue with a K series automatically gets diagnosed as HGF.  From what I've read about dying injectors though, they first start causing trouble under heavy acceleration, which this one didn't - until it went into limp mode it was still going like a scalded cat with no problems at all.  Also switching it off and restarting usually clears the fault from what I've read, which mine isn't - I've even disconnected the battery for a couple of hours, but hte only effect that had was to reactivate the automatic locking and reset the temp display to °F.

 

I didn't actually notice the point it went into limp mode as I was just rolling along a B road at 50-60 in a line of traffic, and under those conditions it's really not noticeable (it's a lot less "limpy" than limp mode was on the Vectra), so I can't pinpoint anything that may have caused it.

 

Main symptoms are thus:  It's an absolute twat to start from cold, loads of cranking and smoke, but it does eventually go.  When it fires up it will eventually settle down to a reasonably smooth idle, but it then won't rev above 1,500rpm.  Leave it to warm up for five minutes or so, give it another rev and, after a bit of chugging at 1,500, it'll then rev to the redline, and as it warms up the 1,500rpm flat spot more or less disappears.  It has no power though - it feels normal-ish driving on a very light throttle (apart from noticeable diesel knock), but flooring it makes little or no difference.  It'll still do 70, but takes its sweet time getting there, and fuel consumption is through the roof (I reckon it's barely managing 40 to the gallon at the moment).

 

My first TDCi Mondeo had a similarly unresponsive throttle when I bought it, and that turned out to be a split turbo hose, but that didn't put the coil light on and it also started fine from cold, so I don't think it's that.

[cort16]

Blocked fuel filter?  

[sierraman]

Sometimes it is the filter, use a genuine one. Unfortunately I'd doubt it though. Check the cam sensor, these are only cheap, I've a known good one you can have, if it's the black one these were prone to giving trouble, you replace it with a grey one. Located on the cylinder head as you look at it above the inlet manifold.

 

If it was the boost hose it would be smoking like shit. Restarting wouldn't help.

 

More likely I'd say is a failing fuel pump. When these fuck up they invariably take the injectors with them. It's difficult to say which is fucked, I've known people spend a grand fitting new injectors then find out the pumps bollocksed.

 

If you were a remorseless bugger you could get the injectors recoded, sometimes this causes the symptoms you have - the injectors have only a predesigned number of times they fire before they go haywire. This can work but it's just staving off the inevitable. Might make it run well enough to sell though. Personally speaking, unless you like losing a lot of money, I'd either move it on or break it up for spares. These aren't too bad in respect of the latter as there's a ready market for the bits for them, and if the cats the original (likely) it's worth a few bob.

[twosmoke300]

Flashing mil on a diesel is an emission related fault . Usually an egr fault or map/ maf sensor issue . Boost leak maybe ? They love to split a boost hose those

[alf892]

Is the dual mass noisey?

[loserone]

LS400 has not be used in a week or so, and there wasn't enough juice to open the door this morning. Have plugged the charger in but it's showing 3.2V.  Is the battery totally FUBAR, or is there a chance of me getting it up to charge again?

[scaryoldcortina]

That sounds like it's fubar.

 

Change battery, use lexus more frequently?

[loserone]

Seems like a good suggestion to me.  Any particularly good sources for batteries around here, or am I best just looking for a voucher for ECP/GSF/Andy Page etc.?

 

Edit: Quick call shows genuine part from Toyota dealer in half-the-price of ECP or Page's shocker..

[sierraman]

Flashing mil on a diesel is an emission related fault . Usually an egr fault or map/ maf sensor issue . Boost leak maybe ? They love to split a boost hose those

Not on these necessarily. Can be anything from faults with the EGR to Injector failure. Probably best to scan it to get a rough idea of where to look first.

[wuvvum]

the injectors have only a predesigned number of times they fire before they go haywire.

Seriously?  Built-in obsolescence in the injectors, like in a cheap inkjet printer?  All modernz really are shit.

[wuvvum]

Is the dual mass noisey?

A bit, but not overly so.  Probably quieter than on the last one I had.

[sierraman]

Seriously? Built-in obsolescence in the injectors, like in a cheap inkjet printer? All modernz really are shit.

Yeah but there's some that have failed at 70,000 and others that have on to 200,000. Some things seem to hasten their demise more than others. It's after these set number of 'injections' that the injectors want recalibrating, so it's not to say that that doesn't sort it, but usually the injectors are fucked by this point so recalibrating them gives them a bit longer. Possibly.

[garbaldy]

Another insurance question,

 

I still don't own a towcar and have a long-distance collection in the offing, i have six insurances​ at the moment and all have drive other vehicles with permission,

 

The question, I've been offered a lend of a tranny van with towbar,

Can i drive this on drive other people's cover as four policy's are for cars and two are for bikes, i don't have a commercial vehicle on cover now since selling the hippo.

[twosmoke300]

Not on these necessarily. Can be anything from faults with the EGR to Injector failure. Probably best to scan it to get a rough idea of where to look first.

Errrm - egr and injector are both emission related faults?

[sierraman]

When you put it like that yes I suppose they are. What I'm saying is it could mean several things.

[sierraman]

Seriously? Built-in obsolescence in the injectors, like in a cheap inkjet printer? All modernz really are shit.

It's lasted much longer than the 7 years they are designed to last though hasn't it. Nothing runs forever.

[Snipes]

Another insurance question,

 

I still don't own a towcar and have a long-distance collection in the offing, i have six insurances​ at the moment and all have drive other vehicles with permission,

 

The question, I've been offered a lend of a tranny van with towbar,

Can i drive this on drive other people's cover as four policy's are for cars and two are for bikes, i don't have a commercial vehicle on cover now since selling the hippo.

Read your insurance documents. Vans may be excluded.

[garbaldy]

Read your insurance documents. Vans may be excluded.

Have read one if them and it just states that when driving other vehicles not belonging to me the vehicle has to be insured,

I take that could meen absolutely anything.

[Snipes]

It means the van needs to be insured under a different policy i.e.; the owner's. Which is an odd way to word it as, if you put the van on it's roof, you wouldn't claim as it's not your van in the first place.

 

It's the damage you may do to other people that your policy would cover.

[Anthony]

If it only says "vehicle" and doesn't specifically exclude vans anywhere else, then I would say that you should be covered, providing that the van is otherwise insured in its own right as mentioned above. That's what previous insurers have stated for me, and at least one of those I did phone and confirm that I could drive a van.

 

My current Admiral policy for example specifically states "cars" on the driving other vehicles section, so can't drive a van using the DOC cover on that one.

 

If you're in doubt, safest thing is to phone the insurer and clarify - a pain I admit, especially if you end up speaking to the village idiot, but far less than the pain you'll suffer if you get stopped and discover that you're not covered.

[Snipes]

There may be a "definition of terms", or a "specific exclusions" (aka small print) that may rule out commercial use/commercial vehicles.

 

When I worked in Home Insurance, people would phone-up with the questions and the underwriters would just quote from the policy docs.

[garbaldy]

Okay the one i read and stated above got the earole bashed and the result are in,

 

Nope i can not drive a van with the drive other cover from my car as it's not a commercial policy damblastcocksticks

As that's the only one i have paperwork from i will have to wind up the laptop and read the others online.

Nae point even looking at the bike policy's that's for sure.

[DSdriver]

A question for MOT experts: Are advisories given on all cars with sill covers or just those that the inspector suspects may be dodgy?

Saab floppytop passed its MOT today with that as an advisory (and the handbrake but its a bader-matic so doesn't get used).

It looks mintola underneath to me.

[DodgeRover]

Advisories are up to the MOT man

[DSdriver]

Advisories are up to the MOT man

Or lady in this case