Ask a Shiter

[M'coli]

Is that why you want it to run leaner ? To pass the mot ?

  

Rather than re-mapping won't it be easier and cheaper just to fix the fault that makes it run rich? Temp sender or similar?

  

That was my thought but I thought he may have been attempting a lean burn project.

Partly it's the start of a lean-burn project, but also because it's had difficulty getting through the emissions for the last few years. Lambda, temperature, tps, MAP and cat have all been replaced and I don't want to spunk the money on a new cat and lambda again if it fails this time. It's never a big fail but usually just over.

There's nowt wrong with it under load, it did 49.4 mpg on the way to the NEC and back in November.

[twosmoke300]

Aftermarket cats quite often only pass 1 mot . If it only just fails then its usually the cat. Big fails tend to.be misfires and sensor faults. I had a xsara 1.4 in this week that the customer said it has a cat every year but they are only 50 quid or so .

[twosmoke300]

Oh , and making it run lean will still fail the mot because the lambda reading will be too high , like a blowing exhaust.

[spike60]

It's a 51 plate e320 estate. The fuel tank looks solid enough. The amount of petrol leaking is quite substantial. About 1/4 tank a week. Any advise would be helpful!

The tank should be a saddle jobbie, basically 2 small plastic tanks either side joined by a bridge over the prop. If it's a W210 it should have the same tank and rear subframe etc as my old 320CLK, there were 5 pipes come over the top of the tank on the passenger side then along the floor to the engine bay.

The fuel and brake pipes were corroded where you say yours leaks, and to do it means dropping the tank down unless anyone has any fab ideas. Not technically difficult, but a shit load of work as prop, handbrake cables and rear subframe have to come out first.

When I looked into it a couple of years back some indys were quoting £400 labour, the dealers 3 times that. If yours has self levelling rear suspension the plumbing for that will be there somewhere too.

Yours may be leaking fuel from something else but the pipes are the usual offenders on CLK/E/C of that age. Sorry, hope I'm wrong....

[spike60]

From memory the tank has twin sender units, I can't remember where they are on the tanks but they are a possible source of leaks, too.

[UltraWomble]

Can I just ask why in cuntfuttocks can Ford not make a car that doesnt rust to buggery.

 

Al-a Ka

 

Al-a Focus.

 

Looked at a 10 year old Focus the other day and it was pretty miserable on top, god only knows what it was like underneath.

[steve_earwig]

It's tradition, innit?

[fairkens]

Bit late to the party but I had a diesel 106, did 60/65 mpg all day long. Base spec keep fit windows steering etc

 

On one memorable trip I was following a mate driving a fully laden ldv minibus, doing 45/50 for 3 and a half hours it got well over 70 mpg (I think almost 75). Cracking car, the gearbox broke when I had done 230k in it and I weighed it in, wish I hadn't

[burraston2006]

 

a couple of years back some indys were quoting £400 labour, the dealers 3 times that. If yours has self levelling rear suspension the plumbing for that will be there somewhere too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If thats the case I'll bridge it!

[Station]

My Astra diesel takes bloody miles to heat up to midway on the gauge, and even further to get heat out of the vents. I can be 20 miles down the motorway and still not be able to feel my fingers.

MG is blowing hot before you've reversed out of the garage.

Same car same problem. Bought a new thermostat, it's just how diesels are.

[Lacquer Peel]

In my experience of owning quite a lot of old diesels, indirect injection diesels warm up quickly and have great heaters, particularly XUDs. Even my old direct injection diesel Volvo warms up quickly and has a good heater. WHAT IS EXCUSE FOR SHIT HEATERS.

[spike60]

 

a couple of years back some indys were quoting £400 labour, the dealers 3 times that. If yours has self levelling rear suspension the plumbing for that will be there somewhere too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If thats the case I'll bridge it!

 

I think it happens, I've seen a few Mercs with no MOT "only needs 2 brake pipes" for sale. Your leak may be something else, worth getting investigated I'd have thought.

[burraston2006]

I'll take it to the garage on tuesday for them to have a look. In the mean time I've got three days of pray to any listening deities and the god of Autoshite to ensure that the merc can be spared!!

[Ghosty]

Can I just ask why in cuntfuttocks can Ford not make a car that doesnt rust to buggery.

 

Al-a Ka

 

Al-a Focus.

 

Looked at a 10 year old Focus the other day and it was pretty miserable on top, god only knows what it was like underneath.

 

According to Old Man, Ford make cars to last ten years and be replaced, whether that's intentional or not I've no idea.

 

On mid-late '90s designed models (mk4 Fez, mk6 Escort, mk1 Ka, Puma, mk2 Mondeo to a lesser extent), the rear wheelarches are always a grot spot. It's where the rear 1/4 is welded to the floorpan/arches etc.

[spike60]

Apologies if I've put the fear of god into you, there is other stuff going on under there.

[dave21478]

In my experience of owning quite a lot of old diesels, indirect injection diesels warm up quickly and have great heaters, particularly XUDs. Even my old direct injection diesel Volvo warms up quickly and has a good heater. WHAT IS EXCUSE FOR SHIT HEATERS.

 

Yep. A C15 heater in good order should be on the verge of melting your trainers within half a mile. On the other hand, my common rail engined Freelander takes forever to warm up, to the point where they have Webasto supplementary fuel burning heaters to speed up warm up times. Same engine in Rover 75 diesels which also have the Webasto.

What doesnt help is that I live at the top of a mountain so the first few miles are basically just coasting downhill on the over-run which means the engine is barely producing any excess heat and takes forever to get warm.

[steve_earwig]

I can confirm HDi's are the same, it's another reason why you don't want a modern diesel if you (mainly) only do short journeys. That is, if you wanted one anyway.

[skattrd]

My Merc c250TD has 2 modes for the autobox, winter and standard. I had it in winter the other day and quite liked the engine staying in a higher gear and keeping the revs down.

Would leaving it in winter mode all the time do any damage to the box? more stress/torque on the box with it  being in a higher gear?

[spike60]

My Merc c250TD has 2 modes for the autobox, winter and standard. I had it in winter the other day and quite liked the engine staying in a higher gear and keeping the revs down.

Would leaving it in winter mode all the time do any damage to the box? more stress/torque on the box with it  being in a higher gear?

This used to be regular question when I used the Merc forum and the answer was no , it's fine. Mind you, that was from the boys who make a living repairing Mercs!

[Luckythirteen]

Ma's TDCi Focus is the same: takes an age to warm up, even if you leave it idling. You can get the gauge to dip if you coast far enough at 70, with the heater on full!

It's a bit freaky if you're used to petrols, or ancient diesels, watching the gauge move about.

[Luckythirteen]

Ma's TDCi Focus is the same: takes an age to warm up, even if you leave it idling. You can get the gauge to dip if you coast far enough at 70, with the heater on full!

It's a bit freaky if you're used to petrols, or ancient diesels, watching the gauge move about.

[M'coli]

Hmmm...even with a new heater matrix and 'stat, the 205 TD's heater was pish. The BX's is better, but there's such a lot of interior to heat up.

[Richard]

Apart from the two C5s every French car I've owned has had a heater that barely takes the chill off when it's cold outside.

[twosmoke300]

Saab heaters are lovely .

[dollywobbler]

Apart from the two C5s every French car I've owned has had a heater that barely takes the chill off when it's cold outside.

 

XM is lovely, with different adjustment for each side. I set it toasty my side when travelling solo, and cold on the passenger side so I can get cool air at face level through the centre vent. 

[Rusty_Rocket]

Pug 106 diesel- heat from the vents 2 minutes after a cold start. And no, I don't have a head gasket problem 

[myglaren]

C5 (HDi) takes a little while to heat up - warm by the time I get to work, four miles.

Xantia, BX, Visa and GS were all fine (once the GS pipes were sorted out)

[twosmoke300]

K series will have steam out of the vents in 30secs

[HH-R]

I'd have thought it would be the higher stressed OMG TURBO INTERCOOLER EGR DPF FAP FAP FAP diseasels that run hotter than the old skool ones. Rover L-Series takes quite a while to heat up too.

 

Am I the only one who keeps the heater off until the engine has warmed up properly?

[saucedoctor]

 

Am I the only one who keeps the heater off until the engine has warmed up properly?

 

Nope. I do that too.