Repairing your own car

[Guest]

Ok...

 

So, now my turn...

 

Transit connect 1.8 TDCI.. 430 thousand KM.

 

Diesel consumption.. Atrocious! 8l per 100 km.

 

Question...

Do I change the whole injector? or just change the Nozzle.?

 

Pro... Complete change pretty much gaurantees that any problem is solved..

Con.. I will get shafted, as I think a Garage needs to change them as they will need coding to suit the Engine management system..

 

Pro for changing Nozzle... should cost half the price and I can do it myself..

Con.. Not sure what other problems could remain.

 

Any inputs???

 

Ta

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

SpiderPig, I didn't realize you'd posted a problem. I don't think the injectors could be a problem. You have over 400k km on the car, so could it be that the engine's worn? Have you tried a diesel additive to clean the system? Timing could be off too.

 

New problem... I have my TUeV appointment at 10 am tomorrow, and to prepare for that, I've been fixing odds and ends on the car. One of the things that I thought I ought to fix was the power steering fluid reservoir cap that was broken.

It's a stupid design requiring the shaft of a thin screwdriver to open, and it never works properly. When I was a SpiderPig's, we tried pliers, and the top broke off. I'd been driving the car that way since then, and it was never a problem. Last week, I ordered one and got it today. It took a while to get the old cap off (in the end, I had to crew in a couple of screws, one on each side of the cap, and use them to unscrew the cap). I put on the new one, and started up the car to bleed any air that could have got in. None seemed to have. So, it was time for the test drive, and lo and behold, the steering was damned heavy. It got a bit better after a few hundred meters, but then worse again when I had to park the car. I have no idea what went wrong. Nothing changed. The only thing is that the cap has been replaced, but the old cap was never airtight anyway. ATU have no idea what's wrong, and now I have TUeV in the morning. Screwed. Any ideas? I think I'll drop by a garage if it's open before 10 and ask them. Otherwise, should I even bother going to TUeV? ATU suggested I go and let them tell me what's wrong, and then I'll have a month to get stuff fixed.

 

BTW, any idea how much TUeV costs in Frankfurt? And, when I fail, is the 1 month retest free?

 

Thanks all.

[the.frollein 6,715]

Here's the price list for TÜV and AU in Hessen - although depending on where you get it done, the garage may add on Gebühren on top of that.

 

If your car doesn't pass, you have four weeks to redo it, and have to pay a 12 Euro fee for the re-do.

 

EDIT: Re-doing costs 12 Euros in BW, not sure if it's the same in Hessen - but very sure that it won't be free.

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

Thanks, the.frollein. Looks like it'll cost about 100 euro if I'm reading this right. I'm doing it at TUeV, not a garage. It doesn't say how much a redo will cost, but I guess it shouldn't be too different, eh?

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

Went to a garage today. As suspected, they said it could be the pump. I guess it's one of those things when something linked to something you do goes kaput, making it seem like you did something to cause it when in reality it just happened coincidentally. I suppose it's possible that with the new cap that has a better seal, the pressure built up in the system causing the pump to fail? But, there are no leaks, and the pulley is turning.

 

Cancelling TUeV appointment.

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

Cancelled TUeV appointment, but changed our minds and went anyway to see what else they could advise us to fix/replace. The steering passed! I'm not sure how, but when we drove off after the test, the steering was a lot lighter, but not as light as it was before all this started. So weird, and we were really glad. Of course, I have to get it flushed and maybe replace the belt. Other problems were that the left front brake disk was too grooved to be passed (works fine, though), the engine needs to be degreased for environmental reasons, and the inner left doorgrip needs to be there (it broke, and I ordered one last week... not here yet). Glad we went to TUeV after all. BTW, it's 99 euro, and then 12 euro within 4 weeks.

 

Going to change brakes myself next week, and maybe if you're up for it, SpiderPig, I can flush the system at your place and we can also tinker with your Transit? What say you?

[jeba 4,363]

 

BTW, it's 99 euro, and then 12 euro within 4 weeks.

 

Last time I paid seventysomething. Who would have thought that 1.6 % inflation can make such a difference within 2 years?

[poohsan 2,486]

so SP is the Hessen go-to mechanic? Can he change struts and do a 4 wheel alignment on a bmw? :D

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

 

Last time I paid seventysomething. Who would have thought that 1.6 % inflation can make such a difference within 2 years?

 

You paid 76 in Bavaria, or did you live in Hesse before? I actually expected TUeV to cost more. 99 was ok.

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

Do you know if TUeV cares if we do the recommended work ourselves? Do they want professional receipts?

[the.frollein 6,715]

AFAIK they're not interested in who does it, main thing is it's done and done properly. You shouldn't have to show receipts.

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

Thanks. Do you also have any idea where to get the engine steam cleaned? I wonder if I can clean it myself. The TUeV guy wrote down Motoroel feucht - Umweltbelastung, so if I clean fluids off the engine then that should be enough, I'd think.

[the.frollein 6,715]

Do a search for Motorwäsche Frankfurt - I think you'll probably need to get it done, rather than doing it yourself. Here in Stuttgart, some of the big places, e.g. Mr. Wash, or some of the specialist shops offering car detailling (seem to be more and more of them now) offer this.

[jeba 4,363]

I'm afraid they dont simply want you to have the engine cleaned from oil, but rather to make sure that no more oil is leaking. E. g. by renewing the sealing gasket of the oil sump or gearbox - or whatever may be leaking.

[Grizzlor 157]

I've done TUV required work to my car in the past - They were satisfied as soon as they saw new parts fitted in place of the ones they had issue with. No reciepts required, no further questions.

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

Thanks for the input. As for the oil, the guy said that he just wanted the compartment cleaned. My partner specifically asked what he meant by what he wrote. I'll ask her again when she gets home. There's no leak. The last time I changed the oil, I wiped the underside until there weren't any particularly wet spots left. Now, it's just residue that's dry.

 

Glad that TUeV doesn't care about receipts. I've ordered the brake parts and will change them on the weekend. I forgot to get a new serpentine belt, though. Stupid. I figure I'll change it and see how the power steering behaves.

[Guest]

@ Kmm...

 

Job broken out!!!

 

Need to drop the fuel tank and fit new fuel pump/sender unit...

 

Let me know when you fancy drinking my coffee again... Moral support and a 3rd hand probably needed..

 

SP

[kaffeemitmilch 1,294]

SP: Didn't see this until now. Should have sent me a PM. Sorry. How did it go?

 

I have a Skoda Fabia now (poor Lupo's gone to Poland) and the dealer gave me winter tires, but not shorter lug nuts (the Lupo required shorter ones for the non-alu steel winter rims). I used the same lugs that were on for the summer tires, and now there is a sort of rhythmic sound coming from the tires/wheels. But, I'm not sure whether it's due to the longer lugs, or somehow old/hardened tires (the tread is great on all of them). Checked for big pebbles in the tread, but only found and removed a few small ones. Any idea what it could be without having to go to a tire shop? I heard it could be that the seats in the wheels could be a different shape from the seats in the lugs (spherical v conical), so I will check this later. Any other ideas?

[paulstep 167]

The steel wheels normally have a spherical and alloys normally have conical.

The wheel web thickness on steels is generally thinner than alloys, if you've used the alloy lugs they could well have bottomed out.

If that is the case your wheels are insecure!

 

Go buy some steel wheel lug nuts or get some from the scrappies, they usually have them lying around.

[sosarx 1,661]

Too long lugs will reach into the mechanism of the rear wheel brakes , which gives this typical sound. And which could easily kill the (drum-)brakes.