Search results

I'd also be looking very carefully at the timing belt condition before giving this vehicle any work! John :)

Expect to have the discs and pads renewed all round, together with a fluid change and take things from there. The flexy hoses may be an issue, but not yet! John

As above - they need to be refitted if they are marked like that. This dictates the direction that the rubber was wound onto the tyre. In real life I doubt if there is any difference, but insurers may think differently if there is some issue. John :)

It seems what you are finding is fairly commonplace on garden tractors - that is, it's only the rear of the deck that is lifted. It's usually done by cable or lever. I would have thought that the U bolts could be adjusted to raise the deck height though, if only to prevent the deck from not...

Heading for the shoe shine....... £125 this morning :unsure: John :)

Personally I don't bother.......on FWD vehicles I keep the best tyres on the front, maybe putting them on the back depending on wear. I don't mix up offside and near side. Balancing won't be affected, unless in a rare occasion the wheel is balanced on the hub. Camber wear shouldn't be evident...

If it's not too bad, we used to plug the holes with matchsticks covered in PVA glue, let it dry and then replace the screws. John :)

Sure, the water gets in around the lamp units.....never seen a watertight seal yet! John :)

Freddie is bang on with this......pop rivets can be used blind so just what you need! I'd go for 5mm diameter (officially 4.9mm but 5 is fine), around 10mm long or whatever. All you need is at Wickes or B&Q etc, and the spreader metal around 2mm thick. John :)

It could be a good buy.......what is the MOT status? It's sure to need such items like discs and pads - nothing to worry about there. The Focus of this generation did tend to let water drain from the bonnet into the spark plug wells, so it's worth a look see there. Timing belt and auxiliary belt...

A quality pipe spanner is a good move.......I have a Halfords Professional one, nice wall thickness etc. On difficult pipes I've used Mole grips if the spanner jaws had a tendency to spread. Curious - I thought these cars had a banjo bolt system on the rears! John :)

Yep, eventually there will be brake imbalance on one side, which will eventually show up on the MOT. The pads may wear unevenly too. John:)

With the caliper bracket off, can you hold the rectangular pin head in the vice, and work it to and fro? John :)

Yes, that's exactly right......just see what power you have when in the depths of a heavy log! Ignore any smoke - it will be residue lubricant and if any more occurs it's likely to be blue. I'm using Stihl mixed two stroke fuel (50:1) all of the time now - expensive but worth it......these...

If indeed this engine does use excess diesel to regenerate the DPF then it is a particularly bad thing, and has caused the demise of many a good motor....Mitsubishi and Mazda in my experience! Diesel is an excellent solvent but a hopeless lubricant. I'd be contacting Ford concerning this one...

You've given us a bit of a head scratcher here........! Maybe I can hear a whirring of a bearing, which could be from the alternator or air conditioning compressor. The only real way to isolate these is to remove the auxiliary belt and start the engine up -- hopefully the noise will stop. I'm...

If you get a chance...... Get the car up on a ramp, and check for the aluminium shrouds that cover the exhaust pipe and silencer(s) that comes loose and drops. Hopefully the rattle is as simple as this. John :)

Result indeed! Pleased you've got it sorted. John

Just a word of wisdom when fitting the new flywheel........grip the flywheel as you tighten the nut - avoid the temptation to hold the other end of the crankshaft as it will twist. John :)

I don't think manufacturers give a chuff about their vehicles - just so long as they don't have to pay out on warranty claims and they can screw you big time for service. Here's an example........Honda HRV, 19 plate, bought new costing around £35K (I think) so hardly a bargain basement vehicle...