Rich

I've spent the weekend and today changing me front shocks and springs to V6 ones, used not new. These are the same as TD ones except the springs are slightly shorter and firmer. Had grief with the pinch bolts, spent god knows how long drilling them out! Anyway, I fitted one side ok and did the other one today. Now I noticed when I put the top cap on that the nut doesn't sit flush on it, it does one side but not the other. Also noticed that the very end of the spring had broken at an angle, but the whole spring was there, it was more like a chip. I had to change the cap for another one as it was also broken. Before I took it apart I noticed that the spring wasn't actually sitting in the recess part of the cap, it was on the opposite side. So my theory is that maybe when they were used by the previous owner they had hit a pothole or something which has caused this, plus bent either the piston or thread on top of it in the process, hence the position of the nut. I had to fit it as I needed the car for work and it went on ok apart from one thing. I couldn't do the top nut that goes on the rubber cover up as much as the other side. Driving to work I noticed a vibration, quite bad at times coming from the front. It doesn't do it all the time and is worse on uneven roads and when accelerating. If you are coasting, for example downhill, it disappears. The vibration is similar to when a wheel has lost a balancing weight but I had checked these and none are missing. I did pull both driveshafts out fitting them and one of the bearings fell off but I put them back in ok and I thought that if they weren't then everything would not of locked back together ok. I also noticed that the CV joint on the same side is wearing, felt like it was sticking. So my question is could the shock be causing this as there will obviously be some very small movement in it where that nut isn't sitting flush on the cap? Or could it be causing a strain on the CV joint that I suspect to be wearing? I also emailed the person I bought them from who didn't know about the damage. They have informed me that when they had them on the car, they ate a pair of tyres in less than 5K miles. However, they assumed it was their lower arm bushes as they were all knackered. I've decided to scrap using the V6 shocks/springs now as I can't be bothered to try drilling the rear bolts if they snap so am getting new shocks and springs the weekend for the fronts as I've only recently had new tyres put on. Cheers

That's not good!

Sounds good to me. I've been reading loads on here, still quite a bit I don't fully understand though. Maybe if it was written/explained in layman's terms it would be more beneficial to those users who have limited knowledge on the subject(s).

I hate people who do that, don't take much to straighten the wheels up does it!!

Do you need the compressor? Well I haven't been able to source any top hats and I need to replace one at the front and rear, plus a mounting plate. I was thinking it might be easier if I just get meself some and then swap them over when I fit them. Will most likely do it on a Sunday as I'll be getting help with the pinch bolts, don't trust meself with them!! Cheers, everytime I do a job meself it gives me that little bit more confidence to try something else. This is the first car I've worked on meself!

Yep, just the suspension to sort out now, I got the shocks and springs the other day

Well seeing that it was a nice day I thought I'd try changing this. Was very easy compare to how I thought it would be. Half hour taking it out and the same putting the recon one in. Been driving all afternoon and not had any more problems Just for reference, the battery when fully charged lasted about 20 miles when driving with just the headlights on. I thought this was pretty good...

That's scary, if I saw one of my tyres like that I'd get it changed asap. I wonder how many people would actually ignore it though!

I would only use it to get me home or to a garage. I'm not one of these people who drives around for weeks with the spare on! I suppose it would be the same for people with 18's or 19's, not very practical carry a spare in that size!

So if I had to use it I should do no more than say 40/50mph on it? A different size wheel would be better put on the rear as well, is this right?

Bought meself a new spare wheel and tyre on ebay. Brand new continental tyre for only a fiver! The tyres I have on the car are 205/50 R16. Now I was going to get a 14" spare but have gone for a 15" with a tyre size of 205/55. Now as there's only minimal difference between the overall size of the 2 different sizes could I use this spare normally with the others? Obviously wouldn't do silly speeds but I wouldn't have to be as cautious as I would with a 14" wheel would I? Also how much would a garage normally charge to dispose of me old tyre so I can take the rim down the tip? I know it's a quid when you get them to change the tyre but I can see them charging more!

Had a play about today tightening the belt and also the positive terminal on the battery as I felt it weren't tight enough. I have different symptoms now... Idle - 14V Up to 4K revs - 14V Under load - 12.3V The more electrics I switch on, the more the voltage drops. It does increase slightly to about 12.5V when doing over 2.5K revs. I'm starting to suspect the regulator now but we shall see when I get this recon one and can swap the part over. If I don't get any joy it's time to change the alternator.

First place I phoned doesn't test them, but they gave me the number for someone else who's local and told him the problem. As I've ruled out the brushes, AA tested the battery which is ok, and as you said the wiring is ok as it's charging when cold it has to be the alternator. If it was the voltage regulator then I should see a change in voltage on the meter when it is charging, which I don't. I haven't checked the tension of the belt yet but I think it's ok. Just hope it comes tomorrow now and then got the aggro of fitting it. Think I need some breaker bars though to get the bolts off from what I've read, which I don't have If the battery is fully charged and providing it's not raining so I don't need to use wipers etc how far would the car get me before the battery dies? As for work, I don't work Thursday or Friday night so it's not too bad. Just a pain if I have to get the bus in next week, 10 minute drive compared to an hour and 15 minutes via public transport, including the walking!!

I ain't got a clue what it does mate! I don't think the brushes were the source of the problem, just a coincidence they were worn. Checked the voltage earlier when the engine was cold - Battery - 12.9V Idle - 12.9V Revs up to 4K - 14V 4K Revs under load - 14V Once the engine warmed up I got 12.9V all the time. I suspected this was more of a problem when the car has warmed up the other day. Work is only 5 miles away and takes 10 minutes to get there. Therefore the car has only just warmed up when I arrive. Last night the light didn't come on until after about 15 minutes when the engine was warm again. Left the car running for 15 minutes again earlier and the light stayed on once the engine had warmed up. I've found an electrician close to me, gonna give them a ring, but does this give any more clues as to what the problem is?

Yeah I'm hoping Saturday but knowing the Royal Mail it will be Monday the earliest. To fit it it's a bolt underneath, one on top and one on the side, plus 3 wires. Only problem is I have a fuel fired heater and the pipe runs across the top. I think this will need moving to get the alternator out. I will see what happens tomorrow first and whether I can find a local auto electrician. Thanks

Fairy liquid as in mixed with water or neat, is this wise on something electrical though? How about WD40, or would that be too greasy? I'll try and check the voltage on the alternator tomorrow then, if the cables on the voltmeter will reach that far! I won't have the engine running then when I check this I've already asked Tony and he doesn't know of anyone. I do know someone very good in Essex when I was living at me folks, they can find any problem straight away, but some how I don't think the car will make the 60 mile trip there!! Thanks

There is no oil on the actual alternator, just the wiring. The oil filter is underneath it so can't be that. I think it may have come from a hose connected to the intercooler. What should be used to clean oil off wiring, is carb cleaner ok? There is a test point on the alternator via the voltage regulator, but would the engine need to be on to do this? Only reason I ask is that the intercooler sits above, so has to be removed to put the volt reader on. Will this be ok to do as long as the car isn't driven with it? Yours sounds like it was a nightmare mate!

Ok here's the problem... Last Friday me battery light started coming on and off every few minutes. Car was starting/running fine etc. On Saturday the light stayed on constantly. Checked the voltage Sunday and it was at 12V when the engine was on and under load so obviously not charging. Had to use the car locally and the battery had obviously drained so much that I lost the rev counter, speedo, lights etc. Eventually the car died and the AA had to come out. He tested the battery said that was fine, only 6 months old anyway. Said it was the alternator. On another forum someone suggested the brushes so I went to delphi and ordered a new one. Fitted that yesterday, started it up and it was fine. Voltage reading was 14V when the car was running. Went to work and came home and the light never came on. Went out tonight (was doing alot of stopping/starting) and the light came on when I was waiting at a junction. Went off for a few minutes and then stayed on again til I turned the engine off. Gonna check the voltage in the morning to see what voltage it's putting out and if it's still charging. Could this be the actual alternator itself though, voltage regulator or maybe the belt? I have a recon alternator on the way but probably won't get it til monday next week. I know there's a few members on here around my area and was wondering if any of you know any good auto electrians that are mobile? I don't wanna drive it too far and cos I work nights on a Trading Estate I can't be without a car! Also forgot to mention that when I check the alternator I found alot of oil over the connections. I cleaned most of it off but could this have caused damage to the wiring? Cheers

Tony, what is meant by 'start compound', I haven't heard of this before? So how do you find out which compound should be used for which vehicles?

I think I understood most of that. What you say about the steering feeling lighter at low or high speed in the wet has been happening to me. I guess most of the 'problems' I think I have are down to the wider tyre. I can feel the road more and the car seems to pull in the direction of the bumps/dips etc. My front tyres are on 29/30 psi at the moment. I did put them on 33psi just to see what the difference was. They tramlined badly and I got lots of over-steer, so much in fact that I personally felt the car was dangerous to drive as everytime I accelerated/braked the car would try to veer across the road. So I dropped the pressure straight away and they were fine again. I was amazed that such a small difference could have such a big impact. BTW this was in the wet when I tried the higher pressure, in dry conditions they felt fine. Thanks for the explanation Tony

Yeah I'll wait for Tony or someone to give their view. Thinking about it that does make sense though...

At speed or whilst stationary? They *should* feel heavier theoretically as there is more rubber, hence more weight... (unless you have reduced your profile, then I haven't a clue how they interact!) While stationary. I've gone from 195/60/15 to 205/50/16. So if I notice the steering is slightly heavier with this small increase, what about changing to 18's or even 19's. Would the steering feel even heavier? Or as the width increases but the height decreases does this mean that roughly the same amount of rubber is used to make the tyres?

I think the design must have changed for the MK3. Monkeyra what's your view on reverting the bolt?

Just wondering if the width of the tyres can affect how heavy the steering feels? I have gone from 195 to 205 and mine feels slightly heavier, although I can't remember if it was any lighter with the 195!

It's an X reg, MK2 though not a 3. As yours is a TDCI I'd imagine it's a MK3. I don't think this is an issue on the newer mondeos, I've never seen it mentioned on MEG anyway. I replaced mine (the O/S) as the ball joint was knackered where the rubber had split. When I first got the car I had both replaced as the bushes were worn and the arms were knocking badly.