The Transporter

But what does the coolent cool? just about everything... if the coolent isn't dissipating the heat adequately, then the engine block, head and the oil that is inside will get hot... Since this is an issue that is potentially as harmfull as low oil pressure and may well be a contributing factor to the low oil pressure, then it needs addressing.... If a pressure gauge be fitted to the oil pump and the pressure is proven to be low, does this prove that the oil pump is faulty or just that the oil pressure is low, possibly caused by excessive wear in the bearings but no one has mentioned this yet. A faulty cooling fan can also seriously mess up the air con too It pays to sort the factors that we know are wrong, if the car runs hot, then this should be fixed and then move on to any issues which remain... surly

If your engine is running hot then this can cause your oil to be thinner and thus your oil pressure can be lower causing the oil pressure light to flicker on at tick over... either way you need to get this oil pressure issue sorted

Just a thought... Does the engine run hotter than it usually does... A combination of cheap oil and a hot running engine could cause a problem

The automated refrigerant management stations abillity to detect leaks are limited and can be misleading... They rely on the degradation of the vacuum and therefore rely on a negative pressure of approximately 1 Bar... Not a great pressure really. They will find basic large leaks but can be fooled by causing the compressor shaft seal to allow air to pass under vacuum where it never would under pressure.. Out gasing of the refrigerant from the lubricant (A bit like carbon dioxide fizzing out from a bottle of lemonade when you relieve the pressure that it is under) can also fool the machine to think that there is a leak when there isn't one. UV dye is usefull for confirming shaft seal leaks when the seal only leaks when the shaft is rotating but otherwise pretty useless... If a leak is big enough for UV dye to escape, then it is big enough for the lubricant to escape... so you simply look for a damp patch and confirm the leak with a hundred pounds of Nitrogen and a garden sprayer filled with soapy water

Unless they worked in a similar way to peril sensitive sunglasses....

It depends on what your definition of high power is.... When I was first let loose on the road, you needed a 3.5 litre V8 to get similar power to what is now regarded as the mediocre output of the Lexus 2 litre.... But if your ride to work is a Saturn V rocket, then it is hard to describe any car as high powered.. It may sound cruel, but I would suggest that the car had more power than the driver knew what to do with...

Right.... So the aircon was manually switched on during the video.... Then your compressor is shot... If it was the clutch bearing then it would be noisy with the aircon off. As stated before, have the system flushed, new lube and a new drier or you could well be back to square one very quickly.... It's kinda like fitting an new engine and replacing the oil and filter from the old engine When a compressor fails metal filings get carried round the system and need to be removed. If you have the aircon pumped down then you will be able to do the required work at your leisure... Do be careful though as refrigerant can outgas from the lubricant and a small positive pressure can build up again so mind your eyes when you remove the pipes...

When the noise starts, does the nose of the compressor stop rotating or slow down?.... The fact that the compressor runs for a while quietly might suggest that there is a blockage in the aircon system... Pressure builds up and causes the compressor to lock up.... could be a blocked drier or themostatic expansion valve but this would need high and low pressure readings.... Of course it could be the compressor that is stuffed... If you fit a new compressor, then you will need the system stripped and flushed and you will need a new drier and fresh lubricant too, so it may pay to have a decent aircon specialist check it over before you splash your cash....

Do the maths.... Can't work won't work

Given the automated equipment that the fitters have these days there is very little that they can do to muck up a straight forward recharge so it doesn't really matter if you go to kwikfit, Toyota or Lexus.. The level of expertise will be the same... The use of UV dye is limited, if the leak is big enough for the dye to show, then you can find the leak by looking for a damp patch and back your suspicions up with a garden sprayer filled with soapy water... Similarly the automated leak detection on some refrigerant management units are more of a gimmick as they cannot detect small leaks... Correctly diagnosing and detecting leaks takes a little more skill, but for a straight recharge these guys are fine.. If you haven't already done it, give your condenser a good rinsing off wit the garden hose to wash away any road salt that you may have collected over winter...

Aircon is on permanently but on I love to drive with the roof open on crisp bright days and cold starry nights... The general rule of thumb is that at over 40mph open windows use more fuel than aircon... I tried the moon roof, but put my back out trying to drive with my bum sticking out of the roof

Mmmmm.... Diesel!

The diff oil is listed in the service schedule of my IS200 to be replaced every 20k or 2 years. I did my first change last year at 23k and there was a fair bit of swarf sticking to the magnetic plug.. I changed all of the fluids this week end again at 30k and the swarf was much reduced. I cant see where transmission oil is scheduled to be changed but I did that anyway.... Both jobs are pretty straight forward but getting the fluids back into the diff and transmission can be fun if your fluid bottles don't come with a spout or in my case you buy 5 litre bottles

Do the maths.... Your car is perfectly suited to 95RON juice and the cost outweighs the extra milage... As for keeping your engine clean... When was the last time anyone here needed to do a decoke? It is a lot of slick marketing selling folk stuff that they don't need.

Hmmm.. Great idea in principal... BUT, imagine a cold wet dark winters evening when four lanes of traffic suddenly comes to a halt.... And then you discover that your passenger suffers from epilepsy....

There are very few folk who can re con an aircon compressor to a decent standard, most give a second hand unit a lick of paint and sell it as good... If you have a second hand unit, and it is duff, then you will have to have the refrigerant recovered to remove it and send it back... What is wrong with your old copressor? if it has failed internally and spewed its gus round the rest of the system, then you will need the system flushing out, new drier and fresh lubricant or you will be back to square one pretty quickly.. What has caused your compressor to fail? Duff expansion valve? lackof refrigerant due to a leak? Personally I would fit a new unit but as you have found out, they can be dear.. but have had enough headachs over the years fitting second hand compressors for frieinds and then taking them off again... You pays your money and takes your choice

The point is that you have no idea how much is in your system or if your system has developed a small leak. How much you use it also affects the leakage rate and since the seals and joints on car aircon systems are about as poor and pathetic as you can find, then it is worth while to keep an eye on your refrigerant. I suspect that Ford will quote about two year intervals for the Focus also. I check the ac on my van, lex and Jeep every two years.... Mainly because I am bored and in four years of owning both the Van and Lex then neither of them have lost a tap of refrigerant, the old Jeep on the other hand loses half of it's charge which to a refrigeration engineer is excessive and will be sorted with a new evaporator later in the Spring. To lose 10 to 15% is excessive but to the motor industry it is regarded as the norm and therefore acceptable.. The quality of car air conditioners is absolutely abysmal but Lexus/ Toyota is about as good as you get

Errm... in the case of the IS, this is not absolutely accurate though it is the most straight forward method. The IS was fitted with a sight glass and on a reasonably warm day can be charged/ checked by use of this sightglass... Similarly because the is uses a fixed displacement compressor it can also be charged/ checked by use of the high and low pressure gauges in conjunction with a thermometer. In the case of more modern cars, then charging by weight is the only way to charge a cars aircon system It is well worthwhile to have your aircon checked out every 2 to three years as the refrigerant carries the lubricant and lubricates the compressor rather like a two stroke engine.. Reduced refrigerant means reduced lubrication which could equate to an expensive repair. Just to remind all you guys to wash all that nasty Winter road salt from your aircon condenser with lots of clean water to prevent corrosion £60 to £70 is the right price for a decent quality job.

Personally speaking I would say that a full dealer history on any car is not worth the extra that you would spend on having it serviced there, but a service history from a good quality garage is. I use QR Sport in Tattenhall to service both my van and my Lex.

Somehow, I find it a little disturbing that someone has spent his or her time cataloging this information

Fuchs have a reputation of making very good quality engine oil and I would have no hesitation in using their oils in any of my vehicles... In fact I do use it in my van. The question would be how would any layman know what is a bad oil?

The best traction control is that thing attached to the lower part of your right ankle.... If you need to rely on electronic gadgets to be able to drive without losing the rs end, then you should consider your driving technique... Although I haven't bothered with winter tyres on the Lex, I have fitted Winter tyres to my van.... They make life easier and the vehicle more sure footed even on cold wet roads.

With referance to the Yank, I think that the key to his accident is partly the fact that he had new tyres on.... The release agent in the manufacturing process will still be on the tyres and mixed with wet conditions and the guy being a revhead contributed to the prang... Always take it easy on new tyres because of the release agent that stays on the surface. Don't spray oil on to your discs... Just use your brakes more often

There are many factors involved here, but bearing in mind that even on the hottest day in the UK, once the car interior has cooled down, the aircon compressor will run pretty infrequently (When compared to say somewhere like Dubai, where the ac compressor will run constantly) , cycling on and off as needed. Although the use of the compressor will use a little more fuel you must also consider that the cycling of the compressor will cause accelerated wear of the clutch plate and stress on other components, repair of which you may find yourself paying else where... There is no right and wrong answer here, so do as it suits you.... Use of the ac will help dry the air coming into the car from outside, use of the recirc to my mind is pointless as it is only really useful in really hot climates, all it does in this country is cause your cars ventilation system to become smelly and cause the windows of cars without a working ac system to mist up.... Next time you are driving in the rain, see how many cars there are with badly fogged up window... Yep, they are the numpties who cannot work their ventilation system. When washing your cars at this time of year, don't forget to give your ac condenser a good flushing with clean water from your hose as road salt is the main cause of corrosion on alloy condensers... So keep 'em clean

If there is ice on the car, then the aircon will not switch on the ac compressor as the system pressure will be below 30 psi, however once the car has warmed up and has been driven, then the compressor may run and dehumidify the air. Once you have switched off the car there will still be moisture on the evaporator coils so that when you start the car next morning, the moist air will be blown on to your windscreen where it may freeze.