I have, after a lot of thinking, decided to take the car into the garage for the renewal of the lower arm. I have been quoted £100 but they will be doing the job properly (not inverting the screw) for that. It is a lot of money but am not in the position in regards to experience and confidence to do the job. Also I don’t want to have to wait for all the parts and equipment to turn up as I’d have to order a few things off the net.

Also the wear on the tyre I swapped onto the offending passenger side has also worn quickly so I don’t want to wait any longer. I think that the tyres will have to be renewed anyway so that can be done whilst in the garage.

I know I set up the blog up to detail the maintenance I would be doing but I do also think that you have to know your limits and admit when things might be beyond you. I have decided to cut my teeth on the service that is by now overdue and begin preparing for the M.O.T. due towards the end of June.

As mentioned in my previous post I have noticed the premature wear on the outside edge of the passenger side front tyre. And I thought it was the suspension or steering that was causing the problem.

I read through a post called ‘Geometry means nothing!’ on the Mondeo Enthusiast Group’s forum on which someone wrote ‘Lower arm bush was worn causing outside tyre wear on front nearside’ and with this is mind I decided to have a look. With the car jacked and supported with axle stands I took off each of the front wheels as I meant to swap the wheels so the tread doesn’t wear down dangerously while I sort out the problem. I know this will eventually pretty much ruin two tyres but they are on their way out anyway with between 2 and 3 mm of tread. On inspecting offending tyre it was confirmed that the wear was just on the outside of the tyre. I had a good look around the brakes and suspension springs and found nothing that looked to me like it was wrong except…………one of the bushes in the Lower Arm;

Comparing the driver’s side Lower Arm bush this to the other bush, its doesn’t look too clever as there is some cracking and it is begun to come apart.

The Haynes manual for the Mondeo up to 1999 has given the task a rating of four spanners which I wouldn’t normally even consider but there is a well constructed MK1/2 Guide To Fitting Lower Arms on the Mondeo Enthusiast’s Forum. I would however have to buy some more tools - namely from the list at the start of the guide; a Power Bar, Ball Joint Splitter (optional), Punch, Copper/Rawhide Hammer, Torx Bit T55, Grease, De-Greaser and Loctite which puts me off although I know they will come in handy for other jobs. I also don’t know if I have the confidence to this kind of job.

Also on the left-hand arm the front of the two bolts can’t be withdrawn upwards because the gearbox is in the way. Most garages get around the need to raise the gearbox or lower the subframe by refitting the bolt from below. Now I didn’t know about this when I took the wheel off so I don’t know if the bolt has been inverted and can’t see from the photos. It sounds really stupid but something like cutting a bolt fills me with tread as I don’t have the necessary tools to do that.

I have seen some for sale as cheap as £20-25 on Ebay so I will have phone around for some quotes and see where i stand.

As noted in my last post I have noticed that the front and to some extent the rear tyres are wearing quite quickly on the outside (well I think it is just the outside from feeling the inside of the tyres).

The Haynes manual that covers the petrol version of Mondeos up the year before mine (ISBN:1859605133) suggests that there could be;

“a) Incorrect camber and castor angles, b) Worn steering or suspension joints, bushes or components, c) Front subframe out of alignment, d) Excessively-hard cornering or e) Accident damage”.

As there are some noises occasionally when cornering I am concentrating on b) (Worn steering or suspension joints, bushes or components) for the time being and have also made a concerted effort to corner slowly.

This is a quick catch up post for those of you that regularly read this blog. I have been away and unable do any work on my car or access the internet. Although my car has been esconced in the dry for the change - being parked in a hospital car park.

Before I became indisposed I bought a few things in preparation of servicing the car my young nephew has now officially named ‘Tiger Tops’ - don’t ask. This included oil (purchased from Halfords so I could take advantage of an offer of a free set of screwdrivers when oil is bought), oil filter, sump plug, air filter, pollen filter and what I hope is the correct fuel filter for ‘TT’ (there was a choice of either RotoDiesel or Bosch so I picked what I was informed was the most popular - and can take it back to swap if it isn’t the right filter). I also bought a new weatherstrip from Ford but haven’t picked it up as it wasn’t ready when I went away.

I really want to get on with this work but there seems something that may be more important that I will be concentrating on first. There is a noise coming from the drivers side front wheel when I turn corners and the left tyre is wearing on one side reasoanably quickly. My suspicion is that they are related but we shall see.

A month or so ago whilst we were holidaying in Somerset my wife and I begun to hear a ominous grating sound coming from the passenger side rear wheel when we were going slowly or braking. When I checked the rear pads I found that they were ground all the way down and were grinding into the brake discs. It cost around £170 for new discs and pads - ouch! (This was a another reason for starting this blog)

When I bought the car I noted from receipts that it had had new discs and pads around seven months before so I didn’t really worry about the brakes. With steel wheels and hub caps you can’t really tell that easily. Also I didn’t have that chance to check properly before I left.

So today I decided to check the front pads. On my course we have changed the pads so I wanted to check that they were okay and change them if necessary rather than they go the way of the rears. With the drivers side front wheel taken off I found that the pads were thicker than their backings which is the rule of thumb that my teacher works on.

The brake pad visible from the front. As you can see the pad is thicker than the backing.

This the other pad of the sliding caliper which also seems fine for the time being.

I will check them again and maybe replace them before the MOT in June.

With the wheel off I decided to have a look at the hub, suspension and the rest of the brake mechanism. Although it looks pretty dirty and the hubs are a bit flaky everything seems attached together with no leaks or perished bushes etc. I still plan to look again with a manual for reference but as time was short it was enough to know everything seemed okay for now.

I also managed to see the pads through the holes in the wheels on the other wheel and that was also thicker than their backings.

Whilst the car was jacked up I had a quick look underneath the car. I couldn’t see any leaks or anything that looked out of place but saying that I could easily have missed something as I didn’t have a torch and lack the knowledge to know for definate. I could tell the oil filter looked knackered and the leak from the battery or whatever could be seem over what I think is the gearbox.

So I really must get the oil and filter changed and get the engine bay cleaned ASAP.

I do feel better for checking the brakes even though it took a good while to jack up the car as I was a bit cautious. Next time I will be quciker.

P.S. I also remembered to tighten the wheel nuts with a torque wrench to 85 Nm.

One thing I love about the internet is forums; even if nobody knows the exact answer to your problem, at least someone will give a few suggestions - just as long as you have asked politely.

I asked a few questions on the Mondeo Enthusiats Group website a few weeks back but there weren’t any answers for the first few days so I gave them up as irrelevant to others. However I went back on today and they had been answered.

First up was a post called ‘Intercooler and Leaks’; the general consensus is that apart from perhaps slightly reduced performance it isn’t anything to worry about.

Second was a post called ‘Strip by window’; it seems a simple and inexpensive fix so will pick one up soon and fix it whenever I can.

I found a post entitled ‘Mk2 stiff 1st & 2nd gear when cold’. I have found this on my car and have been worried. I am a little more relieved and will get the gearbox oil changed as soon as possible.

I also found this post: ‘Sticky Steering’ which explains my steering exactly and it is annoying I have got used to it. It needs a whole steering rack replaced to sort the problem so that will be put on the back burner as it is not an issue that affects safety.

I love that such forums exist and it allows me to read about problems that I am experiencing with my car without feeling embarrassed or nervous or having to go a mechanic and waste money. It puts my mind at rest about things that I would probably worry about and highlights areas I do have to do something about.

I hope there will always be kind people on forums. One day maybe I’ll be the one answering the questions from newbies like me.

I was so frustrated at not having information on my model of Mondeo that I bought a manual on CD from Ebay. It turned up yesterday and I have been looking through it today. I think it will come in handy until the revised and updated Haynes manual featuring the 2000 Mondeo TD gets released (when the old version sells out). The CD manual is aimed at Ford mechanics and as such is not worded as clearly as the Haynes’.

I don’t know if it is worth the money (£4) and the guy who is selling it must be making a mint but I’ve got it now. And at least it has other ford model’s information so I ever have a different Ford then it will come in useful.

I also finally got down to the library and picked up the Haynes’ manuals for ‘Car Bodywork Repair manual’ and ‘Diesel Engines manual’. Hopefully the first should help me repair the rust (pictured below) and maybe be able to understand diesel engines a little better.

The rust isn’t top on my list of things to do but knowing how to do it and tools I might need will definately help. When I do tackle it I will video it so you can get some tips and learn from my inevitable mistakes.

I finally have some money so will be able to buy some oil to finally change the oil and filter sometime this week.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I noticed a possible problem with what the turbo attached to my engine. As you can see from the picture there is sooty deposits and grease on the turbo going into the intercooler.

I have been worrying like I do but thanks to some kind people at the very useful Yahoo Answers I feel relieved.

Ladybugewa wrote: “I think you just need to clean out the soot. It’s the bane of tdis.
go to tdiclub.com and you’ll find the info. For the future, these engines need to be revved high every so often to clean out the carbon deposits. What you see is the result of driving a tdi in a sedate and sane manner.”

Alan C wrote: “This is normal if you drive it around towns alot or if you have a small split in the pipe, i would take it off clean it out put it back on and take it for a goodlong run in 3rd gear down a bypass.”

I don’t know which one to down as the best answer but either way I can at least put it to the back of my mind. I’ll take it for a good spin and then clean it when I have little more experience. With that in mind I did indeed buy what I think must be a dodgy copy of a Mondeo manual on CD so when that comes I will spend the day looking through that and be able to check whats what on the car.

]]> http://carmaintenanceblog.net/2008/03/16/relief-over-problems-with-turbo/feed/ wannabemechanic Turbo Soot http://carmaintenanceblog.net/2008/03/15/cam-belt-quandry/ http://carmaintenanceblog.net/2008/03/15/cam-belt-quandry/#comments Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:23:40 +0000 wannabemechanic http://carmaintenanceblog.wordpress.com/?p=12 ]]>

After reading on the Honest John site that the timing/cam belt should be changed every 36,000 miles or 3 years I have been worrying that it might slip or break at any minute causing engine damage I wouldn’t be able to afford to put right or fix myself just yet. This fear has been compounded after reading some comments on Preloved - Premature Timing Belt Failure on Ford Diesel.

However I been have trawling through the forum dedicated to diesel mondeos over at MEG and feel a lot less anxious now. As I have an Endura - DE engine it looks like more like 70k/5 years for timing belt changes. To be on the safe side though I will check it’s condition soon using this article on Performing a Timing Belt Inspection as a reference.

I still feel unsure about doing much without a proper manual but there are a few Mondeo Workshop Manuals for sale on CD which I will probably buy. Hopefully it will have some more specific details about how to take off the cam belt cover to inspect the belt. Until that turns up I have decided to go through the forums at MEG and build myself a better picture of things that go wrong. And maybe make a crib sheet so when something does go wrong I can sort more quickly.

I have bought a oil filter off Ebay as it was cheaper than Ford or the Motor Factors around the corner but still need to buy some oil as soon as I have some money. Other than the oil I will only have to get a washer for the sump plug and hopefully be able to an oil change at college on Wednesday.

I bought the Haynes manual for my previous car ‘Agatha’ and poured over the instructions for most jobs, even ones I wouldn’t have any way of doing, but I never actually got around to doing anything apart from putting in a new stereo and botching rust repairs.

This time it has to been different because our as yet unnamed Mondeo really has to last us more than a year or two. I do however feel uncomfortable about not having the Haynes manual for our car (Ford Mondeo Diesel Service and Repair Manual:1993-2000) but according to Amazon it will not be published until 19th May. So I have reserved Haynes manuals from library that cover the closest Mondeos to mine with the hope that I can work with their help until the proper one comes out.

So until they turn up I have been looking at some sites dedicated to or with significant information on the Mondeo which are linked to in the sidebar.

Some of these are more useful than others like I’m sure the Wiki at Mondeo Enthusiast’s Group and the forums will come in handy in the future. The information at Honest John has thrown up some possibly serious concerns:
‘Timing belts belts on diesels only good for 3 years or 36,000 miles’.
This worries me because as far as the service history records the timing belt has’nt been changed since 130,000 miles (milage is now 160,000) around the end of 2004 – nearing 3 years and 3 months ago!

This means that I will be doing some major Ebaying to get some cash to the garage to do the timing belt as soon as possible because if that goes – game over.

You are probably thinking wheres the ‘my’ in this car maintenance? And you’d be right but considering I still haven’t done a oil change then doing a timing belt – without the proper manual is too much. And this does need doing ASAP.

I have identified some other things that need sorting out that I may be able to tackle myself so while getting together the money for the timing belt I will be concentrating on the following;

1) The tread on one tyre is lower than the rest.
2) Some of the fluids are overfilled.
3) There is something wrong with something to do with the intercooler
4) There is some kind of leak either from the battery or maybe coolant.
5) The washer doesn’t spray out washer fluid.
6) There is some rust / damage to the body work around one of the rear wheel arches.
7) The seal around the passenger side window rides up when you open the window.
The parcel shelf doesn’t open with the boot as both hooks are snapped.

There might be other things I’ve forgotten or not noticed.

I’ll also start doing the simpler regular maintenance jobs using the outline in the Haynes manual for my old Escort as a guide. I’m sure the repairs above and maintainence needed will keep me busy for a good while however my MOT is due towards the end of June so I will also start making all the preparations I can to make that as painless as possible.

I do feel better for having a plan of attack. In the next posts I’ll be writing about how I get on dealing with the list above; getting to know our old Mondy a little better.