I'm a MONDEO MAN, now !!!

[Roadkill]

Passed 275,000 miles this morning . . . . Mileage has been quite light recently as I had one project at Heathrow but the other just round the corner in M.K.   

Next project is in Crawley (Gatwick) so the mileage will be racking up pretty quick on the run-up to Christmas. :up:

[Roadkill]

Passed the 280,000 mark a few days ago.

Replaced 2 tyres due to wear and tear in late November, then got a puncture in another so replaced that last week (the tread was fairly low so didn't bother asking for it to be fixed).

Got some grumbles from the front - I suspect a wheel bearing is on its way out (again) - think I had a dud fitted before.  :smirk:

ABS light came on last week . . . the ABS kicks in for the first few braking operations (ABS light off), then the ABS light comes on and the braking returns to "normal" . . . although I'm guessing it wouldn't come on in a full-on emergency stop.

Not keen on letting a garage plug her in to tell me whatever they want to say so have ordered a OBD-2 fault reader off of eBay for £7.95 . . . never realised they were so cheap !

MoT's due in late December so need to get this resolved pretty quick (especially with the bad weather potentially round the corner).

[art b]

Impressive.... :clap:

[Roadkill]

I get that a lot . . . .

[ianjpage]

Impressive.... :clap:

That's what she said lol!!!!

:rofl:

[Incursus]

ABS light came on last week . . . the ABS kicks in for the first few braking operations (ABS light off), then the ABS light comes on and the braking returns to "normal" . . . although I'm guessing it wouldn't come on in a full-on emergency stop.

Not keen on letting a garage plug her in to tell me whatever they want to say so have ordered a OBD-2 fault reader off of eBay for £7.95 . . . never realised they were so cheap !

Mine had that, turned out to be a broken wire on one of the rear speed sensors.  Think it was a common fault on the Mondeo.

IIRC My cheapie OBD2 Reader didn't pick up on the fault though.. Probably only has the common, cross OEM codes.  I had to use some Jag diagnostics software and CANayzer from work to read that one.

[Titsy]

I'd go with what Chris said, it sounds like one of the wheel speed sensors isn't reading speed pulses (probably a poor or corroded connection). This means that when you apply the brake the ABS system thinks that a wheel is locked up and intervenes. If the light only comes on around braking events then that's just the car saying, woh there buddy, I had to step in there to calm it down a bit as the road is wetter than an otter's pocket...

[Roadkill]

Yeah, I'd read about the rear sensors . . . apparently the first thing to do is check the connectors (that are under the rear seat).

The ABS kicks in a few times before the light comes on, once the light is illuminated (it stays on), the brakes work "normally" (I suspect the ABS is actually disabled at this point).

I know what you're saying, though . . . I don't pretend to understand any of the electrical side of how it operates but I do fully understand the mechanical principle.  It's either going to be a dodgy connector, failed sensor or broken/separated ABS ring. 

If it was warm and sunny, I'd be out there at lunch having a look but it's not, so I'm waiting for the code read to hopefully at least point me to the correct corner !

:P

[Roadkill]

Hmm, hooked the code reader up and it's not showing any codes.

Ideas ???? :pass:

[Incursus]

Visual check of the speed sensors tbh.  Unfortunately I no longer have the diagnostic kit I used on mine. :down:

[Cunning Plan]

Hmm, hooked the code reader up and it's not showing any codes.

Ideas ???? :pass:

I have always found the cheap OBD readers useless for 'older' cars.

Try the check on the speed sensors as Incursus says, if that does not show anything obvious, then perhaps ask a buddy at a garage to plug it in to a professional reader?

I know someone in Fenny Stratford who will happily do it for beer money if you need them.

[Roadkill]

I know someone in Fenny Stratford who will happily do it for beer money if you need them.

PM the details, please, my usual place is starting to go south. :up:

[ianjpage]

I know someone in Fenny Stratford who will happily do it for beer money if you need them.

PM the details, please, my usual place is starting to go south. :up:

Is that Andy's place going down?

[Roadkill]

I've heard things through the grapevine, yes . . . .

[ianjpage]

Oh - that's a shame...

[Cunning Plan]

PM the details, please, my usual place is starting to go south.

Scratch that, just checked with him and the garage owner is getting annoyed with 'private' favours being done, it would have to be booked in through the garage instead, which, will not be beer money. Sorry dude :(

[Roadkill]

Took the Mondeo to Andy's this morning in the end . . . didn't give them any notice, just showed up at 8am and they looked at it almost straight away.

I left it with them but the ABS is now sorted (buggered sensor), another wheel bearing fitted (I think that makes all 4, now), a couple of bulbs and she's all MoT'ed, too.

:up:

All-in £300.  :(

A bit more than I wanted to pay, but I can't complain . . .

[Incursus]

Ouch. Least it's sorted though.

[Roadkill]

In fairness I could've investigated the ABS issue further myself and probably saved £100 but every chance I got it was pi$$ing down with rain and didn't fancy hunting all four corners of the car for hours in that.

It didn't help that both the MoT and Tax was due at the same time (well planned ABS issue, well planned) !

[Roadkill]

She got treated to a £10 clean today (first one in well over a year) !!

All nice and shiny but it does highlight the scratches and marks caused by hard labour.  :(

Still, the plan is to get to 300,000 miles, no less, now.  Onward !!!!!

[ianjpage]

what's she on now then??

[Roadkill]

281,000 . . . she had a good break over Christmas as we mainly used Sammy's bus when we went out anywhere.

[Roadkill]

288,000 miles but she's got issues.

Got a clunking from the back . . sounded like a cracked spring but checked and can't see anything . . . not too fussed - it's just a bit irritating.

Worse, though, is an overall loss of power (I'd guess around 10-15%) and she's going into limp mode when pulling hard (up hill or over-taking from "lower speeds" in 6th gear).

From what I've read, it's sounding like sticking vanes inside the turbo . . . this can be due to gunk build-up (likely as I drive it like a granddad) or due to it being worn out (also likely owing to the mileage).

I get a bonus from work on payday so a replacement car is feasible but I'd ear-marked that money for cool stuff . . . not a replacement daily.  :can:

Will need to investigate . . . . :chiny:

[Incursus]

Time for that pickup truck then. :up:

[Roadkill]

Time for that pickup truck then.

Tempting.  It really is but I've ear-marked my bonus money for the Cadillac's carburetors plus I'm now hell-bent that I want to get 300,000 miles out of the Mondeo !!!! :rofl:

O.K, so on Tuesday night I started randomly taking bits off around the turbo . . . got about 45 mins in when I realised the turbo is cast into the exhaust manifold meaning the whole thing has to come off and that, in order to get that massive lump out, a whole load of other stuff needs to be removed to make way . . . . .

F-U-C-K   T-H-A-T, thought I.  She'll go to the scrap yard before I do all that.

I reckoned I could split the turbo in situ (what did I have to lose ?) so pushed on.

Long story (very long story) short, yes, it's possible to do this and yes, it's quicker, it's an utter ball ache to say the least.

I cracked open the turbo expecting to find gunk galore on the "actuator ring" (that's my name for it) which drives the 11 "variable vane thingy-me-bobs" (again, my name for them).

But no.

No gunk.  Worse, probably . . . it was dry and sooty in there and the ring (when operated by hand) was stiff and difficult to turn.

At least there's an obvious issue, so I pumped the fekker full of WD40 to shift the soot.  Also cleaned the exhaust side of the "whirrly bit" (my name for it).

Unfortunately the "actuator ring", once lubricated is prone to dropping out and taking with it the 3 "tiny little cotton-reel roller-bearing wotsits" (my name) . . . These wotsits space the ring away from the face of the casting correctly so are fairly critical.  :)

I lost one, then found it, then lost another while re-assembling (and found it again).

In the end I used bearing grease to effectively stick them in place while I reassembled it.  The theory worked and I got it all back together and started her up without any immediate codes, flashing warning lights or explosions.

The cost :

The "outlay" was pennies in WD40, a washer from stock to replace one I lost and about 3 hours time.

The verdict :

A definite improvement in low-speed response, better overall response and generally an increase in power - that said it's not as good as it was a year ago (but I must remember her age and mileage).

I purposely tested her in high load conditions, changing into 6th gear at 40mph and stamping on the accelerator . . . . she fought for about 5 seconds before going into limp-mode (fair enough, as it was a unlikely demand).  I then did a much more likely test, changing into 6th at 50mph and applying about 75% throttle.  This time she managed it without issue.

I put 250 miles on her yesterday without incident.

I don't think this has cured the problem (clearly the turbo is very worn) but it's certainly improved the situation . . . . whether it's improved it enough to get me another 12,000 I can't say.

No photos as it was utterly p!ssing down with rain Tuesday night and I was just concentrating on getting it done. :tongue: