BigD

Got a 'whine' coming from the driver's side of the engine which I tracked down to a specific pulley.  Bought a new tensioner because I thought that's what the pulley was attached to, but it isn't.  Got the whole car in pieces before discovering that the suspect pulley is actually mounted on the alternator mounting bracket (which I removed because it's easier to get the tensioner off that way).  Turns out at least I had the right pulley - the bearing is shot, wobbles like hell and makes a grinding noise when I turn it by hand.

 

It's a ribbed pulley, about three inches in diameter - as you look at the aux drive system it's the very top pulley, right at the back, above the alternator.  I need to get a replacement Monday but not sure what it is I'm asking for.  Any ideas?

 

[edit] Checked the Haynes manual, which, unhelpfully, refers to it as "idler pulley".  There is also another idler, non-ribbed, slightly bigger, also called "idler pulley".

 

??

Just done an oil change today and consulted the Haynes manual for the sump plug and filter torque settings.  It didn't mention the filter, but it said the sump plug should be torqued up to 23nm.  So that's what I did.

 

Now, on removing the filter housing and cleaning it up ready for refit, I noticed that it had, printed on it, the torque settings for it, and the sump plug.  It said that the sump plug should be 10-11nm - less than half of what Haynes said.

 

I've left it at 23nm because even that didn't feel massively tight, and I'm sure thats what I did it to the last time.

 

Which is right?

2005 (55) Mk3.5 2.0 TDCi (130) Euro IV.

 

The engine's a bit rattly at low RPM, 78,000 on the clock.  I changed the aux belt, tensioner, crank pulley and idlers already but that didn't really help.

 

I have an F-Super and FORmiDable 2.3 (I think).

 

It's my understanding that recoding the injectors will force recalibration and reduce/get rid of the rattle.  Is this correct?

 

Obviously this is a field I'm not very clued up on, so what's the correct process for doing this?  I read somewhere that the engine has to be stone cold beforehand, so I figure I'll need the ignition on Pos 2?

 

I'm also aware that the injectors will need replacing sooner or later - don't mind doing that myself when the time comes, but I don't currently have any error codes so I don't think I need to go to those lengths just yet.  The rattle is more of an annoyance than actually causing any running problems.

...on the lumpy bit where the lock is on the boot lid.

 

See, for some reason when I pull the boot lid up, it doesn't go as far up as it used to.  It stops about twelve inches short.  I'm 6ft 3in.  You can guess the rest.  It goes up and stays up if I push it, but I didn't have to do that until recently and I've come a cropper with it twice in as many days.

 

The struts either side of the boot lid - is there anything that can be done to service them somehow and make them operate like they used to, or will I need to replace?  If I bash my head on it even once more, I'm probably going to punch the damn thing.

 

Note: I don't want springs added which make the boot lid go right up as soon as the boot release is pressed.

Just done some work on the back brakes (discs) and changed the brake fluid while I was at it. The stuff that came out was nasty so I'm glad I did.

Now, the Haynes bible claims that I now need to bleed the clutch as well - it does feel a little "loose" now - so all well and good, except the picture in the Haynes manual looks nothing like what's on my car. It says the bleed valve is on top of the bellhousing. Took out the battery, airbox etc for a look, and I see nothing that looks remotely like the book! It shows a round rubber grommit with the valve poking through the top. I don't see that anywhere.

The only bleed valve I can see in that area (I assume that's what it is), is on the end of a long thin pipe (similar gauge to the metal brake pipes) and points towards the front of the car, just below the top radiator hose. It was gone 11pm by the time I got to this point, so I've now downed tools for the night as I'm sick of the sight of it.

Can anybody confirm that this is indeed the clutch bleed valve? Or not? The car is a 2005 2.0 TDCi (Euro IV).

Much googling has not enlightened me.