Mondeo TDCI - flashing coil light, no turbo & limp home ... intermittently.

JustAnotherSaver

forgotmyname said:

Petrol turbo's can suffer from heat soak.  Maybe not as bad as the old days where they recommended leaving
the engine running for several minutes after a run to allow the turbo to cool and prevent oil cooking in the
oil galleries.  But it can still be a problem, the issue with a lot of smaller capacity turbo engines is that if you
want the performance they claim it drinks the fuel.

My 2L engine may use more fuel around town but on a run it used less fuel than my sisters 1.6 engine. I
have had over 60mpg from the MK3 2L diesel.  57mpg average over a full tank on longer journeys.

Good cars and will do 300k miles plus if properly serviced and not neglected.

Encouraging - because people seem to think that if you have a bit of power at the pedal then the driver will forever be using it. I actually don't. Don't get me wrong i do use it but i like having it there as an option. Someone is holding you up in a morning and you're on a nice long stretch of A road - see you later. If they turn out to be a bit of a wally and they floor it as you overtake then if you've got some decent power down then you're away. I've had numerous episodes of this, as i'm sure we all have - then once you're past them they go back to being Captain Slow.

I actually don't do a ton of driving and nobody would recommend me a diesel for what i do. Mostly 10 mile journeys, 20 miles per day in 50-60 zones. Occasionally we'll go for a motorway drive somewhere but not often. 8000 per year.

For all the cars i've ever owned and even driven i've always hit at the very least the figure given on Parkers, occasionally bettering it. Ranges from little 1.0 litre Saxo's/AX's to 1.2 Corsa's up through 1.6 Focus up to a MK5 Golf R32 being possibly the most powerful thing i've ran.

The only thing that failed was my wife's current MK5 Astra 1.6. Struggle hitting mid 30s. Oh i tell a lie - her MK4 Golf 1.6 was also woeful.

So while i can drive foot to the floor, i don't actually make a habit of it.

forgotmyname

Same here, everyone would advise me not a diesel but it works for me.  Petrol 18 - 26mpg compared to
Diesel 32 - 38mpg around town or when towing a caravan.

Towing with a petrol my tank is nearing empty with the petrol but about 1/3rd left with the diesel.

10mpg / 12mpg difference on average, diesel saves slighty more on a run.

thorganby

Fix the car that you have before considering your next one.

Go on you know that you want to and you will never gain any self confidence until you do it.

JustAnotherSaver

@thorganby (or anyone, just that Thorganby mentioned specific size bits for the job)...

I'm thinking more about having a bash myself. Any tips on doing the job? Would you drill in with a smaller size bit first and if so which and then again if so drill all the way through or just make the starts of a hole? 

Saw mention on a Ford forum of 6.5mm bit and 7mm hole and then talks of threads and different conversions but the majority seemed to go with 6.8mm.

A department where I work ends up chucking out various metal for scrap. I'm not sure how much cast they throw out, which I believe the turbo is, so will any old metal do for trying out test holes first or would I be better asking for something specific? Obviously cast if that's what the turbo is but if they don't have any of that that's suitable then is there another metal that's going to be similar to work on or would anything do, even something soft if that's all they have? 

thorganby

JustAnotherSaver said:

@thorganby (or anyone, just that Thorganby mentioned specific size bits for the job)...

I'm thinking more about having a bash myself. Any tips on doing the job? Would you drill in with a smaller size bit first and if so which and then again if so drill all the way through or just make the starts of a hole? 

Saw mention on a Ford forum of 6.5mm bit and 7mm hole and then talks of threads and different conversions but the majority seemed to go with 6.8mm.

A department where I work ends up chucking out various metal for scrap. I'm not sure how much cast they throw out, which I believe the turbo is, so will any old metal do for trying out test holes first or would I be better asking for something specific? Obviously cast if that's what the turbo is but if they don't have any of that that's suitable then is there another metal that's going to be similar to work on or would anything do, even something soft if that's all they have? 

Yes practice on another similar piece of metal and put a 3 or 4mm drill though first all the way before the 6.8mm tap drill and then tap the hole.

If you scroll down on the UK Drills tap link that I provided, it gives the drill size required for an M8 pitch 1.25mm as 6.8mm.

It may seem a daunting task if you have never drilled and tapped a hole before but just take your time and plan out what you need first.

This website gives some helpful advice on drilling and tapping in cast iron:

https://itstillruns.com/drill-tap-cast-iron-7391826.html

forgotmyname

A 7mm bolt will fall out a 7mm hole.  1mm thread pitch needs a hole 1 mm smaller to be able to create a
thread in the material.  0.5mm per side.   Simplified but close enough. 

Or as above for an 8mm hole.  Too small and it's hard to tap as your taking too much material and
too big your left with no material to create the threads and it will leak.

Cannot use most sealants as the heat will burn it away.

JustAnotherSaver

@thorganby

I know it's been a month but i've got someone with experience to show me how to do this, which is what was putting me off beforehand (having nobody and going in to it blind). We were going to go through it yesterday but change of plans and we'll be doing it on a test piece this coming weekend.

So time for me to buy.

I was looking at your link and noticed 5 bits plus a wrench. I see the 5 bits create different sized holes.

I then saw this link. I need to create a hole for an 8mm bolt so looking at the M8 option (if that's right) then i see there's 3 bits. 1st tap, 2nd tap and 3rd tap - taper, plug and bottoming.

I'm guessing that you start out with the 1st, do so much, shift to the 2nd, do a bit more and then switch to the 3rd for the finishing the hole off.

I also think i must have that wrong because in the first link you only get 1 bit per size hole so you surely can't need 3 bits.

So why the 3 bits then? If it's better for me to have 3 to do the job then that's what i'll buy. If only 1 as per the first link is good enough then i'll buy that.

But for now i'll buy the drill bits

As for the actual problem at hand, can anyone comment why it only ever happens when i start the car up after it's been running? It (so far) has never triggered the flashing glowplug light (& therefore the problem) on a cold startup (first thing in morning or setting off from work).

I can some times travel from A-B and then on to C or back to A again with the timeframe between B-C/A being short but if the issue is going to arise then this is always when it happens ... so far never 1) on cold startup or 2) during a journey.

thorganby

You don't need to find a garage to do this job as it is an easy tried and tested DIY solution for minimal cost, time and effort.

A set of three taps is required to tap a blind hole and as you are not tapping a blind hole, you don't really need a set of three taps.

It really is not difficult and there is loads of info online that you can read and watch many demo videos e.g.

https://www.kmstools.com/blog/hand-taps-proper-tapping-techniques/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Ijd9o-C10

Obviously ensure that you have all that you require to complete the job before starting.

The whole procedure can be done in a couple of hours tops, including a test drive!

You have stated in another thread that "using Mr Muscle isn't a fix", when you are not in a position to say that as you have never tried it and many who have done this would certainly disagree!

You have more than enough info to do this job, so stop procrastinating and just get on with it!

JustAnotherSaver

I'm not sure where you got the garage from? I just said I had got someone to show me. 

He just so happens to be a mechanic, yes, but anyway I'd rather someone with know-how can show me on a test piece first. He's not doing it for me, he's just spending a bit of time showing me and having me do it on a test piece. 

Ah so you only need 3 if you're doing a hole blind. That's fine then, I know what to order now. Thanks. 

JustAnotherSaver

I've just realised - what actual LENGTH does the bolt need to be? 

I've ordered in new drill bits and when I get home I'll order the tapping gear. 

I can get a loan of an angled piece for the cordless drill. 

I knew I needed an M8 bolt for the job but didn't see what length it needs to be. You don't happen to know do you? If not then I'll register on some of the ford forums but all I seem to find right now is that it needs to just be M8.