Newbie, A few problems part 2

Thanks for all the help with my last post people but I have a few more problems you may be able to advise on.

When in neutral i can hear a rattle coming from the gear stick area, this stops when i depress the clutch and returns when i lift off.
I have seen a few comments about this problem on the forum but wonder if anyone has had it and fixed it and knows the problem.??

When the car is stationary and i turn the steering wheel full lock to the left there is a rubbing sound with a slight vibration once every full turn of the steering wheel, It does not happen when i turn right and i dont notice any noise or vibration while driving.??

My temperature gauge never rises above the C mark, I have ordered a new thermostat, will this solve the proplem??

Regarding the A Frame ball joint, does anybody have a pic of this on the car so i can go under prepared?

And finally, I saw a few posts about probs linking the sub in the rear door up to a after market head unit, I simply conected the two wires from the pink conection on to a pair of phonos and plugged it into the pre out of the stereo . Works fine, Hope that helps.

Thanks again gents, I just want this disco back to its former glory.

Revi

Revi said:

Thanks for all the help with my last post people but I have a few more problems you may be able to advise on.

When in neutral i can hear a rattle coming from the gear stick area, this stops when i depress the clutch and returns when i lift off.
I have seen a few comments about this problem on the forum but wonder if anyone has had it and fixed it and knows the problem.??

When the car is stationary and i turn the steering wheel full lock to the left there is a rubbing sound with a slight vibration once every full turn of the steering wheel, It does not happen when i turn right and i dont notice any noise or vibration while driving.??

My temperature gauge never rises above the C mark, I have ordered a new thermostat, will this solve the proplem??

Regarding the A Frame ball joint, does anybody have a pic of this on the car so i can go under prepared?

And finally, I saw a few posts about probs linking the sub in the rear door up to a after market head unit, I simply conected the two wires from the pink conection on to a pair of phonos and plugged it into the pre out of the stereo . Works fine, Hope that helps.

Thanks again gents, I just want this disco back to its former glory.

Revi

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Hi Revi, just work your way through the problems one by one and she will be back to her former glory.

Re the rattle from the gearbox - are you sure it's a rattle and not more of a wurring sound? Ok if it is a rattle, there is a plate with springs attached on top of the gearbox whose function is to locate the gear lever. Sometimes this plate breaks - it might be that. Access to it is best by taking out the centre console - takes about 15 mins.

Re the steering noises, really you should not be turning the wheel whilst stationary, it puts a lot of undue strain on the components. Also check the pas fluid level in the fluid pas reservoir. Also check your tyre pressures, fronts should be about 30psi.

Re engine temp, it's always a good idea to change the thermostat from time to time just as preventative maintenance. Do you still have your viscous fan installed? If you do, you might care to think about removing it. Both our Discos run permanently without the fans (temps here are often above 30°) and run at a good low temperature. Sounds like yours is running a bit low.

If you do decide to take off the viscous fan, put it in the boot, just in case you get caught in stationary traffic on a hot day. Also keep a close eye on the water level in the header tank - but you do that anyway don't you?

Right, that's me done for now, work away and make her fly

Cheers
Dave

Thanks Dave , listening again i would say your right its more a wurring sound than a rattle, what would this be??

I have a new thermostat on order and i will see if it makes a diff, Removing the fan!!! Do most disco owners do this, I hear the disco engine runs better warm so it makes sense, if the thermostat don't sort it i will give it ago.

I only noticed the steering noise due to having to do full lock as i was trying to get out of a tight parking space (Why do people park so close to these monsters??) I will check all the levels and make sure they are as you said.

Again cheers for the help

Revi

PS Does anyone know of a good 4X4 garage in the london area I can take my disco to without getting robbed of bullsh"ted due to me being a newbie?

Revi said:

Thanks Dave , listening again i would say your right its more a wurring sound than a rattle, what would this be??

I have a new thermostat on order and i will see if it makes a diff, Removing the fan!!! Do most disco owners do this, I hear the disco engine runs better warm so it makes sense, if the thermostat don't sort it i will give it ago.

I only noticed the steering noise due to having to do full lock as i was trying to get out of a tight parking space (Why do people park so close to these monsters??) I will check all the levels and make sure they are as you said.

Again cheers for the help
Revi
PS Does anyone know of a good 4X4 garage in the london area I can take my disco to without getting robbed of bullsh"ted due to me being a newbie?

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The whurring noise which goes when you dip the clutch is quite normal at modest noise levels. It's got something to do with the input side of the gearbox - unless VERY noisy it's nothing to worry about.

Re the viscous fan removal, many owners do this but it depends on your circumstances - if, for instance, you are in stationary traffic a lot of the time, it may not be for you as there will be no fresh air being forced through the radiator. However, it does help to warm up the engine quicker.

Re the steering, Discos do not like it when you hold the steering on lock at either end, this is because you are asking the pump to keep pumping when the steering can't go anywhere, if that makes sense. The trick to avoiding these noises is, don't turn the wheel until you're moving (even if it's only a little bit) and don't hold the steering on full lock - turn it to full lock to do your move and then release the pressure.

Hope that helps

Cheers
Dave

Ps Re finding a good garage anywhere - you are better investing in some tools and learning to do most jobs yourself. These cars are not difficult to work on for most things, they're just like big Mechanno. That way you are independant of the "who's had the cowboys in here then" brigade !!

Thanks dave
The wurring is not that loud, you can hear it in the cabin with the radio off but its secondary to the sound of the disco running so i will see how that goes.

I dont think i have explained the steering issue to well, If the wheels are straight and i turn one full turn of the steering wheel to the right there is no noise at all, if i now turn the steering wheel two full turns back to the left so i am where i started there is a rubbing sort of hum in the middle of each cycle of the steering wheel. it just seem strange i get the noise when i turn the one way even if i dont go near the full lock.

Thanks for the reply's Dave , and if you have any advice on my clunking sound from under the car listed in my other post it would help as this is defo the worst problem I have, I have been under the disco this morning so i will update the post later with some things I found.

Cheers

Revi

Revi said:

Thanks dave

I dont think i have explained the steering issue to well, If the wheels are straight and i turn one full turn of the steering wheel to the right there is no noise at all, if i now turn the steering wheel two full turns back to the left so i am where i started there is a rubbing sort of hum in the middle of each cycle of the steering wheel. it just seem strange i get the noise when i turn the one way even if i dont go near the full lock.

Cheers

Revi

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Hi Revi, if you are doing this at a standstill then I'm not surprised that the steering is noisy !!!

The first thing I would do is to check the level of fluid in the pas reservoir (black tank to the right of the radiator towards the airfilter) make sure there is plenty of fluid in it.

Second thing to do is to ensure that you have good tyre pressure in the front tyres.

Third thing is to check the fanbelt tension to ensure the pas pump is being well-driven.

I should say that it is not at all uncommon for Tdi 200's to have noisy steering - you are in good company !!


Check out these links:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f7/rear-frame-bushes-ball-joint-renewal-42299.html#post579307

Good luck and report back won't you??

Cheers
Dave

Just to add a little about the rattle/whirr, the clutch plates on Diesels have a different spring set up on the driven plate and they can rattle at idle and go away when the clutch pedal is pressed down, either way nothing to worry about.

The springs mentioned on top of the gearbox if one of them is broken the gear stick will have a strong bias to one side. If both springs are intact then the gearstick should move smoothly between 3rd and 4th with no sideways pressure whatsover.

regards

Dave