andyb2000

Watcha bignev me lad !
 
Yeh Andy I looked [#2] the very next morning, it took all of 5 minutes to decide main stealer only if your lucky. Available all over USA for $50 OEM & Mopar - £100GB£ in this country and we know the probs even with a VIN.
 
I said that "Flex was always a better bet than tone" hence the reason I asked you in your other thread when you were looking at engine whether you used 'drop gear' or kickdown both of which put an enormous extra flex on the flex-plate. Like others I hope it proves to be flex particularly now that you indicate "two of the nuts look chewed" maybe 100 snots and greasy hands will put you back on the road even though dropping the bell and an extra £60 for new oil is a pain.

Ah new replacement bushes, there's something without having to buy the complete shocks. Someone on here a year or so ago solved that issue as to where to get them.
And come-on Andy I'm waiting to toast its the flexiplate with a few beers..Hic..Burp..Belch... 

Sorry just saw this, yes I just used a cheap siphon pump from ebay, similar ones are http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DELUXE-SYPHON-SIPHON-PUMP-KIT-MANUAL-PUMP-EXTRACT-OIL-PETROL-DIESEL-FUEL-LIQUIDS-/262809527857?hash=item3d30ab2631:g:hP8AAOSwNnRYfBh6
 
I found that by pumping out all of the fluid from the expansion tank and squeezing the pipe a few times and repeating to pump out of the expansion tank there was no leakage when I disconnected the pipe to add the inline stat.

Hi Stephen, I've changed the top suspension mounts (blog entry on my website if you want: http://www.thebmwz3.co.uk/2016/09/top-suspension-mount-replacement.html)but I had a failure and not sure if it would pull if they were the issue.

thanks Andy, Love your thermstat tip, and video  by the way.

Unfortunately with an ABS light a code read is almost a must as there are so many systems that talk to the ABS. (Also the reader you need is the advanced ones that read Chrysler, any of the cheapo ODB II units won't cut it)
 
However, having said that, there is another basic test you can do before you take it to a garage to take a look, I've recently found a problem with my wheel speed rotation sensor and testing those are easy:
Front wheels (Easier to take them off, but not necessary) at the back there is a plastic splashguard cover, towards the front of the vehicle. Gently feel/pull on this and you'll see/find the wire going from the speed sensor to a connector. The connector has a red plastic clip to slide first, then push down and disconnect the sensor.
You'll see two pins inside the connector that goes to the wheel. You need to get a multimeter onto those pins to test (croc clips work best) and set your meter to resistance on one of the higher (lower ohm value) settings. You should get an ohm reading somewhere in the 1200 ohm (From memory), but basically if you get a reading then chances are that one is OK. Repeat on the other 3 and compare the results. If you get a 0 ohm or incredibly high reading then the sensor may be shot.
The other test is that when the wheel is rotating it generates a small AC voltage, so if you want to also test this, jack the wheel up (out of gear, etc, so make sure it's chocked well!) and set your meter to AC and 5 volts or less and start to spin the wheel, by hand it should give you a small voltage which shows the teeth/sensor is working.
 
Other than that, diagnostics might be needed I'm afraid.
 
(PS, an ABS light on is an MOT fail)

Hi,  I recently had the same problem with the heated seats/rear wiper switches.
 
Following andyb's instructions I fitted some LED's I had acquired years ago for a different car and had never used.  I have got them all fitted and they are a nice bright blue!  When I get chance later I will upload a pic.
 
Sorry didn't get back to you Andy to say I had got it done, but this is the first chance I have had to get back on the forum.  Many thanks for your help.

Hi mrtibbs,
 
this one comes up quite a few times, although I'm working off a 2004/2005 edition here so not sure if they changed up in 2006 (The cruise control buttons on steering wheel don't have illumination in 2004/2005 so did they ever work on yours?).
 
Most of the illumination is done by bulbs DIRECTLY SOLDERED onto the switch boards (How forward thinking Chrysler!), so to replace you have to either replace the entire switch module (Potentially expensive and I'd say not the way to go), the other way is to open up the switch module, desolder the old incandescent bulb and put in LEDs instead.
It's a little fiddly and finding the right LEDs to use is key as you need 12v and also they need to be small/slim enough to go on the board as there isn't a lot of space in there.
 
These items from ebay look an interesting alternative: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QUALITY-9v-12v-DC-3528-LED-SUPAFLEX-LIGHTING-STRIP-MODEL-RAILWAY-N-OO-HO-O-GAUGE-/151025926614?var=&hash=item2329d8c1d6:m:m9Xse9CJ-KFSApIIPatZcMA
 
They're 12v and on a strip, so a strip of 2 might do the job. I've not ordered any yet but going to and see what they're like, and at £2.80 worth a go I reckon if you're up for a bit of soldering. Just take the centre console out (as though you're getting at the radio), then along the top of the piece you've removed (with the wooden panelling) at the top is the switch module. Click the back off it (a few well placed flat screwdrivers and gentle prising action) and you'll get the switch module (Careful. There are springs in there, so do it somewhere you can watch how it fits together so they don't go flying).
Inside you'll see the bulbs in question. The circuit board then lifts out (pull it forward don't wiggle left to right as the pins that go to the connection at the back go through holes in the plastic and if you wiggle too much they'll snap which is an even more tricky solder repair job). Once out desolder and replace.
Remember, LEDs are sensitive to polarity, so you'll need to test using a multimeter which rail is positive and which is negative and solder the LEDs in the right way round.
 
Hope that helps, let me know if you want any more info as I've done quite a few of these now, though not yet done a video on it! (Video in my sig show how to get at radio if you need it).

Hi Keith,
 
I'm going to guess this is an automatic, in which case this is normal, the revs are limited when you're not in gear. Same on all of them (Not sure if this is common on auto boxes or not, these have been the only auto's I've ever owned).

The 2.8CRD engine (I've had two now, both 2004/2005 models) has a distinctive noise to it, to the point where my kids now know when I'm outside or in a car park as they recognise the noise of the engine, so just bear in mind it's got a different 'noise' to other CRD engines.
 
Couple of bits to watch for from my experience in addition to gordys hints:
check horn, the clockspring when it fails will cause airbag and cruise controls to intermittently fail (not an expensive fix, but a pain as it's MOT fail)
starting - does it start from cold without accelerator 'blip', and after running warm does it start first time? (Could indicate injectors, fuel filter, etc)
Does the engine temperature warm up after a short drive or does it sit at 0 on the gauge? This indicates thermostat stuck open (these engines are very cold runners) and will either need thermostat replaced (BIG job due to time consuming) or the additional thermostat mod.
Radio and all speakers working? If not this can be pain as the audio system is relatively complex using the ECU for power and amplifier control.
 
All in, I love the cars despite my first one getting a crack in the block (Bad maintenance from a backstreet garage I suspect on the oil cooler) and got a second one, learnt to do basic maintenance jobs and bits and pieces to keep it happy. I love driving them as find them a pleasure to drive and use daily.
 
Regards,
Andy

Hi Mike,
 
Just a little word of warning, I've owned two GV's, both apparently 2004/2005 models with the same amp and infinity sound system, RB3 head unit, however they were both very different when it came to the speaker outputs from the RB3. As per my website investigation/link the signals appear to be digitally encoded onto the 'speaker' outputs from the RB3. (I'm planning next summer to spend some time on this, and use my oscilloscope to interrogate the output from the RB3 speaker wires)
 
All I'm saying is, don't assume that all models are the same, there are clearly very subtle differences as I found between the years (1 year difference in the ones I've owned!) and in some cases you can't just splice into the speaker wires as it just won't work.

Hi there,
This has been discussed countless times so do a few searches and you'll find its due to a faulty thermostat jammed open. You can either replace it (expensive and very difficult) or do the mod of a second thermostat in line, which I've done a video howto on it.
Good luck.

How's the temperature gauge sitting? 
I've had 2 now that sat about 1/4 even when driving for a while. 
The original thermostat was seized open, but fitting a second thermostat in the top radiator hose solved the problem. 

Have a look at the video by Andyb2000.

http://www.chryslerforum.co.uk/topic/1425-25-crd-thermostat-sealed-unit-or-not/

Did it!!
Excellent video andyb2000 thanks!
I found out that the thermostat I bought was actually mis-labelled in the database and was for an earlier voyager variant.
I didn't fancy waiting for 2 weeks for delivery of the ebay thermostat that andy mentioned in his youtube notes so I did a little research on similar types.
I picked up a thermostat for a 1992 Renault Clio 1.1 Engine code C1E700. It was about £8.  It didn't have the same housing as the one Andy used, but the disc type.  I had do do a fair bit of filing to reduce the diameter.
It works a treat!  
Thanks all for your help.

Exellent video andyb2000

OK,
As well as battery issues there may be more going on here. Though if you're having gauge sweep then it's on the way and it WILL fail or cause tough start problems in worse weather. I changed my battery and no dash sweeps at all now.
 
Anyway, I've had at least 2 people come to be with this problem now on their GV factory fit radio and both times it was the same fault.
Somebody in the past had put in an after-market stereo, or a bluetooth hands free kit, and when they sold the car, put the stock radio back in, or remote the phone kit and didn't bother to pay attention to the wiring they put back in.
 
 
OK, that eliminates the BCM itself losing the settings due to the memory seat/radio/functions that QinteQ mentions (related to the IOD fuse).
 
So, this is the key question:
After driving home. When you get to your driveway. Turn the key OFF and take it out. DO NOT open a door and DO NOT re-insert the key Is the radio still on?
 
These cars have a timer where when you remove key it will leave the radio on for a couple of minutes OR until a door is opened. If the wiring harness for the radio has been mixed up by an after market fitter or similar the two power and ignition wires often get swapped by mistake and so the radio will turn off the moment the key is turned to the off position.
 
See what you get on that one, if it goes off immediately then it's the wiring behind the radio at fault, so take the dashboard facia apart and take a look at the wiring connector into the back of the radio, my guess is you'll see some black electricians tape or some re-wired connections back there as tell-tale signs.
 
Don't forget to post back on what you test and observe as it helps us help you diagnose and also helps others in the future.

Quite a bit more info and diagnosis required here as the problem could be in many areas.
 
Firstly, does the switch orange light illuminate when switched on? That will indicate if power is getting to the switch in the dash and if it's engaging correctly.
Then I'd go for the most obvious, the wiring loom under the seat, quite often the connectors in there will rattle loose. Best option is to unplug one by one and reconnect, test again, hopefully it'll be a loose/corroded connection in there.
 
After that point you'll need a multimeter and start to test voltage, my next bit would be to trace the wires coming out under the seat and into the connectors and relay. Will try and dig out the wiring diagram for them, see if we can identify which wires/connector they go into as there are a couple of different ways they may be fed (since there are two settings for the heated seats, low and high my guess would be 3 wires going into the relay)
 
 

Might sounds like a daft question, when you had the fans off/stripped down, did you apply 12v to them and see if they actually spun?
 
From all your diagnostics you sound like you're almost there. I'd be surprised if the ECU wasn't sending a trigger to them.
 
I've also not heard of the fans coming on when the air-con is engaged. I can't say I've ever seen mine on in that situation. (2005 2.8crd so a very close model to yours).
 
On the seat heaters, since circuit seems to be sound, i'd be suspecting the connectors under the seat as i've found these to rattle loose easily. Again, why not disconnect them and stick your multimeter on them when switched to 'on' and see if you get a voltage through which would check everything including the earth bonding to the seats?

On my previous gv I owned I did similar to the centre console heated seats.
When you say the leds have blown, are you on about the orange illumination to show seats are heating, or the green glow the 'bar' lights up with when lights are on?
If its the orange leds then firstly that's very odd, as they are led I'd not expect them to blow, especially all of them, makes me think something else faulty.
If you mean the green illumination, then that's the larger blue capped BULBS (yes you read right, filament bulbs!) the are soldered to the board.
 
What you can do, which is what I did, u solder these bulbs carefully and replace with leds. All you need are 12v green leds with reasonable intensity (unfortunately leds are more directional than bulbs so their glow isn't the same).
You then have to use a multimeter to find the positive rail that feeds the old bulbs and solder your led replacement on.
 
Drop me a line if you need more info, but if you're OK with multimeter and soldering shouldn't take more than half an hour

Sounds a bit low on MPG, however this varies hugely, I can make mine shift a good 5 or 6 depending on driving, and with you being a new CGV owner (I've owned 2 now) getting the sweet-spot is sometimes tricky!
 
As crispinchurch touches on, are you calculating yourself or using the built-in trip computer?
Going completely on trip computer I'm currently on 26.7 mainly as i'm doing 30-40 minute trips at a time (dual carriageway all the way) and haven't done any town driving. Literally all I need is to do a few kids school runs (10 minutes trips, through traffic lights, speed humps, etc) and that'll drop well below 24 usually.
 
Assuming you're auto here too (I've got the 2.8 CRD auto) is it doing a lot of shifting between gears, or typically does it stay smooth? If it's shifting a lot might be worth checking the auto fluid, make sure it's ok as lost of shifting will impact economy.
 
And finally, is your aux heater always on? (The three wavey orange lines to the top right of the top instrument cluster). This uses diesel to heat up the coolant to help on cold mornings, if the aux heater is always on (Like after 30 minutes driving still on) and it's not mega-cold (less than 5oC) then there may be a problem with the engine thermostat being stuck open and the engine running very cold, which also affects the MPG. Temperature should normally go up to 1/4 to 1/2 within 20 mins of driving in cold weather, less in some cases.
 
Hope some of that helps!