I'm a MONDEO MAN, now !!!

[Roadkill]

Note.

Oil changed at 247,550 miles on 27/07/14

That is all.

[Roadkill]

I got a record 689 miles out of the last tank (after the oil change) !!!  

. . And it was far from an ideal example . . . probably barely half the mileage was "longer" journeys (35-odd mile trips to Hatfield) . . . . the rest being made up of 3-mile runs to the town centre or 14-mile trips to work.

Admittedly, I was very low on diesel when I filled up but I tend to average 620-650 per tank . . . and that's normally made up of longer journeys.

The service has nearly paid for itself !  

[Roadkill]

It's with a heavy heart that I must report that I believe my Mondeo is critically ill.

I've had a "noise" since before her MoT, last December, but only in the last couple of months has it been loud enough to work out roughly where it was coming from.

It seems to be the front nearside so I hoped wheel bearing, although it didn't sound quite like one . . . It wasn't, I checked and it was fine.

Maybe drive shaft, then ?

The drive shaft does have a bearing, apparently, but this is on the other side . . . I took her to the garage yesterday and after a test drive and a few tests, the verdict was gearbox.



I also have a buggered rear shock, too (nothing major in itself).

A unknown secondhand gearbox will be around £100, labour at least £300.

Shocks will be £50, labour around £80.

Tax and MoT run out at the end of December.

She passed 249,000 miles yesterday.

I think the plan will be to re-new my AA membership and try to get her to December.

Maybe Santa will buy me something nice for Christmas.  

[Cunning Plan]

The Mondeo I had, the bearing from the gearbox to the driveshaft was worn as well.

However, mine was only 160k..

[art b]

i did hear that if you get a mondy...up to 250k..

Fruad will give you a brand new one ...

[Roadkill]

I'm hoping she gets us back to the U.K..... The gearbox is getting pretty noisy .....

[Cunning Plan]

Quoting: Roadkill

I'm hoping she gets us back to the U.K

Where are you good buddy?

[Titsy]

He's 'In Bruges'....
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[Roadkill]

Indeed, heading home today ......

[Roadkill]

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[Cunning Plan]

I had no idea you could get a Ford that high in miles!

[Roadkill]

Interesting.

I've had a noise which is almost certainly the gearbox for a while, now . . .

But I've also had a "slight" blow in the exhaust . . . and a loud turbo-wizz noise and banging from the rear of the car.

Meh, it's dying, I thought but noticed, while rocking the car to check the water level in Belgium last week that there was a light metallic knocking noise.



Long story short, I had a look yesterday and it turns out that the "slight" blow is actually a completely severed pipe, just forward of the flexi.

Good news is that the part is £23 including postage and that this is the cause of the knocking noises from the rear and likely to be the cause of the turbo noise, too.

I was going to bodge it but figured with the time, hassle and effort, I may as well stump up and buy the new bit of pipe.

It should be coming from eBay this week so fingers crossed It's just the gearbox issue I'm left with.

The original diagnosis of the rear shocks causing the noise at the rear, I think, isn't the case . . . I reckon it's been like that for years and it's never caused any issue but we'll see.

[Andy]

Might be worth a drain and refill of gearbox oil just for the sake of it?

[Roadkill]

We checked the oil . . it's to the brim and looks pretty good.

It sounds like there's none in it at all . . .

[ianjpage]

Take it you sorted the exhaust / bumper out?

[Roadkill]

Yeah . . Kind of.

I fitted the new flexi-section . . it was a cheap pattern-part so fitted great at one end but crap the other . . . There's a little blow but not enough to bother me . . .

I think it was the new section that caused the failure on the obviously weakened bit at the back.

For those who didn't see on FB, on Saturday night while driving home the rear box broke off, fell and managed to jam into the block-paved road and rip-off most of the back bumper !!

Thankfully the outer skin is plastic, so I managed to hammer (and kick) it about 90% back into shape . . . There's a few cracks in the paint, now, too.

So now the exhaust ends just behind the rear wheels and, without the last hanger, rattles on the rear axle like a muthaf*cka !

I can't justify further expense or time at the moment so temporarily wrapped rubber sheet over the axle to deaden the noise.

I run her to Liverpool yesterday and it's sounding like the rubber needs replacing already !



The back box is only £35 or so but it looks like you have to cut the old pipe off and sleeve the new section further back (as the original rear section is half the length of the car).

I really don't have the time at the moment so it's gonna have to wait.

[ianjpage]

Ah not ideal then.....

[Roadkill]

I've still not fitted a new back box . . . the back, severed pipe, is rattling around a lot but I have the stereo up pretty loud, anyway to hide the ever increasing noise from the gearbox !!!

I had a blow-out last week . . . .

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I've put just over a thousand mile on the spare so far . . . (getting my money's worth) . . I'm kinda expecting the gearbox to blow up any day so am reluctant to spend too much money !!

She's juddering a tiny bit under light-to-medium acceleration . . . this happens fairly periodically so I've picked up some injector cleaner (£3) which resolves this.

She passed the 255,000 mile-point on Friday . . I'm not sure how much further the gearbox will hold out . . . I'm hoping December (when the tax and MoT run out) at least but . . .

On the plus side, with all the runs up to Liverpool I've been doing recently she's been achieving some epic MPG - especially for an old girl.

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. . It must be the skinny tyre on the front !!!

She's filthy and looking really sorry for herself, now, but she's still going . . . Currently loaded up with over 1/4 tonne of site tools in the boot (which I bought back from Liverpool on Thursday and are going to Dagenham today) . . . Who knows . . . she may see 2015 yet.

[Cunning Plan]

Quoting: Roadkill

achieving some epic MPG

That really is epic for a big estate car!

Quoting: Roadkill

Who knows . . .

Hopefully, as it is been an interesting read for what should be the definition of a daily driver.

[Cunning Plan]

Quoting: Roadkill

I had a blow-out last week . . . .

Are you missing hub-caps or is that just where you have taking it off to get the wheel off? I ask as I have a set of 15" official Ford trims from my old Mondeo, although your wheels are probably 16".

[Roadkill]

Quoting: Cunning Plan

Are you missing hub-caps

I'm missing 2 out of 4 . . .

Quoting: Cunning Plan

although your wheels are probably 16"

Yeah, they are.

[Roadkill]

In - what can only be called a guilt trip - I stumped up and paid for a new back box, hanger and two new genuine ford wheel covers last night.



Once I've cleared the boot out of crap and can get the wheel (with the flat tyre on it) out I'll get a new tyre fitted, too.

[Cunning Plan]

Quoting: Roadkill

I stumped up and paid for a new back box, hanger and two new genuine ford wheel covers last night.

I think someone is confident that it will pass another MOT...

[art b]

Quoting: Cunning Plan

I think someone is confident that it will pass another MOT...  

or selling ...

[art b]

Quoting: Roadkill

I had a blow-out last week . . . .

meh cll that a blow out....

i had this last week ...

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i was doing 55 on the a5 and just felt a slight vibe on the front of the car...

i was quite surprised as this tyre was on the back..