Project Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi
PART FIVE: Rob Hawkins had to call the RAC to transport the Mondeo home, but managed to tick off some of the numerous jobs that have accumulated.
Iwas trying my best to convince Mrs H that theCM Ford Mondeo was well-built and a good car, even though at the time, there was some hesitation from the engine under acceleration at around 2000rpm. We don’t have too many good memories of Fords, especially when our daily exproject Mk1 Focus TDCi died on the smart motorway section of the M1 a few years ago, only to never drive it again or even work out how to fix it.
All was going well with the Mondeo until an alarming rattle emerged from the nearside rear some 60 miles from home. I quickly pulled over and things could have easily got worse when I asked my wife to bounce up and down on the back of the car to help identify the problem. Luckily, before she protested, I spotted the nearside rear damper was hanging down as it had come loose from its top mount. Pushing it back into position, I hoped that the nut was still lurking inside the top mount and all I needed was a garage to retighten it, on a Saturday afternoon at 4pm! I called a local Kwik Fit that was a five-minute drive away and they were happy to have a look as part of a free suspension check.
After driving very carefully to them, I let the mechanics have a look and they tried their best to refit the top nut on to the end of the damper rod, but the thread was stripped. They were incredibly accommodating and didn’t charge a penny for their efforts. Sadly, there was only one answer – call the RAC and ask for the Mondeo to be delivered home. Three hours later, my wife was thankfully still talking to me and we were back home.
The upshot of the saga is explained a little more in words and photos this month, but I’ve learnt my lesson about damper mounts – replace them if you are in any doubt.
Hesitation @ 2000rpm
Other calamities have been less stressful, such as the aforementioned engine hesitation at 2000rpm. Mark at AES quickly found the cause – the turbo boost valve (it’s a vacuum-operated actuator). He also fixed the seized bonnet lock and helped to remove the condensation from one of the headlights.
We’ve also fixed some problems
that we didn’t even know about, such as a broken feed pipe for the air filter housing. Progress on the Mondeo is looking promising and it’s turning into a reliable daily driver. I bet that’s jinxed it.
REAR DAMPER DISASTER
