whats happening to her?

[schitzkin]

I have a 2.4 v6 on an X plate. She was absolutely mint to drive when I bought her 8 months ago then all of a sudden started running bit rough like an old sierra. I change oil and replace filter every month, never take her over 2000 revs until engine/oil warm and generally look after her well. I have an oil leak which seems to be coming from the gearbox. My clutch bites really high and smells (although this could be the oil leakage burning) when I turn hard on the steering wheel she doesnt sound best pleased, gear changes are far from smooth, I've lost power and now I feel every bump in the road and she rocks from side to side as I'm driving like a boat. Am I right in guessing new shock absorbers might be needed for that one? Just wondered if any one has had all this happen in the space of 2 months or could it be the previous seller new she had just a couple of months left in her. I love the car to bits and dont want anything else except maybe 1.8T but need to know if its better off selling up and starting again. Oh yeh I done 20k since I bought her.

[jallen69]

mine feels a bit like that and ive only had it for a month now, but i reakon its because im getting used to the car (hope that dosn't sound silly)
but my friends and family say the cars lush to drive and have no problems
this is proberly no help to you but just thought i share my problems
thanks!

[JIGGY C]

Probably totally wrong but it sounds as though your suspension may be bust or very worn and now the car is sitting wrong and applying pressure to areas it shouldnt be?

[spartacus 68]

I change oil and replace filter every month

Are you mad? Just how much mileage are you doing in a month?

Use a decent quality synthetic oil, and worst case scenario - I'd replace every 5-10k. It it's on a long-life regime, using Castrol Edge she's good for 15-20k between changes.

Regards wallowing ride, check the shock absorbers, upper control arms and anti-roll bar link bushes. If any of these are worn and you intend to keep the car, I'd overhaul the whole lot. A decent kit will set you back £200 in parts alone + labour, but the drive will be like a new car.

Regards hard-lock on steering, could be anything. Probably worn outer CV joint or tie-rods.

The oil leak. Get engine steam cleaned - as the oil could originate from anywhere. Then drive and look for tell-tale drip. Could even be a rocker cover gasket.

Gear changes - when was gear box oil last checked? Normally it's a sealed for life unit, but could be it needs a top-up. Either that or the clutch is on its way out?

Lost power? Clean or renew mass-air-flow filter. Could also be carbon build up on EGR valve.

Obviously you'll need to work your way through this list and eliminate problems one by one. Don't spend where you don't need to.