Hello everyone,

I just bought a second hand 98 2.4 Auto Magna which has about 150,000kms on the clock and I am having a bit of trouble with it, I then came across this great forum and decided to ask you guys for a bit of help :D

The first issue is with the auto transmission or clutch; when I am driving and I brake to a complete stop just about a second or two before the car stops fully there is a "Chug" forward as if the car is changing down to 1st gear or into neutral.
Has anyone experienced this before and if so do you know what causes it?

The second issue is with the sterring column; the sterring seems fine until I go over a pot hole of other large divot in the road, then there is a sharp vibration and noise in the sterring wheel as if it was too stiff to take the bump from the wheel.
Is this a problem with the suspension or something like that?

The third problem is with fuel consumption; for a half a tank of fuel I only get about 90kms of city driving which seems really low to me!
Is this a normal figure for half a tank and if not what could be causing the problem?

Any help in these matters is greatly appreciated...

are you sure you only get 90km's?

i only do suburb driving. and i know i would get at least 150km's out of half a tank and mines a 98 auto v6 3.0 advance.. and most the time im carrying people from point t to f...

and i would think the 2.4 would use less petrol?

redbook says your car does:
Fuel Consumption City 10L/100km
Fuel Consumption Highway 6.6L/100km

im guessing your Fuel tank would be 50-60l?

SO yup theres definitly something wrong there!

are you sure you only get 90km's?


Yep I fill up with about $25 worth of fuel at about 88c/litre and it shows just over half on the gauge, then I do about 90-100kms and the gauge is now on almost empty and the "Fuel Low" light is on...

It only really happens when I use it in the city and there is constant stopping and starting.
If I go on a long drive on the Freeway I get at least 175kms for the same amount of fuel.

Any ideas what might be causing this and could it be linked with the first fault I have mentioned of the car slipping back into 1st or N with a jolt each time I slow down to stop?

for your first prob, if it's just a slight 'chug' forward, then it's normal. this is common in auto cars. it kindda feels like you're already braking but yet the car still wants to go forward a little before stopping? if it irritates you too much, just shift it into N just before coming to a complete stop.

for your second problem, also a common problem in magnas. it's the steering column. i've brought my 1999 TH to mitsu a couple of time over this problem and in the end they finally admitted it's a prob they can't solve. it's a design flaw and it usually tends to get worse as your car ages.

i am not surprised you get only 90kms out of a half tank with a lot of stop-and-go's IF you drive the 3.5L. but yours being a 2.4L, seems a little too low. might be clogged injectors, dirty air filter or maybe even related to the first problem (if it is really a gearbox fault).

take it to the doc for some advice buddy. or if the service date is up, give it some new engine oil, fresh auto trans fluid, new air filter, and i'd recommend a bottle of Redline injector cleaner (can find it online at redline.com.au). alot of injector cleaners out in the market are crap but this Redline is good stuff. BMW recommends it. but obviously don't rely on it to completely clean a badly clogged injector. you'd need ultrasonic cleaning for that.

You know the thing with the sterring right, do u think by lowering the car and stuff it will feel more secure??? My magna is totally stock now. WHen its raining and I go over a bump it fells like the whole car will lose itself. Not a very comfortable feeling

Gauss07, I couldn't have said it better myself. Take his advice dude, take it for a complete service, and learn to live with the little quibbles :)

As for tevolvereloco's question... if you get a really nice suspension setup, say full whiteline with swaybar and castor/camber kit that should fix a large part of it. If you just get it lowered with new springs, prepare for the problem to double as the car loses traction even over little bumps because of the hardness of the suspension..

You know the thing with the sterring right, do u think by lowering the car and stuff it will feel more secure??? My magna is totally stock now. WHen its raining and I go over a bump it fells like the whole car will lose itself. Not a very comfortable feeling
Whoow Really???
Maybe u and Gauss mite need to get some wheel balance and aligning done on ur wheels :? :? :?
Mine kinda does that hard Steering thing,thow it could jus be my tires,dunno
My 2c

i'd recommend a bottle of Redline injector cleaner (can find it online at redline.com.au). alot of injector cleaners out in the market are crap but this Redline is good stuff. BMW recommends it. but obviously don't rely on it to completely clean a badly clogged injector. you'd need ultrasonic cleaning for that.

Hey gauss,

Thanks a lot for your reply, very informative...

I will try out the redline oil injector cleaner and let you know how I get on...

As for the first issue with the car jolting forward just before a complete stop, I have had a auto car before namely a Lancer and it never displayed this jolting problem with the gears on braking so that is why I thought there was a problem.
I think I will have to bring it for a complete major service and see what happens...

Thanks once again....

could it be the O2 sensor causing the poor economy?

The tank in those cars is 71L, even in city driving, you should be getting about 200-250km from $25 worth, at least, unless you're driving around at 5000rpm :)...

Hey gauss,

Thanks a lot for your reply, very informative...

I will try out the redline oil injector cleaner and let you know how I get on...

As for the first issue with the car jolting forward just before a complete stop, I have had a auto car before namely a Lancer and it never displayed this jolting problem with the gears on braking so that is why I thought there was a problem.
I think I will have to bring it for a complete major service and see what happens...

Thanks once again....

some ppl don't like the idea of injector cleaner fuel additives, others swear by it. i am one who stands somewhere in the middle. if you start reading a little bit about Redline, you might come to trust their products. auto manufacturers like BMW don't endorse many products so if and when they do, clearly that product can't be too ineffective. but i would advise against purchasing any kind of fuel additive easily found at gas stations or auto shops. these are mostly cheap stuff that either don't work, or worse still, may cause damage.

Whoow Really???
Maybe u and Gauss mite need to get some wheel balance and aligning done on ur wheels :? :? :?
Mine kinda does that hard Steering thing,thow it could jus be my tires,dunno
My 2c

done that too man. didn't solve nothing. even the guy at bob jane told me it was pretty common among magnas... :lol: but when my car was still under warranty, they actually did something (i don't know what cos this little technician guy was horrible at explanations) which made it better. but it went back to square one after awhile so i've decided to just live with it. :cry:

Could the jolting when almost to a stop, just be the auto changing down into 1st?

When I pull up to my driveway or to traffic lights, I feel the auto change into 1st. I thought this was normal with the Invecs Tran, as its supposed to pre-empt what gear I need....which is 1st:?

And the steering issue sounds like rack rattle. Dont worry mine gets it and so does a $350,000 plus Merc S600!

The gauges in most cars are horse shit. Fill it up, drive it for the "90km" you say and then fill it up again. I bet only 10L goes in :roll:

Fulcrum suspention do free checks of cars, book it in and see what they reckon.