Hi all, the car runs well 90% of the time, but lately without warning the steering wheel will start 2 shake, & run ragged as if something stuck in fuel line. Also when i pulled over it stopped w/o the need of handbrake.

I've jacked both wheels off ground & nothing stuck, checked air filter/hoses all ok.

Even with problem it still runs, & ticks over normally, then within 15mins+ all back 2 normal.

I thought maybe type of journey as last time on return from Bury (50m) it did it, but b4 local trip.

Please any advice wud be helpful, as bemused!
Car is Treg 2000 1.3i 3dr 85,000m

Hmmm strange one.

The shaking through the steering wheel could be due to problems with the suspension or wheels, although it could also be related to something wrong with the engine causing it to vibrate.

I had a problem on my last car where after it had warmed up, if you pushed the accelerator more than a certain amount, the engine would start to run rough and the car would actually decelerate - but at idle or light acceleration the car would run fine.  I changed the spark plugs and that fixed the problem.  I had performance HT leads on that car which were only a year old, so I knew they wouldn't be at fault, but if your's are old I wouldn't rule them out.

I had a similar problem on the car before, which turned out to be that the HT lead connection on the spark plug had "popped off" slightly (only just noticeable when looking at the top of the engine.  A quick re-tighten of the spark plug and popping the HT lead back on properly cured that one.

As for the wheels and suspension, did you take the wheels off when you jacked the car up?  If not I'd advise taking the wheels off and having a good look at the brake disks and pads - make sure both pads are evenly worn.

One last thing you can try if it does it again, is to pull over as soon as possible afterwards, and then check the temperature of the brakes.  If you have alloys, simply touch the center of the wheel and see if it's hot (hold you hand near it first though - as they can get quite hot) - if you find one is a lot hotter than the rest, then that's the brake that's sticking.

Right, firstly I need to know if your car is an X3 or LC (model number that just defines the shape - you'll see it a lot around the forum).  Normally, a T-reg is 1999, with V-reg for 2000.  However, there were a few T-reg and V-reg LC's as they were supposedly released in late 1999.

If it's an X3, it'll look like the yellow one in my signature, if it's an LC, it'll be more "angular".

If you have an X3, the fuel filter should be somewhere on the engine bay firewall (between the engine and cabin) - you'll have to trace the fuel lines back from the fuel rail to find it as no-one's ever managed to get a decent picture of it.

If it's an LC, the fuel filter is attached to the fuel pump in the tank.  You'll have to remove the rear seat cushion and then the cover on the metal bodywork underneath ... then it's just a case of unbolting the fuel pump cover to get access to the tank (and the filter).  It's fiddly, but do-able.  Also, make sure you have pleanty of rags or other absorbant cloth to absorb any spillage - you don't wan't the car reaking of fuel.

Finally, before disconnecting the fuel lines, locate the fuel pump fuse and remove it.  Then start the car.  It will cut out after a few seconds, which is normal.  This will remove the majority of pressure in the fuel lines and make it safer to disconnect any fuel lines necessary

Filters on cars tend to be replacable items and are generally not able to be cleaned.  As for a price I'm afraid I can't help on that one.

Before i could look/replace the fuel filter a strange thing happened, the battery Died.

One morning it would'nt start, as the batt was flat without any warning. I charged it up, went to work, charged it properly, but flat again. It started with a bump start, but ran similar to the problems i have had. Next morning flat again.

Another batt for £48 & no problems at all since!!! 

                                                                                                                                                               

i would say either battery or alternator . as when the battery goes flat some cars wont run properly as some need 12v through the electrics.

If you have a multimeter, set it to volts and with the engine off you should get between 12 and 13.5 volts across the battery.  With the engine running you should get between 13.8 and 14.8 volts on the battery.

If the battery without the engine running is below 12 volts, the battery is getting tired.  If the voltage is out of the range specified by a reasonable amount with the engine running, then the alternator has got problems.

As an example, my dad's last car had a faulty voltage regulator in the Alternator.  This caused it to overcharge the battery (was chucking in about 18 volts at idle) - which caused the battery to quite literally boil after a minute or two!  So the faulty alternator also killed the battery.