Sweet... I've done a few dodgy ones with finding parts at wreckers and selling them to people and then getting their money and going to the wrecker and pulling it out and giving it a once over and then delivering it. But hey, you gotta have time on your hands and a little bit of ingenuity..!

We have now pronounced the Sabaru GT2 (1993 Turbo) dead due to multiple gearbox failures. Looks like it could be a good idea to start listing bits off that too... Although going to look into keeping the little intercooler for use within my Futuralane blower package that may happen one day.

Damn, wish I had enough money for a re-spray!

OKAY --- Have a look at this... http://www.fordmods.com/forums/post877167.html

http://www.fordmods.com/forums/post878116.html

RICK OLD BEAN...

Just put this message in the above thread as have been doing my usual "search FORDMODS for hours with no results" thing...

OIL LEAK appears to be coming from the crank seal. But without pulling things off and / or steam cleaning the whole lot and then having another look a cannot be 100% sure.

I don't even know where the TIMING BOLT (and seal) is. I didn't even know there was a TIMING COVER as a seperate entity from block and head until reading it above.

I am very interested to have this oil leak thing explained to me. I don't mind getting a balancer puller down there and getting the crank exposed to put a new seal in - I should be able to do that fine, but if it is the TIMING thing leaking then that will be a waste of time (and valuable money buying new seals).

Where do I find the timing thingymi's to re-seal them?



Here's a graphic for you to provide me with a grid referance.
icon_wink.gif

Where the idler pulleys mount on. There is this big bracket and the whole lot can pivot to keep the serpentine belt tight. Remove the belt and undo the mounting bolt. It goes right through with an o-ring. (h5)

If this is not it then the power steering leaks are common. mine did.

The rear main seal is comon and a pain.

the front main seal is likely and also a pain, you have to take the harmonic balancer off. (g7)
I have done a full rebuild and hot up on an old mini but not much on the bottom end of the Falcon even though I have driven mega klm over the last 14 years in E series cars.

heat is your friend when releasing tight objects.
like old rusty pipes and stuff

Thanks Rick old mate... I was looking at the "timing tensioner" thing that uses an O ring also but appears to be down behind alternator sort of thing. Hmmm... I think I've found the OIL PRESSURE SENDER too... Have not tried to swap them yet, but it's added to the list of things to do with oily hands.

Okay, I'm going to dive in and start removing bits this weekend. Thanks for the help...!

I did a bit of work on motorbikes when younger, but had never so much as swapped a disk on a car until owning an EF...

Well mine went pop today.
The belt tensioner seized and popped the belt.
I know where the noise was coming from now.

just as well I had another car in the garage to remove parts from.

My belt was warm anyhow.

I am real p****d that a brand new idler only 2 years ago died on me already.

You can gain access to the tensioner by unbolting the power steering pump and bracket



it is wise practise to fit a new balancer with a new seal if the original balancer is old. This is because they tend to have a groove worn into them and will still leak through the new seal

Bugger - At least you know enough about the motor to actually do something about it yourself as far as diagnosis and repair!

And couldn't agree more on have a spare car handy! I still have three of them - have sold the power steering, alternator etc off one, but will keep a lot of the bolt on bits from the second as I am beginning to see what goes wrong with them and what I will need to end up replacing.


Ahhhhahhh. I was unable to get a proper view of that from the Haynes manual I bought. It's a bit lacking in some areas, the Haynes manual...

Oh bugger. I do have two cars to choose this part from, but my current engine has done 310,000 and the other two Fairmonts have done 210,000 and 360,000 respectively. Probably not worth going to all the effort of pulling the balancers off just to find they are in worse condition than the one I am currently running!


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I have been trying to convince my mate who lets me use his garage and has slightly more knowledge than me that I should just start ripping into the front of the engine and replacing the seals.

My logic is that they are all going to die at some point, and my oil leak could actually be caused by one, two or three of them (four if you include the possibility that the head is bent / gasket is stuffed)... I am trying to tell him that I should just replace the crank seal as it will die soon (if not already) along with the ones around the idler pully bits...

I think that while I've got the area opened up, I may as well do the crank and the pullies...


HIS way of thinking is to hose the whole lot down with degreaser a few times over the next week and then try and visibly sight where the leak is and replace that...


ANY OPINIONS ON THESE TWO DIFFERING OPINIONS?

Am going to go get a whole heap of degreaser now and pour it over front of engine... I think that could create problems in itself! Aren't there a few bits down there that require oil and lubrication?!!!!!

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I would be inclined to remove the lowest Klm engine you have.
Give it the once over replacing all the seals and hoses. Replace the water pump. Replace the idlers and tensioner pulleys. Replace the Harmonic Balancer. Replace the Head gasket with an AU one.
Replace the welsh plugs. Refit into the car.

I would expect a cost of no more than $500 for new parts and head machining.

You should then have 3-4 years of trouble free engine running.

I had my engine out for the rear main seal, head crack repair, idlers, water pump, welsh plugs and injector clean about 2 1/2 years ago.
Cost me $2000 by a professional head and engine rebuilding business. I would have done it myself with a change over head but I had nowhere to work, and no second car.

I have done nothing but oil changes since until the tensioner broke yesterday and the gas converter 2 weeks ago.

I need to do some more maintenance on the brakes and transmission.

If I get the Fairmont going soon I will stop driving the Classic and maybe sell it.

Fair call --- Although the other two motors don't actually run --- The head on one is stuffed due to no oil getting to top end after a mechanic put something wrong into it when putting the head back on after a rebuild and the other motor has done 360,000 so only interested in pulling off parts that have obviously been replaced - water pump being one of them!

But thanks for the list of things to go wrong... I have had the heater hoses break on all three of these engines and all three have been cooked either by myself or previous owners. All three have had the heads off... Etc...

Have learnt about the head issue on them, and yes AU gasket and head bolts sound like a good idea!

Ah well, hope the Mont falls into place for you soon...

I just need to get stuck into the job. I have 90% of the parts. just need a full long weekend effort. with no rain.

Had car up on hoist to do wheel alignment and found oil dripping off the plastic at front of engine bay... YAY! At least it's the front!!

Got my new wheels on and sprayed the slotted rotors with an anti sqwueel CRC product. It worked for a day or two and now the sqwueel on brake application is coming back. Sod it.

Well I stripped my leaf springs and made up the new set with the hybrid package on Sunday.
I di have to gring through the rusted bolts so I need to get a new pair from the suspension specialist. I will ask how much from Ford for a laugh as there is a dealer round the corner from my work.

"A Genuine Ford Part" sticker attached to the bolts would cost about $50, the bolts themselves come free with the sticker. Hah.