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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> Please help with your thoughts
        
(Message started by: Baw_Flinger on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 11:20am)

Title: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Baw_Flinger on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 11:20am

I am facing a HGF and as I have spent a fortune (£1k) on my scorp over the last 6 months I am looking for thoughts on whether I should bin it now or get it fixed and sell it on. The main problem is I really cant afford nothing at the moment to replace the car, so I am in a catch 22.
If I get it fixed, what do you think realistically is her worth? This is not a sales pitch, just need some honest advice.

2.3 Ultima (all toys bar rear parking) P reg 113300miles
MOT-Oct . Tax-Aug
Samakand metalic purple with pumice interior.
Bodywork is fair but has a few dings here and there as well as surface scratches/chipping. No rust on wheel arches.
Interior is nice & clean but drivers seat is scratched round about the arse area because of a bad stud on a pair of jeans >:(
Tyres are good and have at least 4mm tread on each.
Everthing electrical works bar Volume up on remote stock, CD changer & ICE has no problems at all.
Dash, CC panel, window buttons etc converted to blue and orange.
Lots of history, receipts for everything including a new engine at 75k. No book though.

Everything else works as it should. I realy did put a lot of time and effort in to looking after this thing and keeping it tickityboo!

Work done in the last 6 months:
Second hand gear box & full oil/filter change
MAF changed
New water pump
Drivebelt tensioner and belt
New Expansion tank/cap, thermostat, radiator hoses
New O/S rear bearing, N/S checked.
New front break pads and disks
New CAT
Air con re-fill and check

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Simmo on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 12:35pm

For what its worth B-F it seems that given all the work to date and your situation the best course would be to do the head gasket and keep the car. Your honest description is not going to exactly attract the punters but given all the new parts etc I would have thought it has to worth one last shot. You are not exactly in the wilderness in H W are there no fellow members around who might lend a hand? if the work is outside your capability. It sure would be if it were mine!. Good luck mate. Mike

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Baw_Flinger on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 12:49pm

Thanks. Nah, this kind of work is way over what I can do. I am waiting on a quote coming back for parts but labour is at about £200 from my local guy alone. Now, that may seem like it is not that much but my cash situation at the moment is in the red...

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by mr._floppy on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 1:03pm

Yeah, I was going to say give it one more chance, but speaking as a lifelong pessemist on these matters this may well be the year that the MOT test will show up many failures that will prove financially crippling to fix. ???

As a long time buyer of older higher mileage cars I've been in your position before, but I'm getting to old to be wriggling about underneath the car on freezing rainy dark nights trying to keep it going.

My next car will have to be a newer, lower mileaged, expensive , boring but reliable and trouble free Eurobox. :-X

I love the luxury of the Scorp but I'll never be able to afford a comparable modern ( Audi , Merc. BMW, Lexus ) similarly appointed big saloon. :-[

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Dave on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 1:11pm

Very difficult situation, you have my sympathies :(

Instant reaction, particularly looking at the work you have had done already, is to keep it.

Do you have access to another car for a while, or can you get by on public transport for a bit? That way you could have a bit of time to save up/sort things out cash wise then have another look.

It might be worth putting a post on looking for help from a member in your area who could help do the job at home. Head gaskets aren't the worst job, I did one on a simple car in about 8 hours knowing absolutely nothing before I started.

On the other hand are there any other areas that may cause a problem at the next MOT i.e. underbody corrosion etc.

It sounds like quite a nice example. If you decide to get it fixed then have a good look round for the cause of the problem.

Good luck ;)

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by jonnycab on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 1:17pm

For £200 plus parts for the head gasket (seems like a good price), I personally would get it done. Then you would have piece of mind that the car will at last be problem free.

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Baw_Flinger on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 2:35pm

Thanks guys :). It just seems like I am paying out every month and each time I think that it should be OK for a good bit, something else comes up and bites me in the rear. Its the most problematic car I have ever ran and I just keep shelling out because its also the nicest car I have ever ran and have taken great pride in running it. Its going to be a real heart braker if it has to go because I know that I will have to go back to the world of crap, plasticy boring, back braking, noisey rubbish motors (unless I win the lottery). But hey, at least I may end up with one that will run.....
The car actualy runs OK apart from the pressure build up and has done for some time before I blew a hose http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Problems;action=display;num=1148542642
I did a 250mile run yesterday with no over heat. I may just have to run it for a few weeks until I have the cash. Dont know of any other owners in my area that could help (loads about but no members) so thats a no goer I think but will post something anyway.

Cheers,
Lee.

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by bizzay1 on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 2:44pm

£200 to have the gasket done is a brilliant price, I just paid £550 to have mine done. but then that expanded to having to get another head (s/h £120)and then went on to needing new manifolds (another £75 For both) and it didn't stop there the egr pipe was solid in the old manifold so had to get another one of those (£45) so if you are going to get it done best look at all angles - it may end up a lot more than the original price quoted, mine did. At least if you attempt it yourself, or with a friend the labour cost will be £0.
Best of luck whatever you decide m8

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Baw_Flinger on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 2:56pm

Thanks Bizzay1. I have thought about that. The engine is only 3 years old and has only had 40k put on it as well as a new EGR fairly recently as it is still all new and shiney looking. So, in some way I am kind of hopefull but then again, you just have to look at my recent luck :(

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Baw_Flinger on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 4:56pm

I must say, my mechanic is an absolute jem. Just got it back from test and a full forward and backward flush as a last resort. Defo HG :( Now, as well as that and 1 1/2 hours he spent with me on in on Monday, he has not charged me a penny!!! Instead, he has just advised me what the problem is and do I really want to spend the money? So happy to just have someone that does not just do work regarless, over charges for it and never getts to the bottom of the real problem. Now I'm just going to have to sleep on it....

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Simmo on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 5:20pm

Mate If you've got a Jem like that there is only one route. A word of advice, keep his identity secret !!!! or go into the Bed and Breakfast business putting up all the people who come rushing there to get him to fix their cars!!.

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Baw_Flinger on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 7:36pm

Lol. He's the only thing keeping me close from teers......
I am really not that sad BTW ;)

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by PeteB on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 11:04pm

Aye after all that work I'd keep her, mind you I wouldnt have had all that done in the first place :) I have a habbit of buying older cars running them a while and if a big job comes up get rid for another older one (always making sure i get 12 months mot). You could say im a car tart :D

Pete

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by jonnycab on Jun 2^nd, 2006, 11:56pm

Correct me if I'm wrong...but didn't you say that the oil was fine & there was no evidence of water contamination (mayo) in the oil. If this is the case then surely it cannot be a head gasket, especially only after 40K.
If you have really given up on the car, then (if you have the space) you would get more money breaking it. I seem to remember that Baz recently bought a 98 facelift for £175.00 & sold the rear lights for £165.00, & he is still selling bits on Ebay.
Worth considering ;)

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by sector-9 on Jun 3^rd, 2006, 3:50pm

Head gaskets are not actually that difficult - the hardest part is usually removing everything so that you can get the head off! In your case, the biggest difficulty will be in removing the timing chain; if you can manage that then you'll find the rest of the job straightforward...

Doubt it'll fix the problem, though it may help you to soldier on for a while longer, but check and re-torque the cylinder head bolts. It's not unusual for them to have to be retightened some point after initial fitting, and you say it is a fairly new engine? If it really is the H/G then it can't be that bad a leak as you don't mention clouds of white smoke on startup which would indicate coolant getting into the cylinders. In fact, it sounds as though it is still water-tight but not gas-tight which may indeed be cured by tightening the head bolts...

Darren

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by bizzay1 on Jun 3^rd, 2006, 6:45pm

on 06/03/06 at 15:50:50, sector-9 wrote:

re-torque the cylinder head bolts. It's not unusual for them to have to be retightened some point after initial fitting, and you say it is a fairly new engine?
Darren

didn't think this was done on these engines as they use stretch bolts and when first tightened are taken to their limit, so re-tightening them will only stretch the thread not pull the head down ?

Title: Re: Please help with your thoughts
Post by Baw_Flinger on Jun 3^rd, 2006, 10:34pm

Cheers guys. The way I have had the problem described is possably two fold:
1- the way a HG can happen in as scorp because of design is that we do not tend to have a catarophic failure as in eg a rover 400/416/600 ect. what we can get is a very small hairline fracture that can build up the air pressure in the collant system over a space of time without all the usual signs of oil/water ect. It would seem I have actualy been running on this for quite some time :o ::) with no actual vissable effect apart from hwen the weather started getting better and an old hose finaly gave in.
2- My mechanic advised that I should get the head sent off at the same time for a proper stress and pressure test. This is because a small crack (similar to the above) can cause the same symptoms. All in all, not good but as we have exhausted all other possabilites......
I fould a post from last year from a member, and reading it was a serious case of dejvu. Cause: HGF without mayo, etc..... No link, sorry, it took me long enough to find it but was stupid enough not to save it.

Cheers Guys!