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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> new member - with request!
        
(Message started by: chriscliff on Feb 26^th, 2007, 8:46pm)

Title: new member - with request!
Post by chriscliff on Feb 26^th, 2007, 8:46pm

Hi everyone - I'm not sure which section this should be in but I'll try this one.
A few years ago I bought a beautiful looking low mileage auto TD Omega estate but it averaged 21 mpg, was always in the wrong gear and steered like a bowl of custard. One day I spotted an M reg TD Scorpio Ultima estate with 95000 on the clock in a showroom, took it out for a drive and was hooked immediately. We did the deal and I ended up with a real drivers car and £3k back in cash. I also found out it did 40+ mpg!
I have loved the car for its huge load capacity, comfort, driveability and frugality. Unfortunately I have just found the engine bay full of oil and the drive belt shredded so suspect major problems and think it probably has to go, but want to stay loyal would like to get hold of a facelift model TD Ultima estate. Anyone know of one for sale, preferably not too far from Cheshire?
Thanks

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by Matt on Feb 26^th, 2007, 8:53pm

whats the steering like? the powersteering pump may of seezed up and the belt shredded when you started it throwing the oil out

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by Spannerdemon on Feb 26^th, 2007, 11:55pm

Have you tried Ebay? ;)

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by chriscliff on Feb 27^th, 2007, 8:36pm

Thanks guys
I noticed a strange smell driving home but didn't pay too much attention but I presume in hindsight it was the belt spinning in the oil and burning it up. When I drove away next morning the first thing I noticed was the power steering dead then saw the belt was shredded.
I have been on ebay, autotrader and a few other car sale sites and there are some late Ghia TD estates but no Ultimas, so I was wondering about "ear to the ground" stuff.

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by taliban on Feb 27^th, 2007, 8:37pm

could be front crank oil seal......http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/manual/engines/tdi/TDIFOilSeal.pdf

i've just fitted a new belt tensioner to mine, it also needs a new crank pulley damper.
looking through the service history for m car i think there could be a weakness in this area, mines had 3 tensioners and 2 dampers in the past....

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by TiberiuS on Feb 27^th, 2007, 8:48pm

If you like the car, I'd try and get it fixed before you go in for another with no guarantee of trouble-free motoring ;)

The Scorpio is a driver's car, one of the best handling saloon cars on the market in my humble opinion - some more expensive cars don't come close for pure drive, even if you hate the way it looks (which I don't any more :))

Good luck ;)

Regards, Bruce.

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by taliban on Feb 27^th, 2007, 8:49pm

the power steering dies as soon as the belt becomes slack. try to see where the oil has come from; if its pink/red, its power steering fluid, power steering pumps are cheap from breakers.
it might look bad, but im sure theres no reason to change the car....

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by Tyler4 on Feb 27^th, 2007, 11:19pm

Hi Criscliff
I too run a M reg Diesel, and have had much trouble with alternators and drive belts over the years. Last of the diesels scorpio's were fitted with a much modified tensioner system and uprated alternator. I can tell you from experience that shreded belts often find their way into the crankshaft seal, thus causing severe oil leaks.
Worth checking, as seals are cheap and not too hard to change.

Good luck - Tyler4

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by chriscliff on Feb 28^th, 2007, 9:28pm

Thanks again guys. I suspect it is front seal as it is engine oil. I have done a monumental engine bay clean up and run the engine for a couple of minutes but can't see any leak high up. I will repair the car and thanks for the link which will be a great help.
I do like the car Bruce as you do and for that reason had already intended to look for a similar later year replacement - it has done 160000 miles and I would like to "upgrade" to the facelift model with the uprated engine if I can find one

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by cossieguy on Mar 1^st, 2007, 9:44am

Chris, if you look on eBay there's a brand new TD engine going at the moment for about a grand. Alot I know, but fitted your looking at £1400,and a brand new engine in your existing car. Could be an option?
Guy.

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by sector-9 on Mar 1^st, 2007, 6:59pm

Don't forget the alternator has a vacuum pump mounted either on it's front or back (depends on year) and this has both an oil feed and return. Also the TD has a small bore pipe which feeds oil to each head (they're individual on this engine) and is near the coolant collector rail on the top - possible this has been damaged?

It's unlikely the engine has suffered terminal damage unless it's been run with no oil pressure in which case if it hasn't seized it'll just be more worn out than it should! I'd definitely try to troubleshoot and fix the one you've got as a first choice.

Darren

Title: Re: new member - with request!
Post by chriscliff on Mar 8^th, 2007, 9:53pm

Thanks again for your help. I will repair this engine rather than fit a replacement Guy as the oil level was still above minimum so it should be OK.
Thanks for the warning about the alternator oil feed Darren and you are dead right - I dropped the undertray to clean up the horrible mess and was astonished to find 2 small but steady oil leaks - one from the clips on the short wide oil pipe which I tightened and another from the bottom of a small dome shaped device situated in the run of the thinner longer pipe - I presume I will need to replace the pipe. Both these leaks had obviously been going for some time into the undertray which was saturated in oil but the slight oil loss I put down to oil burning. I would recommend all TD owners to check this area.
There is also a leak from the front main bearing which is presumably the cause of the recent more major oil loss which I will attend to.