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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> td info
        
(Message started by: rayzor on Mar 18^th, 2009, 1:50pm)

Title: td info
Post by rayzor on Mar 18^th, 2009, 1:50pm

Hi new on here, considering buying a td manual estate. can any one tell me what mpg i will get. is high miles a problem. do they have a cam belt or is it chain. six years ago i had a 2.3 ghia x auto, i loved it untill the gear box died. :'( many thanks rayzor

Title: Re: td info
Post by Matt on Mar 18^th, 2009, 6:21pm

hi mate

not to sure about mpg but the engines are pretty solid, they use a push rod system, and timing its done via gears so no belts/chains to worry about, if its had a regular service then high miles isnt really a problem, but the belt tensioners have been know to go sloppy/squeal after a few years in service

if its had a history of towing caravans then have a good listen to the rear diff for any whine, knocks rattles etc

the mt75 manual box is a good strong box, but like everything benefits from new oil from time to time

as with all scorpios if they have been looked after then you shouldn't have many problems :)

Title: Re: td info
Post by mijfife on Mar 18^th, 2009, 7:29pm

Hi Rayzor & welcome to the forum :) I've got a '96 TD manual so I'll try and answer some of your questions.
Mileage wise, I get about 36mpg on a run and about 30 - 32 around doors. I run on waste vegetable oil so you might get slightly better on regular diesel. As Matt says, there are no timing belts to worry about as it is done by gear wheels. I've heard that the VM engine that's fitted to the Scorpio can suffer from head gasket problems so check carefully for any signs of problems here. Other than that, they seem to be good strong engines. Mine has done 157K and always starts first turn of the key and runs well.
The other thing to be aware of is the diff, it's unique to the TD and it's sought after by the kit car & stock car boys as it's a brilliant ratio for their needs, so make sure there's no noise as a replacement could be pricey!
The usual Scorpio electrical problems apply so check for flooded fuse boxes due to blocked drain holes and missing battery covers. Alternators are also different from the petrol models and again quite expensive.
I wouldn't say it's the fastest diesel I've ever driven, it's a bit slow off the mark but picks up quite well once the turbo kicks in and it's definitely a comfy big cruiser :)

Good luck in finding your dream car and I'm sure you'll find the guys on here a great help, I know I did when I first bought mine ::)

Cheers Jim

Title: Re: td info
Post by PeteB on Mar 20^th, 2009, 7:12pm

My TD has done 185k runs fine, although she does have a bit of a squeal with the tensioner :o

Pete

Title: Re: td info
Post by sierra20 on Mar 20^th, 2009, 10:21pm

i used to have a granada td with the same engine, although i think the scorpio has more power, but i used to get 28-30 around town, and 34ish on a run, good engine had covered 130k and i had no probs with it

Title: Re: td info
Post by mijfife on Mar 21^st, 2009, 6:52pm

on 03/20/09 at 19:12:49, PeteB wrote:

My TD has done 185k runs fine, although she does have a bit of a squeal with the tensioner :o

Pete

Yep, my tensioner died a while back, it's now done by a bit of solid bar and me on tensioning duty ;) I wasn't paying the price of a new one, they cost a fortune!!

Cheers, Jim

Title: Re: td info
Post by wumpster on Mar 23^rd, 2009, 1:46pm

how have you done it m8 as mine is goosed just a pice of solid bar at 85mm centres or elongated they want £108.00 plus vat just for the damper :-/

Title: Re: td info
Post by mijfife on Mar 23^rd, 2009, 5:44pm

Hi Wumpster, I just did it with a bit of solid bar, can't remember what the centres were, had to do mine by guess work as it had disintegrated ::) I didn't elongate the holes and adjustment is done by slackening both lower bolts and tensioning with the 1/2 drive that you would normally use to take the pressure off the tensioner. It's been on for 17k miles with no problems.
It was a d**n sight cheaper than the £108 plus vat jobby from Ford ;D

Cheers Jim

Title: Re: td info
Post by wumpster on Mar 24^th, 2009, 6:52pm

cheers m8 i will give it a go as mine is ratteling like a good un if i put pressure on the tensioner it goes so its lookin like a little fabrication this weekend ;D ;D ;D ;D untill i can get down to the scrap yard and find one off something else i can mod with the mig hammer and grinder ::) ::)