PPI reveals cream cheese in the oil
Discussion
So the 280i fhc that I just looked at has cream cheese in the oil. Pull the cap off the radiator and it's blowing bubbles in the beige colored coolant. Oh dear I cry. Seller also reveals that one head, he can't remember which, had already cracked and had been welded up many many moons ago.
The thing is this car's body is in great condition and the chassis too. Interior needs some help but it's not horrible. Car drives straight, steers nicely and brakes fine as well. Glass is good also. All round solid car.
Also the engine has meant to have had a 3.2 conversion done on it. So does that mean a normal Ford gasket no longer fits?
I'm not up on the Cologne engine, so any input would be appreciated. Is pulling the heads and doing a gasket set, we hope it's just a gasket, that big of a deal? If we have a cracked head anyone know if replacements can be sourced in the US. If it is a cracked head, is it even worth the hassle. I think I heard about fitting heads of a Bronco and going to a carb set up. Which I think requires custom exhaust manifolds, as the Bronco head is a three pot one.
Thanks for the advice in advance,
Cheers, Gavin.
The thing is this car's body is in great condition and the chassis too. Interior needs some help but it's not horrible. Car drives straight, steers nicely and brakes fine as well. Glass is good also. All round solid car.
Also the engine has meant to have had a 3.2 conversion done on it. So does that mean a normal Ford gasket no longer fits?
I'm not up on the Cologne engine, so any input would be appreciated. Is pulling the heads and doing a gasket set, we hope it's just a gasket, that big of a deal? If we have a cracked head anyone know if replacements can be sourced in the US. If it is a cracked head, is it even worth the hassle. I think I heard about fitting heads of a Bronco and going to a carb set up. Which I think requires custom exhaust manifolds, as the Bronco head is a three pot one.
Thanks for the advice in advance,
Cheers, Gavin.
Thank you guys for the input, so very much appreciated. I'm a touch p***ed off with the whole situation as I had made the effort to travel 1200 miles to see the car, granted it was part of a business trip but it took some co-ordination and expense to incorporate the detour. For the seller not to know about the issue is so highly unlikely considering he has owned the car for 19 years and that's what rubs me. He made the comment that a head gasket is better than a cracked or rusted frame. Which is true but only if it is the gasket. He says he has not driven the car in almost two years due to injury and the car being in a shop for electrical issues. So we can probably assume the issue has been there for quite awhile and damage to the internals is almost an absolute. The cream cheese was very evident on the dip stick. So I asked his lowest price and he reduced it by $500. Well that's generous I think, it's definitely my lucky day!. $3000 is still a hefty price to pay even with a good chassis and body. So unfortunately no wedge for me.
Sometimes I think I might me better off getting a Corvette C4. Plenty around, V8 obviously, bundles of parts on every street corner in every town to keep them running and all for sensible money. Such a shame that I find myself thinking like this. That's my head ruling my heart I guess.
Cheers, Gavin.
Sometimes I think I might me better off getting a Corvette C4. Plenty around, V8 obviously, bundles of parts on every street corner in every town to keep them running and all for sensible money. Such a shame that I find myself thinking like this. That's my head ruling my heart I guess.
Cheers, Gavin.
Moving on to the next one. Seller wouldn't come down any further, saying someone in Sweden or Switzerland had contacted him about the car. Well good luck with that then. Hope whoever is interested in it does a good PPI. Nothing worse than paying all those shipping charges and finding out the motor is shot the first time you turn the key.
To be honest I didn't think the cologne engine was that much of an issue. I figured that as Ford had used it for so many years it was pretty good lump. Surprised to learn that isn't so. Makes me a bit nervous of any TVR fitted with that engine. Things going wrong doesn't bother me but not having parts to fix does. The one good thing with my 77 Esprit is that pretty much everything is still available.
To be honest I didn't think the cologne engine was that much of an issue. I figured that as Ford had used it for so many years it was pretty good lump. Surprised to learn that isn't so. Makes me a bit nervous of any TVR fitted with that engine. Things going wrong doesn't bother me but not having parts to fix does. The one good thing with my 77 Esprit is that pretty much everything is still available.
If I could of got the car for $2k I would of taken it. Being hands on is not the issue but I really wasn't looking for a major surgery project as soon is it got into my garage. We had agreed on a price subject to inspection. At no point did he mention that previous head work was done resulting in a weld. All that was mentioned was the 3.2 conversion with the upgrade to hardened valve seats. The car was described as in great mechanical condition but requiring cosmetic TLC. Reducing the price by $500 to reflect a possible head gasket or engine swap is not enough. Go fix the problem and I'll give you
more for it. As with most things, people think thier stuff is worth more than what the next man will pay. The seller wants out of the car but he has a $3000 repair bill for electrical work that he wants to recoup. Thus his $3000 bottom number. The work was done on the dash wiring with some gauges being replaced faollowing an incident that resulted in some burnt wires. When driving the car I noticed that the rev counter was reading under by 50% and the volt gauge was reading in the red at 15v. There was also some issue with the indicator stalk. It took the shop a year to do the work. Why I don't know but normally is lack of parts, ability to do the work or lack of payment. Who knows which.
It's unfortunate because I liked the car but it's not the only fhc about and if I need to spend more money I will. Life doesn't really allow me to undertake full blown mechanical surgery, however I am more than capable, so I shall look for one that requires less from the outset.
Cheers,
Gavin.
more for it. As with most things, people think thier stuff is worth more than what the next man will pay. The seller wants out of the car but he has a $3000 repair bill for electrical work that he wants to recoup. Thus his $3000 bottom number. The work was done on the dash wiring with some gauges being replaced faollowing an incident that resulted in some burnt wires. When driving the car I noticed that the rev counter was reading under by 50% and the volt gauge was reading in the red at 15v. There was also some issue with the indicator stalk. It took the shop a year to do the work. Why I don't know but normally is lack of parts, ability to do the work or lack of payment. Who knows which.
It's unfortunate because I liked the car but it's not the only fhc about and if I need to spend more money I will. Life doesn't really allow me to undertake full blown mechanical surgery, however I am more than capable, so I shall look for one that requires less from the outset.
Cheers,
Gavin.
Thanks Andy.
I'm used to the twin carb Lotus 907 engine which has an unjustified horrible reputation and is actually a super engine if maintained correctly. I'm hoping the Ford lump will be a bit more forgiving. Funny enough it sounds like parts avaliability is better on the Lotus than the Ford. However, the Ford definitely has less parts that can go wrong.
Cheers Gavin.
I'm used to the twin carb Lotus 907 engine which has an unjustified horrible reputation and is actually a super engine if maintained correctly. I'm hoping the Ford lump will be a bit more forgiving. Funny enough it sounds like parts avaliability is better on the Lotus than the Ford. However, the Ford definitely has less parts that can go wrong.
Cheers Gavin.
Edited by GBinUSA on Wednesday 9th July 01:09
2nd 280i fell short also. Not much left of the powder coating on the frame. Now it's kinda of surface rust with spots of cracked paint. Don't buy a car that's lived within 5 miles of the coast. People really think they have the dogs do do's for sale and can't seem to understand why the bloody thing hasn't sold. Keep it real you US TVR sellers.
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