Ford Puma revival
Discussion
(This is a x-post from pumapeople.com)
Hi there everyone,
My wife and I have recently been looking for another car. My wife's had puma's before and, although they're too bloody small for us both to fit in, for some reason we decided it might be a good idea to get one. About a month ago we saw on a facebook selling group someone locally selling a puma for scrap money - £250. We went and saw it in the dark whilst it was raining and got it for £200 in the end. It's got a stupid personalised plate on it which will be sold when it's got an MOT on it (worth about £300 so we're quids in already).
So it's a S reg with 83k on the clock, a bit of rust here and there, a spoiler which was held on with wood screws, a couple of scratches in weird places and rust around the rear arches (but not that bad to be honest).
It was low on oil, the aux belt was knackered, the brake warning light was on, it was hesitating and bucking when you let off the throttle, but it was damn cheap.
Since it's been sat on the drive, i've been accruing parts ready to pop on when the weather gets better. Despite the weather being s
te this weekend, i went ahead and did some work to it regardless. Not got pictures of everything though!
So first job was put on some better brakes. As I said the brake warning light was on and the old disks had seen better days (although the pads were fine). I got a set of Fiesta ST 150 brakes of eBay and put them on. A simple caliper swap, easy peasy. Here's the new disks when they were delivered at work, i've not got a comparison shot, but they're massive compared and don't half stop you well!
I plugged it into a code reader and we got an error on coolant temperature sensor out of testing range, which considering it was about 4oC above freezing, isn't unreasonable. We got an error on the heater on the first o2 sensor (pre cat) so I went down the scrap yard and got another o2 sensor, a load of fuses and relays and stuff, an aerial, a jack (mysteriously missing from this car) and some wheel studs (as I didn't know where the locking wheel nut key was, so had to smash 'em out). £20 quid for the lot so quite happy with that. I also got a spare ICV as you never know!
Incase you're wondering i found the locking wheel nut key the next day, wrapped in a tissue in the little hole next to the gear lever.
I took the plugs out and cleaned them up and regapped them, topped it up with oil and it sounds alot better now.
Next job was new timing belt, water pump, tensioner, rocker cover gasket & aux belt. Got it all stripped down and the timing bloody slipped when i was getting it to TDC so i'll have to get the timing tools. I was going to just mark everything up and be done with it but never mind. That'll have to wait now. It's all stripped down ready for the new belt though. Check out the old aux belt!
As we're had a lot of rain recently, i couldn't help but notice we'd inadvertently purchased a swimming pool:
So I took the interior out and found the leak (right up past the throttle pedal, in the corner were you can't get to it very easily. I'll stick a load of silicon up there if it ever stays dry for long enough. The seats are in the conservatory with the carpet now. I found a rust hole in the floor i'll weld up which it's dry (in there and outside
. Sadly there's a fair bit of rust inside as this problem has obviously existed for a while and the previous owner didn't bother to do anything about it. All the sound deadening material is in the bin now as it was absolutely sodden.
A quick question:
Does anyone know the size of the front crank seal? I'll get one ordered from a bearing supplier as it seems to be a bit weepy there.
Is putting silicon on the inside really the best course of action? It's be better to get to it from the outside to stop it getting in in the first place surely?
Costs so far:
Car: £200
Cambelt kit and waterpump: £70
Brakes: £70
Rocker cover gasket: £15
Aux Belt: £15
Stuff from scrap yard: £20
Total: £390
Still to do:
Fix rust
Finish timing job
Replace tyre
Oil + Filter
Plugs
Burnouts
Hi there everyone,
My wife and I have recently been looking for another car. My wife's had puma's before and, although they're too bloody small for us both to fit in, for some reason we decided it might be a good idea to get one. About a month ago we saw on a facebook selling group someone locally selling a puma for scrap money - £250. We went and saw it in the dark whilst it was raining and got it for £200 in the end. It's got a stupid personalised plate on it which will be sold when it's got an MOT on it (worth about £300 so we're quids in already).
So it's a S reg with 83k on the clock, a bit of rust here and there, a spoiler which was held on with wood screws, a couple of scratches in weird places and rust around the rear arches (but not that bad to be honest).
It was low on oil, the aux belt was knackered, the brake warning light was on, it was hesitating and bucking when you let off the throttle, but it was damn cheap.
Since it's been sat on the drive, i've been accruing parts ready to pop on when the weather gets better. Despite the weather being s
te this weekend, i went ahead and did some work to it regardless. Not got pictures of everything though!So first job was put on some better brakes. As I said the brake warning light was on and the old disks had seen better days (although the pads were fine). I got a set of Fiesta ST 150 brakes of eBay and put them on. A simple caliper swap, easy peasy. Here's the new disks when they were delivered at work, i've not got a comparison shot, but they're massive compared and don't half stop you well!
I plugged it into a code reader and we got an error on coolant temperature sensor out of testing range, which considering it was about 4oC above freezing, isn't unreasonable. We got an error on the heater on the first o2 sensor (pre cat) so I went down the scrap yard and got another o2 sensor, a load of fuses and relays and stuff, an aerial, a jack (mysteriously missing from this car) and some wheel studs (as I didn't know where the locking wheel nut key was, so had to smash 'em out). £20 quid for the lot so quite happy with that. I also got a spare ICV as you never know!
Incase you're wondering i found the locking wheel nut key the next day, wrapped in a tissue in the little hole next to the gear lever.
I took the plugs out and cleaned them up and regapped them, topped it up with oil and it sounds alot better now.
Next job was new timing belt, water pump, tensioner, rocker cover gasket & aux belt. Got it all stripped down and the timing bloody slipped when i was getting it to TDC so i'll have to get the timing tools. I was going to just mark everything up and be done with it but never mind. That'll have to wait now. It's all stripped down ready for the new belt though. Check out the old aux belt!
As we're had a lot of rain recently, i couldn't help but notice we'd inadvertently purchased a swimming pool:
So I took the interior out and found the leak (right up past the throttle pedal, in the corner were you can't get to it very easily. I'll stick a load of silicon up there if it ever stays dry for long enough. The seats are in the conservatory with the carpet now. I found a rust hole in the floor i'll weld up which it's dry (in there and outside
. Sadly there's a fair bit of rust inside as this problem has obviously existed for a while and the previous owner didn't bother to do anything about it. All the sound deadening material is in the bin now as it was absolutely sodden. A quick question:
Does anyone know the size of the front crank seal? I'll get one ordered from a bearing supplier as it seems to be a bit weepy there.
Is putting silicon on the inside really the best course of action? It's be better to get to it from the outside to stop it getting in in the first place surely?
Costs so far:
Car: £200
Cambelt kit and waterpump: £70
Brakes: £70
Rocker cover gasket: £15
Aux Belt: £15
Stuff from scrap yard: £20
Total: £390
Still to do:
Fix rust
Finish timing job
Replace tyre
Oil + Filter
Plugs
Burnouts
Got it all timed up today and runs a treat.
The old water pump had shed all the vanes on the impeller so it's a bloody good job i'd changed it.
Turns out It's a dayco belt rather than gates. Was a gates aux belt, got them muddled up.
I had a sod of a time finding the crank pin location. I'd imagined it would be on the flywheel end as most of the time they are but it's not. This also shows the articulation of the vct pulley as it may prove interesting to some. When you time it up just make sure it's all the way back to its resting position.
The old water pump had shed all the vanes on the impeller so it's a bloody good job i'd changed it.
Turns out It's a dayco belt rather than gates. Was a gates aux belt, got them muddled up.
I had a sod of a time finding the crank pin location. I'd imagined it would be on the flywheel end as most of the time they are but it's not. This also shows the articulation of the vct pulley as it may prove interesting to some. When you time it up just make sure it's all the way back to its resting position.
As it was dry tonight, I did a bit more to it.
First off the remote only had one battery in it and (unsurprisingly) didn't work like that so I put a couple of new ones on, the LED now lights up when you hold it down however it doesn't make the car do anything. I read the programming instructions but unfortunately fell at the first hurdle. It's a two button remote and the instructions say turn it to key one and when the light next to the clock stops flashing, remove the key and hold the buttons, but the light in the center doesn't actually stop flashing.
I thought maybe it was a fault with one of the door sensors thinking that a door was open and I read the sensor test procedure (6 presses on the bonnet pin) but when I tested the bonnet pin, it didn't actually do anything. I stripped the wires and used them as a temporary switch but the sensor test mode doesn't work and if you hold them together, the key program procedure still doesn't start, so i'm somewhat at a loss there, sadly.
Anyone know where to start with that one?
Next I thought i'd sort out the scabby looking lights:
This is the state of the first light. I've no idea what all the patchy stuff was but it wasn't sticky and you could feel it easily when it was rubbed.
.JPG)
So I wet sanded it with 2500 grit wet 'n dry paper:
.JPG)
Which left it looking like this - GULP! No going back now!
.JPG)
Next I used one of these
.JPG)
with some Meguiars PlastX to polish it up.
Then i've lost the polishing pictures. But they ended up like this:
.JPG)
This is actually the other light to the one pictured above. It had a scuff across the bit which is centered in that picture, but as you can see it's mostly gone now. Pretty happy with that result in all.
Next I cleaned up the area where the water was coming in with some brake cleaner and a brush, dried it with an air gun and squished in some silicon. I opened the hole up a bit bigger and forced the silicon in the hole hoping that it'd squirt through to the other side and seal it from there too. No idea if it worked, it was dark. We'll see I suppose. I put a nice big blob in there anyway and smoothed it all out.
Fingers crossed!
Bit of welding of the floor, bit of rust repair/proofing then the carpet can go back in.
First off the remote only had one battery in it and (unsurprisingly) didn't work like that so I put a couple of new ones on, the LED now lights up when you hold it down however it doesn't make the car do anything. I read the programming instructions but unfortunately fell at the first hurdle. It's a two button remote and the instructions say turn it to key one and when the light next to the clock stops flashing, remove the key and hold the buttons, but the light in the center doesn't actually stop flashing.
I thought maybe it was a fault with one of the door sensors thinking that a door was open and I read the sensor test procedure (6 presses on the bonnet pin) but when I tested the bonnet pin, it didn't actually do anything. I stripped the wires and used them as a temporary switch but the sensor test mode doesn't work and if you hold them together, the key program procedure still doesn't start, so i'm somewhat at a loss there, sadly.
Anyone know where to start with that one?
Next I thought i'd sort out the scabby looking lights:
This is the state of the first light. I've no idea what all the patchy stuff was but it wasn't sticky and you could feel it easily when it was rubbed.
So I wet sanded it with 2500 grit wet 'n dry paper:
Which left it looking like this - GULP! No going back now!
Next I used one of these
with some Meguiars PlastX to polish it up.
Then i've lost the polishing pictures. But they ended up like this:
This is actually the other light to the one pictured above. It had a scuff across the bit which is centered in that picture, but as you can see it's mostly gone now. Pretty happy with that result in all.
Next I cleaned up the area where the water was coming in with some brake cleaner and a brush, dried it with an air gun and squished in some silicon. I opened the hole up a bit bigger and forced the silicon in the hole hoping that it'd squirt through to the other side and seal it from there too. No idea if it worked, it was dark
. We'll see I suppose. I put a nice big blob in there anyway and smoothed it all out.Fingers crossed!
Bit of welding of the floor, bit of rust repair/proofing then the carpet can go back in.
I've done a bit more fiddling with the remote locking too. There's another fuse BEHIND the interior fuse panel which had blown. When I replaced it all of the 4ways started blinking constantly. I think this is the alarm going off (I assume the horn in the boot is disconnected). So this points to a door sensor or the bonnet/boot sensor. I'll carry on looking into it later on 
.
.Xenocide said:
Is putting silicon on the inside really the best course of action? It's be better to get to it from the outside to stop it getting in in the first place surely?
Silicon the inside of the car anyway and if you can find where it's leaking from the outside then use underbody sealer to seal that too. My headlights are very similar to yours - not in such a bad state but still with that kind of odd "coating" to them.
Am selling it so not worth me doing as it's not really noticeable but interesting to note they can be revived to such a good state as may well revist Puma ownership in the future.
SUCH good cars and great to see someone giving a neglected cat a good home!
Am selling it so not worth me doing as it's not really noticeable but interesting to note they can be revived to such a good state as may well revist Puma ownership in the future.
SUCH good cars and great to see someone giving a neglected cat a good home!
. I had the plastic polish already but it only cost about a tenner to get the wet 'n dry (2500 grit) and the buffing wheel (only one they had, I wanted a lambs wool one but alas). Give it a shot 
Good news and bad news:
Good news: The silicon stopped the leak!
Bad news: The floor is still wet so there's another leak somewhere. Time to get some food colouring and a watering can.
Interesting. I'd def recommend using the halfords super extreme mega brilliance (or whatver they are called) bulbs or such like too as the Puma's lights aren't a highpoint of the design sadly.
Has it had a new clutch yet? Mine made it to 89k before it went but they are well known for being fairly short lived.
One thing I only discovered recently (and all a bit too late as it's being sold!) is that the intermittent wiper speed can be varied!
http://www.pumapeople.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pum...
Has it had a new clutch yet? Mine made it to 89k before it went but they are well known for being fairly short lived.
One thing I only discovered recently (and all a bit too late as it's being sold!) is that the intermittent wiper speed can be varied!
http://www.pumapeople.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pum...
mikeyr said:
Interesting. I'd def recommend using the halfords super extreme mega brilliance (or whatver they are called) bulbs or such like too as the Puma's lights aren't a highpoint of the design sadly.
Has it had a new clutch yet? Mine made it to 89k before it went but they are well known for being fairly short lived.
One thing I only discovered recently (and all a bit too late as it's being sold!) is that the intermittent wiper speed can be varied!
http://www.pumapeople.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pum...
Has it had a new clutch yet? Mine made it to 89k before it went but they are well known for being fairly short lived.
One thing I only discovered recently (and all a bit too late as it's being sold!) is that the intermittent wiper speed can be varied!
http://www.pumapeople.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pum...
Can't believe it took me two years to notice that they went at differing speeds!
Second top tip, buy one of the innocent smoothies at the moment that come with a free little knitted hat as they fit perfectly over the gearknob. This will not keep it any warmer overnight but will take your mind off how unbearable it is to touch when the temp has been below 0 degrees!
Second top tip, buy one of the innocent smoothies at the moment that come with a free little knitted hat as they fit perfectly over the gearknob. This will not keep it any warmer overnight but will take your mind off how unbearable it is to touch when the temp has been below 0 degrees!
Stuart_D said:
Oh my god that buffing wheel.
Looks like the detailing techniques are starting to filter down the clueless, I look forward to seeing someone use one of them on the paint.
When you go back into your ivory tower, from which you lord over the mortals with your polish made from virgins that sells for £400 an oz and buffing wheels made from the ball sack of an endanger rhino, shut the door.Looks like the detailing techniques are starting to filter down the clueless, I look forward to seeing someone use one of them on the paint.
Edited by joe_90 on Friday 21st February 12:19
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