1998 5.0 questions

[POC]

Hi all, I as some of you are aware, I am due to pick up my new toy on sat

I have a couple of questions that I am sure you can help me with.

1. What temps/pressures should the engine be running when warmed up? Oil temp? Oil pressure? Water temp?

2. I hear the steering wheel and pedal box is adjustable? How?

3. I hear alot of stories about people spinning the 5.0s when they put their foot down hard? I have always been a fast road driver.... should I be a little more carefull with this car??

4. There are a few stone chips on the bonnet, am i looking at silly money to get these sorted? is it worth it as I hear the car is prone to these chips anyway.

5. I also hear (see i listen alot!), that these babies use a little oil, what oil should I used to top it up? How much and when?

Thats about it for now, cant wait until the weekend.

Cheers guys

Paul

[rthierry]

All good questions! Now...

quote:Hi all, I as some of you are aware, I am due to pick up my new toy on sat

I have a couple of questions that I am sure you can help me with.

1. What temps/pressures should the engine be running when warmed up? Oil temp? Oil pressure? Water temp?
Water temp on mine (a 450) motorway cruising 70C, traffic 90C - never been above 100, although I know 500 engine run a little higher. Basically, fans should kick in at 85-90C. More info in the archives I am sure.
Oil pressure: when driving about 30-35 / idle 10-15
Oil temp: I don't think I've got an oil temp indicator /

2. I hear the steering wheel and pedal box is adjustable? How?
steering wheel: little knob on the steering column left side. Pull toward you moves up and down only.
Pedal box: screws from underneath the car so not something you change regularly.

3. I hear alot of stories about people spinning the 5.0s when they put their foot down hard? I have always been a fast road driver.... should I be a little more carefull with this car??
Yes! Suggestion: when warm floor it a couple of times on a straight in 2nd and 3rd, then decide how hard you want to push the loud pedal coming out of this roundabout!

4. There are a few stone chips on the bonnet, am i looking at silly money to get these sorted? is it worth it as I hear the car is prone to these chips anyway.
Cars used regularly often have a nose respray once a year. Price vary widely, £350 to £500 I would say. Getting a quote for this tomorrow for mine Chimaera...

5. I also hear (see i listen alot!), that these babies use a little oil, what oil should I used to top it up? How much and when?
1 litre / 1000 miles is not uncommon.

Thats about it for now, cant wait until the weekend.

Cheers guys

Paul

[SMB]

Re the Adjustable pedal box, the screws aren't under the car, the brake and clutch pedals are on adjustable threaded rods which you can adjust on the pedal operating arms, and the throttle is adjusted by bolts at the pedal hinge point mounting plates. Still not a quick task, becuase of the limited access.

[rthierry]

quote:
Re the Adjustable pedal box, the screws aren't under the car, the brake and clutch pedals are on adjustable threaded rods which you can adjust on the pedal operating arms, and the throttle is adjusted by bolts at the pedal hinge point mounting plates. Still not a quick task, becuase of the limited access.

Yes of course

[budd]

Re:Spinning your Griff, not had any problems with mine in the dry,however some caution is required in the wet things can get serious real quick,a pal lost the back end of his 4.0 Chimaera leaving the m/way mounted the kerb and badly bent both front wheels,he'd had the car two days.Give the car some respect,get to know it and build your speed gradually,better still try a track day,its a safe(ish) place to learn about a new car.
Before you top up your oil you need to know what type has been used,what grade?synthetic or mineral(avoid mixing the two)and when was it last changed,try to top up like for like,if in doubt change the oil and filter to be sure(you can't be to careful)use a good synthetic Mobil 1 motorsport,Castrol RS,Motul,Millers etc are all fine.
Hope the car is every thing you expect it to be,had mine a year now and I'm still grinning.

[POC]

Thanks for the replies guys! Fantastic stuff as usual!

I am interested in this 'sports exhaust' modification. Where can i get this done local to me (Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire)?

How much?

What is it ?

What will it do? I know it will make it a little louder (which is a very good thing), anything else?

cheers

Paul

[angusfaldo]

There's loads of sports exhaust options. There's standard sports exhausts and ones modified by owners/specialists. They're not cheap (look in Sprint and see the prices in the adverts - a full system can be £500).

If you do a sports exhaust search on this forum you'll find more info than you can digest. All depends on what you want from your car.

BTW the sports pipes on my Griff sound much nicer than the standard system I replaced earlier in the year.

I'm in Herts but I went to Dave Batty in Guildford (who also services the car). He did the work.