Broadsword

Growing up there was one of these down my street. a 1.3 GL 4 door. Aged 10 you could keep your ferraris etc, what i really wanted was one of these. I absolutely loved them.
Back then they were cheap first cars (around 1990) couple of hundred quid and scrap it when the mot was up. That is assuming it hadnt dissolved already, or been crashed.
Then a strange thing happened. They vanished overnight and then slowly they started getting expensive. By the time i started driving they were not mega expensive, but just hard to find.
My route to a mk2 escort was avoid 2 door (££££££) avoid uk RHD (££££££ plus most heavily welded or rotten)
So here we have a solid LHD import 1.3GL which is being delivered next week…

 



 

 

 

 

I bought a new car.


It's nice but also broken, because Jaguar.
 
New engine required. 
 
Phil

I’ve just ordered a full set of new studs, nuts and washers for the exhaust manifold.

 
At £5.95 it’s a no brainer.

The lovely Stowe.

Milestone achieved in Dadford.

Hello Silverstone.

Unfortunately, Japfest is on today.
It’s all a bit too Banzai for the Sierra. Not sure it fits in with the locals.

How about this for inspiration? It’s one way to sort out the Sierra’s paint issues.

Maybe not.

We have reached the village of Aldbury. 

Two issues.
I’m getting burning oil smells from the dashboard vents but I’ve checked all around and under the engine, there’s no sign of anything amiss. Odd.
Second issue, the fuel gauge has now completely given up the ghost.

I’ll be heading home soon. I will stop off at my local Esso and brim the tank. I will then work out the MPG and rely upon the trip meter , if I can’t sort out the fuel gauge problem.

As alluded to above, @jaypee had a go at repairing the hose with self amalgamating tape. Cheers!
Before

Washed 

Scuffed 

Taped

 
Will fit it up when back from holiday - also going to see if I can hunt down a spare.

In situations like this I would start by thinking what could go wrong at the point of replacing the water pump. It seems more than a coincidence you sprung a coolant leak and got running problems as soon as you replaced the water pump. The fact that the problem persists on both fuels I suppos rules out a fuel system fault. There are a couple of easy things to check. One is the ECU temperature sensor. They give strange running issues when faulty. I assume the cooling system has been poorly maintained since you mention the missing gasket on the thermostat. You have now been in there and shook things up. If there is a lot of crud in there, maybe it could affect the ECU temperature sensor? Same goes for the leak, which will be near the coolant pipes near the heater valve no doubt. New water pump, change of coolant, shake things up and now you have a leak. Was there lots of corrosion or evidence of stopleak used in the system?
Another thing to check, is there a flatspot at all times or is it only with the engine running at operating temperature? When was the crank position sensor last changed? They can sometimes fail slowly, leading to strange running issues. It's worth having a spare at all times anyway because you are stranded if it fails. 

Oh, and the steering feels a lot lighter too. 
Win.

Test drive completed.
No wobble whatsoever, the Sierra was only giving me good vibrations.
Looking good with a squirt of tyre shine.

who cares they just sound cool!
Rockblade Rock 515

I suspect even the most basic Chinesium rubber will improve the handling 1000% over those vintage hoops!

She rests at her new home. A quick wash on the outside. Inside the radio is tuned to the stations I listen to. I had a good check of what buttons do what. There is some sticky plastic, as mentioned in a previous Petrolblog video, I have tried isopropyl alcohol and it's better but still not perfect. I will look into other options. Service history is mad! Everything has been covered. 23 services in the book upto 127000 miles. I am missing the drivers handbook so will be looking for one of those. 4 almost new Falken tyres. A few foibles to be expected from a 25 year old Renault, but otherwise a bloody brilliant car. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity to own her.

Collection complete. Arrived at Exeter 12 mins late, not bad for the UK🙄
Compulsory wollard below.
Looking forward to the drive home.
An absolute pleasure to meet petrolblog, a thoroughly nice man .

I suspect even the most basic Chinesium rubber will improve the handling 1000% over those vintage hoops!

I suspect even the most basic Chinesium rubber will improve the handling 1000% over those vintage hoops!

I suspect even the most basic Chinesium rubber will improve the handling 1000% over those vintage hoops!

Made it to my overnight stop at my favourite hotel near Preston. Of course it has started to rain but I don’t care. A nice leisurely run back north tomorrow. 
Many thanks to @Tenmil Socket for the toolbox which will be most useful. For now, beer and food!

The Sierra is up in the air again.

This time it's getting a new set of boots.
The existing tyres are a mix of more than half worn Good Years and half worn Kwik Fit's own brand.

One of the Good Years has nasty cracking along the sidewall.

And, more worrying, a crack that extends the full circumference of the tyre, between the sidewall and the tread.

I've gone for a set of budget 165/80 R 13 tyres.
The Sierra is unlikely to exceed the national speed limit, at least during my ownership and it will not be driven in the rain, so I didn't opt to spend as much again for fancy branded tyres. Whatever I will fit must surely be better than what I've removed.
More tomorrow.

In situations like this I would start by thinking what could go wrong at the point of replacing the water pump. It seems more than a coincidence you sprung a coolant leak and got running problems as soon as you replaced the water pump. The fact that the problem persists on both fuels I suppos rules out a fuel system fault. There are a couple of easy things to check. One is the ECU temperature sensor. They give strange running issues when faulty. I assume the cooling system has been poorly maintained since you mention the missing gasket on the thermostat. You have now been in there and shook things up. If there is a lot of crud in there, maybe it could affect the ECU temperature sensor? Same goes for the leak, which will be near the coolant pipes near the heater valve no doubt. New water pump, change of coolant, shake things up and now you have a leak. Was there lots of corrosion or evidence of stopleak used in the system?
Another thing to check, is there a flatspot at all times or is it only with the engine running at operating temperature? When was the crank position sensor last changed? They can sometimes fail slowly, leading to strange running issues. It's worth having a spare at all times anyway because you are stranded if it fails. 

In situations like this I would start by thinking what could go wrong at the point of replacing the water pump. It seems more than a coincidence you sprung a coolant leak and got running problems as soon as you replaced the water pump. The fact that the problem persists on both fuels I suppos rules out a fuel system fault. There are a couple of easy things to check. One is the ECU temperature sensor. They give strange running issues when faulty. I assume the cooling system has been poorly maintained since you mention the missing gasket on the thermostat. You have now been in there and shook things up. If there is a lot of crud in there, maybe it could affect the ECU temperature sensor? Same goes for the leak, which will be near the coolant pipes near the heater valve no doubt. New water pump, change of coolant, shake things up and now you have a leak. Was there lots of corrosion or evidence of stopleak used in the system?
Another thing to check, is there a flatspot at all times or is it only with the engine running at operating temperature? When was the crank position sensor last changed? They can sometimes fail slowly, leading to strange running issues. It's worth having a spare at all times anyway because you are stranded if it fails. 

This has been quite the nightmare for @Mk2 Craig.
I'd supplied a new waterpump - the impeller half that bolts onto the housing on the block.
Aluminium housing, steel bolt. A love story as old as time...
In the end, the decision was taken to pull the whole waterpump assembly off and then sort it.


Broken bolt removed and hole re- tapped and it was ready to go back on..
 
Or not..

Grim. This level of corrosion would have meant the pipes wouldn't seat properly and would be likely still to leak.
 
Luckily, your man can drive a wire brush!

It was assembled and refitted.
Next up was the thermostat.

Ah, we've been here before.. it was all cleaned and ready to be refitted.
A question for the assembled company - "Who would sell a thermostat without a gasket?"
Answer - Berkshire Jag Spares.
Handily @Mk2 Craig is into his arts n crafts too!

With everything refitted, the new drive belt was applied and supercharger belt refitted too.


All in all, a top job - I'm glad I didn't tackle it myself. There is about 9hrs of labour in this, and that was with access to a ramp.
 
Whilst it was up in the air, I'd asked for the steering to be looked at - it felt a bit vague..
Good news is it has had a rack!

Bad news was they had used this bolt to 'secure' the knuckle to the rack

 
Consequently, the knuckle/rake interface was as tight as putting your dick out the window and fucking the night...
A new bolt was fitted, and with actual contact betwixt rack and column, direction changes are reported to be much more controlled.
 
Many thanks to @Mk2 Craig for all the graft and exceptionally reasonable price - can't wait to get it back!

I’m stunned by the results, absolutely fabulous work!

The weather was looking ok, it was time to take the Sierra out for a test drive.
Even with the battery disconnected, the fuel gauge was showing that the tank was nearly full. Bearing in mind that I only put about 5 litres in when I first bought the Sierra, the gauge reading looked very wrong.

With the battery reconnected, the Pinto fired up first time and the exhaust spat out a mouthful of moisture. More on this later. 
Whilst walking out of the workshop, to move the E46 out of the way, I noticed that the brake lights were permanently on.

I quickly got changed, removed the bottom of the dashboard again to gain access to the brake pedal switch.

I removed the switch to check and clean it. It looked ok.

I refitted the switch and adjusted it to the correct position. Evidently, I must have disturbed the switch whilst fiddling with the pedal box yesterday.
All pre-flight checks done, it was time to set off. I got as far as my local Esso fuel station.

I managed to squeeze 5 litres of petrol into the tank before the filler neck was full. It looks like the gauge was showing an almost full tank because the tank was almost full. On the basis that the tank holds 60 litres and I've added about 10 litres since buying the Sierra, there must have been about 50 litres of fuel in the tank. At approx £1.50 per litre, that's a £75 gift. Thank you previous owner.
Before leaving the fuel station, I was approached by three people, who commented on how immaculate the Sierra is and who asked how old it is and how many miles it has done. How nice that the posh folk of Beaconsfield appreciate old Fords.
Approx 5 miles into my trip, I stopped off at a garden centre to check vital fluids and to give everything a once over. No problems to report. The pretty setting provided an opportunity for a couple of photos.



Back on the road, I headed for the A404. If you've ever watched Wheeler Dealers (the GB episodes), you will have seen Mike B towing or driving something along this famous* dual carriageway. 
Without any struggling, the Sierra got up to 60MPH.

I came off the A404 at the A4 junction and drove through Maidenhead, Cookham, Wooburn Green and towards home. I stopped off at Glory Park for a couple more photos.


I arrived back home almost exactly 20 miles later, as confirmed by the trip meter. This is good news, it means the trip meter and odometer are both reading just fine.

Ok, I've only driven the Sierra for 20 miles along local traffic free roads but my first thoughts are very positive.
Engine - I adjusted the idle speed at the garden centre, once the engine reached full operating temperature. Throughout the trip, the engine ran fine, quickly reached operating temperature and the needle didn't budge from the mid point. It pulled well from low revs, with no missing or spluttering. Nothing has leaked out, however there is still a whiff of paraffin / old engine oil / mucky residue from where I've been tinkering, which will need time to burn off. 
Gearbox - All gears go in and out just fine, synchros are strong. The gearbox is silent and I love the mechanical feel of the gear change.
Clutch - Biting point spot on. No dragging, no slipping, no juddering. Perfect.
Prop & Diff - Silent, no vibrations.
Steering - Noticeably heavy at parking speeds, otherwise works well and feels adequately light at speed. Steering wheel is on straight, no pulling, no issues.
Suspension - Smooth! No knocks, no bangs. Ride comfort is superb, on par with my W123. Handling is roly-poly, as expected. 
Brakes - Needed a bit of time to bed in, however once the pedal firmed up, they worked just fine. I tried a couple of emergency stops, no pulling, no issues.
Exhaust - Drill holes failed to allow any moisture to escape overnight and I could hear a significant blow from both silencers. Bollocks. Evidently, drilling holes in silencers is not a good idea. I will plug both holes with chemical metal and self-tapping screws this afternoon.
Radio - Played Greatest Hits Radio (105.8FM), including Popmaster at 10:30am. All six speakers work ok and the FM reception is better than expected, bearing in mind I live and drove the Sierra through The Chilterns.
Summary - I love it!
@N19 I am sure that I will find something to write about soon. There are a few more bodywork related issues that I want to attend to and I expect the forthcoming MoT test will reveal something wrong with the old Ford.