DO NOT BUY A COSWORTH!

[bigchez]

Fancy a good rant.

Bought the car on the 26th of Jan for a lot of money due to the condition and "scene tax" and I must admit I was over the moon with it. It had a slightly annoying missfire at low revs, but I thought it just needed a set up with the tuner who "mapped" it. Took it for the set up, he ran it on the rollers and pronounced all to be fine. Great.

Had the chance to go to Bruntingthorpe for some high speed fun, and did. Managed to get to 163 mph and decided to go for one final run. Bad choice. The jubilee clip that holds the coolant hose to the header tank worked its way one click loose due to the rough surface, and I lost my coolant at 160+.

Got the car home and it was missing and pouring steam out of the exhaust. Hoping it was just a head gasket it was booked into Reyland for an inspection and diagnosis. It was bad - a new head was required. I was let down on 2 supposedly mint, unskimmed heads, as both having been x-rayed were cracked. Someone tried to sell me something totally unsuitable. I finally got a good one and had it all bolted back together with the best of everything - including a WRC MLS head gasket which cost a fortune.

Booked the car for mapping with the top guy in the country (same one as maps Reyland's own cars, so he's good ) and got it back last Friday. I was over the moon, it drove smoothly at low revs and sounds like a jet fighter on full boost. It kept pace with a Bentley Conti GT from 50 to a bit more than it should, much to his annoyance!

Took it to a show at the weekend and it was perfect. Then got a mile from home last night and all of a sudden no boost.

This has happened:

The flipping actuator rod has snapped! I'm so fed up with this thing now. In the 3 months I've had it I've spent over £3k on it and its been off the road more than its been on it! Its not a particularly expensive fix, but it does mean driving 60 miles with no boost to get it checked with a new actuator and I'm just wondering what's gonna let go next. Diff? Gearbox? Lets start a sweepstake!

 

[bigchez]

I know, I know. Just that the guy I bought it from had no trouble with it for years, now bits are falling off for fun. When it works I love it, its everything I ever wanted, but so far its been broken more than its worked. Bit down with it really.

 

[bigchez]

You've only spent 3k on it... count yourself lucky When pushing these cars they can break pure and simple the second problem you had is only a minor one. What psi are you running on it?

Used to LOVE my saphire cossy but I had it built to a bigger spec than what I used to run it at engine and everything could take 450 500 but I only ever ran at 400bph tops... miss the boost but all I can say is bad luck...

If you want to swop it for a Evo 8 I'll be interested

Its over 2 bar now.....

 

[bigchez]

Fix
Or
Repair
Daily.

*n

Foundation
Of
Rust
Deposits

******
On
Race
Day

etc.

 

[bigchez]

No trouble for years, at that level of tune?!

Give over

Well he did a head gasket, but only cos he put cheeeepo cometic on there.

 

[bigchez]

Oh come on, minor breakage! Fix it yourself, stop mucking about with all this 60 miles to get it checked with a new actuator malarky and drive on.

Check why it broke as well. Is it moving out of its natural range or getting bent or something?

I will put the new actuator on myself, but I want the fuelling and boost checked to make sure its ok. Its running over 2 bar boost, it only has to be a little bit out at that level to cause terminal catastrophic damage.

I know this time its only a minor set back, but I'm just feeling down and fed up with it, and wondering whats gonna break next.

From looking at it there has been a small crack for some time on the underside. It sits directly above the exhaust housing, and as such will get quite warm. I think its just a heat related stress fracture.

 

[bigchez]

I feel your pain, it's really disheartening when one thing after another goes wrong, we all know I've been there lots of times

On the plus side, the actuator rod breaking is hardly the end of the world, shouldn't take much to sort

Infact, take the opportunity to get that internal gate welded up and run an external TiAL with screamer pipe

I'd love an externally gated turbo as screamers sound the nuts, but funds currently will not allow. I wouldn't muck about with this blower anyway, would be low comp'd with a GT30.

Its not what has broken that's annoying, its the fact that things keep breaking!

 

[bigchez]

These cars used to race with around 530bhp, I think Dick Johnson was seeing 560bhp but they were rebuilt after each race most of the time, and cost ten's of thousands to run and repair, and many went bang too. You are pushing an old car to its limits and it will continue to cost you money to run. At £3K you are doing well, I think if you run anything close to 450bhp or more you can expect that to go up and up.

Is no where near 450 bhp - turbo ain't big enough at the moment, and I'd need to lower the compression. The new head I've fitted will flow 540 bhp on a GT30 turbo, so you never know in a few years.....You are right about the running cost of BIG bhp ones though.

Its not a shed at all - the mapper said on Friday its a very quick T34 car and that to get a noticeable difference I'm looking at a £10k+ rebuild. The engine was totally rebuilt including a rebore and new pistons, ground crank etc at 65k, and its only clocked over to 78k at the weekend. It also has a virtually new Group A diff which sounds lovely. Its just bad luck that things have gone together.

The bloody exhaust fell off my mondeo last week as well at rush hour, found out my AA had expired when I called them so I had to go door knocking to get a hacksaw and cut it off as it was dragging on the floor!

Still these things come in 3's so hopefully now I'm due some good luck!

Keep with it mate, will be worth it in the end, thats what I keep telling myself anyway

What actuator was it?

Garrett -34.

 

[bigchez]

comes with the territory unfortunately.

gearboxes do tend to be a weak point on them when over 400bhp though.

i know someone whose gone through 3 gearboxes and a propshaft on his saph.

Depends how its driven. Over 400 will probably strip 3rd gear over time, but as long as you aren't launching it off the line or hanging the back end all the time, the 2wd t5 box will take 500 bhp.

Its getting fixed Saturday when I get a new actuator then going away under a car cover for a few months. I need to save some cash up!

 

[bigchez]

Next to nothing mate - actuator is about £70, checking fuelling/boost maybe £20 (it was only mapped there amongst other things last week that came to £1450!) and £30-40 in fuel there and back. Its not the cost of this repair that's annoyed me - its the fact I had it running as it should from Friday to Sunday, now its broken again and needs more spending again!

 

[bigchez]

In an amusing comedy turn the car excelled itself last night.

Took the shed out for a blast last night following a bad day at work.

Was cruising home at about 40 in 5th cooling the engine down on a pitch black country road. Everything cut out with no warning. I had no lights, no power, nothing. I couldn't even put my hazards on!!

Had to call the old man for a tow home and stand down the road to slow down traffic.

I'm so fed up with this its untrue. It was a dream to finally get one but its quickly turning into a nightmare and bankrupting me in the process. I actually hoped someone would nick it last night!

Its been suggested it could be all manner of melted wiring or blown fuses, and probably won't cost a lot to fix, but it also needs a new clutch cable as that's stretched due to the heavy clutch and a new heatshield. Its just never ending, and I'm seriously thinking about fixing it and selling it.

Anyone wanna swap for an Evo?

 

[bigchez]

Get rid. Unless you're a die-hard cossie nut who can live with the problems, it's not worth it.

How much would you get for it?

I am, or at least was, a die hard, blinkered cossie nut! I had heard they could be a PITA, but this run of bad luck is something else!!

Once fixed I would not let go for less than £12k. Despite all these niggly problems (blowing engine was pretty much my own fault for maxing it repeatedly), it is an extremely good example.

I hate it when it goes wrong, and love it when its working well. It hates me all the time!!

I'm going to have a look now at what it might be with a few pointers. Lets hope it fairly cheap!!

 

[bigchez]

Right, the fault I think is in the main power wire that goes between the battery and the rest of the car, starter motor excluded. It is shorting out somewhere after the fuse as the positive side of the loom is shorted to the chassis. There are no obviously melted cables anywhere!!

Its probably a chafed wire somewhere over time, and patience to find it and a piece of cable to replace the damaged bit, the fix should be free!!

Again, its just bad luck.

 

[bigchez]

The turbo heatshield has been known to chafe through ECU trigger wires.

Hmmm, don't think its there. The ECU itself is not getting power, rather than a lack of signal.

 

[bigchez]

so where you gonna send it and how much are they going to scam you to fix this electrical prob?

My old man started his career as an electrical engineer, and now programme manages on jet fighter and defence projects - he also happens to like getting his hands dirty!! cost will be nothing.

(lucky as I have no clue about electrics - I don't even know how to use a multimeter really!! Wires, where they go and what they do scare me.)

If not it would go to Martin at Reyland like it did for the rebuild - he certainly doesn't scam anyone.

 

[bigchez]

Chez

stick with it dood! I bought a 73' Fiat 124 Abarth Stradale about 4 years ago, it had sat in a private collection for about the previos 5 years, only covering 1500 odd Kilometres. The problem is that these cars need to be driven to keep them in tip top working order, when they sit still for too long you get the problems. Anyways, one thing after another kept going, it started with small niggly things but graduated to bigger more expensive rebuilds of the head etc. At one point I thought I'd had enough, I was running a fiat abarth but with Ferrari running costs! I test drove a Vauxhall VXR 220 and had the phone in my hand to buy some no nonsense, reliable supercar performance.......but something in my head said 'no do it'

Thankfully I decided against and pulled out of the sale. It was the right decision, for the last 2 and a half years apart from servicing and tuning costs, all I've forked out for is an ignition coil £13.69. She has run beatifully with barely a glitch. Further to that Abarth prices have gone skywards and she's almost doubled in value!! The other day in deepest darkest kent, I saw some chap go past, do a 360 and follow me into a garden centre....he just wanted to discuss the abarth for about half an hour. Don't think I would got that in VX.

You just need to work out if the smile factor is worth the frustrations when it isn't running well. Mine will need new carbs at some point in the next year or so but the investment will be worth it and at least they won't need replacing for another 35 years or so

Cheers pal! It will be worth it I hope, just got to take the rough with the smooth (and get handy with a balaclava and shotgun in post offices )

Get some pics up of your car.

 

[bigchez]

If you can get 12k for it, that'll buy some seriously nice metal. Miley M5, interesting TVR, well sorted S14a with lots of mods, all sorts.

TBH if and when this one goes I'll be buying a house.

Anyone who has owned a tuned Cossie has these sort of stories- I do, loads of friends do as well.
I've got the engineout of a 3dr just now- cracked block, and that was a wire-rung block with proper gaskets, running 22psi boost, RR'd at 367bhp.
It comes with the badge I'm afraid.
Still, there is nothing more satisfying than driving a 20 year old car with that sort of power that worries supercars!

205 or 200 block? Mines running (occassionally!! ) a bit more than that on a 205 on a .5 bore. You can get unlucky with either though, especially the 99 Turkish 200 blocks.

Skylines are not cheap cars to run, if I worked out how much I had spent on mine in the last couple of years I would probably cry!

I've heard this. Porkie that half owns the Reyland 3 door, a 996 turbo and a boxster said that his R34 cost him a fortune. If that's coming from a guy with that wedge, its a lot more than I could afford.

This is what puts me off having one really

Don't be put off - when its going well, its really, really good - just be prepared for the bad times as well!

Bigchez, go buy a C4 Corvette, it'll run till the end of the Earth and is cheaper than a lot of cars to run on a day to day basis

I think I've bitten off quite enough here !

 

[bigchez]

^
That looks fantastic.

/Jealous.

Car or passenger?

Sometimes you just need some time to cool off and get a level head, then you can work through it methodically until you find the problem.

You're right there. I'm not too fussed at the moment if it sits in the garage for a bit. It will be done eventually. I may even keep it off the road and do the rear end (ooeerrr ) restoration earlier than I planned.

 

[bigchez]

Its home again!

In my usual patient fashion I got bored of waiting and towed the shonker to be fixed

Just picked the shed up from Reyland at lunchtime all fixed and better than ever. I had melted some wires round the turbo, and these caused a huge short when the fans kicked in.

I would never take my car anywhere but Reyland now - the bill was amazingly cheap especially as I had the alternator and power steering belts changed and a new clutch cable.

Massive thanks to Martin and Tony and lets hope it stays in 1 piece for a while!!

It will be a good weekend........ I'm off to scooby shootout sunday and tempted to take it just for the banter.

 

[bigchez]

Was going to find this thread and say I saw you driving it earlier by Moseley! Looks beautiful mate. But I'm sure I saw for sale on it...?

No it still had on tow on the back! It needs a clean its filthy at the mo after a week in the workshop. My boss was really sound and let me go and drop it home at lunch.

*awaits Mondays thread of anger*

I really hope not. I need this run of bad luck to end.

Did you have the / a turbo heatshield put on it. Not just some poncy shiny bit at the top either..
If not, you will be ordering another clutch cable in short order.

Good luck at Scooby shootout

Picking up brand new standard heat shield tomorrow. I wanted a carbon one but can't justify £200 on a heatshield at the moment. Standard one is as good as any.

I think I'm going in my mates rebuilt scoob. Fuel to York and back would be silly cash just to get embarrassed. And its a long way on a recovery truck!