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Hi all,
Picked up my new (to me) Surf last weekend. Got a few bits to do on it, but looking forward to enjoying the truck. 3.0 Diesel SSRX, Gen 2, 1993, manual.
It has a few immediate issues that needed dealing with:
- Starter motor, click click click...nothing
- Both batteries knackered
- All the wipers crap (having just passed an MOT - hmmmm)
- Washer jets not working
- Loosing coolant
So I drove it all the way back from Uttoxeter to Gatwick, stopping every 50 miles or so to top up the rad (leaving the engine running). Was hoping that there was enough fuel to get home but no.... spluttered into Cobham services on fumes..... Once the starter engaged (on about the 15th attempt) it just turned over, then got slower and slower....just managed to catch when I thought all was lost....
Not a great start to ownership, but I dont deter easily
It drove really nicely on the way back, all the electrics work, seats have no rips or wear, no dents etc, no untoward noises.
So anyway, a few evenings lying under the truck in the cold.....and
Starter motor is fixed (read up on it on here, used the kit on ebay to replace the contacts). Absolute sod to get out and back in, but done now. Starts on the button every time.
Batteries and wiper blades replaced. All good. back wiper took a lot of modifying to get a standard blade to fit, but it is in and working now, although it is not quite right. Will get a proper one from RoughTrax at some point.
Washer jets fixed, replaced the pipework and the nozzles, all good now.
Last main thing is the water leak. A bit of investigation and it is leaking from the top of the rad where the veins meet the header. There does not seem to be any way to get chemi metal in there and I thought about using radweld.... even went as far as buying a bottle, but decided to replace the rad instead. So at the moment the rad is out, waiting for the new one to arrive.
Need to work out how to get the thermostat out to flush the cooling system before I put the new rad in there.
So - couple of starter questions....
Firstly: Where the hell is the thermostat? I assume it is in the bit that the top hose of the rad connects to? I have to admit that it started raining as I was getting the rad out so I stopped looking.
Secondly, what is the deal with coolant? I have read lots about you must use red or blue and not mix them etc - my plan is to buy the ready-mix from ECP and just put that in after flushing. Any reason why I shouldn't?
(I remember the days of my old Ford Cortinas and Capris - when I would just go and buy a litre bottle of cheap-ass anti freeze, let a bit of water out and then pour the AF in there. Life was much less complicated then
!)
Picked up my new (to me) Surf last weekend. Got a few bits to do on it, but looking forward to enjoying the truck. 3.0 Diesel SSRX, Gen 2, 1993, manual.
It has a few immediate issues that needed dealing with:
- Starter motor, click click click...nothing
- Both batteries knackered
- All the wipers crap (having just passed an MOT - hmmmm)
- Washer jets not working
- Loosing coolant
So I drove it all the way back from Uttoxeter to Gatwick, stopping every 50 miles or so to top up the rad (leaving the engine running). Was hoping that there was enough fuel to get home but no.... spluttered into Cobham services on fumes..... Once the starter engaged (on about the 15th attempt) it just turned over, then got slower and slower....just managed to catch when I thought all was lost....
Not a great start to ownership, but I dont deter easily
It drove really nicely on the way back, all the electrics work, seats have no rips or wear, no dents etc, no untoward noises.
So anyway, a few evenings lying under the truck in the cold.....and
Starter motor is fixed (read up on it on here, used the kit on ebay to replace the contacts). Absolute sod to get out and back in, but done now. Starts on the button every time.
Batteries and wiper blades replaced. All good. back wiper took a lot of modifying to get a standard blade to fit, but it is in and working now, although it is not quite right. Will get a proper one from RoughTrax at some point.
Washer jets fixed, replaced the pipework and the nozzles, all good now.
Last main thing is the water leak. A bit of investigation and it is leaking from the top of the rad where the veins meet the header. There does not seem to be any way to get chemi metal in there and I thought about using radweld.... even went as far as buying a bottle, but decided to replace the rad instead. So at the moment the rad is out, waiting for the new one to arrive.
Need to work out how to get the thermostat out to flush the cooling system before I put the new rad in there.
So - couple of starter questions....
Firstly: Where the hell is the thermostat? I assume it is in the bit that the top hose of the rad connects to? I have to admit that it started raining as I was getting the rad out so I stopped looking.
Secondly, what is the deal with coolant? I have read lots about you must use red or blue and not mix them etc - my plan is to buy the ready-mix from ECP and just put that in after flushing. Any reason why I shouldn't?
(I remember the days of my old Ford Cortinas and Capris - when I would just go and buy a litre bottle of cheap-ass anti freeze, let a bit of water out and then pour the AF in there. Life was much less complicated then
!)
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