Information needed on EB XR6 S-pak - possible new car - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Stormwalker · 04-03-2004, 02:30

OK fellas, I've posted this on LS1.com.au as well... That said, I'm pretty sure this is my first thread I've posted here, so be nice... lol.

I'm going shopping for an other car - my current XE wagon is dying (badly...). So, my father and I went looking at car dealers this morning. Was looking for either a HZ (or similar) ute, or a V6 commodore (HEATHEN, I hear you say...

). Budget was about 6-7 grand. We saw a few commodores (all auto, and I want/NEED :p a manual).

Then we saw an EB XR6 S-pack sedan (manual). The car yard wants $7k (but we'll probably offer them 6). The car has done ~240k km's (yeah, it's a fair few, I know, but it only has some light noise in the top end on start). I took it for a test drive, and it drove well (better than the XE :lol: ), only thing was it drifted left when the steering wheel was let go (more than the road camber alone would dictate, probably - I could feel the drag through the steering wheel). The other thing was that the gearbox didn't want to go into reverse (it was on a tilt, so that may be why), the shift (1-2-3) was pretty good (didn't get to 4th - only a quick drive down the street). The only other thing about the gearbox was that it crunched slightly after coming out of reverse into first.

Now the questions (finally):
- The gearbox - are these just symptoms of an old gearbox, or one that has been thrashed and wrecked?
- Is the top end noise anything to worry about? I've had some (a fair bit more than this) in my XE since I bought it (2 years ago), and now the engine is shagged. I know they're not related, but just thought I'd ask. It's a kind of ticking, if that helps.
- Is there anything that I should watch out for, or be wary of in these cars?
- The clutch - doesn't have any shudders as far as I can tell (again, only a short drive, so no decent launches to test it), but it does feel heavy, and lacks somewhat in feel - is this just the type of clutch in these cars, or is something wrecked? It just felt weird, that's all, not necessarily broken. It sorta reminded me of the clutch in a 'Cruiser...

- The car yard said that they don't want any RACQ certificates (cos it can put customers off buying a car, when they get a list of stuff on the report, even if it's not major, like wiper blades - which is fair enough, i guess), but they will allow independent inspections, so we're planning to take the car to "our" mechanic, to get him to have a look at it. Is there anything I should get him to check, specifically? Or is it just everything?

- This car has the Tickford engine (do they all?) Is there anything that I need to be wary about with them, or are they unkillable?

Anyway, sorry for the long post.

Thanks fellas. (and ladies, of course)
Lindsay

ebxr8240 · 04-03-2004, 04:20

That revers shift is normal for T5, check firewall for cracks where clutch cable goes through.It goes into reverse better if 4th was selected first..May have too thick oil in it as well???
Sounds like front end may need some balljoints/bush's but they are not that expensive..That tappit noise you hear on start up is normal for a high milage engine..My concern though would be the timing chain may not have been replaced which can cause havoc when they let go..$7k is alot of money for a car over 10 years old especially when the std model can be bought for $2.5k in same condition...

Stormwalker · 04-03-2004, 06:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

That revers shift is normal for T5, check firewall for cracks where clutch cable goes through.It goes into reverse better if 4th was selected first..May have too thick oil in it as well???
Sounds like front end may need some balljoints/bush's but they are not that expensive..That tappit noise you hear on start up is normal for a high milage engine..My concern though would be the timing chain may not have been replaced which can cause havoc when they let go..$7k is alot of money for a car over 10 years old especially when the std model can be bought for $2.5k in same condition...

Thanks, EBXR - there's several things in there that I didn't think about (the timing chain, and the thick oil). As far an money goes, the $7k IS too high (esp. considering it's done 240k km's), we'll see if the dealer will take 5.5-6. Other than the kilometres, the car seems to have been fairly well looked after, but then, I don't know a huge amount about cars (I just like to try and convince myself that I do... lol) - I guess that's the reason that I posted on here, to get the opinions of people that have owned/worked on these cars. We'll see what the mechanic says, and we'll go from there, I guess.

Thanks again,
Lindsay

EFJase · 04-03-2004, 06:44

Call up a few guys in the paper/trading post and drive there cars as a comparison.

I saw a EB 5spd xr go for 4 at auctions.
I thought that was a bit high considering its condition (fair)

A manual EA/B/D will go just as hard with a few minor mods you could do with the saved cash.

Also it may be worth checking out EF/Ls as there is a shit load of em on the market atm, and can negotiate them down a fair bit.
Rounde here you can get a decent one for $5k

Stormwalker · 04-03-2004, 06:50

Thanks, EFJase - I think it's called "I want THAT car" syndrome... lol. Is that amount of kilometres about right for a car of that age, or is it high?

The suggestion for modifying a pov-pack is a good one - I'll look into that, as well as the EF/EL's - I saw one at the yards for about 10k, but didn't take much notice, because of the price tag. Anyway, thanks again.

Lindsay

EFJase · 04-03-2004, 07:04

I picked up my EB series 2 Fairmont for $3k. done 215000, which is about average now.

Its a auto, but in putting a shift kit in tomorrow for the pricley cost of $20.

things i have replaced for reference, and to know what to check
Water pump
thermostat
thermostat housing top and bottom
hose or 2
radiator cap

and todau i put a set of DBA slotted diskes in the front.
Not really necessary, but i wanted to get rid of the pulsating brakes (common problem)

EFJase · 04-03-2004, 07:07

oh and starter mods

Extractor and 2.5"exhaust ~$5-700
Wade or Surecam Cam ~$200 regring
DIY cold air intake ~150 (incl KnN filter)
shift kit form mechanicalforums.com $10

Stormwalker · 04-03-2004, 07:26

Thanks Jase - given me a good place to start. I had a quick look at the cam thread for the 4L in here - now I have an excuse to go read it again. With the cam regrind, is there any tuning involved? Or is it mild enough that it's not necessary?

Lindsay

XRSIK · 04-03-2004, 16:15

i think its worth paying extra for the EB Xr6 over a regular EB ect. You get a huge amount of extras - wheels, interior, seats, dash, premium stereo ect. + tickford suspension and tickford engine + LSD. Every EB Xr6 i have ridden in pulls very very hard (and they have all been stock). For that many km's i wouldnt pay one cent over $5K. Look in the trading post, plenty for around $4K.

At the time of their release they were the fastest 4 door (aussie)? production car in Australia.

Casper · 04-03-2004, 16:21

Quote:

- The car yard said that they don't want any RACQ certificates (cos it can put customers off buying a car, when they get a list of stuff on the report, even if it's not major, like wiper blades - which is fair enough, i guess), but they will allow independent inspections, so we're planning to take the car to "our" mechanic, to get him to have a look at it. Is there anything I should get him to check, specifically? Or is it just everything?

Walk away now...actually run. The RACQ will simply look for whats wrong with the car and know what to look for. If the car yard wont allow RACQ inspections they are shonky and I would avoid them at all costs.
If you have $6000 to play with there will be a heap of good quality cars out there. You can do better than what you are looking at.