[HSV ETR]

Hello,
I have found a manual 1998 EL XR8 that I am thinking of purchasing.... I was just wondering if anyone knows of anything I should checking for. (Any problems or places prone to rust etc....) Your help would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks.........

 

[RAT]

Hi HSV ETR, good choice of XR to go for, they're a pretty decent car all round but check the known problem areas like the diff, listen for clunking on slowing down & cornering & check behind the sound proofing on the firewall (engine-bay side) for any cracking around the clutch cable entry point. These problems are discussed in passed forums. Hope its a good one.

 

[Mike]

Yes, a fantastic choice mate! (Not that I'm biased or anything.. hehe)

Ok, from mine, I'd add to the list :
* cooling system
* front and rear bushes - age
* steering - unusual noises, etc.
* diff whine
* power windows
* brakes just for normal wear level, if they need replacing etc.

Engine wise, it might also pay to get the emissions checked, to make sure the injectors are ok and the ratios are also ok.

Look forward to seeing you cruising in this beast mate! Good work! We need more EL2's

Cheers
Mike

 

[JAJH]

Just out of curiosity, where did you find it and what's it's story?

 

[Mike]

You mean him, or me? Ah well, I'll bore you all with the story of mine anyway hehe!

Ok I was looking around for manual EL2's for a good 6 months by the time I found mine, and in that time I saw only 3 for sale which included mine. The other two were opposite ends of the scale - one was a white manual with no options, fairly high k's, and looked a bit rough. For example, the headlights were a little discoloured. The asking price was a bit much for what it was too, something like $31,990 (this was back in mid '99). The other was advertised in Unique Cars, and as such carried a hefty price premium. It was a nice bit of gear though, Navy blue, with ALL options and only 20,000k's on the clock. The only problem was that they wanted $39,000 for it

Then there was mine.. seen first in the Trading Post, advertised at Dave Lahood on Parramatta Rd. I was a bit reluctant about that since he generally deals in ex-cop stuff, and I didn't want that. However, the price was good, and the options list was impressive, and it was also the lovely heritage green color. So I went and checked it out, turns out an old fella had bought it new and had only just traded it in on an ex-cop SS!! (Fool!!!) It had 50,000k's on it, over around 19 months, so the mileage wasn't too bad. All log books etc as well, which was nice. So after a test drive with my father, the decision was pretty simple! I wasn't quite prepared financially for it, but once I saw the beast and fell in love, a little bit more on the loan didn't matter...

Great to have a happy ending, and it's not all over yet

 

[HSV ETR]

Hi all,
Thanks for those suggestions on what to look out for.... Rat, Do you know what the cause is for the cracking around the clutch enrty point on the firewall???? The one I looked at hlooks as though it may have had this problem because it looks to be painted around that point.... Is this a major problem or would the car still be worth buying??? Is it common and likly to be in a lot of EL's???

 

[RAT]

Hi HSV ETR, It's a very common problem on all the later models up to the AU (maybe its still happening?) but even the old XYs to XCs did it as well. I've seen in it in mine & my brothers EBs, EDs a mates XF ute. Ford Australia didn't want to know about it but the dealers spray shop in Canberra new exactly what it was & how to fix it. They told me they use to do about 5 a month. It's not a 'serious' problem if you can catch it before it rips right through but most people don't until its to late. They told me that its caused by a slight seizing of the clutch cable caused by water penetration making the cable a bit stiffer in its movement, this then transfers a load on to the firewall pulling slighty forwards & backwards when the clutch is depressed - over time it cracks & eventually pulls through. A quick fix, like on my EB XR8, was to weld up the crack & touch it with a bit of black paint ($50)- fortunately mine was picked up early enough & the crack was quite small but my brothers broke straight through, resulting in the brake reservoir being pulled out so they could reweld a plate over the opening, ($500 all up!) The repairers actually make these plates themselves for each model, so much for Ford saying they've never heard of it happening. Anyway don't let this deter you from buying the car if it drives well, I wouldn't call it a major mechanical problem. Another thing to check is the pedal box assemble because these tend to go in unison (more so in the sixes see other forums in the past) My brothers both have ELs now they seem to be fine - so far. Out of interest how much were they asking for the one you are looking at because the prices you quoted (I know they were a while back) seemed a bit steep. I saw an AU XR8 advertised in the Sydney trading post last week for $29,000 - but it had a brand new 347 STROKER in it, not bad considering this set up will cost you over 10 Gees.