benjam

hmmm just thinking more one what you said igsta. The inside of the bushes are definitely greased up, but if there was noise there as the bar twists under load, I thought it would sound different, like a creak? This clunk really sounds like metal on metal. Ben

Yep sure did, and I checked it all was tight as a rock, at least as much as I could by reaching under the car and shaking each side of it. The clunk happens like something is really loose though. Originally I thought the swaybar had come loose or even snapped, I had that happen to me before on another car. Also I can make the clunk happen a little at 10-20kph just by turning the steering wheel sharply from right to left and back again continuously. Any bump in the road at that speed makes the clunk sound no problem. I phoned my extended warranty company today and they just said to take it to any mechanic and once quoted and approved they'll pay for the fix. Hopefully it will be that easy. Going to take it to the the Ford dealer 1km away so will see what they find. Fingers crossed it will be something fixable under this warranty. Ben

Hi all, Decided to drive today instead of taking the train to work. On the way home started hearing a metal clunking sound from the front when going over even the tiniest of bumps. Sounds kinda like a thick cow bell. The more bumps, the more clunks, so I took it real slow and made it home ok. Took the front wheels off and tried to see if any of the suspension was loose as I recently put the whiteline swaybars on. Nothing loose or hanging off. Then with the wheels back on, I tried moving the engine like rocking the car and my girlfriend and I could only pin the noise to the passenger side somewhere. Would it most probably be an engine mount? I already found THIS thread so seems it happens enough...car is out of Ford warranty, but I have a 3rd party extended warranty which remains to be tested. Depending on what 3rd part warranty place says, should I take it to a Ford dealer or someone else? Cheers. Ben

Hey that info was pretty useful, I was able to check some of those codes match what is on my NSW rego paper. The "Variant" is listed on my rego as 18335YK which is broken up by: 18335 = XR Sedan Y = 4.0 DOHC VCT TURBO K = 5 speed floor manual Well I'm glad at least it was right! Ben

I had a similar experience to you Jack with AMMI but with a more positive outcome. When I first insured my T it was stock, and I filled out the online info on their website and saved it as a quote. On the quote it stated no one under 25 could drive. I did all this before buying the car. Got the same deal $500 for premium with $2k excess. The day I bought the car I phoned AMMI and quoted my cover note # etc to pay and add a few accessories to the policy. The lady advised me that no one under 30 could drive it. I simply said the cover note I had stated no one under 25, not 30 and she checked and ammended the policy. She did say it was strange but didn't challenge it at all. So I have my policy clearly stating no one under 25 can drive. Anyone from 25-whatever can drive it fine. All a bit of a mute point with me as I was already over 30 but my gf is under, plus a few of my friends are 25-30 still, so it's just handy incase they drive it. Try getting a quote online, I'm sure they have to honor it as they did mine. I'm into my 2nd premium for the T now and everythings the same. I've also added some mods along the way. Ben EDIT: I should add that this happened to me in April 2005, so a fair while ago. If their system is flawed, then they didn't bother to fix it in over a year at least!

Jack, where's a good place to buy the swaybars from? I'm in Sydney but looking for any place online to compare with the Whiteline website. Autospeed used to sell Whiteline gear cheaper that the Whiteline website, but alas no more.. Any other online place that would sell the swaybars at a discoount? Also I read some other posts about having the rear 22mm Whiteline bar also. Any reason why you didn't get it as well, or is it on you list? Anyone installed the rear bar themselves easily? Just wondering if exhaust or anything needs to be removed. Cheers. Ben PS hmmm had these handy as it's what I'm interested in, may be useful info for anyone else! Whiteline Front Swaybar 27mm - #BFF21 Whiteline Rear Swaybar 22mm - #BFR42

Thanks guys for all the extra info!!! In the show they had the kit wired up like this. An arming switch to turn the whole system on/off. 1 push button switch on the dash to use it at idle or whenever. 1 switch down at the accelerator to work only when fully pressed, ie at WOT. So the idea was at the drags, to give it a 10 second or so squirt at idle with the dash button just before launching, then it continues basically with the use of the accelerator @ WOT as you go hell for leather down the quarter. They reckon you can get 20 uses like this.

Hey Adrian, I got twin 3" tips put on a while ago by my local Midas shop in Sydney. Cost $100 all up. Yeah they just cut the old one off, trimmed the length of the 3" pipes to suit and then welded them on. I got the choice of how far I wanted them to come out and how close together. After 6 months they are still excellent! Ben

Found some bigger ones and replaced while you were viewing probably. Should fine now!

Hi all, I saw an interesting and entertaining tv show on Foxtel Monday night on the How To channel. Basically they showed how to install your own C02 spray kit for an intercooler. While it may or may not have much effect on our T's, would there be any truth in the general principle of it affecting heat soak etc? I read a bit on water spray kits not having much affect for the T, but what about this? Anyone still thinking WTF? I must admit the show had a F&F type style which made me laugh a bit actually, though in all seriousness I like the cool factor of this along with any positive effect it may have technically on performance. What do the drag racers think? Check out the link below aswell (bit slow though). http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dtrk/e...6_40566,00.html Ben

I once repainted a plastic cover that was part of the bonnet in my old Alfa GTV6. To strip I soaked it in a container of cheap brake fluid over night. Worked really well. Maybe a bit hard for a bumper though. Check out some hardware stores for a citris based furniture stripper. It may be safe enough for plastic too. Ben

that would make sense but I am pretty sure I put the hand brake right down. Why would it be rubbing? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> They get stuck all the time even when released very very common <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh ok, so how do get ride of this? I can't imagine it is good for it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It is also common that the rotors warp slightly (to say the standard ford brakes are sh*t, would be being very kind!), so as the rotor turns and passes through the caliper it will slightly touch, hence the brushing sound you here... I have had this also, it comes an goes. Can be annoying when driving slowly beside another car as you get the reverb... No biggy! Cheers <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually the handbrake is a separate part to the rear braking system. It is a small drum type brake behind each rear disc. I think it's the shoes that get out of alignment. I spoke to a Ford service manager about it once and he conceeded it was a design fault and affects both Fords and Holdens. Not even fixed in the BF apparantly! Check out this thread on how to adjust properly yourself if you feel the need. http://www.fordxr6turbo.com/forum/index.ph...54&hl=handbrake I've have never bothered to do it myself but I've had the dealer check it a few times. I think they actually did it properly once too. It's easy to get rid of for awhile by lifting the handbrake at very slow speed, like 5 kph. Don't let the dealer charge you for "handbrake adjustment". You are entitled to have it fixed under warranty!! Ben

I found the horizontal for both h4 & h7 can be out if the globe is not held in properly ie crooked to begin with. To get at the globes, better to loosen and tilt the battery back a bit or remove on driver's side. Same with top of air box on passenger side. Ben

When I was first looking for T's I found this white one but wasn't quick enough to buy unfortunately. It was standard except for Mk1 XR8 18's and interestingly had the mud spats & bonnet protector colour coded. Wouldn't mind doing colour coded spats on my venom red T, though would probably scrape them to bits with my lowered king springs. Ben

Hi Muz, Ask the service guys to put it in writing about the bad fuel. Are they going to still repair it under warranty? Whatever you get in writing I would call / write to the fuel company also. Their response would be interesting. Ben

That's a good question, I guess for me it's a combination of Brand loyalty and trusting the people who know the car best. All a bit of tripe really as I've found now. I'm going to get it serviced at my local Midas instead, explained the whole thing to the manager there and he's happy to do the remaining service items, stamp the book etc for around $80 - $100. I asked him how much the 45K service would be normally and he said $200. May be a case of you get what you pay for, but I don't agree with $40 wiper blades etc, sorry to hear about that Bain. Ben

Just booked it in with another dealer who are willing to stamp the book in the right place with a note saying what I did myself. That's the flexibility I was after from the first dealer. But I think next time I will just supply my own oil and oil filter and cop the labour charge. Bugga Ben

They did the right thing.. They cant guarantee that you havent stuffed something up when you installed a majority of the components (which are part of the 45k service) What happens if you incorrectly installed your oil filter for instance (overtightend it, not tight enough etc) and oil goes everywhere, then engine seizes etc.. If that book has a 45k stamp on it, you have every right to walk back in and claim it as a warranty job.. Im sure they wouldnt want to cop the costs involved in a full engine transplant. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh I fully understand that's why they said no to stamping the book in the right place. Just wish they were a bit more flexible. I guess I'm just used to doing things myself, last car I had was a 20 year old Alfa GTV6. Ben

Nah I told them not to bother with the service so they shouldn't touch the book. Yep the aftermarket warranty does rely on all previous servicing done and being stamped. It has it's own book aswell to be stamped in addition, plus I have to send them a copy of the service job sheet. Actually my aftermarket warranty works more like an insurance policy. It's more restrictive than a Ford extended warranty, for instance it specifies the service intervals as being 10,000 kms instead of 15K. That's not a drama for me though as I do less than 10K a year. My 45K service is due now by time not kms, only done 36K kms. Yep I will call a couple of different dealers and also Midas or Ultratune, though I would much prefer Ford. Ben

Hi all, I was booked in for a 45K service this morning along with some warranty stuff. This is the first time I've had the car serviced since owning it, all other services clearly stamped and done by previous owner. I organised this last week and told them I had changed the oil, oil filter and air filter myself. They had quoted me $440 for a normal 45K service but that came down to $150 for the remainder of the work do be done for the 'B' type service. I thought all was sweet until I got there this morning and the guy with the job sheet asked me what exactly I wanted done on the service again. When I explained again what I had done myself he said they won't be stamping the service book! I have an aftermarket extended warranty book that will kick in next month aswell so it's important for both to be stamped. I asked if they could stamp the service part and put a note as well explaining what I'd done myself. But the best they could do was to put the stamp at the bottom of the page then writing a note there, still leaving the 45K service area blank. I do understand their point but don't agree with it, anyone else had a similar experience? When I had a new Proton a few years ago I did the oil myself and had no dramas getting stamped. It's a shame cause they've been good with warranty stuff, I must have taken the car to them 5 or 6 times always with a view that I would take it to them for service too. Today I told them not to service and just do the warranty stuff. Ben

No worries. Yep I used King springs all round, SL in the front and SSL in the back. It lowered the car at each corner about 3.5cms from standard. I'm happy with the height, although the mid section of the exhaust scrapes over some speed bumps if I'm not careful (found a new use for the heat shield ). The ride is pretty much the same, perhaps in a straight line you can feel the bumps a smidge more. In the corners it feels alot more composed and flatter, it seems to be able to change direction mid corner alot better too. A reasonable result for the price. Ben <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sounds good, that’s the only thing that concerns me is the exhaust! Being an APS system the high flow cat hits some speed humps now if I go over them too fast, buts that’s the draw back when you go lower. Do you remember the part numbers for the coils and leaf springs? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ahhh I'm in a sedan, not a ute! I believe I got KFFL-57SL for the Front and KFRL-68SSL for the rear. Check out http://www.kingsprings.com.au/ they have catalogues linked on their main page for both coils and leaves. I'm sure wholesale suspension can sort you out with what's required too as they are one of the NSW distributers. Actually that's why I contacted them first going on the info from the King Springs website. Ben

Yep they have that certain gimp mask quality, would look funny with a zipper painted across the front instead of the strips. Though I'm with xr6tblueprint's thinking, here's what happened on my first country drive in my T on the way to Dubbo. Took all of 30 seconds to ruin the front end as a truck kicked up a hail storm of stones when it overtook another car in front. Since had it resprayed. Now I've got a bra and proud of it! It's a bit high maintainance, but much less than even polishing the car. I used mine up to Brissy and back recently and it's great. Saw quite a few other cars with them on too. No need to bother with it around the city though. Ben

No worries. Yep I used King springs all round, SL in the front and SSL in the back. It lowered the car at each corner about 3.5cms from standard. I'm happy with the height, although the mid section of the exhaust scrapes over some speed bumps if I'm not careful (found a new use for the heat shield ). The ride is pretty much the same, perhaps in a straight line you can feel the bumps a smidge more. In the corners it feels alot more composed and flatter, it seems to be able to change direction mid corner alot better too. A reasonable result for the price. Ben

Beginning of December I got a wheel alignment at the same time as having the car lowered with King springs. Drives great and I'm happy after 3000kms, driving up to QLD and around. Got this all done at Wholesale Suspension, 129 Coreen Ave, Penrith, 02 4721 2112. http://www.wholesalesuspension.com.au Ben

A few years ago I overfilled the oil by about the same amount after a change on a little Hyundai Excel that I had. A week later driving along floored it to get up a hill (as you have to do in an Excel ). Suddenly no power and then noticed HUGE plooms of white smoke coming out the back. Passed a couple of guys working on their car just as I stopped to the side and they were pissing themselves. hehe When I got out of the car, the road looked like a thick fog had rolled in! I shut it down for a bit then restarted and let it idle for a bit more and then drove slowly to my mates place where we just checked the oil level again and it was spot on full, no extra anymore. Never had any probs after that so I was lucky. I'm sure I could have wrecked something. Since then I check, recheck, double check levels etc when I change the oil! Ben