Combines Mechanical Advice - Alternator, Handling & General Engine Bay Stuff

[Hearny]

Hi all,

 

Prelude:

- 2007 BF Mk2 Upgrade

- 213,000kms

- Serviced every 12 months or 10,000kms

- Last service 210,000kms

 

So I recently had the pleasure of signing up to RACV Roadside Assistance when my poor girl died on the Highway at night. The battery symbol started turning on and off, and since my Century Ultra High Performance battery is almost 7 years old I didn't give it much thought - then it just died doing 80kmh. So I got towed home, charged the battery over night, reconditioned it with the CTek 5.0 and watched the car drain the battery at .1V a second with no charge coming in - bye bye alternator. So I requested a quote through my local Ford dealer and after waiting 5 days, I gave up and just bought a replacement from Bayford Parts and I'll do it myself. 

 

Question 1: While I am in there, should I replace the belt and tensioner at the same time?

I purchased the Haynes repair manual and the belt doesn't appear to have any lateral cracks or missing a rib but given I don't know its age, just wondering is all.

 

As mentioned, the car is serviced regularly and the last few services through the local dealer advised me the only work that should be done is replacing the parker globes @ $400 for the job.... Yeah f**k right off... I asked about the leak around the power steering tank and they said "only minor, nothing to worry about. Top it up with Penrite w/stop leak and it'll be fine".

Question 2: Looking at the photo, has the leak in the power steering caused the failure of the alternator?

If so, is replacing the alternator only going to cause the same issue in future?

Best course to identify the leak and how to fix? I can think of only tightening the fittings, cleaning the area and monitoring for further leaks.

 

I also had the car in for some TLC with my local Pedders, where I got the following front end work completed @ $2500:

- Pedders Gas Sports Ryder Strut x2

- Bump Stops x2

- Pedders Arm Ball Joint x2

- Pedders Ball Joint x2

- Urethane Upper Control Arm Bush (4pk) x1

- Urethane Swaybar D Bush 24mm (2pk) x1

- Pedders Stabilizer Link x2

Since the front end overhaul the car has become scary to drive in the wet. I used to be able to drive on the country freeways 115kph on cruise - in the wet - driving with only my pinky finger. Now even as low as 60kph I am driving with both hands glued to the wheel and constantly making small steering corrections. It feels floaty and loose. And if I hit a puddle the car aggressively yanks towards the puddle - where I used to be able to just hold the wheel and drive through them without any deviation in driving alignment. The Pirelli Dragon Sports were on before and after so I am ruling out the Tyres here. Happy to be told otherwise and take advice on tyre recommendations!

Question 3: Any ideas as to what could have caused the change in handling since these works? Or could it be a something else that has come up independently of the works done?

 

Now for the General Enginer Bay Stuff:

Question 4:

Some discolouratioon around the brake booster and reservoir. Should I be looking for a fluid leak or is this likely just washed section from water?

 

Question 5:

Does the Turbo ever need reconditioning or overhauling? 

 

Question 6:

Discolouration behind top of air intake, similar to brake booster should I be looking for anything here?

 

Question 7:

Coolant reservouir is below min - should I be looking for a leak here too? Again, was 'checked' 3,000 kms ago...

 

Question 8: 

Is the discolouration on the Earls Turbo Line normal? (googling Earls Turbo Lines right now, they all look braided stainless. Mine lookes sleeved in like tubing or something...)

 

Question 9:

Are the battery tray's replaceable or should I be tackling that rust spot ASAP?

 

Needless to say, I fear my girl has been a little mistreated since my old private mechanic retired and I was forced to go to a local Ford Dealer. So Im looking to triage as much as I can with your help. I awould like to get another 24 months out of the girl before I retire her. I want to make her a true weekender - full restoration and upgrades (reliability, performance, handling, braking, the works) over time. A lot of questions on this restoration, but I fear I have bogged down this post enough for now.

 

So thanks for stopping by - and appreciate any help you guys and girls can offer up.

I'll post some additional pics of fluid leaks/build up I noted.

Edited 09/08/21 11:52 AM by Hearny
Formatting - sorry!

[k31th]

1. Yeah, always good to do that sort of maintenance while it's apart.

2. Yes, for sure the power steering leak killed your alternator; it's a normal problem due to the bad design of the o-ring setup for the hard power steering line and having the alternator right in it's drip path. Get a replacement high pressure line for the power steering otherwise your new alternator will be toast.

3. I'd be taking it back to the suspension shop and getting them to ride in your car while you show them the issue. They've clearly stuffed something up, but it's hard to tell what based on your description.

4. Nothing to worry about there.

5. Only if it dies. If you maintain your car it should last a very long time.

6. If it's green it might be a bit of spray from a coolant leak, or it's just water ingress like #4. Not a concern if you don't have obvious coolant leaks below it.

7. Below minimum is normal for an aging motor. Top it up regularly or find the leak source and repair+flush.

8. That discolouration is quite normal for the older lines with the plastic sheathing over the braided line.

9. Any engineering/fabrication place should be able to advise you on the rust repair, but it's fairly normal for older batterys to leak a bit underneath and eventually rust away the tray. Since it's not a structural item, it's not a big concern, rust-wise.

 

[joncitizen]

your dealer and pedders are taking you for a ride

the battery tray can be bought new (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/233233980758) [I think it needs to be welded in]

I'd be seeing if there any local ford performance workshops and start building a relationship with them for non performance work 

[Hearny]

As below - apologies for the late reply! And thank you for the reply.

 

Yeah I quoted the works through both Ford and Pedders and Pedders came out well in front and with 'better' parts than the OEM Ford parts. So I thought I was getting a good deal from Pedders.

I'm guessing $1800 for the remaining rear end works might sound steep also?

- Rear Bump Stops

- Control Arm Pivot Joint (Rear Lateral Arms Upper & Lower)

- Control Blade Arm Left & Right

- Control Arm Pivot Joint (Rear Toe Arms)

- Urethane Rear Diff Rear Mount Bush

- Stabiliser Links (Rear Sway bar)

 

I'll see if the tray is welded in or not, fingers crossed a nice drop in replacement.

 

I think that's a good idea, I'm assuming this will be a case of everyone has a favourite and every workshop will have good and bad stories?... Im in Melb Sth East Suburbs for reference.

 

And - thanks for the reply - greatly appreciated  

 

On 09/08/2021 at 10:02 PM, k31th said:

1. Yeah, always good to do that sort of maintenance while it's apart.

2. Yes, for sure the power steering leak killed your alternator; it's a normal problem due to the bad design of the o-ring setup for the hard power steering line and having the alternator right in it's drip path. Get a replacement high pressure line for the power steering otherwise your new alternator will be toast.

3. I'd be taking it back to the suspension shop and getting them to ride in your car while you show them the issue. They've clearly stuffed something up, but it's hard to tell what based on your description.

4. Nothing to worry about there.

5. Only if it dies. If you maintain your car it should last a very long time.

6. If it's green it might be a bit of spray from a coolant leak, or it's just water ingress like #4. Not a concern if you don't have obvious coolant leaks below it.

7. Below minimum is normal for an aging motor. Top it up regularly or find the leak source and repair+flush.

8. That discolouration is quite normal for the older lines with the plastic sheathing over the braided line.

9. Any engineering/fabrication place should be able to advise you on the rust repair, but it's fairly normal for older batterys to leak a bit underneath and eventually rust away the tray. Since it's not a structural item, it's not a big concern, rust-wise.

 

First and foremost thank you and apologies for the tardy reply! I failed to click "Follow Topic" so didnt get any emails with replies... Classic newby....

1. Are there upgrade or better brands to look for or just the genuine Ford replacements? This will be a recurring theme as Im looking to retire her to a weekender in future - will always be looking at fullproofing the car for the future.

2. So Ford would have seen this as an incoming job for the service department then... Kinda starting to see why people call them Fraud Dealers... Again, good brands or just ford parts?

3. Just confirmed the job slip, 2 years or 40,000k warranty on parts and labour so I'll give them a call and book in a drive next time it rains. 

4. 1 win so far!

5. Brilliant - I feel like it is fine as it is now. No noticeable power loss or lag, and never any smoke coming out of the exhaust (from a quick google of signs of turbo failure...)

6. It doesn't appear to have any colour - I might just clean it up completely and monitor for further ingress or fluid build up.

7. Will do both if I find anything during the engine bay deep clean, otherwise just keep topping up. I don't know what brand is in there - is mixing brands a problem? I note SuperCheap has Nulon's and Penrite - a better option here or are these much or a muchness?

8. So I take it no detriment here, just visually ugly. Is there servicing or replacement advised for these Turbo Lines? I've never performed any maintenance on it and can't ever recall it being mentioned on service reports...

9. Easy done, Joncitizen also linked a replacement tray so I'll jump into the engine bay and see if they are tacked on or not.

 

Again - appreciate your time and assistance!

[k31th]

1. Genuine is best for those sorts of things.

2. A genuine ford article will resolve the problem, but there are plenty of aftermarket improvement ones on ebay etc (some from actual ford dealers haha)

3. Good luck with the diagnosis lining up with a day you can actually replicate it

4. 100%

5. Yep, sounds like your turbo is still good.

6. Sounds like a good plan.

7. Whatever you like is fine, realistically, as it's just water and ethyl glycol, basically.

8. Yep, no detriment, just looks bad. It's an aftermarket line so no workshop is going to have it on their list to look at it. Realistically if you just open it up and check the middle-filter every service you'll be fine.

9. Standard fabrication practice to remove and replace with the one that joncitizen posted. All good.

[Hearny]

1. Is it worth replacing the pump and res at the same time? I'll touch base with Bayford & Jefferson.

2. Ordering a Dayco belt and tensioner through SCA.

3. Haha, not wrong... even if it cant be replicated on the day, the money I spent should justify getting it up on the hoist for a check up on their own work.

4.

5.

6. 

7. Brilliant - I'll pick up a refiller and keep on top of it.

8. I might have a look at the filter then. Opening it up now, does it need bleeding afterwards, or just leave car over night or idle for x-minutes....

9.

 

Cheers mate

[k31th]

1. I'd only replace them if they're needed to be replaced (e.g. faulty)

2. That'll do the job.

8. just look at it, if it's looking like it's partially blocked, clean it out... if it's not blocked, re-install it.

[Hearny]

Hey all,

 

Couple of days since I did the work myself. So I thought I would send a quote out to my local Ford dealer and to Lube Mobile to see how much it would have cost having someone else do the work for me.

Came back at $1150 & $800 respectively - so naturally I went out and bought a heap of stuff instead of borrowing them from friends and family. All up, everything came in at $750. I still saved $400 from going through Ford and I didn't really save much had I of gone through Lube Mobile.

But in the end - I now have a lot of tools I get to keep and use in future. I see it as a BIG win!

So not pictured here is the Dayco Drive Belt and Tensioner, and a Daytona Tap & Die kit... more on that later...

 

All in all, the service (for lack of a better word right now) was easy and straight forward.

Swapping out the alternator would have only been an hours work if the new, genuine OEM part had the rear mounting thread actually been tapped...

Hence the trip down to Sydney Tools for the Daytona Tap & Die kit. Having never used this equipment before - was pleasantly surprised how easy it was.

FYI - my bolt was an M8 x 1.25 thread.

 

While I was in there, I decided to flush the coolant and the power steering fluid. I decided against buying a new High Pressure Power Steering Hose as ringing around for prices they were ranging from $300 (old) to over $450 (new).

And nobody would give me an honest answer on after market ones, and nobody could advise which replacement hose I would need when using 19" wheels. Everywhere I could find indicated "for use with 16" wheels" or "for use with 17" & 18" wheels".

I have OEM 19" FPV wheels - so I assume the 17" & 18" variants would be the better option but it would be nice if they could explicitly state 19" on them... So while cleaning the High Pressure hose I thought to just replace the O-Ring and see how it goes.

Turns out I was more installing an O-Ring than replacing one. What was left in the connection was now a hard plastic like thing that had split in the middle - did't even need a flat head to remove, it just fell apart in my hand.

 

So two days after the repairs and everything is going well. No leaks, the areas are still dry and clear from any power steering fluid.

I'll keep monitoring for signs of leaks - might end up replacing it again with a better O-Ring. I just used a generic one from a box with various sizes for various uses.

The multimeter is showing 13.98V - 14.2V coming into the battery.

 

And this is where I get frustrated - this tiny O-Ring was likely the culprit for the entire reason for the repairs.

And when I asked Ford about the fluid leaks at each service they advised minor leaks and nothing to worry about.

A change of the O-Ring every 100,000K's would likely eliminate this issue, take little to no time in the workshop and cost the customer f**k all in the long run - saving them $1100 in fact...

I dont know what to put it down to - is it just lazy workmanship - just customers in and out with no care for brand reputation or customer satisfaction?....

 

I mean - I am happy to have had the opportunity to work on my car. It was rewarding and I felt a sense of accomplishment afterwards.

Already planning the next round of works, thinking brake fluid replacement and maybe even do the diff fluid...

So if I ever have any technical questions - I think I'll be coming here first, and I sure as hell wont be going back to Ford.

So thanks again for the help k31th and joncitizen - very much appreciated guys.

 

Some other suspect areas I noted while under the car, anything here I should be considering?

Working front to back in these photos:

[k31th]

well done

[Tom Tucker]

Good on you mate - no replacement for experience working on your car!