Yeh defo agree.Letting them stand for months on end is no good at all.The looks my car gets is unreal.Nearly everyday i see people look at the car. My exhaust isnt that loud.If it was i would do something about it.

The only thing that pisses me off about my car is everytime i wash it i notice a bit more rust on the arches.I think thats down to the dodgey repairs it had when the car got the bodywork and respray done.

 

I am lucky, my arches are spot on, but I know what you mean. Had it with a old M3 I used to own, car was mint except one arche. Used to drive me mad! Can you not get them done? I was quoted £500 to do both, cut out, replace, shape, treat and spray.

 

How's the floods down your way bud ?

 

Bad, got alot of rain tomorrow as well, trees down, roads closed, mud and slurry covering roads etc. I will be staying in tomorrow lol

 

UPDATE: BIG ONE!



Right, this photo to most is not much to look at, but to me... it is a massive weight off my shoulders and a massive relief!!!







A really long story in short form.



We had some serious floods down in the South West, on one of my travels I came across what didnt look like a massive flood, watched a couple cars go through and looked OK, so off I went. I started panicing when the water could be seen level with my bonnet Nothing I could do at that point other than keep the revs up and go. I could feel the engine being put under strain with the amount of water the front splitter was pushing! It was that much I actually swomped a car coming the otherway, water went up over her bonnet...



So after this the car was fine, thought I got lucky with that and went on my way, checked everything under the bonnet and all looked well, car ran fine as always.



Now around two weeks after, I get in the car after checking the fluids etc before setting off (all fine) and around ten miles up the road I was starting to wonder why it was not getting warm in the car, checked the temp on the heater, was set to high, checked the temp gauge for the water, was warmed up... checked the fan speed... boom, was on number 3 and no noise or life from the heater.



So I do what all Cosworth owners do, straight on the net when I got home to check what it could be. Checked the fuse and this was fine, seen a few people mention the fuse box.... I had my cousin come round and check the earths etc, power at the switch etc etc... After a chat my cousin was convinced it just had some water in and it might dry out when used... the internet however was telling me this is the first sign of the fuse box going... I seen the next thing to go was the fuel pump and didnt want to get the car stranded anywhere as I know the front splitter would have to come off to get it on the back of a lorry.



So I left it on the drive and went on the hunt for a fuse box. Didnt really fancy a second hand one as will no doubt be the same as mine, I was opting for resoldering but my cousin (electrician) didnt have the time and I didnt fancy it... So off to Ford I go to find a fuse box, I had the numbes...(BAB) and asked the ford parts guy, he came back with £323 all in but was unsure if they had any. I spoke with a mate who could get discount at Ford but was still £300. While searching for more info on this I seen someone mention Fordspartsuk.com and they came back at £281... so bit the bullet and bought it. Turned up a few days later and I managed to book half a day off work to get this fitted. Asked around the forums for tips and hints etc and set on with the task in hand.



Was a little bit worrying but it is a straight forward job when you take the worry away from it.



Before I removed the fuse box I started the car just to make sure it was still running etc and it was.



Disconnected the battery and took some photos of the three red power connectors to the back of the fuse box.











I marked these up and took photos so I could replace in the correct order, then started removing the wiring etc















On my fuse box I noticed I had two cables coming into the top and pluggin into certain places on the board... I am a complete novice when it comes to this so didnt think much of it, marked where they came from and carried on taking it out.



And this is the fuse box out











Old v New



















New fuse box























So that was easy enough, put all the little copper connectors for the heater etc into the fuse board as well but didnt photo that



Then started to put the box back in, nice and easy at this point



So now I am thinking, what is this







I know it went in one of the slots in the background but none did anything.



So put the battery back on and turned the key, everything worked when the ignition was on including the heater so happy days I thought How wrong was I!!



Turned the key and nothing, not even trying to turn the starter motor over or anything.



Gutted in a understatment.



So onwards and upwards I thought, started checking relays, fuses, connections etc, checked and double checked the battery, all fine.



Looked around on the net etc and nothing pointing to this issue.



I was becoming lost and dropped a text to Mark Barber asking a question and he asked to call.



So I did



After a good chat with Mark and telling him what I have done and what I have found we started trying things, Marks first thought was the ford immobiliser, so put the key in the lock and turn left or right etc... bad news, my car is de-locked, a great security feature but terrible when you need to turn the immobiliser off.



I took both door cards off on a very cold night in super quick time and found the immobiliser part on the lock and tryed all combinations to get it to start, nothing



Called Mark and let him know, by this time its dark and bloody cold so Mark gave me some things to try etc the next time I could get at the car.



So I tried a combination of things including putting the old fuse box back in and still would not start By now I am feeling worried and annoyed at the car, Mark reassured me it would be OK and worst case he would come down in his spare time and help me out!!!! WHAT A LEGEND! We do not know how lucky we are to have Mark involved with these cars and the RSOC. Best thing I ever did was sign up to the RSOC! Just the knoweldge alone Mark has is second to none, then you add in how much of a true enthusiast he is and a great bloke!



So Friday afternoon was booked off and I started going through the list of things I needed to try. While I had a spare 5 minutes I sent a photo to Mark and asked if it looked right (of the fuse box) a phone call shortly from Mark told me I was missing two relays which could be the problem.



Now the plot thickens as I start digging into the history and found out my car has a Fraser Fuel pump loom which changed things. Mark said he had some relays and would send them to me so they turn up Saturday morning (what a gent, never asked for postage or money!!!!)



So Saturday morning came and so did the post man, I was a bit down in the dumps with the car at this time and was not confident but off I went. I had to put the new fuse box back in etc and put the new relays in.... turned the key and the starter motor turned!!!!!!!!



I jumped out with a big smile on my face, we are getting somewhere.. the car would still not fire and I thought this could be related to the loom.. So I put the little black cable back into the fuse box like it was on the old box and tried again.. First time



I am not joking, I jumped out of the car and kissed it and started jumping around celebrating!!!



My mate was pissing himself and people looking out the windows thinking what the hell is he up to lol.



Such a relief! And all the thanks goes to Mark Barber! Without his know how and time this would of cost me a shed load of cash and time without the car.



This has also highlighted a massive problem I have, no one in my area can look after this car when I get issues like this.



Friday night me and the Mrs decided if it would not go with the new relays I was going to ask Mark to take it back to his workshop and make her breath again and get a few bits sorted over a period of time, was looking at buying a cheap run about while it was with him etc. Thought a few months away from the car would get the love back.



I am over the moon the car is now backup and running!



So, after I celebrated I got my head back onto this journal and started putting the car back together and taking photos



This is what she looked like taken a part























Then I started putting it back together















Someone is showing interest in becoming a member





















I want to say thank you to everyone who helped as well, all suggests much appreciated.



Thank you all



Mark

 

One of the reasons I bought this car

The sound of it

Click the imagine below to view video



No land speed records were broken while filming this, road was empty, never broke the speed limit blah blah blah. Enjoy

 

Good on you for using your motor properly rather than tucking it away all year round!

 

I couldn't tuck it away, I lasted a month the last time I tried to tuck a car away and broke. I just love driving nice cars, only hobby I have now so why not hey

 

At least you got it sorted.There is nothing worse than when your car is broke.When there is something wrong with my car i always feel down.Turbo chatter sounds mint. Mmmmmm shall i take my dump valve off.

 

Nice Escos there, sounds good in the video. Also decent job on the gaiter on the first page, amazing to see how the originals look like rags once taken off.

 

If I was picky I would put a DV on and put a hard spring in there. My old Escort had a DV with a heavy spring and it would chatter when not hitting full boost and chatter and dump on full boost. Was good, best of both worlds and it kind of looked after the turbo as well.

This one has nothing and it sounds lovely!! But it does take some time when changing gear for the turbo to come on song again

 

Cheers mate, gaiter looks loads better now, and as you say, amazing how cheap and horrible the original ones are.

 

I can still get mine to chatter with the dump valve on.It mostly does it when im going quick lol.

 

Well not used the car all Christmas, seen a few of you guys saying about missing them so thought I would take her out to rekindle some love.

My god does she ever go!! Nice cold weather and dry roads opening the taps through 2nd, 3rd and 4th and it pulls like a train right the way through. Surprised me really.

Car was faultless as always. Seen a R33 GT Skyline which looked "drift ready" going down the A303 but he didnt play, he thought about it though but a quick squiert and he kept away.

Over all really pleased with the car, it is filthy though so will need to clean it at some point. No photos as it was dusk when I left and fully dark when I got back. Car is perfect at the moment

 

Thought the other day you have been abit quiet!

Still love this car and even though i have the 3 door now i still feel the need to releave you of it LOL

 

Yeah hardly used it bud, not really had the time.
I will have a little look at your 3Door when I get time, nice motor

 

I have started a thread on it on here but its looking very sorry for itself at the minute. Been sat in a mates garage for 7 years!

Stripped most of it now just waiting for some panels to turn up as the tin worms been at it Gonna fully restore it so will be needing a toy at somepoint

 

Or they defo put a smile on your face.

 

Nice hot wheels

Regards Arnold

 

Thanks Arnold, your first post as well

 

Well the Mrs has had a pretty shit 3 months and one of the reasons not much has been done on this.

Her Grandad died a couple months ago and her Dad died yesterday, roll on 2014!!!



Anyway, my car was in need of a clean and I thought I would clean hers, anything to try put a smile on her face again.



My car before



































After











































While I am here, might as well put some up of the Mrs car















































This car is with no question the best car we have ever owned. It has cost us 2 tyres. Passed the last two MOT's with flying colours. For the money these cars are changing hands for these days, I would have no issue with buying another to do my dailey miles in.

This one has a decent spec, Harmon Kardon, Bluetooth handsfree, Black nappa leather, parking sensors, auto lights, auto wipers, xenon lights, steering wheel controls, cruise control, duel digital climate control, air con, electric everything, manual and rare rear folding seats which gives plenty of room to move stuff around in. Love this car, everytime I get in her and drive, I always find myself telling the Mrs how good the car is



Comments welcome

 

Double post

 

I do like bms but think they arnt cheap for parts.

I love driving the wifes mk1.5 focus.These old cossies are like bone shakers compared to modern cars lol.

Do you just leave tou escos parked on your front.I thought yoy had a garage for it.

 

I had a double garage with pit etc for my old Escort Cosworth but found it made it a pain to jump in and drive etc, also the insurance was strict if garages and knew it would not get in every night so this is insured as on the drive. I still have access to the garage if I want it but not putting it away as much so I can use it with ease. The BMW is really nice, parts are expensive on the M3s, on this they are not too bad, BMW do a reduction on parts for cars older than ten years, their servicing prices have also come down nicely too. I heard the focus is a good drive, good chassis apparently

 

I wouldnt dare leave an escos on my front.They stick out like a sore thumb and i would be worried if it got touch.I had a door mirror pinched off my saff on my front lol.

When the focus first come out i thought what have ford done.My mam n dad bought one and i loved it.We bought ours last febuary.

 

We live in an alright little town and in a cul de sac, anyone who comes down out of the norm is looked upon a bit. Never had any problems with any of my cars in my place, not saying I wont in the future though. It is fully insured so if it happens it happens, we are lucky we dont have mindless idiots just thiefing for the sake of it etc now. They tend to leave it well alone after your growl at them a little lol

Not thought about upgrading to a Focus RS?

 

Update:



Well a few weeks ago a local chap contacted me through Facebook and asked if he could take some snaps of the Escort. Today was the day we met up and took the photos.



The guys in question are Sam Potter and Shane O'Malley



Facebook page



http://www.facebook.com/#!/SamPotterPhotography?fref=ts



I was unsure of what to expect as never done anything like this, we met at a local office complex which was a respectable back drop for the photos.



Shane and Sam arrived and started unloading the kit, I am not up on my cameras etc but the kind of kit these lads have is massively impressive!



Sadly the weather was not on our side much, light drizzle constant through out the day added with loads of dull and low cloud.



You will also have to excuse my battered splitter and front bumper. Really wish I got this sorted now



Sam and Shane specialise in the car show scene and if anyone is having a local meet/show in or around the Somerset/Dorset area and want some high quality images taken of your cars and turned into prints, discs with the photos on, canvas etc then give them a shout, very helpful lads, showed me what the camera could do which was very interesting and took time to get quality.



I have had to upload the photos to photobucket which has sucked the life out of the quality but you get the idea.







Excuse the dirty engine bay















Comments welcome

 

Lovely motor,

Ive always loved this colour in the escos! but please please please fit a new splitter lol its the only thing letting the car down

 

Cheers, yeah I got to get the splitter sorted. We are moving soon which will mean I do not have to deal with a trickey kerb anymore. Once we move I will get it sorted.

 

You know my thoughts on your car matey.

As for getting a focus ra.I just dont think i could sell my saff.Im sure the person who pinched my mirror knows my car.At the time my car alarm was a bit dicky so when the alarm went off you could hardly hear the siren.I have a fake camera outside my house too so they must of known.

 

Little shits mate, keep an eye on your Cosworth badge. They are going for silly money at the moment on eBay.

I had a proximity sensor on my old Escort and it was brilliant. Anyone walked near it, it beeped really loud, after the second beep the alarm would go mentel, even if you never touched the car but just stood next to it. Opened my eyes to how many people get close and look at the car

 

Always comes up a treat....nice pics mate.

Sorry to hear about Your other halfs loss

 

Some more photos from my shoot

 

Looking awesome as always Mark

 

thats stunning really is mate

puts me in the mood for an escos...

 

All I will say is... Do it!

Cheers gents

 

My alarm has one on.If i walk past it sometimes it goes off.If we drive reverse off the drive in the focus it goes off too.

 

Update:



OK as most will know from my posts on the forums, I was loosing coolant.



I checked after Christmas when the car was sat for 2 weeks not being used and found the header tank empty !!!! As you can imagine, this was a worry. So put the coolant back in, ran the car to full temp and checked again, put a bit more in, ran the car again and went on like this.



As the car has not been used much at the moment and its been wet all the time it is hard to pick out a water leak etc.



I noticed a small amount of coolant leaving the car and the smell of exhaust in the header tank... I found out that with the bailey header tanks you have to fill to the top of the top inlet, I was not. Once this was above this mark I couldnt smell any exhaust.



I dipped the tank, looked nice and clean, no signs of oil. No oil on top of the water. The oil looked fine, compared to another car running the same oil and they was identical to the eye. No sludge or mayo in the tank or dip stick? the car drove spot on, no missing or poor idle from cold or hot. Pulled like a freight train as she does.



Spoke with Mark Barber who advised a few bits to check, new cap being the main thing. Searched around on the net and found one. I also had a reply back from Burton Performance who had them in stock. I ended up getting mine from Rapid Ford for £18 delivered.



Mark advised to get a pressure test on the coolant system, so I rang up during last week for someone to do this, everyone charging £50 to do this. I booked Tuesday off work so I had time to go in and stay with the car. Never bothered booking as I heard a couple bad stories from the garage and woke up Saturday with a bee in my bonnet so off I went to find a garage to do it.



First person I called and was recommended was Mike from Barge Motors. Have been told he is a ex owner of a Escort Cosworth and Sierra Cosworth, his son apparently owned a couple too. I gave him a call and asked for a coolant pressure test, he replyed yes that is fine we can do that. He asked what car it was and as soon as I said Escort Cosworth his tone changed, for the good Sounds really enthusiastic towards the car which was great, around my local area I get people telling me to take it somewhere else!! (This is what I had from the garaged I used for all my BMWS... Was not happy with that so wont be using them again)



So he said bring it up at 11 and they will do it while I wait, I asked how much and he said, just bring £20... Happy days.



So gets there at 11, walks into the reception and there is a A3 sized photo of a Escort RS Cosworth

Mike comes out and asks me to bring the car in, he had no problems with me being with the car while one of his guys setup the pressure test. They pumped the system up and looked around the bay, nothing. Pressure was holding firm. So he gave it a couple more pumps and again looked around, nothing. Mike came out and got under the bonnet and looked in every nook and cranny. He was suspecting the water pump when I spoke with him on the phone but said it was dry and holding fine.



He looked down the back of the head and said it is even dry down there which surprised him.



While this was going on we was having some small talk about his old Escort and my car. I pulled my wallet out and asked how much, he refused to take any money!!!! I couldnt let that happen. I slammed £20 in his hand and refused to take it back. What a nice guy, I have found my new garage



So I was having a chat with him and asked if we could try a leak down test after I fitted the new cap.



So today was D Day, day off, car booked in with Mike again and off I set, he asked if we could leave the car with him so he could do it between jobs, no problem for me. I usually refuse to leave my cars with garages unless I know them but for me, I trusted them. This is rare!



As I parked the car I walked passed his workshop and on the ramps was a very tidy looking Sierra 4x4 Cosworth in white! Something just feels right when you see another Cosworth on the ramps next to yours



This car turned out to be Mikes old car! The guy who owns the Sierra also owns a small turbo Escort Cosworth.



Anyway, a few hours later Mike said he would call. Nothing! I am starting to pace now lol. Anyway, I picked the Mrs up for lunch and she works near his garage so popped in, he said they have been very busy blah blah blah, no problem, he is doing me a favour getting the car in.



So I drop back to him around 3.30, I can see the car has moved and with a heavey heart I asked how it got on. He just smiled, said it passed both tests. No coolant/Oil mix, compression test on all cylinders was good! I nearly fell over! I was expecting at the very least a headgasket replace. He said to try the cap when it arrives and keep an eye on it. He got the car up on the ramps, got under her and checked, could not see anything wrong with it.



I asked what state the spark plugs was in and he said all good, he said 3 and 4 was a slightly different colour but he said this is or could be related to me not having the idle speed control valve fitted... No idea how this works etc but he was confident it was not a problem.



I went to pay and he refused! Said the money I gave him last time was more than enough to cover the costs!!



I shook his hand and thanked him! You do not get people like this anymore! What a gem of a bloke.



So off I go, get back in the car and she is driving as she was before, lovely!



Just waiting for the cap to arrive now to try this and fingers crossed, this will resolve the issue.



Out of all the things I regret, my main one is not knowing or using Mike at Barge Motors sooner on my Cosworths! I have found that local garage that loves the car, takes time and works on it like its there own. Happy to help out and nothing is too much hassle!



I told the Mrs and after the shit couple months she has had I think it was one less thing off her mind. No so much that she is bothered about the car but she knows it makes me happy and if the car is unhappy, she knows I am. Very lucky to have her



So, I am not in a dilema!



The car is advertised for sale, I have three people who want to come and view the car. I know in my head maybe it is time to let her go before it gives me a stroke... but my heart is telling me different.



To add to this little story, I had a chat with my old boss who has offered me a job.... this means no staying away, no driving and more money! Which means I do not need the car for anything work related. It will become a weekend or evening car again.



So time for me to sit down and think it over now. If anyone has anything to add or advise or things that might help my decision, fire away. I am all ears.



One very happy owner....... at the moment

 

Nice one mate.I wouldnt dare leave my cossie with anyone.

Its a shame to sell it but only you whats best.If you sell it you will properly miss it.

 

I asked the Mrs and she said if you sell it, in three months time you will be looking for another one. She has a point