How reliable has your cossie been? When i first bought my saff 4x4 in 2006 it was a nightmare. It kept cutting out and wouldnt start again. I fixed that fault then it started to misfire when warm. The past year and a half its been spot on apart from it sort of chugs (coughs) every now and then. I just wanna know cause i still hear people slating them. What are your thoughts.

 

Dirty cps sensor and a bad connection on the map sensor are the only things to go wrong with mine in 3 yrs.

 

 

hmm not a pile so far but ive replaced TONS of parts so hopfully nothing!!

 

A well maintained cossie is reliable.

Replaced tons of parts myself m8.

 

Had saff 2 months now,and not spent a penny,just upgrades

cheeRS stu

 

my focus does that every now and again as well. on idle will all of a sudden get the ignition a bit wrong if you like then the exhaust will sound like its running mega lumpy cams. this is very infrequent but still does it. however, when I serviced it in Feb, I replaced spark plugs, got Ford Motorsport HT leads and also a second hand working coilpack to fit as I thought my coil pack was going to pack up. Ever since then it hasn't done it at all apart from once the other day

 

my cossie is realiable its me that keeps fuckin it up by not leavng it alone example take t3 off (nothing wrong with it)put T34.48 on get it mapped at grove then 3 months later decide to change the clutch (nothing wrong with old one)to a 6 paddle alcon uprate fuel pump re-wire,then replace my .48 with a .55 go over to light blues and have another live map with NMS so in 3 months spents well over 2k for no reason lol!then the h/g started to weep so she is in bit now

 

4x4 - 10 years daily drive, only off the road from time to time, but hey, she was made in 1991, so it's only fair to expect the odd need for TLC from time to time.

2wd - had her nearly three years and hardly ever has missed a beat either.

I look after them but I am not too fussy and don't tinker too much, maybe that's the secret... I also drive both regularly, the 2wd doesn't see the road as much as the 4x4 but she's out at least once or twice a week for a blast - wet or dry weather

 

Nothing(serious) gone wrong at all, AFTER I fixed all the bodges on the car from previous owners.
The only bit that was awkward was the CPS connector, my first cossie so took a little tracking down, but 15 minutes later found it and fixed it.
I had to do a HG, as previous idiots at FORD did not skim the head when they replaced one previously, AND left the head LOOSE.
tabetha

 

I was just thinking, I've also had a TVR for two years, she didn't miss a beat either... maybe I'm just lucky

 

had mine 2 years. used every day, only cost so far is 2 tyres,petrol,tax,mot and insurance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

I just keep thinking that they are old cars too. It just goes to show though that they are spot on if they are looked after. I hate it when people slate them and slate fords,ok they arnt the best cars in the world but there is worse. I always think if they were that bad know one would have a cossie.

 

Mine was ok for 1st year'ish like but slowly slowly starting to pee me off. Gotta keep on top of them and if u can do most the stuff yourself thats a bonus


KSA bit of a dumb question but what are the symptoms/problems if you have a dirty CPS sensor?

 

My dad has a 1983 xr4i(V8,4L) on a V plate, but it goes wrong regularly every two years it eats a new fuel pump, so I have to go out and tow him in, as it is quicker than waiting for the AA/RAC, I use a rigid tow pole for this, and normally tow with my 911 turbo, "doddy".

 

Gave a slight missfire m8.

 

A new TPS & a split hose in 3 years

 

My cossie has been 100% reliable - at using LOTS of petrol, does that count ?
tabetha

 

Mine's been pretty much fine the last three years. I replaced an engine mount, radiator hose and cracked header tank just after I boought it. I also had to replace the air-conditioning clutch but apart from that nothing at all...

 

Come on people keep your storys coming. Tabetha, i must admit i love my car but i hate putting petrol in it.

 

my cossie bmw has been reliable. as long as its parked up and i dont use it nothing breaks.

 

PETROL, costs, that's why I'm dithing the weber ecu, going Emerald, with NO lambda, just EGT, no closed loop etc as it is a limitation.
tabetha

 

Ive had my cossie for 12 years. Its done 108k, ok it was garaged for quite a while but i used to travel 550 mile a weeked, Bradford to Portsmouth and the only times it has broken down was twice from snapped clutch cables, that was because the turbo heatshield was shot. And the other time was a loose alternator bracket. Maybe ive been lucky. Its my daily driver again now and i love it.
Cheers,
Muffster.

 

im glad people use them as a daily drive. At the end of the day thats what they were built for.

 

not very , first engine melted, second engine had the dowty seal on the nodine fail and lost its oil 3rd engine is a beauty

 

my 3 door poooped its group a headgasket recently,, ,but it was originally fitted back in 1998. I thought that was pretty good going, but the 205 block has been long studded
so maybe that helped

 

correction arp studded

 

Most of the group a gaskets pop because people do not REST the gasket when fitting so they are loose.
My own car needed the headgasket doing weeks after I got it, despite being done weeks before I bought it.
This was due to FORD dealer NOT skimming the head, fitting a std gasket, and leaving it loose, four nuts were finger tight!!
tabetha

 

To be honest, I jump in mine, drive away not thinking that I might not get there because of a breakdown

What do you mean by REST ? Leave it on the block for a while to settle before putting the head on ?

 

Put the head on torque up, leave a MINIMUM of two hours, retorque, as a rule I find some nuts need a further 1/2 turn to click again!!
I do mine to 120lb ft, in steps of 60/90/120lb ft tne leave then retorque to 120lb ft.
tabetha

 

glenn i have to say you dont drive yours hard enought to be worrying about reliability

 

blacky i dont drive it hard cause i carnt afford to repair it if it goes pop. I will be ok when the weddin is over and paid for. Why do i need to drive it hard when i can just go out in the postman pat van with you hee hee.

 

I've had mine for about 7 yrs now, had the engine rebuilt when I first got it, use it everyday and apart from the clutch cable snapping a few times, headgasket going twice and the odd old bit failing on it like the water pump. Its been absolutely fine.

Till I picked it up last week, well its allowed to be tempramental every now and again, its not yet out of its teens, technically its a few months till its 20 yrs old.

I'm sure after a trip back to the garage it'll be all fine and dandy again.

 

at the end of the day they are an old car arnt they?

 

mines has only actually let me down twice(actually had to get it recoverd) in two years.

 

my old girls Flawless

 

i bet there isnt many cossies out there that havent be thrashed to death.

 

Never missed a beat really in 4 and a half years. Except for me flattening the battery, it's started on the button every time. Had 87K on it when I got it, with a partial history, now has 115K on it and still going strong. Only really had the 'consumables' done - oil/filters, brake fluid, brake pipes, tyres, plugs, leads, fuel tank ( ), couple of perished rubber hoses.

Replaced the dizzy because I broke it, inlet manifold gasket went back in 2005, and that's it really