More outrageous prices!

Should be plenty of suitable lumps around to drop into it in the breaker's yards, mind.

Moral of the story is:

"HENRY FORD...HE MADE WALKING A PLEASURE"

Unfortunately this later Ultima model had different (and separate) ECUs for the motor, trans, ABS, ... all of these AND the gearbox would need replacing too. $$$large$$$ even from a breakers. Priced up it stil works out cheaper to rebuild the damaged head. Should have stuck to a beemer. *Much* cheaper to repair. JB

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You mispelt "SHITE"

JB

I've tried telling people this many times, but no-one ever listens to me.

Company my dad used to work for had a few of these, all suffered snapped cam chains at some point K plates iirc

I think Ford did them as a warranty at the time

*ding* I like my Beemer E34 520i. Only a baby at 328,000miles (still on the original camchain of course too!) JB

GSF and Eurocarparts :-)

They're dirt cheap for my VW bits, and my brother rebuilt the top end of an E34 520i for peanuts.

Why can't he just get some gasket material and cut his own?

What's the ECU's got to do with changing the engine?

Probably something to do with the wiring loom and it being a major PITA to rewire the new ECUs to an older engine.

because of the immobiliser, and because the gearbox talks to the ignition module and the cruise control module and numerous other bits. Much easier and probably cheaper to just buy the gaskets.

Alternatively get them made up, a few of the older motor factors will know people who can make stuff along the lines of head gaskets.

trying to get modern Ford immobiliser circuits to talk to each other is a nightmare.

Doesn't really surprise me - it was hardly a mass produced engine.

Yeah but if you transfer all the electrics they're none the wiser :-) Although at that quoted price you could wire the heads.

In news:opr4bbliy9tp51uo@158.152.254.254, Duncan Wood decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

true, but it's buying all the electrics of Ye Olde Scrapper Man.

I don't even want to think how much they charge for a working set of ECU's with the matching ignition key for a 24v Scorpio...

There is a couple of options....

I know poeople who have rebuilt these engines because of snapped chains. There is a very good website (

) that has lots and lots of information, including part numbers and prices. Interms of a replacement engine, if you can pick up a replacement engine, there is no reason not to swap it in. there is nothing "built" into the engine that only Its ECU will talk to, at the end of the day, its a big piece of metal with injectors, ISCV bolted on with electrical sockets and plugs. if the metal bit of the engine is dead, replace the metal bit! you only get a problem with the ECU and the PATS if you need to replace either of these, but for a "simple" cam chain snap where you have might to replace the valves, pistons, head gasgets, there is no reason why you cant replace the bits or swap in a new lump.

If its the earlier 24v, its very simple, yet long and expensive to replace the cam chain. ( the later one, the 1995 + had two chains, and two tensioners ). i replaced the chain on my 1993 24v, and tensioners without removing heads etc. It was made easier because i had an engine stand, but it was simple ( i have the workshop manual ) the parts were available ( not cheap thought, almost £400 i think in total ) and after droping it in to my capri is started 3rd turn of the key once it had petrol.

anyway, to sum up, if you want to change the engine lump for a second hand engine lump of the same type, there is no problem - its not like you are trying to fit the engine and EFi system in something that did not already have it fitted!

IMHO of course!

Well then he would need to roll in the steel rings that seal the cylinder bores. A sheet of approx 1mm (whatever thickness the old gasket bore sealing rings measure up to compressed) copper would do the job assuming you got the old one off sufficiently intact to use as a pattern. Find an 'O' ring that's about 0.2mm bigger section than gasket thickness to put in oversized hole where high pressure oil feed goes though, it should be a close fit in the hole in the gasket so the copper supports it from blowing out. Sheet of copper about £10, 'O' ring £20p, 5 hours at £40/hr = £210.20p + vat. Best to do both sides.

Use printers ink roller to roll thin even coat of Hylomar blue over both block and head.

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!