Why a lot of people don't wait until cars completely dies

[au350hp]

I have been driving for 40 years now. The cars I first owned then, if kept to the most basic maintenance, would still be fine. These days, a lifetime warranty is actually 5 years which is the standard life for new cars before they begin the journey to the wreckers via the 2nd & 3rd owners. There is more plastic used now more than ever before, and meters of cheap wiring & crappy sensors. I love my older Falcon for its relative simplicity and that it has no driver aids which I believe are either straight up distractions or create lazy driving habits but that's another debate.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by car10002

And also to fit a ba engine to a ef will it need a engineer in sa? Will the ba ecu work with the ef trip computer?

Will a standard au 302 from a early au be ok in a ef without a engineer as you can apparently have upto 169kw in a ef and the efs also came out in a standard 302 standard or as a option

EF & EL XR8 sedans had up to 185kw Windsors in them. Many people have run massive power through those as they are, so I would build it how you want but register it with a quiet exhaust!

[car10002]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

EF & EL XR8 sedans had up to 185kw Windsors in them. Many people have run massive power through those as they are, so I would build it how you want but register it with a quiet exhaust!

recency park recons in a ef you can have upto a 169kw engine but not 185kw as only el2 xr8 came with it they recon so could you put a 170-175kw std 302 windsor in from a au or el2 xr8 without a engineer

el2 body is same as ef and el1 and el2 xr8 has 185kw so could you put a el2 xr8 engine in a ef body which is same as the el2.

will a ba eu work on a ef trip computer

[chookaradley]

Im a massive car nut and have owned plenty over the course of being a licensed driver the last 20 years. Every car ive ever traded or sold has been in immaculate condition. Unfortunately im just one of those people that likes to have a different car every 2-4 years. Note I said different car, not nessesarily better car.

I see it as a defect in my personality 😆
It can prove to be an expensive one....

[Iggle Piggle]

Hey mate, what exactly does your EF still need for you to feel comfortable taking it on a long trip to visit family and friends?

What repairs does it need, and what sort of distance are you talking? Think in previous threads you were talking about being over on Yorkes - so are you talking Yorkes to Adelaide and back?

Let us know exactly what you need - if it's not too substantial we might be able to round up an AFF posse in Adelaide to help you out...I'd be happy to kick in a few bucks, if a few more do the same we might be able to crowd-source enough to track down some cheap parts you need, then we'll have a BBQ and some local members that are good on the tools can get your EF reliable again. Serious. You'd need to take a punt on it making it here to Adelaide.

Re reasons people get out of cars early - some of it is to do with appearances (keeping 'up' with others in the school drop off or work car-park); some of it is because they fear it will suddenly become unreliable (even though it has never let the down before); sometimes it is because they are starting to become unreliable (or have known issues that come up after certain amount of years or kms - like SIDI timing chains); and some of it is because, even though still mechanically sound, cars just get 'tired' in general and lots of small things add up to detract from the experience (little rattles, pitted windscreen, fading paint, sagging roof lining, water in tail-lights, squeaking suspension, worn door hinges, panel alignment, etc).

Not everyone gets out of them though, and others are happy to get in to them at a good price and gradually bring them back (or drive them into the ground).

[Ben73]

I also find its time and not necessarily KMs that causes a car to wear out and be more unreliable.

At work we had cars that were 3 years old with 550,000kms on them. The engine started as quick as they did when they were brand new, the also drove pretty much the same as new. We never had any major issues even with the 12 cars all with half a million kms on them. Sure a number of parts were replaced as needed, but nothing major like engines, transmissions ect.

I think in the combined 6 millions kms I only heard of 1 car being a complete failure on the side of the road.
But for all I know more could have broken down on my book off days or while I was on annual leave and I never ended up hearing about it.

On the flip side my mate bought a 20 year old car with 55,000kms on it and it was an unreliable piece of crap.

[stock1991]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I also find its time and not necessarily KMs that causes a car to wear out and be more unreliable.

At work we had cars that were 3 years old with 550,000kms on them. The engine started as quick as they did when they were brand new, the also drove pretty much the same as new. We never had any major issues even with the 12 cars all with half a million kms on them. Sure a number of parts were replaced as needed, but nothing major like engines, transmissions ect.

I think in the combined 6 millions kms I only heard of 1 car being a complete failure on the side of the road.
But for all I know more could have broken down on my book off days or while I was on annual leave and I never ended up hearing about it.

On the flip side my mate bought a 20 year old car with 55,000kms on it and it was an unreliable piece of crap.

the worst thing you can do to a car is not drive it

[car10002]

e series and x series are good old cars particular ef needs a bit of this and bit of that then will be all good, had tons stuff done already, can get access to cheap parts just got to get them

will a ef with a au 302 windsor need engineering as they also came out in a 302 windsor but au was about 170-175kw ef/el1 165-170kw el2 xr8 was 185kw but is same body as ef/el1

what makes el2 different for engine than ef/el1 even though they have same body

[GO FURTHER]

Originally Posted by stock1991

the worst thing you can do to a car is not drive it

Very true!

What a Mechanic of 45 years experience once told me... That changed my thinking about cars!

When I was a young lad, my mother had a brand new 1978 Sigma Scorpion, a beautifully made Japanese, two-door coupe which was also sold in the US as the Dodge Challenger.



She did not drive it that much, probably only to the local shops a few times a week being a stay at home mum.

3 years later and only 7,000 kms on the clock she started having all sorts of problems with it, even though it was driven sedately and serviced by the dealer.

Being out of warranty, I took it to a local workshop and left it there for the mechanic to look over it.

When I went to pick it up at the end of the day, the old and very experienced mechanic said to me...

"Son... Have you heard the saying ... "A rolling stone gathers no moss!"

"Well, that's the problem with your mother's car... I've fixed a few things, but all it really needs is a really good long drive on a regular basis!"

"Most of the cars that come into my workshop with problems are those with low kilometres for their age!... The best second hand car to buy if I had the choice is a high mileage car that's been driven everyday but looked after!"

"The corrosion in your mother's car radiator is due to the car sitting for long periods and the coolant not being circulated on a regular basis moving and mixing the glycol against the metal... It's the same as a stagnent pool of water!"

"The suspension noises are due to dried out hardened bushes that are not getting exercised with regular use!"

"A car is like a human... It needs regular exercise to stay fit!"

"Not driving your car for long periods effects tyres and can cause permanent flat spots causing vibrations, seals can also dry out causing oil leaks, and a battery that does not get charged regularly through driving it can play havoc with the electronics... the list goes on and on!"

"Do your mother a favour and take it for a spin on a regular basis will you?"

I've never forgotten his advice... And you know what.... I've never had any major issues with all the cars I've owned in my 40 years of driving that did high mileages!

[marty351]

Scorpion was also known as a Chrysler Sapporo.
Family had a 79 auto 2 litre from 83 and was the most reliable car we have ever owned. Apart from blown mufflers due to rust, I had the carby rebuilt 2 years before she died from rust. Still drove like a car half her age and could still take a beating without even a whimper. Even better than any Toyota of the same era.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by car10002

recency park recons in a ef you can have upto a 169kw engine but not 185kw as only el2 xr8 came with it they recon so could you put a 170-175kw std 302 windsor in from a au or el2 xr8 without a engineer

el2 body is same as ef and el1 and el2 xr8 has 185kw so could you put a el2 xr8 engine in a ef body which is same as the el2.

will a ba eu work on a ef trip computer

Your talking about such small power differences. What are you concerned about exactly? Rego or the car handling a more powerful motor than it originally came with? Rego won't be an issue unless you turn up with a giant cam and exhaust and the biggest issue with more power is generally the drive train, brakes and suspension and maybe cooling! These are all things that if done in the right order and done properly the first time will make a fast and safe car.

[au350hp]

Originally Posted by GO FURTHER

Very true!

What a Mechanic of 45 years experience once told me... That changed my thinking about cars!

When I was a young lad, my mother had a brand new 1978 Sigma Scorpion, a beautifully made Japanese, two-door coupe which was also sold in the US as the Dodge Challenger.

image

She did not drive it that much, probably only to the local shops a few times a week being a stay at home mum.

3 years later and only 7,000 kms on the clock she started having all sorts of problems with it, even though it was driven sedately and serviced by the dealer.

Being out of warranty, I took it to a local workshop and left it there for the mechanic to look over it.

When I went to pick it up at the end of the day, the old and very experienced mechanic said to me...

"Son... Have you heard the saying ... "A rolling stone gathers no moss!"

"Well, that's the problem with your mother's car... I've fixed a few things, but all it really needs is a really good long drive on a regular basis!"

"Most of the cars that come into my workshop with problems are those with low kilometres for their age!... The best second hand car to buy if I had the choice is a high mileage car that's been driven everyday but looked after!"

"The corrosion in your mother's car radiator is due to the car sitting for long periods and the coolant not being circulated on a regular basis moving and mixing the glycol against the metal... It's the same as a stagnent pool of water!"

"The suspension noises are due to dried out hardened bushes that are not getting exercised with regular use!"

"A car is like a human... It needs regular exercise to stay fit!"

"Not driving your car for long periods effects tyres and can cause permanent flat spots causing vibrations, seals can also dry out causing oil leaks, and a battery that does not get charged regularly through driving it can play havoc with the electronics... the list goes on and on!"

"Do your mother a favour and take it for a spin on a regular basis will you?"

I've never forgotten his advice... And you know what.... I've never had any major issues with all the cars I've owned in my 40 years of driving that did high mileages!

This is the whole premise of the Taxi industry. The motors only cool down when their having a service. We all know the stories of Falcon cabs regularly doing 500,000kms before head gaskets or anything and the cars often doing 7 & 800,000kms. Everything you have written makes perfect sense especially when combined with regular service with good parts. This is why I change oil filters every oil change which I do at 5000kms and every second oil change I siphon some radiator fluid out of the overflow and replace it with neat concentrate.

[car10002]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

Your talking about such small power differences. What are you concerned about exactly? Rego or the car handling a more powerful motor than it originally came with? Rego won't be an issue unless you turn up with a giant cam and exhaust and the biggest issue with more power is generally the drive train, brakes and suspension and maybe cooling! These are all things that if done in the right order and done properly the first time will make a fast and safe car.

wondered because regency say upto 169kw, will it matter if the 302 was from a au with a few more kw as efs came in a 302 as well

what makes the el2 xr8 different from the ef/el1 with the engine, is the body and k frame same still

[car10002]

Can you get a au v8 engine bay harness and take out the ecu wires and get a ef 6 cyl engine bay harness and take out the ecu wires replace them with the au v8 ecu wires keeping the abs and power and headlight wires from the ef harness and tape it all up again

Someone on fordmods has done that

[Falcon Coupe]

Originally Posted by car10002

Can you get a au v8 engine bay harness and take out the ecu wires and get a ef 6 cyl engine bay harness and take out the ecu wires replace them with the au v8 ecu wires keeping the abs and power and headlight wires from the ef harness and tape it all up again

Someone on fordmods has done that

You ask way too many questions in a single thead. Work out what you want to know then post in the appropriate area please.