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I have a 1984 Capri 2.8i (58k on the clock) in my garage, up on blocks. It has been there for many years. Now and again I think I should really do something about it, but I don't getroundtuit and the car continues to rest in the dry and dark, free of rust, but completely inactive. I suppose I am somewhat intimidated by the prospect of getting it running myself; I'm not technically clueless, but I'm no expert. Am I being too timid or is reviving such a vehicle really a job for the specialist?
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Roger:
I am not the expert you seek, but it would be useful for the experts and interesting for the rest of us, to know for what reason and how long ago the car was laid up?
Thanks
Andy
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I have a friend who has an immaculate 2.8i Capri, from what he says there is an active Capri Club that should be able to offer some advice, try searching on Google but make sure you don't get the Capri Mark one club from the early sixties!
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I have some experience of storing/reviving cars, or components of cars. So for what it is worth:
Engine: New plugs, leads. Check oil level. Check water in radiator. Fill tank with fresh petrol plus cleaning additive, pump through system if possibe. Disconnect ignition, and turn engine on starter until it has generated oil pressure. Connect ignition, start up. Watch for any leaks or anything nasty happening, listen for odd noises. If all well, run till thoroughly warm. Turn off, drain oil and water. New filter, new antifreeze. Check thermostst.
Check wheels turn freely, brakes not binding. Check gearbox and axle oil. Change after first run.
Test brakes cautiously. Be prepared for all cylinders to be seized or leaking. Change fluid anyway.
Check clutch not sticking. If it has stuck, you may be lucky and free it by a bit of brute force. Otherwise start in gear and hope it frees as you drive - or take the gearbox off.
Otherwise be prepared for lots of minor things to have stuck. If it is possible to do some test running or driving that is better than going straight out to an MOT.
It is great fun if you like that sort of thing, but expect teething troubles!
On the other hand I know of people who didn't bother with any of this - they just started it up and drove off without any trouble.
Good luck
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I think Cliff has covered most of it above, the fresh petrol thing is a must as petrol goes stale or flat and old petrol is unlkely to behave as it should.
The advice on brakes is very important, before testing them in motion I would have the wheels off and clean the rear drums out make sure the braking surface is free from rust and check the front discs. It is likely you will have cylinder leaks and you should fix these before going on the road.
Whilst the wheels are off check the tyres over whilst they are unlikely to have flat spots as you have used blocks the tyres could have gone hard or perished and I would look carefully for cracking especially near where the tyre joins the rim.
I would also suspect a new battery mmight be order it you get it running and I would also consider changing all drive belts once you have it going.
I would also budget for new a new fuel filter and air filter once you have decided what you are going to do with it.
best of luck
as ever
Mark
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Cliff did cover most of it - however whilst you are changing the plugs, (easier with no compression)it might be an idea to turn the engine over using a socket on the crankshaft pulley nut.
If the rings/pistons have seized it's better to find out this way than burning out your starter motor.
Best of luck
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I think everything has been covered but in addition when the plugs are out I would put some oil into the bores and leave overnight then turn by hand.
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Good advice from everyone, I would particularly not miss out the last one, ie; put about an eggcup full of light oil into each spark plug hole. The cylinders will certainly have dried out, my experience in the past has been that this can result in almost no compression at all and hence no possibility of actually starting the engine. Apart from which, the initial action of the starter motor causing dry pistons to sweep up and down dry cylinders causes a lot of wear. After leaving the above amount of oil in each cylinder, for a minimum overnight, turn the engine on the starter motor (without the spark plugs in) until the oil pressure gauge shows a positive reading. Say about 30 secs followed by a few seconds rest and then another go or two.
It never ceases to surprise when an engine which has dormant for 5 years or more can be made to start up fairly easily.
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Many thanks to everyone for these very helpful responses. Why has it been laid up? It was originally a company car, which I bought for private use when it came up for changing, because I liked it so much. Not long afterwards, I suffered a slipped disk (back, not brakes) and it became impossible for me to get in and out of it, let alone drive it in comfort. I kept it in the hope that my back problem would go away, which indeed it did, and with some faint anticipation that it might one day become a classic in some circles.
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I am sure it will cause much argument, but I think the last 2.8i's and the mark ones ARE classics. The ones I owned were much loved, and met all the criteria for classic - lusted after by boys, babe magnet etc etc. (ok they were a babe magnet back then!) Get the thing back on the road!!!
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When I was a pup I woud have killed for a Capri 2.8i My dads mate had one and the sound when he pulled away was just great.
If you get it going Roger could you record the noise it makes and send me a copy please.
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Just remembered radiator hoses. Also any inaccesible heater hoses, the kind one always leaves because they are too difficult to get at!
And don't pump the brake pedal to the floor, it will run the piston and seals over unused bits of bore and into any sludge, and then you'll need a new master cylinder. If the brakes need bleeding do it gently, or better, use a pressure easibleed kit.
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Just one thing to add regarding the cooling system following Cliff's advice.
After you have refilled it with water and antifreeze make sure all air has been bled from the system by loosening the highest coolant hose in the (middle front of the engine?) until water flows freely with the engine not too hot. My Sierra XR4i had the same engine and always needed it doing after a coolant refill.
Charles
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Further thanks for these additional contributions. May the Back Room continue to be such good value, free of the jokers and wasters who have turned other bulletin boards into primary-school playgrounds.
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280 capri is the dogs danglies with the full leather and 15 x 7 inch alloys. My dream car... One in autotrader for £2500.
Before turning the engine over from the crank it might me useful to pure a tea spoon of oil into each cylinder the night before to let it soak into the pistons/rings.
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Before turning the engine over from the crank it might me useful to pure a tea spoon of oil into each cylinder the night before to let it soak into the pistons/rings.
Don't mean to be offensive, but have you read the posts above? You're the third person to mention this idea!
Andy
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Yes I posted then read the previous posts then had to deal with crying toddler. However it does at least confirm that its a good idea !!!
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One amongst many I suspect, but I found the above advise fascinating, informative and useful.
Like the bank robber said in Dirty Harry: "I just gots to know" !
Please keep us informed Roger on your quest to revive your slumbering Capri and the actual problems which you encountered.
Regards
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I'll certainly post a report. I really don't have the self-confidence to do the job, so I'm going to offer it to the guy who services my other cars, as he inspires a lot more confidence than I have ever experienced with main dealers. I suspect that the outcome will be that the car is fine but my back won't allow me to drive it comfortably, in which case I'll put it on the market and enjoy the garage space again.
Just a tailpiece to this, prompted by the mention of "main dealer". Like most if not all of the model, fairly early in its life -- but out of warranty, of course -- it emitted the most ghastly grinding noises from the back axle in tight turns. Funnily enough, but perhaps not the slightest bit surprising, no main dealer could hear the noise, and of course Ford HQ couldn't possibly comment via correspondence. After I bought the car from my employers (at a discount because of the problem), I decided to get it dealt with, and I was foolish enough to go to a main dealer who concluded that only a replacement back axle would solve it, since it was coming from the limited-slip differential. I coughed up many hundreds of quid for the job to be done. Some months later I discovered in the Capri Club archives reports that the problem was caused by . . . wait for it . . . the wrong lubricant having been installed when the car was built. That was perhaps a pivotal moment in my perception of Ford and its products, and I will never go back, no matter how good they are now reckoned to be.
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Further to my earlier post, I am now wondering about the fuel issue. A Ford main dealer told me that the engine could be easily adjusted for use with unleaded fuel (i.e. a half-hour job). Another source questioned the reliability of that advice and suggested that proper re-machining of the valve seats is the only way. A third option has cropped up in the form of the Fuel Cat, which seems to satisfy various Capri clubs. There may be other options too. I'd welcome opinions on this.
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If the cylinder head valve seats are cut directly in the head then unleaded fuel cannot be used.
If it has hardened valve seat inserts then a simple adjustment to the ignition timing should be all you need. Retard the timing by 3 or 4 degrees. You should now be able to use unleaded. You may notice a slight drop in engine performance, but the important thing is that the engine doesn't pink.
I'm sure that there will be experts on here who will know if these engines had hardened seats. If not you may be able to get them fitted at an engine machinists.
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Roger and Railroad, I suggest you read Andrew Moorey's recent posting entitled "Fuel Catalysts" and my response to that.
I can assure you that the catalysts are nothing more than a placebo and it is possible, under limited conditions, to use unleaded fuel with non-inserted cylinder heads.
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If your engine has D or E stamped on one of the cyl. head exhaust flanges,it can run continuously on unleaded fuel but you should still retard the ignition 3 deg.If not,retard the ignition by 3 deg. and use leaded or lead substitute fuel every fourth tankful.
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Well folks, I'm a happy bunny: after nothing more than a little encouragement this morning, the Capri started and the engine sounds sweet. The only thing that had stuck was the clutch, so mechanic Paul started the car in first gear and drove it twice around the block, which fixed that problem. There is nothing leaking and everything is working apart from the reversing lights -- the radio works and the electric antenna went up all the way first time. The tyres are all in good nick, having been in the dark and off the ground for the whole of the past decade and more, the spare being completely unused; I'll be watching for signs of weakness, but the advice I have received suggests they should be serviceable.
I'll be driving it around the Close every day for a week until Paul gets back to check everything again and fine-tune the timing. If no problems are found, it's off for an MOT and then properly onto the roads.
Thanks again to everyone for all the helpful comments. As long as my back allows me to, I am relishing the renewal of my fond relationship with what remains a great car.
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Excelent welcome back to the world of the living.
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It sounds good, Roger, I'm envious!
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Even thought the tyres look OK I myself would still change them before using that lovely engine properly. Rubber + age dont mix.
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I expect the K- Jet system is clogged with old fuel.....not good!
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Paul the mechanic drained the fuel tank and replenished it with LRP plus lead additive, plus the VAG additive, which has multiple cleansing properties. The tyres: two professionals have inspected them and, in the knowledge that they have been in the dark (it's sunlight that's the enemy of rubber) and off the ground, have advised that they should be OK. I shall nevertheless watch them like a hawk and, in any case, I am half inclined to change them all anyway. If we don't trust the used tyres, what do we think about the completely unused spare, which has been in exactly the same circumstances, although it was horizontal in the boot? It looks new, measures new (tread depth), smells new, feels new -- it's new! (This reminds me of the case shown on TV in which for some reason a woman didn't want the completely unused car she had purchased and left with the dealer for months because it was no longer new . . . eh?) The engine starts first time every time.
I had thought of selling it and making do with two cars, but it's so nice.
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Roger
The main problem you get with old tyres is cracking around the sidewalls. If yours don\'t suffer from this I would pay more attention to the brakes. The fact that the car has been on blocks and not resting on those tyres will help enormously as well.
I had this on a trailer I bought, and the cracking went through to the webbing on the inside in some places. Having said that, I never had a blow out, despite my loading it with a tonne of aggregate on several occasions.
Tyres kept in the dark should last much longer than those left out in sunlight. The biggest killer on these is the UV rays.
To be honest, Roger, I would keep those tyres on the vehicle until the thread approaches the unacceptable level, then change them.
You would be surprised to know how long tyres have been on low usage vehicles such as those cheap car trailers, which have spent 90% of their lives around the back of the garage in full view of the sun, rain etc. Not only that, those tyres are made to a much lower spec.
H
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Thanks, Hugo. If I do change them, it looks like the range of choice may be quite narrow. I've just popped into my local Kwik-Fit and they have only two brands of 205x60VR13 on their system: Yokohama at £96.50 each and Firestone at £57.00 each. Several online searches have yielded no result. I'm about to rejoin the Capri Club and they will surely know of sources, but if anyone else does in the meantime then thanks in anticipation.
You mention the brakes. Yes, they are not exactly reassuring as yet, but the disks (front only) are OK. I'm trying to judge how much of their poor performance is attributable to the general improvements made over the past 20 years -- some of it is, no doubt. Paul has asked me to run around the confines of the Close each day, partly to expose anything radically wrong with the braking system, so I am hoping he'll be able to give it a bit more bite when he returns on Wednesday.
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Check the rubber seal between the master cylinder and servo(easy job), these can perish when a car is stored causing a servo air leak. Sometimes this can be so bad that it causes a slight lumpiness at engine tickover.
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Just a tailpiece on tyres, because the price info may interest others. Look at the prices above and compare them with the following from Micheldever Tyres, for four tyres:
GT Champira (spelling?) £137.66
Falcon £167.03
both including valves, balancing, etc. At those prices, I may as well go ultra-safe and change all four.
Micheldever also explained that the originally fitted V-rated tyres are now replaced, at least on their systems, by H-rated (good for 130 mph).
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Don't forget to protect the bodywork structure before the car is allowed to get wet - it would be a shame if rust got a hold of it after being dry stored. My advice is to apply a product such as waxoyl to the bottom of the doors,wings leading edge of bonnet, wing tops , and pay particular attention to the sills and wheelarches (inject plenty of wax from inside the boot area). Would be a good idea to have it done by a specialist with a proper wax injection gun as the diy kits available are pretty useless in my experience.
steve
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Thanks, Steve, for that timely tip. I'll find a local specialist.
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If you can find a local specialist who uses Dinatrol products (different products for different areas of the car) these have the "thumbs up" from the likes of Practical Classics magazine as the current best on the market.
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The Capri passed its MOT test yesterday. Many thanks again for all the helpful posts. Over and out.
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Roger, don't stop there!!!
This was like reading a novel and finding the last pages missing! Yes, it has passed its MOT but what else? Did you get the bodywork protected, have you taken it along the motorway? Have you had admirers drooling over it?
We have a right to know!!!
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OK, OK . . . My local body shop is going to do the underbody protection and touch in the few stone chips and other minor imperfections; Dave the man looked over it and declared that it really is in good condition. I decided to change all the tyres, but have kept the old ones as they do have life left in them. I then gave the car a good spin locally and down the local drain (the M1), where its beautiful stability was reconfirmed. The engine is sounding sweet as a nut and starts first time every time. It's been turning a few heads in the street and a petrol-head youngster in the neighbourhood brought his girlfriend along to drool over it. Today it gets the first run to my regular pub, ten miles away, and it'll put a smile on a bunch of faces there, I'm sure (don't worry -- two pints of bitter shandy is my limit).
I'm still a little wary about the brakes, and the MOT tester said he thought he'd detected a slight smell of fluid around the offside rear wheel, although he also said he couldn't fail the car for it. So, Paul the mechanic is paying another visit on 13 October to re-check the braking system.
Having thought of breaking it had it not got up and running, or selling it if it did come to life, I'm enjoying it so much that I'm staying with it. I've got fully comp insurance for £141 via Specialist Car Division and am now looking forward to at least a few, and perhaps many, years of use. So, I confess, I run three cars and I love 'em all (all German, the Capri having come from the Cologne plant); but as a friend of the environment I drive only one at a time.
[Footnote: The tyres were changed by a main dealer (not Ford) around the corner from me, since they gave me the best price. I checked the pressures in the new tyres -- all overinflated by between 3 and 7 psi. The correct pressures were there in the specs leaflet on the front seat. Eternal vigilance . . .]
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Roger
Why don't you get a photo of it on the Photo Section of this site?
Hugo
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If it's as good as it sounds an alarm/immobiliser is probably a good idea...
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Roger
Saw a tidy one in Tescos car park today. Black Y reg. Not yours is it?
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Wherever that Tesco is, I wasn't there. Mine is a November 1984 B-reg, silver, 59.2k on the clock and a GB sticker on the boot. You'll see me in NW Herts and on occasional trips to Glos (Cirencester, Stroud, Bourton-on-the-Water) and Buckingham.
Ah, the brakes, the brakes: the slight leak alluded to by the MOT man has manifested itself on the dashboard as the brake-system warning light flickered just as I was nearing home yesterday after an exhilerating run in the sunshine to Buckingham and back. I had already booked Paul the mechanic to revisit the brakes, so I'll not be driving it until he's done the necessary next Monday. With luck, a new back bumper (fully painted) will have arrived by then from the Capri Club International to replace the original, which has several dents and two small rust patches.
With the lazy fuel gauge now showing signs of life after filling up to the brim, all that remains to be fixed is the reversing lights.
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This really is the sign-off on this thread . . .
I thought it might be of interest to see what I've shelled out to get the Capri up and running:
Oil £9.99
Mechanical restoration work £180.00
Tyres (4) £224.14
MOT £40.75
Spares (wipers, bulbs, etc.) £44.40
RFL £165.00
Insurance £141.75
Back bumper £47.00
Rear drums, shoes, cylinders (from the Capri Club) £126.00
Replacement of rear brakes, fitting bumper: about £100
See "Chrome tailpipe tips" in Discussion for other news.
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>>>So, I confess, I run three cars and I love 'em all (all German, the Capri having come from the Cologne plant); but as a friend of the environment I drive only one at a time.
....that's all I can manage too.. :-)
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The story continues . . .
I've just returned from PTS tuning in Luton, who to some degree are Ford specialists. The verdict on the Capri was that the engine (61.5k) was in remarkably fine fettle, with very low emissions, perfect compression, no valve problems, etc. They were rather apologetic that the only thing on which they had to make a minor adjustment was the spark plug gaps, the whole job taking appreciably less than the allotted hour. Apart from the skill of my mechanic in getting the car up and running again, I make no causal connection with the following, but it is a fact that I routinely use Optimax and the VAG injector cleaner (part number G 001 700 03), in addition to Castrol ValveMaster lead additive. Perhaps it can't be entirely coincidental that my Golf VR6 has drawn similar comments from MOT testers, as it gets the same fuel and injector cleaner.
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