FTO AUSTRALIA

Apologies for the essay in advance.

After starting a new job recently (selling Car Audio at WOW - Sight and Sound) and managing to earn myself some decent bonuses for reaching sales targets, I actually have some money to spend on a bit of minor maintenance work for the FTO.

At the moment the car is running fairly terribly and I just have a few questions regarding the problems I'm experiencing and the related parts I require in order to rectify them. If possible, I'll be doing the work myself or hopefully with the assistance of a fellow FTO driver in Toowoomba (RallyMad).

A bit of background information: I drive a 1996 4 Speed Tiptronic GPX. I bought the car for next to nothing, in a drivable condition. The engine that was in the car was burning oil (after the old lady who owned it prior to me drove the car when all the coolant had leaked out, allowing the oil to boil and cake all over the engine internals, resulting in a unbearably smokey exhaust and various other engine issues.) Realising I needed a new engine, quickly, I found a donor engine from a FTO at a wreckers in Brisbane. I have experienced problems from day one of getting the car back from the mechanics who performed my engine transplant. The old engine had around 217 000kms next to its name and my current engine is sitting at around the 157 000km mark.

Alright, getting to it:

1) The car idles strangely when in drive or reverse, both when cold and warm. There is also a loud 'crack' sound that seems to be somehow linked to the idling problem. A typical day of driving: I will stop at a set of lights, my revs will fluctuate between 1000 and 250, sometimes slowly or rapidly. Occasionally it feels like the car will stall, although, in my 6 months of having this problem, it has never actually managed to stall. A loud pop/crack (sometimes multiple pops in rapid succession) will ring out from the engine bay and the revs will usually then level out. Taking the car out of 'drive' and placing it in neutral or park seems to help the revs to level out, sometimes almost instantly, while occasionally it does not help at all.

At low speeds, generally unnoticeable at speeds of 50km/h+, the popping noise can occasionally be heard and, especially when cold, I will experience some 'surging'. IE. The FTO will lurch forward, then back off repeatedly while cruising, almost as if I am tapping the accelerator and then releasing it quickly, although I am maintaining the same throttle position throughout.

Now, I have tried swapping out my stepper motor with a spare unit I had from my old engine and experienced absolutely no change in symptoms, leading me to believe the stepper motor is not the culprit, although I guess there is the chance of both units being defective. However, as far as I understand, a dodgy stepper motor most likely does not explain the noises I'm hearing from under the hood.

2) I can smell fuel almost constantly when stationary for any time. It's not overpowering, but it's definately present. The exhaust will also make a slight 'put-put-put' sound on a cold start, which seems to improve when warm. My fuel consumption is also fairly poor, only averaging around 420km on a full tank with sensible driving, coming to a fairly shocking average of 14.3L/100km.

3) When fiddling around with the FTO a few months ago, I took the time to remove a couple of my spark plugs from the front bank, to check on their condition. The plugs themselves weren't were in no way immaculate, with slightly discoloured tips. My main concern is that there was a small amount of oil in both of the chambers from which I removed the plugs from, and the plug tips themselves had oil on them.

4) I have at least two oil leaks that I know of. One is on the left hand side of the engine (or, if standing, facing the engine, the right hand side) and seems to be the most serious, giving me a little bit of grief with puddles on my garage floor. It appears to be around half way down the engine. Possibly the cam seals/half moon seals? Honestly, this is the last problem I will consider repairing, as I don't doubt it will require professional work and will therefore be the most expensive.

The second leak seems to be from the left hand side of the engine. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be the oil sump plug, with a drop or two dripping down every night from around that location. The plug, visually, actually appears to be in rather poor condition, with the metal ring at the base of the nut appearing to be a little worn and battered.

5) The glue holding the weather protector on my passenger side window has seemingly failed in the middle and has sagged down, causing the window, if wound up, to hit on it each time the door is opened or closed.

Ok, now I realise this post is getting a little lengthy. I probably need to figure out how to get to the point with less words, but I feel the more details I provide, the higher chance I have of finding a solution. Now, since it is getting a bit long, I'll split it up into another post with my proposed fixes for these issues.

1) Idling Issue -
For starters, from doing a bit of research, I've come to the conclusion my first course of action should be to replace a few parts. I was thinking I would start with my spark plugs, going with a set of NGK Irdium plugs, found HERE from CamSkill.

I also figure replacing my ignition leads could prove beneficial, since I feel my problem could be spark related, while at the same time giving me an excuse to upgrade to some Magnecor leads, which I have read some positive reviews on. CamSkill lists two sets of Magnecor leads that are apparently suitable for a MIVEC engined FTOs. A set of 8mm and 8.5mm leads, found HERE and HERE, respectively.

I was just wondering which product would be suitable, or if there are any advantages/disadvantages separating the two, with the 8.5mm leads a little more expensive then the smaller set.

While I'm at it, to help eliminate a fueling issue, I was considering ordering a fuel filter as well, found HERE.

Now, since I will be removing my intake manifold to replace my spark plugs and ignition leads, will I require a new intake manifold gasket, found HERE?

2) Running Rich? -
I feel a faulty O2 sensor could be to blame for my second problem, causing my engine to run rich. I was considering a BOSCH universal 4 wire O2 sensor as a replacement, found on eBay for around 70-80 dollars.

3) Oily Spark Plugs -
Part of this problem I have already tackled in section one, with the replacement of the spark plugs.

In regards to the oily spark plugs, I've done some research and believe I've identified the culprit as my spark plug seals. I can pick up a set from CamSkill, link found HERE, although I would have no idea how to replace them. Any help on this one would be greatly appreciated, along with any information on extra parts I would need to change these (eg. other gaskets that would need to be removed to access the seals and would therefore need replacing.)

4) Oil Leaks -
I will most likely be leaving the more serious oil leak to be repaired in a major service sometime down the track, when I can afford one.

As for the sump leak, would a replacement plug, like the one found HERE do the trick?


5) Weather Protectors -
The weather protector issue is bugging me a fair bit right now. If I were to completely remove them from both sides, how would I go about doing it neatly? Since there is a lot of gooey adhesive holding them in place, has anyone successfully used something like methylated spirits spirits to remove all the residue left behind? Any tips or help with this issue, or advice on something I could possibly use to glue the protector back in place that is relatively weather proof and quick-drying, would be greatly appreciated.


Ok, well that pretty much does me for typing at the moment. If anyone actually takes the time to read through all of this and provide some insight or offer any help regarding any of the issues I'm experiencing, I would appreciate it.

Once I have some of these problems sorted out, I should be a lot more willing to drive the FTO down to Brisbane for cruises etc. I really would like to become a much more active member of the community, but I feel a little bit held back by my dodgy FTO at the moment.

Holy sh*t

hay pete how arte u mate did i help at all withe the 2 grand sound system? compensation please lol just jocking good 2 see u got a bonus anyway.

whan u and garth do the repairs let me know might come round just so i can see what u guys do maby ill learn 2 diy.

as for leaks and stuff i have no idea im anti-motor smart lol


hope 2 catch up soon btw i went 2 portmaquarie last weekend nraced a turbo supra 0 km-80 km i won lol very surprised .\

any way mate good luck

cheers kahael....

Sounds like she just needs a solid service.

Replacing leads & plugs is always a wise idea. Magnecor leads are available locally. Call the guy from www.magnecor.com.au. Plugs are also available locally from any local auto shop, part no BKR-7EIX. Fuel filter also available locally, Ryco part no Z441. No need to change intake manifold gasket, so long as you are careful when pulling the manifold off.

While the manifold is off, take both rocker covers off. This will enable you to change the spark plug seals as they sit inside the rocker cover. Also change the rocker cover gasket, it is a primary culprit for leaking.

The sump plug as you say, is also a prime culprit for leaking. You'll find its the copper washer behind it not sealing properly. Pull it off & rub it smooth on some fine wet & dry sand paper or an emery board. Also check the mating surface in the sump hole. It may need rubbing smooth too.

Pop, pop, pop noise & smells like fuel? Hole in your exhaust. Head down to your local exhaust shop or grab some muffler putty if the hole isn't too big.

Running rich is usually the 02 sensor. 4 wire universal is fine, check DIY section for how-to. ECU engine temp sender unit can also cause the engine to run rich.

Idle / surging issue sounds more like a gearbox issue to me. Try changing your tip oil. Failing that, sounds like your torque converter is about to pop. May be a possible cause of the cracking noise.

Someone actually took the time to read all that?

Thanks Ben, that really does help. I have always suspected I have a hole in my exhaust somewhere, if not a dieing muffler. During some spirited driving, my FTO is louder then RalllyMad's (who has a 2.5 inch cat-back exhaust with a HKS Super Dragger tip.)

As for the parts being available locally, it's true, they are. Although, depending on the postage quote from CamSkill, they will work out a noticeable amount cheaper then ordering them from such local places as AutoZone or Bursons up here. When you take out the 'value added tax' (VAT, 25%) applied to each of the items I linked to, they work out to be pretty good value.

I had the transmission serviced (flushed, new oil and filter) around 5 months ago. I'm unsure of what oil was used for the gear box, although I might order a decent bottle of oil and change it over sometime soon.

Thanks again for the help, Ben.

If anyone has anything else to add, feel free!

P.S.
Hey Kahael. I have a weekend off next week so you should come up. Also, there is a large Toowoomba Car Forum cruise planned for Anzac Day. Message me for more details.

CamSkill quoted me $40 postage using registered air mail for all the parts I require.

Not bad, I think. Still works out a fair bit cheaper then ordering all these from local stores.

Ohh just found this thread, i cant fault what ben has said.

I would be definitly doing all those things before going any further.

Ok, so I've taken a few pictures of the source of my most severe oil leak. I believe it's my 'half-moon' seals, or at least one of them, that is leaking.





The second picture is focused on the area circled in the first, with a lower angle, looking up.

I'm unsure of what the glob of yellow coloured stuff is, but it was spongy when I poked it with a screwdriver, leading me to believe it is some kind of sealant that someone has previously tried to use to dodgily patch up the leak.

Any ideas? Should I order a new set of half-moon seals or just do a better job of patching up the leak? I turned the car on and used the throttle to give it some revs while watching the area. Some oil trickled out of the area circled in the second photo, but it was by no means gushing. Is it possible I could use something like liquid gasket to seal up the leak? Although I guess this would only be a short term solution.

Any ideas?

hey mate, i have changed my weather strips. i had the same problem, and i bought automotive weatherproof glue, its used for trims and stuff. and yeah u can just apply a bit of that and it should do the trick. Usually, those weatherstrips come with small black clips which attach to the frame of the window. if u dont have em or missing em, then glue is the way to go. i personally got tired of those weatherstrips, took em off and used chrome mouldings on em instead. you could cover it up with something else i guess. the original leftover glue residue was removed using a adhesive remover.

ended up lookin a bit like this.