| NOVAMOG The Northern Virginia Merkur Owners Group |
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| How to Buy a Merkur XR4Ti Engine and Cooling System By Richard Curtis |
| One good thing about XR engines: If you don't overheat them (which can be common), the engines are fairly bulletproof, especially the bottom ends. --Look for signs of oil leakage around the valve cover. The valve cover gaskets are notorious leakers, especially if original or especially if cork. This could be a bargaining point with an uneducated seller. (If the seller were educated about Merkurs, he would know to replace the gasket before selling it.) The gasket costs about $25; you can replace it yourself with a little bit of patience and an absolute minimum of tools. --Look for signs of overheating, leaking fluids, etc. Check color of the coolant (usually green or yellow). Radiators are notorious for leaking especially around the plastic end caps; ditto for water pumps. It is not uncommon for an XR to have had at least one new radiator. XRs have different radiators for automatic transmission and manual transmission cars. I have repaired one XR radiator that was leaking at the end caps by following the suggestion in the official shop manual... use RTV sealant. Did the job. $4 and I've still got most of the tube of RTV left. Although the radiator has resumed leaking, although in a very small amount (drips really). I believe �89 XR radiators are different from all others. Replacing radiator is easy but can be expensive (anywhere from $150 to $350 depending on where you buy it). --All coolant hoses should be in good shape, not "spongy to the touch or bulging. Because of the underhood heat, it is not uncommon to have to replace ALL the hoses and is advisable on an old car with original hoses. Keeping spares handy is good practice also. Complete hoses are available from BAT, Rapido, Lou Fusz Ford, etc. --it is not uncommon to have to replace a head gasket (almost always related to overheating). --Pull out the oil breather (round thing on back of valve cover). Look inside. Should be clean. If clogged or dirty/sludge-y, suspect that the oil hasn't been changed regularly. Clean in kerosene. --Ask how often oil was changed and what kind of oil was used. 10w-30 Mobil 1 synthetic is desirable, and oil changes every 3,000 miles are smart on these cars (again that high heat of the engine compartment and the extra loads put on turbocharged engines). --All vacuum lines should be hooked up and operational although any smart XR owner would replace all the lines periodically anyhow. A leaking vacuum line will cause rough idling, poor performance, etc. This is an inexpensive and easy repair. --Spark plug cables are susceptible to high heat generated by the turbo. Should be replaced about every six months on daily drivers some folks say. Ditto for the spark plugs. Expect to replace distributor cap, rotor, plugs and wires anyhow when you buy the car. Most XR enthusiasts recommend the original Motorcraft plugs and definitely not platinum plugs. Some owners have reported good results using NGK TR5 plugs, part #2238. --Check the a/c hose that goes from the compressor to the firewall, stretching right over the turbo. Bad for being affected by the turbo's heat and cracking the hose, which leads to leaking refrigerant and no a/c. Pretty costly to repair (about $100+) plus having your a/c recharged. You can also buy a silver sleeve made of a reflective material for this hose (purchase from BAT, Summit, etc.). Cost about $12 for enough to do one hose. This protects the hose from the turbo's heat. --The a/c compressor is also known for failing regularly. You can get rebuilt a/c components from a company named Hancock Industries in Texas (see Archives). But if the a/c is nonoperational, any buyer should expect to have an expensive repair bill on their hands (I was quoted $2,700 once just for the parts, although I ended up paying just $500 and doing it myself). Some XR owners have converted from R-12 (Freon) to the much less expensive R-134. --Turbo. Usually bulletproof as long as the driver lets the car idle for a minute or so after driving it before turning it off (this allows cooling oil to circulate through the turbo housing, otherwise the oil just sits and cooks -- called coking -- and causes harmful deposits, which in turn ruins the turbo). I have recently seen a lot of used XRs advertised as having new turbos, so suspect that the previous owner didn't take good care of it. Replacing a turbo is expensive. Keep an eye also on the oil coolant line to the turbo. Prone to wear at back of engine. If this line should break, you will cook the turbo. I think this oil line is a rare part. --Exhaust. A good original exhaust is not uncommon on XRs. Also not uncommon is a higher performance aftermarket exhaust, such as a 2.5-inch or 3-inch downpipe (connects the exhaust manifold to the catalytic converter) coupled with a cat-back exhaust system, either single 3-inch exhaust or a dual 2.5 inch exhaust. All this is highly desirable as it improves the car's performance ($600 and up for good aftermarket exhaust system). Also check the catalytic converter for the possibility of being plugged. This will hamper the car's performance significantly and is not an UNcommon problem. --Exhaust manifold. Check for cracks especially between Nos. 3 and 4 cylinder. Exhaust manifolds can be ported for better performance. --Expect to replace the PCV valve (located between distributor and the engine) regularly. A $3.50 part that should be replaced often and only with a genuine Motorcraft part. --Expect to replace all the fan belts just for safety's sake (inexpensive anyhow). Keep the old ones in the trunk as spares. --Timing belt. Ask seller if the timing belt has been replaced. They are notorious for breaking every 60,000 miles (at least the original belts were; replacement belts are stronger and probably last longer). Best advice is to replace the belt every 60k anyhow. If the belt breaks, the car just stops running (on some cars -- not XRs -- when the belt breaks it might ruin the valves) but Merkurs are trained to stop running when they are farthest from a repair facility or when you're in a hurry. When you replace the timing belt also replace the timing belt tensioner. If the car is running erratically, the problem sometimes can be traced to a timing belt that has jumped a tooth. |