Ask The Guide

WE PUT your question to Mark Lynch of Carcool Airconditioning and his response was that it probably wasn't worth fixing the aircon. He says any repair becomes a restoration with a system fitted to a car nearly 30 years old. If the compressor is black, it is an original Delco and would need major work to be suitable for new ozone-friendly gases. Run the car on petrol occasionally, otherwise seals and other bits in the fuel system dry out and harden, which can lead to other problems.

UNFORTUNATELY there is not a lot you can do other than regularly wash and polish. It's the reds used then. They fade.

IF IT has been running on Optimax for quite some time and hasn't burnt valves then I would recommend you stick with an unleaded fuel. It is generally recommended that all Mercedes-Benz cars before July 1976 should use either LRP while it is available, or unleaded with an upper cylinder lubricant, but if your car is running fine on unleaded, I suggest you stick with it.

FORD'S recommended oil is Mobil Super GF 10W/30 for the XR6 and Mobil Super XHP 15W/40 for the XR6 Turbo, both mineral oils. I would stick with Ford's tip.

I BELIEVE in servicing cars to keep them in good fettle, but I wouldn't think your car has sustained any damage because the first service was missed. If it is running well, I would feel comfortable that it hasn't been damaged. I would, however, have stern words with the salesman who obviously misled you, probably because he was too lazy to check the car's service records before advising you when it should next be serviced.

VOLVO specialist John Johnson, of Voldat Automotive, recommends you start by cleaning the throttle butterfly. If there's a build-up it may not be properly returning to idle and sending an incorrect signal to the computer. If that doesn't work, try resetting the idle switch. Beyond those, you could check the idle motor to make sure it's operating correctly.

GENERALLY it's better not to baby an engine during the run-in period. It's better to run it in with a little load so you generate enough heat for the block to settle and the rings to bed in, as long as you don't thrash the engine in the process. We asked FPV for their recommendation for running the BA GT, which is: avoid exceeding 4500 revs in the first 750km; accelerate positively in all gears, particularly when driving uphill; progressively increase engine speeds up to 5500 revs between 750km and 1500km with occasional use of full throttle during acceleration within the speed limits; on long stretches during the first 1500km vary engine speeds by occasionally using lower gears; where possible, apply high engine loads for short periods by using high gears at speeds below 60km/h. FPV has an initial fill of Castrol Protec OW/40 mineral oil in its Boss 290 engine to allow the rings to bed in during the run-in phase. Because of this, it is not unusual for customers to experience oil consumption in the first 5000km. From then they recommend customers refill the engine with Castrol Formula R OW/40 synthetic oil and completely change the oil to this specification upon reaching 15,000km, when the first major service is due.

Your recollection is correct, but they weren't released by Ford. Dick says 26 cars were built in Melbourne in 1982 with the help of Jim Faneco. There were two versions, a V8 Falcon XE Grand Prix and a Falcon XE Grand Prix Turbo. Dick has heard that some are being restored and that some out there are immaculate, but he hasn't seen one for a while.

GOOD to hear from the proud owner of an Austin Lancer. That was a good little car, and even performed quite well on the racetrack when driven by such luminaries as Brian Sampson. Unfortunately, the value isn't high. I would expect a car in need of a full restoration to be worth up to $500, an average car still registered and running about $1500 and a trophy winner up to $5000. Try advertising it in the specialist publications, but I would recommend contacting a relevant car club.