Hi all,
Let me introduce myself first. I live in Holland and acquired a sketchy but amazing '03 TF 115. Bought it off the Dutch equivalent of eBay from some guy for only €900 (£750-800). Couldn't let it go for that money (accepted I was going to come across some work). Recent MOT (apk in Dutch) for the coming year. It had a rattle from the engine bay, but fixed it by fitting a new exhaust manifold gasket.
I did suspect an HGF when the coolant started boiling one time due to air trapped in the cooling system, thus dropping the boiling point. However, the common HGF symptoms does not (significantly) appear on mine:
- Engine has never overheated since I've got it, not even on fairly long drives.
- There does not seem to be mayonnaise-like slush in the oil. Not in oil filler cap, not around the camshafts (see photo's, all looks okay, right?).
- I have never lost any coolant (except for me spilling some because of absence of a funnel during re-filling the system
, I'm sorry Greenpeace)
Also, the rocker cover gasket looks and feels as good as new.
Maybe the problem is just that I am purposely looking for things that could be wrong with it, as I bought it for only €900.
However, now, when I apply 3/4 to full throttle, especially in lower revs and higher speeds, it just barely accelerates and there is a very soft fluid-like noise coming from the engine, sounding as if fluids are going places they shouldn't go throughout the engine (note: this was my analysis, could be something entirely different, of course).
I hope you guys can think along with me. I want to keep this extremely rare TF (only 900 TF's in Holland, of which most are LHD) on the road and improve it in the coming years. I'm planning on doing a 15-day road trip through GB in it this summer, so the TF must be in good state before mid-July.
