Joined: 03 Apr 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Canberra, Australia
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:46 am Post subject: a couple of questions
Hey all, ive been looking at this aristo for a while now, has droped in price a fair bit and want to get it before someone else gets a good deal. i had a look at it on the weekend and i was very impressed. there were a couple of things i was uncertain about.
* The owner claims it has the factory LSD. how can you confirm this??
* There is a yellow light in the passengers footwell. what is this for?
* When on accessories or with the engine running in park, when you put your foot on the brake there is a motorised sound comming from the drivers footwell or from just behind it. i figure it has something to do with the brakes??
also do all aristos come with the same sound system? was the sub an option?
taking it for a drive this weekend to see how it goes, if thats all good will get it inspected and then purchase it. it has a sunroof and 16"x 8.5" rear rims aswell. the only thing i diddnt get that i wanted was leather interior but im not too fussed now. one thing i dont like is the hand brake, has anyone had any problems with it, eg, accidentally engaged it while driving??? if it is bad may just get a hydraulic one.
* The owner claims it has the factory LSD. how can you confirm this??
-THe axel code should tell all, it if ends with the letter B, it has an LSD. There should be a plate in the engine bay at the back with the code. You could also just try and do a burnout
* There is a yellow light in the passengers footwell. what is this for?
I can't say I have seen this yellow light...? All I know of is a light when you enter the car at night.
* When on accessories or with the engine running in park, when you put your foot on the brake there is a motorised sound comming from the drivers footwell or from just behind it. i figure it has something to do with the brakes??
That's the brake booster pumping pressure back into the brakes. If it seems to be doing it for a longer period of time, it's either leaking or the nitrogen cannister it runs off of is low. _________________
Joined: 03 Apr 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Canberra, Australia
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:27 pm Post subject:
drove it on the weekend, the brakes are great, almost activated the abs first time i applyed them and yeah the handbrake is no probs. going for an inspection later in the week if thats all sweet them ill be a proud new owner
Joined: 03 Apr 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Canberra, Australia
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 5:09 pm Post subject:
ok so got an NRMA inspection done and there were a number of things that they found....
*3 engine oil leaks: sump plug area, r/h side rear of engine, front of engine. they couldnt tell me the exact location of the leaks as they said it was "very clean" and will need to be taken for a good drive to see the exact location.
*transmission oil leak: again they couldnt tell me the exact location
*power steering fluid leak from steering rack area: same thing again.
*power steering pump noisy: couldnt tell me why. when i looked at the car the engine bay was very quiet and im sure i would have noticed something like this.
im not really happy that i spent a bit of $$$ for this inspection and to be told things i could have found myself. i dont know if any of these leaks are serious or not. any ideas of what they could be??
spoke to the owner about it and he said i was welcome to drive it around a bit and take it back to see if the location of the leaks can be found. just trying to find out if anyone can tell me any possibilities first.
Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 3441 Location: Melbourne Australia
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 6:00 pm Post subject:
The rear oil leak is probably the rear main seal. My transmission bloke fixed it while servicing the transmission. The tranny has to come out to fix it. I was charged about $650- for the lot plus the seal($50- I think) and included a new tranny filter fluid etc.
The front oil leak is probably the front mail seal. Oil splashes down over the sump as well. The seal is about $25-, but a big job in that the cam belt has to come off etc. You can save money here by getting a new cam belt replaced at the same time. Maybe another $600- or so, depending on where you go. Or you can do it your self if you are game enough and have the right tools.
Tranny leak could be an easy fix if get it serviced at a tranny place.
The power steering leak could be simply a leaking hose as they do become brittle and leak over time. Maybe the power steering pump is noisy cos it is low on fluid???
FYI: the leaks are nothing out of the ordinary and happen to most cars including Fords and Holdens......and Toyotas. It may be a small leak that you could live with for a while and keep an eye on, but I fixed all of mine up as I was sick of cleaning the driveway.
These are really the worst case senarios and as such are not really that big a deal in that most cars get or have the same problem. You are buying a second hand car and you should expect to spend some money on it.
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 1247 Location: Beerwah QLD
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 6:24 pm Post subject:
RHS rear of engine could be as simple as a leaking tappet cover gasket and you can get away with re tensioning the screws 90% of the time.
The PS leak and noisy pump are a bit of a concern, peel back the rack end boots and see if the seals are leaking. if they are then rack needs overhauling and that will cost 450 - 600. The fact that the PS pump is noisy means that it has been run low on fluid and unfortunately once that happens it will always be noisy and get worse from there. The good news is that the pump can be rekitted for not a stupid amount of money - more labour than parts. probably 3hrs labour and 75 bucks worth of seals and vanes.
Overall seems like a good report - those guys pick the shit out of every little issue so take it as an overly cautious report and don't be too alarmed.
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JDM or GTFO
