Hi guys, I'm new to the forum but have been looking around a fair bit over the last few days.

Reason being, since I got posted to Perth my brother has left to work in Spain and left his car to me. It's an old Magna TS and as far as I can tell he's never even done the basic maintenance on it. When I first got it there was no oil or coolant in the engine and a split about a foot long in the tailpipe.

The oil+filter change I'll be taking care of this weekend, as well as bandaging up the tailpipe until I can get a new one sourced, but after that I need advice. I'm good with mechanical stuff but I've never really worked with cars before, what should I be looking at next? I'd like to get it back up to being a decent car if I can.

TL;DR I got a hand-me-down car and it's stuffed, need help on putting it back together :)

As far as I can tell it's a red 1994 TS, 2.6l 4cyl EFI. Mind you, I've also got service receipts in the book claiming it's a silver V6 manual, so I don't know what's been going on with it.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

When you get her running, listen to how it idles, revs and drives.

If it's got a crappy idle, or it stalls when you put it into gear or turn the aircon on, then the ISC motor is gone. They're about $60 to replace.

Check the distributor cap and rotor for wear, as well as the spark plug leads, and the sparkies themselves, ie. cracked, burnt, split.

Check all the hoses for splits, vulcanisation, bulging, etc. Also give the radiator a good flush through, and check that the motor is heating up properly. If it doesn't, or it overheats, then look at replacing your thermostat.

That's about all I can think of at the moment, but there's a multitude of things that you'll probably need to look at.

Welcome to the club, and don't hesitate to ask for help :D

Thanks for the welcome and the quick reply :)

The idle is kinda low, but not low enough that it's in any danger of stalling so I'm not too worried about that just yet.

The hoses aren't perished or splitting either, I'll do a more detailed inspection of them tomorrow along with the dizzy and the spark plugs.

I am worried about this exhaust though, after 2m of epoxy bandage just to patch up the bigger holes it's gone to the top of my to-do list. I not so fond of breathing CO while I drive :p

What would you guys suggest I look at in terms of exhaust? Would an aftermarket system be cheaper (I'll be installing it myself if I can)? I don't want anything noisy though, in fact the quieter the better.

when it's dead cold, open the oil cap and check for a white substance, which can only be described as a sort of gluey colour. means one of three things: cracked block (change engine), cracked head (can source a new or reconditioned head) or blown head gasket (remove head and machine, replace gasket replace head).

Also, on idle, listen to an audible rattle noise. if aparent, your timing chain and guides need to be replaced, as the chain is scrubbing the guides and can be circulating small shards of metal in the oil.

Welcome to the club mate, hope you enjoy your stay.:)

If it's a 4, try and find yourself a set of extractors at a wrecking yard, and bung a 2" system on with the standard muffler. An aftermarket setup will probably be more expensive, as there'd be a bit of fabrication involved.

Also, while you're under the car, have a good look at the bushings, brake lines, fuel lines and suspension. 2nd Gen brake lines aren't painted, and my KR's rear lines were quite rusty.

You might also want to check the brakes out, see if you need new pads/rotors, and give the system a fluid flush if it's dirty.

Also, another thing, start it and get it to operating temp and check if fan engages. if not, and the temp continues to rise, check relay or fan motor.

Thanks for the help guys!

She's now got a new exhaust system from the cat backwards (due to budget, since that's where all the holes were). I'll post photos of it when I can work out how. It's also got new oil (Magnatec 10W40) and a new filter, and I've checked the spark plugs and the dizzy as best I can.

Next up is going to be replacing the CV joints (I don't even know what that stands for, ah well), what sort of price should I be looking at? I also need to do a lot of minor repairs like brake light, windscreen washer line, door trim and so on.

Major questions for now: How do I go about checking the tensioners on the timing chain? I think you're right, and that's what's rattling away. Also, where would I find a wiring diagram for the loom, as I suspect an ex-owner has kluged a lot of it and it needs checking.

CV = Constant Velocity

When you replace these, you might as well replace the whole driveshaft, as it makes it much easier. Also the risk that your driveshafts are bent or worn or whatever, will make sure all is good and will not damage the new cv's. You can get the driveshafts off ebay for about $130 each. Good luck with the future works.

Ollie