hey

just recently got hold of a TF magna all it needs from looking over it is a water pump, the drivers side quarter panel indicator, washer bottle, tyres and also transfer rego from nsw to sa. was wondering if ya's think it is worth fixing?

also wondering how ya get to the water pump on one of these as never worked on a front wheel drive befor..

Does the water pump leak or did it seize? I've heard of them making the timing belt skip teeth when they seize, which could mean valves hitting pistons.

it just leaks. am thinking bout fixing it up to replace my ef falcon as i'm sick of having to work on it but not sure it going to be worth.

If it was me I'd fix her up, chuck in a service as well maybe oil, filter & coolant change and you'll probably have a good car

Is it worth it? Only you can answer that. If you like the Magna, the Km aren't too high and the paint/interior are still good, why not fix it? On the other hand, if you can afford something newer and better, why bother?

There is a lot to learn before you can become familiar with the front wheel drive V6 layout. I'm assuming an EF Falcon is a straight 6, rear drive, with the water pump easily accessible. On the Magna it's buried, the crank pulley and the cam belt has to come off. You are looking at a couple of hours work just to get to the pump, plus the same for putting it all back together. The water pump on a Magna rarely leaks, so its more likely one of the hoses in that area has perished. Have a really good look with the engine hot, where the leak is coming from.

If you are serious, get hold of the appropriate manual and do lots of reading to get your head around the way this front drive car does things.

yeah the ef is a inline 6 and really easy to change nearly any thing. i like the look of the magna and what you can do to them over the ford.
when I popped the hood on it i was amazed how they fitted such a big engine is a small engine bay.

what are the TF's like on interstate drives as my wife's family live in victoria and sge get me to dive there as much as she can and the ford is just horrible and uncumfy on long drives.

Most third gen Magnas are relaxing to drive on a long trip. Engine sits on about 2,200 rpm at 110 KPH, feels unstressed, little wind noise and fuel consumption is good, 10 L/100 km or better.

When I had my TF I did a 2,800km round trip in 36 hours once and didn't get sick of driving it. The TF has different gearing than the later models, at 100km sits on about 2350 rpm, but still pretty good on fuel, comfy to drive with plenty of overtaking power.

thanks for all your help guys been really helpful. think i'm going to try and fix it up just seems to be a nicer car all round just gonna have to learn all bout the front wheel drive side of things as never worked on one or driven on lol.

when I popped the hood on it i was amazed how they fitted such a big engine is a small engine bay.


Downside to this is that no task is simple, like changing the spark plugs, changing drive belts, cam belt - hell, you name the job and the Magna makes it difficult. Routine jobs like coolant/oil/filter changes though are as simple as the Falcon.

thanks for all your help guys been really helpful. think i'm going to try and fix it up just seems to be a nicer car all round just gonna have to learn all bout the front wheel drive side of things as never worked on one or driven on lol.

As long as you don't hold your foot flat turning a corner in wet weather you'll be fine driving it lol.

Routine jobs like coolant/oil/filter changes though are as simple as the Falcon.

I still havn't got the hang of clipping the airbox back together properly first shot yet...

in a front wheel drive when you turn under speed the front end will jut keep going straight instead of the back end sliding like in a rear wheel?

Pretty much. When you exceed traction, the front wheel drive understeers. Find a nice (private) dirt road and try a few corners - you soon get a feel for the dynamics. Hint: lifting off the throttle reduces the understeer. Hence good quality tyres on the front are important. Forget rear wheel drive oversteer and opposite lock correction. lol

Never completely lift-off if you are understeering, just reduce your throttle. There is a chance you will induce lift-off oversteer in the event you lift off completely. Especially if you have exceeded the limits of the frontal traction.

And max, never suggest good tyres on one axle again. I DARE you to put good tyres on the front, and poor on the back. Then proceed to take a roundabout at 20km/h in the wet. Been there, done that. 90 degree angles are NOT fun.

OK, good tyres all round then, including the one in the boot. I run the same brand/size tyres all round, and make sure the ones with the most tread depth are always on the front. I wasn't suggesting to have skinny crossplies recycled from a trailer or caravan on the back! lol

OK, good tyres all round then, including the one in the boot. I run the same brand/size tyres all round, and make sure the ones with the most tread depth are always on the front. I wasn't suggesting to have skinny crossplies recycled from a trailer or caravan on the back! lol

Honestly, you are better off with bald tyres on the front over the back in situations where you have no choice (regardless of brand).

Controlling understeer in a FWD is easy, controlling oversteer is NOT.

I ways make sure I have good tyres all round had to may close calls due to bald tyres.

Bald on front and good on the back, now i thought I had read all sorts of crap on forums but that one takes the cake by car

20kmh and back sliding out, bullshit, more like 80kmh on freakin ice lol

If you are running bald tyres on either end you need to cut your key in half and walk but either way, I woudl rather the end that does most of my braking, my steering and my driving to have good tyres, and if you can not get a back end to come back in on a FWD take a driving course, it is generally easier than in a RWD as you can use power to get your back end back in, oh thats right, the good tyres you need for traction and steering are on the back:nuts:

Oh and Max, go outside and slap yourself on the wrist, how dare you suggest what you did, you naughty boy lol

Bald tyres on the front rather than the back. ****ing LOL

If you have bald tyres, slowly and carefully drive to a tyre place....?

gonna chuck my ford rims on the car as the stud pattern are the same.

What is this thread about again?

if it was worth fixing up the magna and how to get to the water pump lol.