Hi All, started the beast today. It's stood for two years, and on the second turn of the key, Wooo Hooo sounds f**k*ng wonderful, but Mr SVA wont like it, will have to quite it down a bit (Lot). One thing that seems strange, despite removing the ford air box, and fitting G Max filters, instead of running weak, which I had expected, it seems to be running very rich, anyone got any idea why, and more important is it fixable. Cheers Ray.

Ahhh, the lovely 2.9 noise!

They are INCREDIBLY noisy for some reason. I ran my XR4x4 2.9 (road car for the last 3 years that just refuses to die!) briefly with just open downpipes and the noise was the loudest non competition engine that I have ever heard!!! You'll need BIG silencers, the XR4x4 has FIVE boxes on it as std.

How do you know it's running rich? Is that on a meter or just by smell/sight?

If it's by smell etc, get it on a meter, at every MOT, every ford V6 car I have owned (5 now) has smelt terribly rich, but has flown through emmissions test!

If there is a problem, it's most likely a knackered airflow meter, get one with an IDENTICAL calibration code embossed into the plastic lid from a good breakers yard.

My 2.9 powered TVR just sailed through the emissions test, despite smelling quite rich and appearing smokey. I'd replaced the engine for an eBay special (£67!!!) and thrashed it on the way to the test station. Both of mine tended to produce a lot of condensation from the exhaust, which I think holds the emissions and makes it smell worse??

I'd try an emissions test first if you're worried.

Fixes would include the airflow meters, temp sensors etc.

Oh, I just remembered. On mine, some monkey did some work in the past on throttle pot. For some reason he disconnected the harness to the airflow meters and reconnected them incorrectly. Apparently, only one has the outside air temp sensor and the other slaves from it, meaning if they're connected incorrectly they car will always run at the wrong temp, meaning the emissions would be well out. Mine were, which is how I found the fault. Try swopping the connectors over as a first (i.e. FREE) option before you go down the replacing things route.

All the Cologne parts on eBay are dead cheap so a replacement shouldn't be expensive whatever's wrong.

Incidently, when I stripped my old 100k 2.9 engine down, there was minimal wear anywhere. Would happily do another 100k I reckon.

All sounds familiar Cologne stuff!!

My old XR4x4 did 235,000 miles before I sold it on and it was still refusing to get smokey or lose any oil pressure!!! Damn thing just would NOT die!!!!! The new owner "assumed" it had done 135,000 and who was I to correct him! That's the thing with these cars, it's no whether it's been round the clock, more how many times!!!!

Current one is doing the same, I want another car but this one cost me £600 3 years ago, and has passed 3 mots now with no work whatsoever, and for £600 I just can't find a car that compares!! (I.e. can tow a 4 wheel car trailer comfortably, cruise easily at 100 and be nice to sit in, as well as cheap to maintain, tough as old boots etc etc)

Thanks guy's, would seem that I may be worrying for no good reason, will wait till I can get the car on to an emissions tester before spending any money, (not my favorite passtime). The only reason was that on startup clouds of fumes were produced, rapidly filling the garage, and driving me out, and that was with both doors open.

I picked up a nice 2.9 4x4 and was gonna strip her, but its a laff to drive about and as ns dev says there ace for a tow car

The 2.9 sierra 4x4 is one of the most underrated cheapies on the market. Mid range punch will leave many more modern cars floundering - my car has replacement boot (its an old 2.9 estate heap) with a 2.4D badge on the boot which upsets so many 318 BMWs on steep hills!
BTW the airflow meters are easily adjusted if you have allen keys and access to a gas analyser (available cheap from Halfords).

All agreed again! Wanted a 4x4 2.9 estate when I got my latest XR4x4 but they hardly ever crop up, most people just hang on to em!!!

Mate had two ('87 2.8 and '90 2.9), both 250,000+ milers by the time they sold on. The 2.9 would cruise at 125 (indicated!) easily fully laden going round the kit car shows with the show stand on board!!

Yes, the meters adjust easily but the adjustment never seems to move the CO very much! Never seem to fail emmisions in my experience though.

The ford cologne V6 is a weird old lump! On paper it sounds absolutely awful, but in practice they are great, never need working on, go on forever, nice and torquey and cheap as chips! Think of ONE other decent sized engine of it's era with similar reliability................I can't, only things I can think of are the chevy and ford v8's!!! I suppose the old Opel CIH 12 valve straight 6 was pretty bulletproof come to think of it but that's about all!

[Edited on 15/2/06 by NS Dev]