Buyers Guide - ESCORT COSWORTH
ESCORT COSWORTH
Body
Type: Three-door hatchback Escort assembled by Karmann
from Escort and Sierra
pressing in steel with 50 per cent new
panels, bodykit with splitter and bonnet
vents.
Colours
Diamond White, Radiant Red, Black, Polaris
Grey, Pacifica Blue, Mallard Green
Engine
Type:
YBT
Capacity: 1993cc
Bore/stroke: 90.82mm x
76.95mm
Compression ratio: 8:1
Max power: 227 bhp @ 6250
rpm
Max torque: 220 lbf.ft @ 3500 rpm
Cylinders: four,
in-line
Cylinder head: alloy
Block: cast iron
Installation:
front-mounted, longitudinal
Valve gear: four valves per cylinder,
twin belt driven overhead camshaft
Induction: Garrett AiResearch
T3 turbo, intercooler, Weber Marelli management
system
Transmission
Type: four-wheel-drive
Gearbox:
Ford MT75 with transfer box for permanent 4wd using viscous
coupling, centre
differential, 34/66 front/rear torque split,
viscous coupling, limited-slip rear differential
Internal ratios:
1st, 3.61:1; 2nd, 2.08:1; 3rd, 1.36:1; 4th, 1.1:1; 5th,
0.83:1
Final drive: 3.62:1
Suspension
Front: MacPherson
struts, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar
Rear:
independent with coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll
bar
Steering
Type: power assisted
rack-and-pinion
Brakes
System: vacuum servo-assisted dual
circuit hydraulic ABS
Front: 278mm ventilated discs
Rear:
273mm ventilated discs
Wheels & Tyres
Wheels: 8x16 in
Ford RS Alloys
Tyres: 225/45 ZR rated
Performance
Max
speed: 140 mph
0-60 mph: 5.7
sec
Identity
You’ll find the VIN numbers on the
slam panel and stamped into the floor by the
driver’s seat
underneath the sill flap. What you’ll want to see is
WFOBBXGKABNG,
which is followed by five
numbers.
Bodywork
There shouldn’t be any rust and if there
is, it’s probably a result of badly repaired
accident damage. The
body is hard to fix after a smash. Look closely at the
seams,
panel gaps and paint for poor finishes. The front’s
susceptible to stone chips and bank
on buying a new splitter as
well. Battery trays and rear spoilers (especially lower one)
can
bubble up.
Engine
It’s likely to have had mods and you’ll
want to know the details of what’s been done
and by who. If it’s
chipped, make your next stop the rolling road. Turbos can also
fail
– look for white smoke from the exhaust when you floor it.
Always check a car with a
cold engine, as this will show any
probs from start-up. Tappet noise, knocking (piston
slap) etc.
When started, check the oil pressure dial..should read at least 5
bar from
cold and then sit between minimum and 1.8 bar when warm.
Also look for blue smoke
(oil in the engine, gaskets, pistons)
and grey smoke (often overfuelling on ignition).
Remember, the
Escort has an under engine tray for cooling..so get under there
and
check for any oil.
Transmission
The MT75 box is
tough provided you don’t get carried away with power. It
can
handle up to 375 bhp, but over this and you need to think
about stronger internals. The
clutch is slightly weaker and
you’ll need an uprated job if the power climbs to 300
bhp+. With
the 4wd system, look for any snatchiness and listen carefully for
clonks
and bangs. Check CVJs (clicking noises when gone)and also
propshaft joint rubbers
can perish.
Suspension
The
standard Escort suspension is superb (Group N). On its launch it was
labelled one
of the best handling cars. Eight years on and that
suspensions likely to be tired and the
dampers can sag. Quite a
few owners fitted performance parts, so again, look for
receipts
and any signs of dodgy work. Check for cracked top cups – will show
with
any knocking noises.
Brakes
Vented 278 mm discs on
the front and 273 mm items on the back can stop the
standard 227
bhp, but if you’re running big power its best to uprate them. They
can
also warp, but it takes some extreme driving to do this.
Check for warped disks (brake
jugger) and sometimes the front
knuckles can be damaged, they will then need
replacing. Check
rear callipers haven’t seized and brake sharp in test drive to
ensure
car stop straight.
Interior
Recaro-equipped
interior is generally hard wearing, but it’s the usual story of
the
driver’s seat showing the first signs of wear and tear.
Getting replacements will be a
nightmare and if you’re thinking
of buying a stolen/recovered that’s missing its
interior, it
might be wise to think again – unless of course, you’re going for a
bit of a
racer look. Check that the leather (if fitted) isn’t
cracked..another expensive thing to
replace/repair. Watch for
cracks and scuffs on the plastics.
Electrics
Fuse box is
used throughout the MkV range..so is pretty rubbish. If the tracks
burn out
(causing major electric failure) then a complete new
fuse box is needed. Under
passenger side bonnet vent are two
multi plugs. These can fill with water due to the
vent
design..another problem area. Watch for poorly alarms/immobilisers,
especially
connected to the fuel pump. You can melt a piston
because of them. In general, check
everything works…EVERYTHING
!!!!
£8000 – 10,000
Before you start ranting the
Escort Cossies never come up at this price, let’s explain.
To an
extent you’re right, but what about sourcing you Escy Cos from
abroad? It’s
possible to pick up a sound one in Germany for the
above price as they’re just not
sought after over there as they
are here. Ok, it’ll have left-hand-drive and you’ll have
to go
through the drama of a personnel import, but it’s definitely worth a
thought.
£12,000 – 13,000
The bottom price you’ll pay for
a half decent Escort Cosworth in the UK. It’ll
probably have high
mileage and registered on a k-plate. Cars are most likely to
be
finished in Diamond White and Radiant Red. Still, it’s got to
be one of the best
motors you can buy for £12,000.
£14,000
– 16,000
You’re now entering Lux territory and this kind of wedge
is going to get you a good
one.
£17,000+
It’s a lot of
cash, but in exchange you’ll have one of the nicest big turbo
Escort
Cosworths around. Concours contenders might break £20,000
barrier as will fully
modded examples.
REMEMBER: THESE
PRICES ARE JUST A GUIDLINE.
Down Low
The Escort RS
Cosworth was the first mass-produced car that actually
had
aerodynamics capable of creating downforce at the front and
rear.
Tall Order
The Escort Cosworth is actually a little
bit taller than both the standard Escort and
the
Sierra.
Roofless
Only the roof panel is shared with
the standard Escort.
Plan B
The Escort Cosworth was only
given the go-ahead after attempts to facelift the
Sierra
failed.
Secret Agent
The Escort Cosworth project
was give the name codename ACE.
There are many things one
should check before buying an used Escort RS Cosworth. I will list
the ones most easy to check and those most important
here:
Check the car for any signs of repaired crash damage.
If you or a mechanic (which you should bring with you if you don't
know everything about cars) find signs of such, either don't buy it
or take it somewhere to find out exactly what has been repaired and
the quality of the repair. Some bodywork damage is no problem if it
has been repaired nicely, the problem is when the crash has affected
the chassis. If you suspect so; take it to an alignment jigg and
check the chassis for any damage or missalignment (or better, don't
buy it).
What you should do is to take off the front and rear
bumpers to check for accident repair. The rear bumper is loosened by
removing 4 nuts in the trunk and two screws on each rear wheelarch.
The front bumper hasfour big bolts removed from underneath plus two
a catches on each side in front of the front wheels.
Get
underneath the car and check for any signs of rust on the chassis
and suspension. The exhaust might be rusty, but that will happen no
matter what if one drives in the wet.
Get inside the car a
check for rust or moisture. Remove the spare wheel and carpet in the
trunk and check underneath. Lift up the rear seat bottom half and
check there too.
Check the engine, gearbox and diffs for any
signs of oil or water leaks both before and after you test drive it.
This means that you have to remove the cover under the engine
(4screws and 4bolts). If there are any leaks, find out where they
come from and how much it will cost to fix them.
While you
are underneath the car check that all drive axle boots and other
rubber boots on the suspension components are intact and not cracked
or worn.
Check the tires for uneven wear. This may come from
out of alignment suspension components.
Is the amount of engine
oil, coolant, brake fluid and servo oil correct ? And; Is the engine
oil of such a quality that it seems that it has been changed
regularly?
Inside the car look for worn down seats and
pedals, which may mean that the car has a lot of miles on the clock.
And; is the wear on the upholstery comparable to the miles the
seller claims the car has done?
Is there a service book with
the car ? If so; Does it seem like it has been written by the same
person, the same day. Or is it a real service book ? If you are in
doubt, go to the workshop where the car should be serviced according
to the service book and ask them if it really has been serviced
there.
Put it somewhere dark and check that all exterior lights
are functioning. Then the interior lights, such as lights in
speedometer, rev-counter, boost gauge etc. Lights in switches for
fog-light, heated windscreen, fan, heater. Basically everything
should have lights. Especially the light in the speedo and
rev-counter should work as you will have to replace the entire
speedometer or rev-counter if they don't. There are no bulbs, but a
inrepairable glowing string.
When testdriving the
car:
Drive it at both high and low speeds checking for any
shaking or softness. If there are any this may come from worn
bushings or worn steering linkage components.
Test the
brakes both braking hard, and just barely slowing the car. Any
shaking and you're in for new brakedics and pads.
If the car
pulls to one side or are excessively prone to follow cambers in the
road this can be caused by out of alignment suspension components,
worn dampers or bushings.
Check for any strange sounds from
the engine through the entire rev range, from 800 rpm to the red
line. If there are any sounds that you can't identify take it to
someone who can and let them figure out what's wrong.
Check
that the turbo boost pressure builds up and goes up to the redline
on the boost gauge when flooring the throttle at 2500 rpm in 3rd
gear or higher.
When changing gear at high revs check that
there isn't coming a lot of smoke from the car, this may be a
soon-to-be-wasted turbo. It's very Expensive to buy a new
one.
The gearchange should go smooth an quiet. If the second
or third gear is hard to engage this can mean that the syncro-rings
are worn down. And this means that the gearbox must out to be
overhauled: Expensive again.
The clutch should have no slip
under any circumstances, to test it: Drive at a little over 80 km/h
(50 mph) in 5th. Disengage the clutch, rev the engine to about 2000
rpm above what it was doing and let go of the clutch. If the engine
immediately drops back to the original rpm area, the clutch is
probably good. If it comes back slowly and the car sounds like it
has a slipping automatic transmission, you have the first signs of
clutch slippage. This is hard on the drivetrain and clutch so
another easier on the drivetrain approach is: Floor the throttle in
fifth gear around 3500 rpm on dry concrete, preferably on an uphill.
If it slips, it's done (if the car isn't tuned that is, the standard
clutch can only handle 300 hp or so).
When finding things
that are not as the seller has stated, or things he hasn't said
anything about, start getting suspicious and check everything extra
carefully.
All things that you'll have to fix requires a
decrease in the price the seller first stated
VIN
DETAILS http://www.wrc-cosworth.org/specs/identify.html
HPI
A
phone call that could save you a lot of grief by confirming the
identity of the Escort
RS Cosworth and whether it’s stolen, a
write-off or has outstanding finance. Costs
£39.99 from HPI on
01722 422422, £36.99 from the AA on 0800 234999. Don’t just
take
a dealers word as well.