1989 Ford Orion 1.6i turbo from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Big performance for little money and effort
Faults:
Driver's side window motor fault, fixed with a new motor.
The boot gets damp, cannot fix it.
Near side wheel bearings shattered.
Turbo went south at 90000 miles.
Gear gator went about the same time as the turbo.
General Comments:
This car, having a RS turbo heart, goes like a bat out or hell and handles like a dream thanks to 60mm lowering shocks and springs. The heart donor (Escort Turbo) was very loose on the back end.
Inside will get a full reworking with Sparco seats and new door cards because it looks too bland for the car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 17th June, 2002
6th May 2002, 15:21
As I am the person who wrote the original review, I am commenting on it to say that I have found the place (s) it is leaking from:-
Rear Screen - reason for water on passenger side floor,
Rear Light Clusters - reason for water in boot, and,
Bung from Bumper Light going into Boot - wasn't fitted correctly, reason for water in boot.
The Ford Orion is notorious for leaking as I remember my Dads 1.6i Ghia being exactly the same.
I have found that the reason that the engine breather pipes become blocked is because the engine oil requires to be changed quite often. Regular oil changes also prevents cam wear.
I have also found that rust gathers in wheel arches because of mud, etc, gathering under them. I have just run a flat-head screwdriver around them to remove this dirt.