1988 Ford Orion Ghia I from UK and Ireland - Comments

When I first got the car the shocks were shot, replaced with Boge units all round.

Alternator failed after driving through flooded road, replaced.

Drinks oil too much, been looked at before, but now getting worse.

Clutch starting to slip, to be replaced within a month, also annoying rattle coming from gearbox, which disappears when clutch disengaged.

Battery will give out soon, excessive drain because of stereo no doubt the cause.

Rear arches had been replaced before I got the car, tiny spot of surface rust on roof above rear window, and on front drivers side arch.

Got the car end November '98, with 91,000 miles on the clock, it now has 115,000 miles on the clock and is still in remarkabally good condition!!

Added Peco Big Bore 2 exhaust, replaced stock gearknob with a decent one, fitted Lockwood white dials, and installed JVC headunit & CD Changer with JBL 6x9's, JBL Subwoofer, and JBL Amp...

White front and side indicators fitted.

Planning larger alloys, and better brakes, nothing else comes to mind at the moment!!

Stick a RS Turbo lump in and get some real speed, can do any turbo when lowered because of the weight on the back.

Oil consumption is a problem in older CVH units because of seepage around the valve seals when car is switched off. Every time car is started oil will be blown out with the exhaust fumes (look for a blue cloud). Allow the car to idle as it warms and do NOT thrash it until the engine is at normal temperature (even more important if you decide to use an RS engine...). Get the valve seals changed ASAP as the problem will only get worse.

I replaced the valve seals on my Orion 1.6 and it's still smoking out the exhaust.

I Haven't bothered replacing the seals in my 1.6 CVH engine. I can put up with topping up the oil every now and then, after all its not going anywhere else.