The head gasket blew at 280,000km, due to on going problems with the cooling system. ie, thermostat, blocked radiator, leaky radiator. Replaced with a second hand motor. $350 from wreckers + labour.
Since I have had the car back, I have had persistent problems with the running gear including missing bolts, causing the rear engine mount bracket to crack and break, and the exhaust manifold breaking its seal (dodgy workmanship).
Replaced a clutch slave cylinder after a piston caused excessive wear. The clutch was also replaced when the engine was done. $50 approx. for the slave cylinder.
Suspension has worn badly giving the car terrible handling and ride. Will cost approx. $700 to repair.
Brake master cylinder rear seal is leaking, have not repaired as yet, but expecting to cost $30 for a replacement (wreckers) or reconditioned item.
Cracked dashboard, sagging roof lining, broken boot release.
C.V. joints replaced at 290,000, $320.
Generally the car is a bomb, but considering the amount of km it has done, it is expected.
It has extractors and a K&N air filter, which did make a big difference in response. The car still reaches 180km/h (don't ask how I know) and considering how old it is, I am surprised by the performance, quick response and generally good handling. Good torque for a 2L engine.
With a bit of TLC, it would be worth keeping and can be made to look the part. Will cost about $1500 to get to the point where I would be happy with it. Has a tough gearbox and the engine can take a beating.
All these issues are fair wear and tear, apart from the defective workmanship during the head gasket swap, which isn't the car's fault.
I've got a 1990 Corsair that's done about 94,000 ks, and I've also had problems with leaks in the brake master cylinder, as well as worn suspension that results in very poor ride. Far fewer kilometres, but similar problems. Food for thought.
I've also had problems with my Ford Corsair, it's a 1991 model.
I have already spent over 1500 dollars on a general service, rear and front brake pads and calliper reconditioning, also 4 new tyres.
I may need to eventually replace the master cylinder, and I am having major problems with the cooling system within the car.
On top of this its not helping that I use my car for my job.
I am going to buy a new thermostat tomorrow, at a cost of around 20 dollars.
I am glad that I am not the only one having coolant problems with this particular model, it sounds like it's a common problem.
Continuation of the first post IE, ford corsair (engine blown around 280,000km). I continue to drive the car 50,000km after engine change. Engine burns a bit of oil, but keeps on going. If you keep this engine cool by maintaining the cooling system, it will keep on. Blew the radiator bottom tank seal, $70 + gst to clean and reseal. Good idea for those having cooling system problems, also keep that thermostat functional as this makes a noticeable difference in fuel consumption. Brake master cylinder rear seal failed again, very common problem with Ford Corsair / Nissan Pintara, seems the only worthwhile fix is to re-kit and sleeve the master cylinder ($150 - $200). Slave master cylinder rear seal also had a major leak, $20 fix and no problem since. Taught 3 people how to drive in this car and it's not dead yet, has exceeded my expectations. Probably because I got the car for free. Anyone with Power steering leaks, I had a major leak, filled it with Lucas power steering stop leak and solved the problem. Hope this information is hopeful.
Trivia note: "Corsair" was one of the models of the Edsel make which Ford introduced in 1958, the second highest level model (after the Citation) but it vanished the next year, when the Edsel was reduced to two model lines.
Corsair is also the only Edsel model name that was never re-used in the US market. All the other model names (Ranger, Pacer and Citation) showed up again years later on other models, some from other manufacturers, though Ranger is the only one still being used now.
I drive a ford corsair and I love the car. I am a mechanic and the only problems I have had are the distributor modules gave way due to water damage. I have had no cooling problems and I have taken the car for large trips doing hundreds of kilometres in one day and its driven like a dream. Overall this car has been great to me, but you need to give it a lot of care.
I love this car!
Haha this is so true about all the problems with this car:
- leaking brake cylinder
- roof lining sagging
- cracked dash
- poor / worn suspension.
I have one of these cars & it's also difficult to find spare parts around (eg. headlights).. but it's still a good car & is pretty reliable cheap transport.
We own a 1990 Ford Corsair, and honestly it is a great car. OK, we had to put in a new overhead liner, re-machine the brakes, and now we will be replacing the seals in the brake master cylinder, but what a great ride! We also had a paint job on the bonnet, roof and boot. However, we have hit 200,000 km. now and she just keeps delivering. I am looking at putting in a Hyclone setup to help with the mileage, but we have decided to keep our Corsair as a second car when we retire, and drive the new car as a primary.
The car is basically a Nissan Pintara, sold in the USA as the Nissan Stanza. The 1989-1992 Stanza was known for head gasket issues and was generally not as reliable as the other Nissans available at the time. I see many of them for sale with blown motors but few in good running condition. Suppose I could make some money buying them, fixing them, and reselling them.
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