New member with lotsa q's.

Devious Jet · 17-04-2006, 09:11 AM

Heyyas.

I am looking at purchacing a new tow car and have been looking at some e series fords. I have 2 young children so room is important!

I have been interested in an Eb2 5.0l wagon i have seen lately and have some questions.

Firstly, it is on dual fuel.....are there any common problems with the 5.0 on gas?

It is auto....How well do the autos take towing? (Towing a tandem with a car on the back mabye every third weekend)

What is the towing capacity of these cars?

Any other common faults to be weary of?

Mechanically I can suss it out as I am a tech for a Holden dealer (which is why I wont buy a holden...they suck ***) but not sure on what common dramas to look out for.

Thanks.....

BI6TIM · 17-04-2006, 09:38 AM

Not sure about the 5.0 on gas as i am mainly a 6cyl person but the auto's are pretty good if you put a big front mounted tranny fluid cooler on it and keep up the oil and filter changes regularly (gearbox service). The towing capacity i would imagine will depend on what sort of tow bar is fitted.
EBII is a pretty solid car they will take alot of punishment! I know because i punished my last one and it's still going, my brother drives it now. We've been mistreating it now for 8 years and it still serves without complaint!

Devious Jet · 17-04-2006, 09:41 AM

Well what are the sixes like?

I am going to look at a couple of 4.0l manual wagons today....One is EB....not sure if series 1 or 2 and one is ED. Both are not on gas......but I will convert over to gas.

TwistedEL · 17-04-2006, 10:45 AM

The six is a fantastic engine and yes auto is fine as long as there is a trans oil cooler on the front

frost · 17-04-2006, 01:03 PM

Manuals in the E series aint the best for towing

I use my EA, as a tow vehical every now and again with a tadem, when towing the VL home for my mate I wasnt that impressed, hell it did the job but the Auto would of been better.

As for LPG is the way to go back down below 50c a lt now its comming cheap again, Make sure you have a 225 mixer insted of a mixing ring and a B2 to keep up, my car with the mixing ring is no good for towing up hills, Lucky I had fuel as a backup

frost · 17-04-2006, 01:31 PM

Manuals in the E series aint the best for towing

I use my EA, as a tow vehical every now and again with a tadem, when towing the VL home for my mate I wasnt that impressed, hell it did the job but the Auto would of been better.

As for LPG is the way to go back down below 50c a lt now its comming cheap again, Make sure you have a 225 mixer insted of a mixing ring and a B2 to keep up, my car with the mixing ring is no good for towing up hills, Lucky I had fuel as a backup

BI6TIM · 17-04-2006, 03:46 PM

I would have to agree, I would rather tow with an auto. Although I know that 347 Strokers work vehicle is a manual 5Litre and he loves it( He tows a large trailer with tools and airconditioners in it I think).
As i stated earlier I am a 6cyl man, so I would encourage you to get one but truth be told both engines are fairly bullet proof as long as you get the EBII onwards.

LUXO_8 · 17-04-2006, 03:55 PM

use the V8 for towing, the 6 will do it ok but the 8, with a few minor mods, will do it so much better...due to the torque aspect..

ive towed cars with my V8 NC, does it effortlessly.....

firstly fit the biggest trans cooler possible if its going to be a perminant towing car...
better ratio roller rockers can give a bit more power(and torque), without having to change the cam. other than that it starts getting expensive, but its worth it for more power and torque for towing..

the towing capacity of an EB Wagon is 2100kg with the correct towbar... (hitch reciever with load distributing hitch) or with the standard towbar its 1600kg...
just to show the difference the trans cooler makes, ford do not reccomend towing any more than 400kg without one.

i hope this helps......feel free to ask any questions you need to...

banarcus · 17-04-2006, 09:07 PM

Go the V8 wagon mate!

Devious Jet · 17-04-2006, 10:44 PM

I had a look at a manual 6 wagon and I was told it had 180,000 kms on it, when I got there it had 299,000 kms!!! And it had a few suss body repairs on it.

I then looked at the v8 wagon, it is an EB2 falcon 'S' wagon. 190,000 kms, impco system with a 225 mixer, a ford 2000kg towbar, bodywork is absolutely imaculate, interior is a bit dirty, nothing a good detail wont fix, and it drove perfect.

I love it, I just gotta get some prices on insurance to make sure it is still a viable option and confirm sale of my current daily and hopefully it is mine!

It already has a trans cooler, its size is only about 30x15cm in size, so an upgrade is in order, and it has these tiny extractor looking exhaust manifolds.....I guess they are the factory manifolds. I would assume a nice set of good quality extractors, a 2.5 inch exhaust and opening up the cold air feed to the air box will help its towing ability.

I probably should not get too excited with thinking about modding it yet as knowing my luck it will sell tomorrow!

K_Man · 18-04-2006, 12:32 AM

Completely off topic, but are you John off the R31 forums? :nutsycuck

Devious Jet · 18-04-2006, 10:41 PM

Yep......that is me off the R31 forums.....I need a tow car for the r31's......just incase they break at the track! Insurance seems ok for the V8 wagon....I got a quote through a broker for full comp at $620 and through vigil with unlimited mods for $780 full comp.....I think i will go the insurance with the limited mods.....just to keep me under control! I need a tow car for the skyline.....funny.....I bought the skyline as a tow car for my Escort club race car.....and ended up selling it to finish the skyline!