The Ford Capri Laser Page

Apologies for the double post. I've seen reference here to an easy method whereby you slacken the tensioner, then cut the belt with a knife 2/3rds from the front, thereby keeping everything aligned perfectly whilst you slip the new belt on, then cut out the old one. Is this actually something that's...

Since i work for a said Timing Belt company the best advice i can give you is trust in the owners manual for change period and time as the belt would have been specced against that. Life for aftermarket belts is 8 years, i say aftermarket as OE belts will not be avaialble for these engines anymore ...

Thanks guys. I'll look to do this at some point this year, then. I have heard that Gates are a good make - for a part such as this, it makes sense to pay a little extra for a premium quality product. Is replacement of the water pump at the same time advisable?

Cam belt last changed c.2012 (previous owner had a garage do it, so I have the receipt) and car has done about 10k miles since then. I've read that as well as a mileage limit, theres also a maximum age due to rubber deterioration. Is this right? If it's a 5 year interval it'll be coming up this year...

Is it a Tibbe type lock - the one with a key with a series of angular cuts in it? I'm pretty sure you can buy pick guns quite cheaply for them, which will give you the code, which any good locksmith can then cut a key from. That's probably a fair bit easier than fitting new locks, unless security is...

My understanding is that the qualification for free tax under the grounds of a historic vehicle is that it was MANUFACTURED more than 40 years ago as of the 1st Jan. From looking online this would seem to include all vehicles registered up to the 7th Jan as they would have been manufactured in the p...

Using a phone while driving should carry the same penalty as drinking and driving. It's even more dangerous. Simple What I don`t get is how it`s OK use a big touchscreen `infotainment/ media player/ sat-nav thing, while driving? They all come with these in the middle of the dash now - how can you p...

Reminds me of the time I was doing an oil change at work a long time ago. Filled the car with oil, checked dipstick, nothing on it, added the rest of the can still nothing on dipstick. Scratched my head, looked under the car and there was 5 litres of Castrol's finest on the floor creeping towards m...

Did the exact same thing myself this morning.. had 2weeks of driving nothing but Capris and had to get back into the daily this morning and was throwing myself around due to stamping on the brakes all the time! Better that than the other way around....... Take your time to acclimatise when hopping ...

You have to wonder what's going through some people's brains... the other night there was a lass in front of me on the North Circ at 9pm in fog, no lights at all! Flashed her a couple of times but didn't seem to realise. Overtook and she's texting...

Day-to-day, I use public transport to get to/from work, and I haven't driven anything other than a Capri for a few months. The last few days though I've done a few trips in one of the work Transits to pick some stuff up. Before starting it I was grasping for the non-existent choke, then when driving...

The other thing with a classic car surely is the fact that the servicing and repairs are more likely to be done by the owner rather than a garage. Even if you keep receipts for big stuff, I doubt many people would keep a set of receipts for (say) points or oil.

and the noise has gone Not for long - if the UJ needles are worn & dry (squeaking) they won't last long. WD might lube it a bit enough to stop the squeak for a while but best to hunt around for a good transmission shop who can replace the Hardy-Spicers and rebalance it for you. Thanks for the h...

When "health and safety" is wheeled out as an excuse, I always look at why - and often realise that there is a perfectly fine solution which is quite safe, but it's easier for a company to blame H&S rather than disorganisation or lack of willingness!

If you are a member, Costco have Castrol GTX/Magnatec oils at a good price, I got 4l of 10W40 for 16.99, but they were running a promotion so the price was down to 14.99 last week. All grades seem to be around the same price.

(If you're not a member, it's worth it if only for the bakery!)

I had almost identical symptoms to you a couple of months ago. Started off one day the car stalled in traffic, then almost stalled a few times. Went out a few days later, seemed ok at first (whilst still on choke), went up the motorway 10 miles and then when pulling off the motorway onto local roads...

And if anybody else, like me, gets under their car and realises that their syphon/hand pump is nowhere to be found... here's what I did Hi, A good workable solution, well played sir! Some of the 1 litre refill bottles of gearbox oil come with flexible tubes in the tops. That might be a little easie...

It'll lose some oil when you slide the propshaft out so have a catch-tray handy & some rag. Beware the prop centre mount fixings. They are prone to getting rusted up on the spare thread above the captive nuts in the floor void. They unscrew a bit then go tight & shear off leaving a drill-ou...

Thanks guys - I'll order a new seal and read up on the procedure in the Haynes manual - it seems to be relatively straightforward. I've looked at some past threads and it seems to be advisable to buy a seal puller tool to get the old one out, so I'll pop down the car parts shop and pick one up. Ther...

Hi, I think you've most likely got a type 3 gearbox in your car. The filler plug is on the side of the casing and can be unscrewed using a 3/8" ratchet in the square hole. If you need a replacement item: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Steel-Oil-Filler-Plug-for-Ford-Cortina-Type-3-4-Speed-g...