MK5CortinaEstate

Yeah, there aren't many of us who have done this conversion, and even less to this kind of spec. It is surprising though how many people do a double take and say that exact thing. The rear windows had to be custom made, as you can imagine.

Yeah, I'm very much for keeping it as much Ford as possible. Ford engine, Ford gearbox, and Ford axle.

Looks like I never updated after this post. The Cortina decided to chuck another spanner in the works on the way to Cortina Day, with the transmission front seal letting go. Transmission fluid everywhere. So, everything came apart. Transmission went off to be repaired and upgraded. It now has Teflon seals, Kevlar discs and bands, and a hardened input shaft. Should do for 600-700bhp. Whilst I had everything apart, the engine was stripped and the rings gapped, so it is now ready to make some serious power. Engine and transmission are now all back together and just about ready to go back in the Cortina.

Wired into the horn and ignition supply? Yeah, agreed, that sounds very much like some sort of alarm/immobiliser.

Yeah. Basically, with the ignition on, running or not, you should see 9V at the coil, provided it is all connected up. If you were to look at the voltage whilst the engine is cranking, you should see the full 12V, as it bypasses the ballast wire. And yes, red wire to the + terminal on the coil, and black wire to anywhere that's ground.

Note, if you have got the ballast wire disconnected, then it won't be loaded by the coil, and it will float up to 12V. I'd be doing a voltage check at the coil terminal, with everything still connected.

What was it in the end?

Quite! Well, Cortina Day weekend is going to be the final reliability test before Street Weekend. If it fails this weekend, then I'll have to withdraw. Fingers crossed.

Mmm, I think you might be right. That sounds like the type of pump that slows down when the pressure builds, unlike the one I have fitted. I'd definitely pull a hose and try pumping fuel into a glass jar. You may have a blockage or collapsed hose between the tank and the pump.

Going by the sound, I'd say there is fuel pressure up to the carbs. If you want to, you can probably quieten that down a bit by isolating the pump from the bodywork with some rubber bobbin mounts. Of course, this doesn't help with actually getting it started.

Good luck!

You should hear the pump running as soon as you turn the ignition on. Depending how quiet it is, you might need to put your hand onto it and feel for the vibration. It's entirely possible that the pump has failed, or at least the electrical supply to it. Check for a fuse that covers it.

If I remember correctly, there should be two wires on the + terminal. One supplying 9V via the ballast wire, and the other providing 12V whilst you are cranking the engine.

Well, it's not exactly a wire in the normal sense. It's a resistor that looks like a wire. I'm presuming somebody should sell them if it is faulty though. First thing would be to check that you see 12V at one end of it, and 9V at the coil.

Gauges stopped working at the same time as the fuel problems started? Are you running an electric fuel pump? Just wondering if they are on the same supply.