Technical Advice

HEADLAMP RELAY FIRE RISK

Do you have a headlamp relay?
If so it may be prudent to fit a fuse to the main RED wire feed.
I have found by looking at a few relays that after 40+ years they break down, some thru rust, some thru wear
what happens is the metal 'Leaf' that is riveted to the relay internals, breaks off, lands on the main live feed and COULD short direct to earth.
Ford DID NOT fuse the supply, so what could happen is a direct BATTERY feed to earth, resulting at best in a melted wiring loom and WORST a fire.

Checked both relays i have salvaged from scrap cars, both rusted, one fell apart whilst i was filming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have this liveon camera. ill post a vid.
the second was about to fail.

DONT UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS POST
the relay is a potential fire hazard. ITS MAIN FEED is UNFUSED! very risky for your car.

FIT AN INLINE FUSE TO THE LIVE FEED AT BOTTOM OF RELAY.
MAKE A NICE HEAT SHRINK AND SOLDER JOIN.
If you cant, ask an auto-electrician.

I have many years experience with auto-electrics and I advise all Mk3 cortina owners to fuse the feed of this relay.
It can also happen if you start trying to add extra lamps without properly fitting the right cable runs and toggle relays.
If you overload or neglect this relay it will fail and could burn your car out.

I hope this post is of assistance to all Mk3 Owners.

supplied  By Pete Crompton  Club Member

BUYERS GUIDE

The Ford Cortina mk3 was in production for 6 years and for much of that time was Britains best selling car. 

 1,126,559  were sold and they are still popular with enthusiasts today 

If you are thinking of buying there are some points you may like to consider before buying - do this and you should get years of enjoyable classic motoring 

The last Cortina was made in 1976 so the youngest is 4 decades old 

They were reliable and pretty economical (at least in servicing costs) in comparision with similar cars of the time 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING 

Mechanically these cars are extremely simple and easy to repair that's why mechanics lliked them so much, the 1300 engine is rare now as they were only in early models, but most models will either have a 1600 or 2000 OHC Pinto engine - these are pretty reliable so long as you change the engne oil every 6 months or 6000 miles- whichever comes first -change the cambelt as recommended (extremely easy unlike modern cars) and you should have no problems- BTW this must be the easiest cambelt to change - easily done within an hour with a bit of practce 

Nothing else has any inherent problems clutch and gearbox last ages with care just watch out for leaking wheel bearing in the back axle as they can be expensive to replace as a press is required 

The suspension is also not prone to any faults but the rear void bushes do wear quite quickly but are cheap and easy to replace 

The thing to watch for is rust - like most cars of the era they all rusted in several places - places to check in particular outer sills,innner sills,doorstep,boot floor,floor pan, front inner wings and the box chassis along the entire length of the car. 

If these haven't been repaired it's likely you'll need to learn how to weld (MIG welding is easy with practice) or have deep pockets! 

Get one where the rust is under control and the mechanics are in decent shape and youll have a practial reliable car which will give you years of motoring pleasure 

MOT CHECK LIST

1. TYRES , tread and check for damage , bulges etc and make sure they are correctly inflated
2.  WIPERS , blades are in good condition and wipe the screen properly
3.  LIGHTS , ALL lights on exterior of vehicle work as intended , also main beam warning light , indicator warning light , speedo illumination and it pays to ensure the ignition light is working as this can affect the charging system , and you don't want a flat battery on MOT day , or any other day for that matter
4.  NUMBER PLATES , must be clean and a legal size and script , also positioned correctly
5.  FUEL CAP ,must be in place and correctly fitted 
6.  WINDSCREEN WASHERS , if a screen is fitted then the washers need to be working on both sides , to enable a decent view of the road ahead 
7. Check for play in ball joints and track rod ends
8.  Ensure rubbers are not burst on them either
9. Check for play in steering rack and check gators and steering  linkage 
10. Check brakes
11. Check bushes in back axle etc
12. Check seat belts work properly and are in good condition


supplied by members of the mark three cortina owners club
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