Should I buy this Terminator? Couple newb concerns.. Opinions needed.

[SVTcarguy]

Car has 10,000 Miles. 5000 of the miles have been with a Kenne Bell 2.8L Supercharger and the tune is for 110 octane race fuel as the main mod.
With this type of mod/tune what is the expected life span of the engine? Someone told me it might only last for 20k miles running this type of "compression."
Would it last longer if I swapped the pulley an drove it with 93 octane fuel.

The Owner also said that since installing kooks Long Tube Headers its had a rough start up idle while it warms up. Does this sound normal to you or
something you would investigate further. He said he called Kooks about this and that they said because their aluminium headers are thin so they tend
to let more sound out.

I guess I'm wondering if the race fuel tune has already taken a toll on the engine...

Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks!

 

[COOL COBRA]

No offense to the seller but if you have ANY doubt about the car, keep looking. The market is full of cars. JMO.

 

[MBoyle1]

What is the condition of the rest of car?you will need A new tune for the long tubes & larger pulley for 93.no need to run race fuel @ 20 Gal.full time.Have A compression/leak down done to see if there is any problems.Up to you if everything else is what you want its worth considering.any pictures?what color?

 

[R.D.P.]

Depends on how bad you want a 700whp car, which it should be. If your just wanting a nice Terminator but not concerned with a high hp car, I would move on, but if you really want a big hp car and can handle some risk, maybe it's for you.

 

[Zemedici]

How is it ONLY tuned for race fuel?

 

[tt335ci03cobra]

I left ya a message. Read it and practice caution. All of this spells problem child IMO.

 

[SVTcarguy]

It has another tune but you have to swap the pulley I guess.

 

[tt335ci03cobra]

Depends on how bad you want a 700whp car, which it should be. If your just wanting a nice Terminator but not concerned with a high hp car, I would move on, but if you really want a big hp car and can handle some risk, maybe it's for you.

There are high hp cars without these kinds of compromises, and issues. It sounds like the op isn't versed enough to go shoulders deep to reinstall headers or retune his own ecu for a pump gas tune. He'd be addressing those issues right away which would be a minimum of $500-750. The header work alone could entail double that depending what is wrong.

The rough idle at operating temp is an unjustifiable "header" issue. It will obviously sound choppier/brassier, but the idling rpm will have almost no noticeable change/fluctuation from running headers unless they are improperly designed, are damaged, or improperly installed.

I sent the op a message about having a leak down and 60-90pt inspection done as well as a compression test. It's a very smart insurance to spend $200-300 on those from a neutral shop/dealer that hasn't worked on the car before.

On the op's original concern, the longevity of a 700whp terminator (600 on pump gas) all depends on the driver, and maintenance assuming it is currently healthy. If a 3rd to 2nd "up shift" is performed accidentally even once, goodbye. If it's respected and well maintained with the majority of the driving being adult, and maybe 5-20% being more aggressive, it should last at least 50,000 miles. It's too hard to say how long it will last because I don't know the car, the maintenance, the seller or the buyer.

Best of luck op. I'd do due dilagence. Cover your bases because your money is yours. Let the seller be mad/angry or uncooperative if they choose, there are many nice terminators and sellers to make up for the difficult sellers/problem child cobra's.

 

[Jmurrz]

Car has 10,000 Miles. 5000 of the miles have been with a Kenne Bell 2.8L Supercharger and the tune is for 110 octane race fuel as the main mod.
With this type of mod/tune what is the expected life span of the engine? Someone told me it might only last for 20k miles running this type of "compression."
Would it last longer if I swapped the pulley an drove it with 93 octane fuel.

As long as it was tuned right and always run with race fuel in the tank there should be no issues. Race fuel itself is not going to ruin an engine, if anything, it is going to be cleaner than a car run on 93. The main thing that destroys motors is improper tuning, detonation and heat.

A 10k mile cobra motor is still a baby, many of us are running 600 hp reliably with 80, 90, 100+k miles on them. Any motor is going to last longer with less power, there is less strain on all of the components. But that does not stop the majority of us because these motors are notoriously strong. I would try to switch it over to e85 over race fuel. It is a safer fuel that runs cooler and will allow you to keep the current pulley/boost combo. If that is not an option I would de-tune it for 93 on the street.

These motors take power reliably, they just don't like the heat. If it has cooling mods, I wouldn't worry about it.

The Owner also said that since installing kooks Long Tube Headers its had a rough start up idle while it warms up. Does this sound normal to you or
something you would investigate further. He said he called Kooks about this and that they said because their aluminium headers are thin so they tend
to let more sound out.

This does sound like it needs to be addressed by a better tune, but not something that would throw any red flags. Many of us have had idle issues once you start changing intakes and big throttle bodies. Find a good tuner in your area and have him look at the tune if you are to buy it. It may take some time for him to tune most of it out, but a good tuner can be the difference between a car that runs well only at WOT or a car that can be driven around town as if it was stock.

I guess I'm wondering if the race fuel tune has already taken a toll on the engine...

Thoughts? Opinions?

Personally I would not be worried about it at all, it is a low mile motor and it seems like the guy has put some high quality parts on it (2.8 Kenne Bell and Kooks are quality parts). I would take a look at everything else, you can tell a lot about the car by how it was taken care of. As long as there is no ticking, knocking, banging, or anything like that, I wouldn't be too worried.


Like I said a GOOD TUNE IS KEY to making a motor survive and drive well on the street!


Thanks!

I say go for it OP! Let us know!

 

[Jmurrz]

There are high hp cars without these kinds of compromises, and issues. It sounds like the op isn't versed enough to go shoulders deep to reinstall headers or retune his own ecu for a pump gas tune. He'd be addressing those issues right away which would be a minimum of $500-750. The header work alone could entail double that depending what is wrong.

The rough idle at operating temp is an unjustifiable "header" issue. It will obviously sound choppier/brassier, but the idling rpm will have almost no noticeable change/fluctuation from running headers unless they are improperly designed, are damaged, or improperly installed.

I sent the op a message about having a leak down and 60-90pt inspection done as well as a compression test. It's a very smart insurance to spend $200-300 on those from a neutral shop/dealer that hasn't worked on the car before.

On the op's original concern, the longevity of a 700whp terminator (600 on pump gas) all depends on the driver, and maintenance assuming it is currently healthy. If a 3rd to 2nd "up shift" is performed accidentally even once, goodbye. If it's respected and well maintained with the majority of the driving being adult, and maybe 5-20% being more aggressive, it should last at least 50,000 miles. It's too hard to say how long it will last because I don't know the car, the maintenance, the seller or the buyer.

Best of luck op. I'd do due dilagence. Cover your bases because your money is yours. Let the seller be mad/angry or uncooperative if they choose, there are many nice terminators and sellers to make up for the difficult sellers/problem child cobra's.

This! very good advice!

 

[MBoyle1]

It has another tune but you have to swap the pulley I guess.

Yes! That's how it works,swap pulley,belt,fuel,load tune...takes about 20 -30 minutes tops!

 

[speeddemon2000]

The problem isn't race fuel it how much boost is being run with race fuel. Do you know how much boost it is set up to run? That's BS about the headers causing a rough idle. There is some type of other issues. You shouldn't have a rough idle unless something else is up. I would have him pull the plugs and see what they look like. Look to see how much blow by you have if the pcv is still in place take a look inside the intake and see if it is coated with oil. A leak down test would be great but many lack the necessary tools to do that. Do you know if the cats are still in place? if so and he is running leaded race fuel that could be a problem for the cats.

 

[c6zhombre]

as always…when in doubt….compression test and leakdown if something is out of line. The mere fact a factory terminator motor is pushing 700 wheel is not the problem…these motors will survive no problem for many, many years. The PROBLEM is a quack job tune, inadequate fuel, and borderline fuel system.

Make sure all 3 of those items are top notch, and the john coletti factory special will sing along at 700 wheel for thousands of miles and many years. Fuel of choice should be E85. Period.

 

[Svtmustang01]

Headers could definitely cause the car to stumble at idle. It affects what the oxygen sensors are reading. Which alters how the computer decides to run the motor.

 

[blinelaxd27]

The problem is also that if the seller is looking for good money for the car they should fix the issues.... I never understand why people sell cars with issues stating "oh just needs a few small things to be perfect". Well if those things are really that small then they would have fixed them, this makes me believe those things aren't as small as the seller makes them... just my opinion.

 

[CobraBob]

How mechanically adept are you? Are you planning on installing future mods yourself? Are you specifically looking for a big power Terminator? The answers should define how serious you might want to be about buying this one or passing. I get the sense that you'd be better off starting with a low mileage near stock Terminator and slowly build it to your plans. Buying a highly modified car can be both a blessing or a curse. The more skilled you are with your hands/tools/knowledge of engines, etc., the more likely you should be happy in the long run. So if now you're still very interested in this one, absolutely follow the advice above and get it thoroughly checked out before you hand over your cash.

I also recommend that you browse through my Terminator FAQs.