Newbie (here)

[XtremeModifier]

Hi all,

My name is Jake, born in TX, raised in NJ, moved all over the country (NJ-MI-TX-NJ-PA-TX-AR-AK-OK-NJ-WV) and now live "full time" in West Virginia. Worked as a Prototype Tech for a year and a half at Borg-Warner Automotive in Auburn Hills, MI (PTC), then after I got laid off (2008) I moved back down South and took up welding, and later became a Pipeliner, now work in the office for an Engineering firm making a good enough salary to afford to buy one of these at $1000 cash for a toy (as well as a "few" other cars/toys). Just recently bought a 1988 Merkur XR4Ti from Columbus, OH, it is in my friend's "monster" garage in Munroe Falls, OH (this garage is, no exaggeration, 100'x250') for rebuild, figured I would join here for advice and to share anything I learn/find.

SOME of my other cars:
2002 Toyota Tundra V8 SR5 (6" lift on mudders) 4 on the tree
1996 Jeep Cherokee Country (stock 4.0 straight-6) 4 speed chrysler
1995 Trans Am "Firehawk" LT1 T-56 (6-speed T-Tops) ... we shall just say it is FAST
2015 Subaru Impreza Sport (5 speed standard trans)
1988 Merkur XR4Ti T9? (The shifter knob only lists 4 forward gears...) - another project
1992 Mazda MX-6 Turbo GT 5 speed
AND OTHER PROJECTS...

So far I haven't even started working on this car (did take some pictures, including one of a VERY shocked tow truck driver who had operated that truck for 30 years, never even heard of these) but did buy the following:
Upper Radiator Hose (they did not have a lower - suggestions?)
Air Filter
Oil Filter (I figure I can buy oil anywhere...)
Fuel Filter
Spark Plugs
Wires

All I know is the car has the same number of miles as when the previous owner bought it in 2008, and I know someone with a few spare Lima 2.3's sitting around (including 7 with the timing belt cover still on them...).

Car's condition:
Engine turns when I bypass the alarm system entirely
Engine has good compression (turning manually I got 7.3:1, considering it may have leaked down, that is I would consider VERY good compression)
Turbo is unknown, but I have several contacts at BorgWarner who can get me a good price on a new one
Seat cranks all work
All interior is in "good" condition
Same for Transmission (although a Borg T5 or T9 should work)

I would LIKE, very much, to keep this a 2.3 (stock or otherwise) with the turbo, possibly adding an intercooler (although I would keep all the original parts in case it becomes worth far more that way at some point in the future). IF this 2.3, and it's associated other parts (trans, turbo, etc.) show signs that it may never run again in that condition, I would likely swap a 5.0 Ford (also have access to almost a dozen of those).

Also, if anyone knows where I can get a Merkur or good enough to use for a Merkur rebuild/repair manual or torque specs, I would appreciate it.

Thanks all,

Jake R

[tcwell]

Welcome aboard!

Merkur depot and merkur parts midwest can probably get you all the parts you need to get the car up and running. Check them out on the web. Merkurdepot.com & merkurmidwest.com

Merkur depot is not far away from where your car is being stored, and merkur midwest ships stuff pretty quick!

I swear I'm not a paid spokesman for either company!

[In XS 7]

I want to ad mc2racing.com,they have a lot of nice parts to.

[Grayson]

Manual:

http://www.mc2racing.com/products/xr4ti ... index.html

Free torque specs:

http://www.mc2racing.com/tech/index.html

[merkurdriver]

Welcome! Have the parts you seek nearby...

[Bob Weir]

Hi Jake,

I hope your experience using the MCA forums is both enjoyable and informative.

I’ve sent you a “pm” titled “How to get a FREE MCA Membership for 1 year!”

Email me if you have any questions regarding membership.

Bob Weir
Membership Coordinator
Merkur Club of America
BWeir4u@rcn.com

[merkurdriver]

Upper Radiator Hose (they did not have a lower - suggestions?)

Autozone may not have XR lower radiator hoses, but MerkurDepot does

[eaton53]

Autozone may not have XR lower radiator hoses, but MerkurDepot does

Autozone did have one of the curved hoses that comes off the heater valve.
I give all the credit to dumb luck.

Merkurs are dead to O'Reilly's. Too bad... they have one of my favorite cruise-ins and the manager likes my car.
Hard to support 'em when their computers can't find any parts!

[ivansidoruk]

hello my name is ivan i live inkearny new jersey and looking to buy a 1988 merkur xr4ti with 130.000miles on it anybody know where i can find a merkur tuner/mechanic? thanks

[merkurdriver]

hello my name is ivan i live inkearny new jersey and looking to buy a 1988 merkur xr4ti with 130.000miles on it anybody know where i can find a merkur tuner/mechanic? thanks

http://www.pmmotorsportsny.com/index.html

[lowered86]

Merkurs are dead to O'Reilly's. Too bad... they have one of my favorite cruise-ins and the manager likes my car.
Hard to support 'em when their computers can't find any parts!

You're correct, O'reilly's no longer lists Merkur in their car list but you can still find parts by searching the internet for what you need. Just include O'reilly Auto in the search.

For example - go to google and search the following - brake caliper 87 merkur xr4ti O'reilly auto

in the search results you should see the following

List: Brake Caliper - 1987 Merkur XR4Ti | O'Reilly Auto Parts
http://www.oreillyauto.com/.../Brake+Ca ... ..O'Reilly Automotive
Results 1 - 6 of 6 - See our list of 1987 Merkur XR4Ti Brake Caliper. 6 items found.

Even though O'reilly removed Merkur from their car list, a lot of parts are still in their system. It's just tougher to get to them. I talked to the manager at my local O'reilly about this issue and they didn't seem to care. Too bad, I like the $5 coupons from O'reilly.

Dan

[$KRILLA]

Welcome!!

[willissom1]

I am new. My name is willsom.

[10percent]

Merkurs are dead to O'Reilly's. Too bad... they have one of my favorite cruise-ins and the manager likes my car.
Hard to support 'em when their computers can't find any parts!

O'Reilly's still has Merkur's in their computer. There is an option they have to choose to show lesser known cars. I was just in their last weekend and had to show the guy what to do to find it in their system.