
Originally Posted by
oceanrider88
Greetings to all FX owners!
I am in the market to buy a tamaraw FX diesel with stock 2C engine. I just wanted to know the common problems associated with this vehicle and the mentioned engine.
I have browsed thru several ads in sulit and many have transplanted a 2CT engine - i am wondering why. Is the 2C a lemon engine?
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the original 2C engines of tamaraw fx are not lemon. as a matter of fact, this are one of the most economical engines, easy to maintain and durable. the reason why many transplanted their tamaraw fx with 2c turbo is because 2c with turbo is more powerfull than the ordinary one. in most cases, you need not change the original engine to a whole 2c turbo but you can adopt a turbo to your original 2c engine. some say it will harm the engine because the pistons are not steel grooved bu i say the ordinary 2c engine can withstand the turbo because turbos for 2c are low rpm powered unlike those turbos on racing cars that requires the psitons to be steel grooved. as a matter of fact, i previously owned 3 tamaraw fx with ordinary 2c engines and i adopted turbos (ct 9 and ct12) and their is no problem at all.
Also, are the parts cheap and readily available?
Are there different versions throughout the years? Which ones have a dual A/C? Bench side folding seats? How can i tell if it is an ex taxi? Are all the interiors the same regardless of model?
their are 3 variant of fx both for diesel and gas powered engines. the top of the line is the GL, the standard is the base model, then the deluxe which is the same as the standard but with dual aircon like the GL. x taxi or x hire can easily be identified on the plate number which has an H mark which means Hire (ex hire or ex taxi). in some cases where the vehicle was originally used as private then latter converted to taxi or hire unit then again converted or dropped to private, the original plate number when it was first private will be issued again so there is no way you will see an H on the plate number but you can still see some holes around the small drawer below the car stereo casing that was used to tie the taxi meter if its an ex taxi. or better yet, you ask for the xerox copy of the previous years OR so you can see if the previous plate number was for hire unit.
What fuel mileage in km/l can i expect from a used diesel fx? I dont think 14km/l is still attainable with a 15 year old vehicle.
yes you can still get that fuel mile age if your engine is in top condition even the unit is 15 years old and above specially if your engine is non-turbo.
What should i look out for when buying these vehicles? Are there many surplus body parts available like rear doors and main doors?
spare parts of tamaraw fx both for engines and body parts are the easiest to find compared to other diesel vehicles today
Is this a double wishbone front suspension or strut type? I need it to withstand rocky roads and big pot holes. Any common suspension problems?
double wishbone suspension strut bar type. this set-up is tested on rocky and mud terrains. as a matter of fact, this is vehicle is all around here in the mountainous area of the cordillera. i havent heared yet an fx with broken strut bar.
Is the steering a rack and pinion type or gearbox type?
rack and pinion
I heard from someone before that these models over heat. Is that true? Will a custom extra large 3 row radiator solve the problem or is it more of a cylinder head defect?
yes, some 2c engines overheat but most of those engines that overheated has clogged radiator or damaged overhead gasket. the original radiator of fx with diesel engines is 3 rows so thats big enough. other overheating problem are those fx which were originally powered by gas engine then transplanted with diesel engine without replacing the radiator. take not that radiator of gas engines are much smaller than those of diesel engines. so be sure to change also the radiator if you choosed to transplant your gas engines with diesel.
Hope to hear from you all. Thank you and more power to you all!