'88 5.0, 180K miles, has not been driven much at all in the past couple of years, but has been around the neighborhood a few times and occasionally sits idling for ~20 minutes just to keep things circulating.
I drove it about three miles last night, and I had to restart the engine about 40 times. It would start and die 3 or 4 times, then start and run for a block or two, then die again. No sputtering, it feels like you just cut the switch off. It has 1/4-tank of gas, runs fine when it runs, and has no obvious unusual smells. It has no preference for throttle position either, it died idling or at WFO or anywhere in between.
Once time I ran it WFO until it was well into 2nd gear without a problem, so I'm thinking the fuel pump's probably OK. My first suspicion is some kind of corrosion at the computer's electronic connection, since it sat through a two-foot-deep flash flood back in May.
I'm going to see if it threw any codes tomorrow if it doesn't rain, but does anybody have any other suggestions as to what might be causing this?
Before you spend a bunch of cash on parts, try cleaning your throttle blade & IAC passage, and run a jug of injector cleaner (I like Berryman's) through the gas tank.
Wonder if that A/C evaporator trick would work on one with the automatic temperature control. You know, the thing that blinks 75--75--75--75 all day long.
I put an early-'85 TC rear w/3.45 gears in my '88 T-bird w/AOD, and it bolted in just fine. The 9" brakes seem to make no difference. The only problem is that the available speedo gears won't make the speedo read right.
The best I can do is use a 21-tooth gear, which makes the speedo read 50 when the radar trailer reads 46, and 30 when the radar trailer reads 27. A 22-tooth gear would be better, but Ford doesn't make anything over 21. Tires are 225/60-15.
What about using axles & brakes from an '84 T-bird? The axles are the same length as the '88 T-bird axles, but the wheel bearing surface is about 3/4" closer to the inner end, to match the bearing placement on the Mustang-length housing. The drums are offset a similar amount to compensate for the brake shoes being closer to the center.
This places the wheel s at the standard T-bird position in the wheel well. It does require the use of the 9" brakes, but mine ('88 T-bird with early '85 TC rear) seem to work about as well as the 10" ones did.
Some of them (Chevys) will squirt oil all over the opposite fender and everything in between. Then the headers catch on fire & you have to blow it out before the panicky owner pours water on it.
For future reference, if it sticks because the button won't push in, drop your fist on top of the handle once or twice. This will push it down just a little, which allows the button to function.
It does sound a little like the thermactor pump or the diverter valve in the thermactor system. You might be able to pinpoint the source of the sound with a makeshift stethoscope. Get a piece of rubber hose (fuel hose, garden hose, etc.) and hold one end in your ear while you move the other end around in the engine compartment near those parts. It will get louder when you find the source.
I've heard that the trans clutches will chatter if you run it at too low RPM. Supposedly there's not enough pressure to keep them engaged. Mine has done that a couple of times in 3rd at just above idle speeds, but I usually shift it into 2nd if I'm going that slow under load. If you're only going 50mph or less, you don't need to be in OD anyway.
I put a Motormite (HELP) drain plug in my pan. If I had it to do all over again, I'd put it on the side wall of the pan instead of in the bottom, because it hangs kinda low. A 1/8" allen-head pipe plug raises the clearance a bit. PN is 65128, I think. If the white plastic gasket breaks, trash it and use Permatex #2 to seal it.
