I'm picking up a 88 T-bird sport coupe in 5 of 10 condition tomorrow with 230,000 miles and still running strong.
5.0 is sludgy and leaking due to v/c leak, cracked windshield, tail lights are not working (where would I look to repair this, fuse? faulty wiring?
Drivers window is off the track and comes up all crooked (whats the cause behind this?)
My plans are to pressure wash the hell out of the car, outside, engine bay and undercarriage, New battery and all new tune up
Then HO conversion and nice exhaust system for my daily 60 mile round trip commute.
Electrically, what are the biggest gremlins in these cars and what are the fixes?
window's an easy fix. prolly just the epoxy's loose in the "U" that holds the glass.
if both taillights aren't working, more than likely a fuse. no biggie. the ignition switch module thing would be well worth replacing now, as they have issues. cheap fix.
The heater cores usually go to as well.I'd swap it with a Ford part while the weather is nice or you'll end up needing to do it in the dead of winter.
Only major issues I've ever had with these cars are broken front springs and the POS 3.8L engine, but you don't have to worry about that.
Check the wiring at the BOO (brake on/off) switch, which is located about halfway up the brake pedal.
Those wires flex right at the connector and separate.
think mustang, minus about 75hp, and then make it better.
Yep I've had that happen, twice. I finally just replaced the wires. It was a PITA job too as it's a tight space to be in with a soldering iron :hick:
The only thing I've had go wrong with my 88 has been the heater core going out. The rest of the stuff, even the engine, was just an upgrade. The old 5.0 SO would still be ticking away right now if I didn't want more power :burnout:
wiring diagrams located in Electrical tech up to in a sticky called 87EVTM
In honest opinion,
my bigges hassel with these cars are brakes up front. A shakey steering column while braking tells you either
a caliper hose is eaten up inside not allowing fluid to bleed back when you get off the brake,,keeping presure on the inner pad.
this creates heat, cooks wheel bearing greese, warps rotors and causes calipers to stick.
Heater core is pretty much a given although there is an easy way out.
Cougar Cragar you were correct. The connection at the BOO switch was broken. Fixed! Thank you
Beware. I've always been warned about PW under the hood. Been told it could RUIN some electronics etc.
It can be done just have to cover the distributor and top electronics up with plasticand concentrate the water on the bay area and block and try avoiding the top side.
Expect the body color to come off too. After power washing around the lower engine bay, all I had left was "gray". Then it got sanded and repainted but that shouldn't be any problem.
Man I know exactly what you're sayin. I replaced the whole switch and wires - what a PITA X2. No room at all. :mad:
Well im about to hop on that wagon. I got the HO cam today along with a set of GT40 heads
Will an HO cam work with SO firing order? If I'm reading my chilton's correctly, they're different orders.
No they are different firing order. I'm using a 91 mark 7 ecm
If you install the H.O cam,you'll need to install the H.O computer,19# injectors,and wire it like a 351W (plug wires).it would really help to upgrade the exhaust and intake at that time as well.
if your going to powerwash an old car that your rating 5 of 10 be ready fof a big mess :hick: if you going to do it in the street i hope theres a drin near by. or niegbors are going to freak lol
these are good very reliable cars especially in the 5.0s
Years and years of leakage left the underside of the vehicle a nasty hazardous mess. I bought a pump sprayer and purple power and took the car to the local car wash equipped with jack and jack stands. Degreased the undercarriage and put $6 worth of car washes to it. World of difference now. I have most of the leaks fixed minus the rear main seal. I haven't decided whether to find another short block to put my GT40 heads on or just build the top end till she blows up.
Going carbed, no computer necessary. A little confused though, if the timing is different, wouldn't the crank have to be different too?
Camshaft events do not effect the crankshaft.
I guess what I mean is, if there is a timing change, wouldn't that then mean that the pistons are in a different position?
No, because in going to HO, the cam itself is changed, but the timing isn't directly affected by the bigger cam, just the firing order is different. Seems as if logic would make this impossible, but it is possible.
The cranks between HO and SO are identical.
On a related note, you can do what's sometimes called a "mid HO" conversion, using the HO upper/lower throttle body, etc...
But, if you are going to use the 19# injectors, you MUST ALSO use the HO cam and an HO EEC...those three components have to be used together!! ;)
I wonder if my crane cam is SO or Ho order. Cant find out, company closed :[
well if you put the engine at top dead center. Pull the #3 plug. Rotate the engine manually at the crank. If the next firing cylinder is #3 a burst of air will push past your finger. That is a 351w/302H0 firing order. If air didn't push past then the next cylinder to fire was #5 standard 302 order
I have pressure washed plenty of vehicles. I start the engine when it is cold , leave it running ( with the emergency brake on) and have at it. I stay away from a direct spray at electronic stuff. If the engine dies, I dry out the inside of the distributor cap and re-start it and continue. That's is how I do it but I am not advising anyone to do it.;)t