Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Engine Tech => Topic started by: Cougarcruisin on May 13, 2005, 11:54:20 PM

Title: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Cougarcruisin on May 13, 2005, 11:54:20 PM
Well i took at 30 mile cruise to a nearby town that is noted for the mustang crowd.

Well I pulled in and was swarmed really fast. Big crowd gathered round my car. I was scared to death. I get out.

"nice cougar"
i was like what!!! "from a mustang crowd, no way"

Anyways they were all real cool guys that gave me lots of compliments and . They asked if I'd pop the hood and allow them to take a look.

One guy there said hey, I betcha you could geta  few more ponies if you had a HO upper intake, TB, spacer.etc.

I was like" yah someday I'll have some xtra cash"

"Hey i got one at my house that I pulled outta my 90 GT, just put Gt40 intake last month and its just lying around. Sell it to ya for umm, 5 bucks."

I was like deal

so anyways the kid brings it back. Pretty good shape. Everything is included other then the nameplate and the TPS (i believe.)

Anyone know of any post or something that can give me a low down on what I need to do to put this on my car?
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Clayton on May 14, 2005, 12:22:58 AM
remove old one , toss it, install new one ...........other than that i dont know ;) the TPS might cause a problem... dont you have to set those at a certain gap or somthing?
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: zpyro on May 14, 2005, 05:03:08 AM
TPS is supposed to be set a .98 volts with the key on and engine off.

it's practically the exact same part, just flows a little better. take note of what vac hoses go where, just to streamline installation
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Tbird232ci on May 14, 2005, 09:15:12 AM
yeah, its not hard, just make note of where everything goes
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: 5.0willgo on May 14, 2005, 09:26:56 AM
Easy Job. It won't take you too long to do. If you are uncertain what lines are what just tag them with some tape so they all go back to the right places. Have fun!
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Metal Matt on May 14, 2005, 10:33:09 AM
I took mine off and put it back on one time just to see how it worked and clean it off, and its a really simple process.  But like what was said before, make sure you set the TPS to .98 when you put it on.  Everything should just be a direct swap.  Also, make sure you have a new gasket in hand incase the one thats on there crumbles when you take it apart.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: zpyro on May 15, 2005, 05:02:52 AM
i havent had any crumbling gaskets, all the ones i've seen are a plastic/rubber kinda stuff, not paper like gaskets usually are.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Metal Matt on May 16, 2005, 09:00:29 AM
Mine was in py shape, but I managed to salvage it.  The only time I got myself into trouble like that was when I got the new TB and forgot to pickup the gaskets....doh!
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Cougarcruisin on May 16, 2005, 03:27:04 PM
where can I go about on how to adjust the TPS to .98???

i can't find any other posts about this.... or even how to go about adjusting it.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Metal Matt on May 16, 2005, 05:48:38 PM
I was just asking the same thing a few weeks ago. Its not hard to do at all.  All you need is a digital voltmeter and you take the readings off of the black and green wires if I'm not mistaken.  You adjust the tps by moving it around ever so slightly with the 2 screws loosened.  Mine was reading at .54 and I turned it clockwise to get it to .98  Sometimes you have to bore out one of the holes so you can get it reading where it needs to be.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Cougarcruisin on May 16, 2005, 06:04:20 PM
cool... This will be my first actual engine mod (ever)

Hopefully all goes well...
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: cougarcragar on May 16, 2005, 06:14:50 PM
I swapped an HO manifold, TB, and EGR on to my '88. I also bought a K&N filter at the same time. I actually noticed a difference, and it was an easy job.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Cougarcruisin on May 16, 2005, 06:15:58 PM
Cool...

Is there anything on the HO manifold being HO that doesn't hook up to what I have now?? Seems to be a direct pull and install type deal, other then the TPS sensor
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: 5.0willgo on May 16, 2005, 11:00:29 PM
Quote from: Cougarcruisin
Cool...

Is there anything on the HO manifold being HO that doesn't hook up to what I have now?? Seems to be a direct pull and install type deal, other then the TPS sensor


There is nothing about it being an HO that makes any of the hook-ups different. Your right, it is a direct pull and install and the TPS is a piece of cake.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: cougarcragar on May 17, 2005, 11:17:58 AM
You may even consider painting it before you install it. That's what I did anyway. It was easy to paint since it wasn't on the engine.
I used a factory-match enamel and had NO problems with it for three years. Heat was not an issue for the paint.
With your color (electron blue?), I think it would look awesome.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Haystack on May 17, 2005, 01:58:36 PM
Quote from: cougarcragar
You may even consider painting it before you install it. That's what I did anyway. It was easy to paint since it wasn't on the engine.
I used a factory-match enamel and had NO problems with it for three years. Heat was not an issue for the paint.
With your color (electron blue?), I think it would look awesome.

hey man that is pretty tight looking. I have been thinking red and black for my engine...
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Chuck W on May 17, 2005, 02:57:45 PM
TPS adjustment as taken from the NATO Tech Articles section

Quote
Idle / TPS Adjustment by Keith Nubel

This article is intended to teach the basics of adjusting the idle and the Throttle Position Sensor on the 2.3 liter Turbo Coupe Thunderbird. It is recommended that your engine have a good tune up before you attempt to make any changes.

Tools Required

Voltmeter with a DC voltage scale

Short Phillips screwdriver

Small adjustable wrench

Components Involved

Idle Air Control (IAC)

Throttle Position Sensor (TPS)

Throttle Body

Accelerator Linkage

Adjustment Procedure

First bring the engine up to normal operating temperature

Turn the engine off and unplug the Idle Air Control. This is located on the backside of the Throttle Body near the firewall. This device is a round cylinder approximately 5 inches long with a (2) bolt  and 3 wire male / female plug connector.

Using the small adjustable wrench adjust the base idle to 700 – 800 RPM

Locate the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) on the Throttle Body. This is also located on the backside of the Throttle Body near the firewall. This is a black plastic device with (2) screws that allows adjustment and (3) wire male / female connector. Connect the voltmeter to the TPS and ground. The wire should be the one with a green strip.

Using the small Phillips screwdriver adjust the TPS output voltage to approximately 1.0 volts. Most turbo tuners find that setting your voltage to around .90 - .95 volts works best. I set mine around .94 volts.

Turn off the engine

With the engine off and the voltmeter still connected move the throttle linkage slowly from idle position to wide open and back to idle, look for a steady increase and then decrease in voltage without any voids or dead spots. Any voids or dead spots would indicate a faulty TPS.

Plug in the Idle Air Control

Start the engine. The engine’s idle speed should settle in around 1000 RPM

Take the Turbo Coupe for a drive and see how she runs


Insert "Cougar" for "TurboCoupe" ;)
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Cougarcruisin on May 17, 2005, 05:24:00 PM
Ya cool, never thought about painting it. Definitley would bring some color to the dark engine area!!

Cool... so like engine enamel paint will work?
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: cougarcragar on May 17, 2005, 07:18:24 PM
I painted it with custom match enamel (medium scarlet red). It's not even supposed to be for engine parts... just normal enamel. Like I said, I had no problems with it and it was on there for years.
Maybe a laquer would have a different reaction.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Bird351 on May 17, 2005, 08:48:35 PM
Quick hijack time!

Quote from: cougarcragar
You may even consider painting it before you install it. That's what I did anyway. It was easy to paint since it wasn't on the engine.
I used a factory-match enamel and had NO problems with it for three years. Heat was not an issue for the paint.
With your color (electron blue?), I think it would look awesome.


I'm mostly ripping you off and I didn't even realize it. My HO upper is Ford red.. but it's going on my LSC. :D

(doing valve covers to match, too.. will also get red plug wires.. and probably even get some red vacuum line, eventually)
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: cougarcragar on May 17, 2005, 10:42:54 PM
See, I wanted to match the valve covers as well, but I never got around to it. I started to polish the HO aluminum covers I had, which lead me into a decision:
Body-color stock, or HO polished?
I never got around to deciding...
Here's a better shot of my engine bay with the body-color intake setup. I had very little money at the time, so this was the best I could do (for engine stuff).
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Cougarcruisin on May 18, 2005, 08:02:03 AM
Ya i like the color scheme... really brightens its up alot.

I think I'm going to shoot it blue... buy a chrome air intake and it should give it some life (visually that is)
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Funky Cricket on May 18, 2005, 10:22:43 AM
the blue and the chrome would look really nice. imo.
Title: Re: Just got a HO upper intake... now questions
Post by: Jonathan Phillips on May 21, 2005, 03:14:45 AM
Hey check out MSDs' website. They have red distributer caps and coils.