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Topics - Masejoer

16
Engine Tech / Fixing misfires/flaming exhaust
So my car hasn't moved much in a few years. I had it out of the garage this last weekend and heard that when I fired it up to pull back into the garage, idling for only a few seconds before moving forward, flames were shooting out the exhaust. I saw this years ago when running open headers during transmission work and started tracking it down. Months later I paused the troubleshooting, time passed, moved houses/drove car to new garage, and now I'd like to start tackling it again.

I've had a mild but existing misfire issue for many years and spent a lot of time and money narrowing it down.

Applicable details:
Cam: '89 GT stock at 0-degrees
Heads: TFS TW 170cc 54cc with 1.7 RRs
Headers: 1 5/8" unequal length FMS stainless
Exhaust: 2.5" mandrel with cats, two straight-through glass-pack lers
Distributor: stock with old TFI module
Coil: strong aftermarket unit with spark gap tester - works better than Accel supercoil unit I tried years back
Wires: firecore50
Grounds: 4awg and 1/0awg

I seem to be getting great spark and have never seen it miss a beat with timing light pulses on any wire. Issue seems to exist at all rpms, and whether engine is cold or hot - there's always a miss you can hear, feel, and see on the tach. Distributor is stabbed in there perfectly - I've spent much time over the years messing with it, and have seen how it behaves when one tooth off. Set at stock 10-degrees without EEC plug.

With a COLD motor only running for seconds, what would cause flames out the exhaust when revving forward at 2-3k rpms (higher stall converter)? Yes it is richer when cold, but the exhaust piping isn't hot enough to ignite gases so soon. I wouldn't think any part of this situation would send a flame all the way back through the cats, and out the tail pipes.

Where would you guys start checking on a car shooting flames on a cold start? Could a bad TFI module cause extremely erratic ignition?
17
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars WANTED / Chrome rear windows (1988 Tbird)
Looking for a couple unscratched rear seat 87-88 Thunderbird 1/4 windows that aren't black/rubber. I assume I can repaint the chrome windows with black paint, so rather than pay $600+ for a pair of NOS rubber windows without dry-rot, I'm looking to paint some chrome ones instead.

Please post price, shipped, to 97205.
19
Drivetrain Tech / Transmission cooler lines?
I'm going to plumb up my big transmission cooler, and want to run trans > radiator > cooler. What fitting types/sizes/threads are used on the hard lines? I spent about an hour googling, but no one ever answers the question about the stock hard line fittings that go into the radiator.

SOMETHING to -6 AN.
20
LEADS on T-Bird/Cougar Stuff For Sale / Northwest 1988 5.0 Thunderbird $500
Noticed this nearby if anyone was interested:

"5.0L EFI 302 V8 . Power everything!! Power Windows, Power Locks, Cruise Control, Tilt Wheel, AM/FM, Power Mirrors, Power Seats, Cassette, Air Conditioning, Rear Defroster, Power Steering, Front Power Lumbar Support, Power antenna. Key less entry via code on door. Trans needs to be replaced. This car is fully loaded and runs very well. It will need a paint job after being hit by deer with the parts in the front end being replaced. Newer tires and good tags till July."

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/cto/5005569797.html
21
Body/Appearance/Interior / Rear window rubber moulding/molding/trim
I hope I can figure this out with definitive answers. I've seen mixed and incomplete details in threads from when this version of the board was started.

Are there ANY sources for replacement aesthetic rubber trim to go around the rear window? I'm having trouble getting details from local glass shops, for this exact piece.

Also, what are the differences between the rubber and metal trim cars? Is it the lower clip portion that is mounted to the rear window? If I replace the rear window with one from an '87/early '88 (metal trim), will I be able to install metal trim? I figure it wouldn't hurt anything - the windshield uses multiple pieces of metal, so it wouldn't look out of place, but also be far better in the long run.

My rear window rubber has experienced extreme shrinkage, even over the years in the garage. It is no longer "rubber", but more like a hard, brittle plastic.
22
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars WANTED / Looking for rear window trim/molding
My rubber rear window molding is in very poor shape now - it's close to cracking all the way through and has been severely warped and discolored for years. I have been unable to find NOS molding so I hope to be able to find, and retrofit if needed, some metal molding from an '87 model.

Does anyone have a car they can pull this stuff from? I'm also curious how the stuff mounts to the original vehicle.
23
Drivetrain Tech / More tranmission diagnosis (which pressure ports to test?)
Backstory:

So I was attempting to pull my pressure port plugs out this weekend to hook up some hoses for gathering transmission pressures. The "TV"/EPC pressure port plug is stuck - I will need to pull the exhaust and get a torch in there to heat up the casing to break that one free. This is a 4R70W, but pressure diagnosis should be the same as an AODE or AOD.

I've had minor converter issues for a long time, including when this transmission was stock with 13,000 miles, converter and all, so it doesn't seem to be anything new. When commanding lockup at closed throttle and low engine speeds (near downshift), the lockup clutch would fail to remain engaged and the rpms would start to bounce up and down as the lockup would successfully engage, then disengage, and repeat. Giving a small boost to pressure at closed-throttle made that issue go away for years while the car was my daily driver.

Now that I have more stall and higher numerical gears, I don't think the pressure is rising as quickly as it needs to and is now showing up as a major converter-slippage problem (measured as 20-25% loss at 5k rpms according to engine vs tire speed). When I had the transmission apart last year, the clutches looked brand new and the oil looked great, so I don't believe I have pressure problems in that section of the transmission. Idle pressures in the garage also looked correct.

Anyway, I believe that I am getting insufficient line-rise pressure to the torque converter when the fluid is warmed up and I go WOT. Part throttle gives me much more response. WOT works well when the fluid is cold. As the fluid heats up, it gets worse. The engine hits max air charge and coolant temperature by the time the transmission fluid is only 150F, and the car still behaves okay. As the transmission fluid continues to warm up beyond this point, WOT starts to fall on its face. Warm up a bit more and go WOT from a roll, the rpms shoot up to 5500k but very little happens. Tires don't break loose, car barely accelerates. I let off and go back to part throttle, it behaves much better. Engine parameters aren't the issue - air-fuel ratio is good, no misfiring, etc. The issue has to be down the line, slippage in the transmission.

Question:

Would line pressure be enough to go off of, or do I really need to test pressures from every port? Does anyone know what direction I should go for finishing this diagnosis and repair?
24
Drivetrain Tech / Think my torque converter has a problem? Stalled too high perhaps?
So I am finally getting good pulls in my car. I have a PI Stallion 9.5" 3000-stall converter in my 4r70w. When I floor the pedal from a 10mph roll, the converter appears to flash to 4500-5k and hang out there for awhile as the speed increases. I know some of the initial issue is traction, but I don't think I'm loose on traction all the way up to my 5k shift point, which is around 45mph. I can't hear any tire noise when I know I'm spinning, so it is difficult to tell.

Who has experience with looser converters, and rated versus observed flash speed behind different torque amounts? Maybe I need to have my converter re-stalled to something lower? 2400rpm is the lowest I can go with this converter. I'd be tempted to go multi-disc lockup on any re-stall work.

For more information, I can take off from stoplights at a sane level of acceleration (with traffic) while keeping the motor around 2k rpms. 2.5k it starts to pull harder/jackrabbit. I don't think my converter is stalled incorrectly from its rating, but I can't easily test. Even locked into second gear from a roll, mashing the pedal breaks traction.
25
Engine Tech / Axle to rear hanger relationship on Mustang tail pipes
I know the Mustang tail pipes needs to be extended, but how do the hangers line up at the rear? Also how different are the Mustang gas tanks in relation to the axle and hangers? I'm curious if the VRS 3" stainless tail pipes would work if they made the tails extend a bit further past the hanger. The price would sure beat one of the two local shops that have mandrel benders.

I'm hoping that the VRS unit would work, and I can just have a local shop deal with the ler section.

http://forums.corral.net/forums/10878905-post111.html

Or are the hangers for the tails also different? I don't remember what ours look like. I could just get the pipes without hangers welded on, and have the shop take care of that.
26
Engine Tech / Time for some new ignition wires
Figured you'd all enjoy this. Not seen with the naked eye, unless using peripheral vision to look for very dim flashes. The entire engine bay appeared to be flashing. This is what I saw with the camera and a 202-second exposure:



Stock replacement coil, these wires: http://www.americanmuscle.com/ford-9mm-plugwires-7995-red.html

There may be something to running the wires perfectly, rather than just tucking them where they'd fit. Or just junk wires. I'll be replacing and re-checking spark plug gaps tomorrow. Of course, anti-seize and dielectric grease are used.
27
Lounge / Car by foam!
I remember seeing this years ago. Stumbled across it again while reading ways people make bellypans at home. Foam is a great idea for making a core to fiberglass over, and I may use the idea for bellypan, door panels, and new dash.

It's a dumb project that I'm sure some of you will get a chuckle out of: http://englishrussia.com/2008/05/29/lithuanians-and-pu-foam/
29
Drivetrain Tech / Bellhousing cracked
So I was reinstalling my 4r70w after jmod, with a new PI converter. The transmission mated up well, and the bolts were able to be threaded in most of the way by hand, including the top two (with intake removed). They were snugged with a ratchet. Going to torque the top two first to 50ft/lbs, there was little resistance until reaching the torque number. One of the top was torqued. On the second top bolt, the entire bellhousing snapped! I have no idea why.

The TC was inserted and I felt two separate steps of it going in before bottoming out. This TC has no studs - it came with bolts to put through the flywheel.

Anyone have any idea what the hell happened?! Should I find someone to weld the thing back together, or try to find another transmission? Mine is original, with only about 25k miles since it came new on a 2003 Mustang.

Looking at the side of the bellhousing, the TC's...shaft thing sticks out just slightly from the bellhousing. I don't know how this is supposed to contact the crank or why, but it was a bit snug on removal, unlike the 12" unit that was stock (that one came right out). Lightly pressing with a prybar separated them though.

Sucks! I was just about to finish buttoning it up - get the new exhaust on and drive!