Tech help

This is a section that is going to be used just for tech help. If you have any information to help the members of this forum please feel free to post it. Please don't post any questions in this thread it is here to inform We are all tired of seeing all these questions posted here, just start a new thread please!

Please remember, that this is technical reference thread only. Designed for those of you who want quick answers without waiting for reply's. Please feel free to add to this section as you see fit, with only precise and accurate knowledge. (please note, that any off topic, incorrect or bogus information will be edited by my staff).

I believe this will be a big help for a lot of people even though most of you guys probably already know it.

The best place to go to for T-bird info is http://www.tccoa.com/

I have the vacuum diagrams for every thunderbird/cougar from 83-93, email me at rickmurta@yahoo.com if you need one.

Bordom=Bitch. So heres some FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS regarding 1989-1997 Ford Thunderbirds. Some of this information is compatible with the same year MERCURY COUGARs, but NOT Gaurenteed.

Okay, heres some popular things:

FRONT END CONVERSIONS: Yes, it can be done. What is this you may ask? The 96+ Conversion si the most popular, because it is the latest style, so it comes with the better headlight, bigger grille, etc. The 96+ Conversion can be done on any 89-95 car. You CAN use stock fenders. To replace the front end, you'll need to remove the stock bumper cover (refer to manual for bolt locations) remove lights, bumper itself, header panel, and hood. Yes, HOOD. You'll need the 97 header panel, bumper, bumper cover, and hood. There should be little difference in the pieces mechanically, so bolt holes should be in same places.

AIR SILENCER REMOVAL:Free and easy. You will gain 2-3 Horsepower from this modification. Its not much, but once again its free, and it will sound better. Start by disconnecting your battery, then start by removing the air box, filter, MAFS, and flex hose, by undoing the clamps. Refer to owners manual if you dont know what these terms are. Then, just jack your car up and put them on jack stands (never use jack to support suspended car!). Start by removing the passenger side front wheel, and undo the 3 phillips head screws at the bottom edge of front bumper cover, and take out the 3 push pins inside the wheel well, to remove the fender well cover. You now have access to your silencer. Once you removed your air box, you will see 3 bolts, and a hole-ish looking thing. remove the 3 bolts, and slide the silencer out of the fender well. The silencer, for 94-95 V8 cars are black, 2 pieces. the one piece is an oval that curves, and the second part connects to the curved part, making an elbow pipe. For V6 cars they are similar, and for 89-93 cars, they are basically grey boxes. Now put everything back together.

FIXING YELLOW HEADLIGHTS:Cheap and effective! If your car is older then a 95, most likley your head lights will look a little yellow. Tape off the painted areas around the lights, so you dont scratch anything. I started with 320 grit sand paper, wet sanding, ifter a couple of strokes you will literaly see the yellow running off though the water. Work your way to smoother paper, up to about 900 grit. Now that your lights are smooth, they arent shiny, apply 3M Rubbing Compound, wait till it dries, then buff off and apply your choice of wax. Remember you have to apply rubbing compound/wax every month or so to prevent the yellow crap from comming back.

STRAIGHT PIPES: This has cause some debate among Thunderbird drivers for awhile, its almost free if you happen to have some pipes laying around... If you want improved sound, this is good for you, except the drone might become...lame over time. I have this set up.. 2.25" stainless steel striaght pipes, and i enjoy the sound they make. Start by removing the stock mufflers, weld on an adapter, and add on a lengthy pipe. You will need to measure and make it look how you want. I personally went with the slash cut. Easy huh? To do a quality weld, you will have to remove the entire exhaust system from the resonator back. Thats the hard part..

HEADERS!: (V8 ONLY) Okay, JBA, and SSAutoChrome make exhaust headers for our cars. These are mostly just for looks and sound. They dont add any substantial horsepower mods. Kooks makes the best headers for our cars. They add substantial amounts of horsepower and torque. Contact SuperCoupePerformance.com for info on Kooks headers. I've also heard that JBA and SSAC Headers can crack easily.

Headers designed for MUSTANG WILL NOT FIT. Same engine, but they wont fit in our engine bays.

And remember, 97 Cars have everything 89-96 owners want. CUP HOLDERS! Most of the above mods can be done by novice modders, and always refer to your owners manual for additional information! Good luck, and have fun!

EDIT: HAHAHA... I finally got a 97 center console!!!

Thats all I feel like typing for now. I have more info to add..later..

Thank you CamaroSSBoy346 and all for the great forum you have here. I made a print out of all of CamaroSSBoy346 FAQ list..

Tom/94LX V8.

Well, atleast I helped someone out :) Here are a few more things..

BROKEN ASH TRAY COVER FOR 94-95 Cars: I noticed this on ever 94/95 car I see at the junkyard: When I first bought my car, my ash tray cover was...uh...missing, and it bugged the hell out of me, You could see all the dirt inside it, and around the edges, the kinda dirt, that you just cant get rid of, and its been there for 10 years. I had to take out the center concolse to replace my heater core, but to take out the console itself, I had to take out the console insert (The piece with the coin holder, ash tray, and shifter hole located on it) Low and behold, the cover was still there, It just fell down below the trim piece. Luckily, the one "arm" wasnt broke, but the other arm just kinda snapped in half. I thought for awhile on how to get the arm back together. I tried super glue, but it broke again the first time I tried to open the cover. I decide to take a chance, and melt the two pieces together. I took a grill lighter, and put the two pieces together, and clicked the lighter. It took about 10-20 seconds for it to get hot enough to melt. Melt it up untill the arms are soft. You should be holding the trim piece upside down, and you can tell its hot enough if the top arm has melted onto the lower arm (Lower Arm= arm attached to the cover itself). Before the plastic hardens back up, grab some sewing needles, and puch them through the liquid plastic. Dont puch to hard, just enough that It will bond both pieces back together. For the plastic to harden back up quickly, pour some cold water over it. Once the plastic is cool/hard, get out some wire cutters, and cut of what you can see of the sewing needles. This was my method, and it hasnt broken yet....

BROKEN HEATER FOR 94/95 CARS: I dont know if this will work for newer or older cars, but I know it will work for the 94/95 Cars. Okay, your digital heater temp reads 90, but you might as well have the A/C on. ITS COLD. There could be many problems, bad HVAC System, bad ATC Motor (This piece was actually a recal on 96 OR 97 cars, I dont remember which..), bad blower motor, bad vacuum lines, but this might be a good starting place. Start by taking off the knee panel on the dash board. Then take off the trim sourounding your gauges, and disconnect your rear defroster button, then take off the center console trim, Now, take off the center dash trim, its the piece that has the oval vent in the lower right corner. Now remove the sterio, HVAC System (above sterio)(Supports for the HVAC and Sterio have a screw all the way in the back at the bottom, dont forget about it) and Drivers Center (If equipped; if not, its just a storage center below the sterio) That vent is for the Temp Sensor. It has 2 red wires like a V. The wires probably got disturbed in some way or another. From dust, from a brush cleaning out the vents, what ever. Thats what you will be replacing. I bought mine at a junkyard for a few bucks, but remember, your taking a chance with used parts...Start by removing the white flex hose attached to it, then remove the bolts that hold it in place. It might be a little difficult, because the way the screws are. You're working from the outside in, in some tight spaces. Then bolt the new one in, but it will be difficult to tighten the screws up (thanks to that outside in thing). Then re attach the radio, HVAC controlls, and trim pieces in reverse order you took them off.

REPLACING YOUR HEATER CORE This is quite possibly the worst repair you have to do. FIRST DISCONNECT THE BATTERY! Start by removing the center console, which is held in my a few screws in the center console bin, 2 that connect to the dash itself in the front, and under the trim. Remove the trim with 2 screws on the rear top side. Once that is out of the way, remove the trim around the door. To do this, get the weather stripping out of the way, and pop of the plastic trim. Then remove the bottom door trim. Now remove all the dash trim, the gauge trim, center trim, glove box, and knee panel. Take out the radio, clock, HVAC system, and all that other crap. You wont have to remove the gauges though. You should now have a bare dashboard, with nothing more then gauges, and a steering wheel. But, dont forget to take out the top dash panel, and disconnect the sensor on it. Take out the 6 or 8 screws at the top, using a extended ratchet, then there should be 4 large bolts 2 of them were located under the door trim, and 2 of them should be bolted to the drivetrain hump. Then there are 3 or 4 screws that attach to a metal bracket where the center console should be. Remove them. Now disconnect the steering linkage/column. You must do this! I think I have mentioned every bolt and screw that hold the dash it. If you have removed all these, and the dash still isnt loose, look for more, or refer to your manual Now, go under your hood, and remove the hoses that connect to your heater core. Go back inside, and get the dash out of your way. The best way I did wast to just move it back, and rig up some kind of system to keep it tied back. Go to the passenger side, and you will see a large black box, and a little chip looking thingy on it, that says "ATC" Remove the screws that hold that in place. Behind the ATC unit, there should be a rectangular box, this is the heater core "door" Unscrew the door, and you will see your heater core. You might need 2 people to get it out, one person to push it out from the engine bay, and someone pulling from the inside. Once its out, put the new core in, reconnect the hoses, bolt up the cover door and ATC motor, push and line the dash back up, bolt it back in, bolt the steering linkage back together, put the HVAC, Radio, clock drivers center (if equipped), connect it all up, and put all the trim back together, and put the center console back in. If you have any doubt, refer to your owners manual. I MAY HAVE MISSED A FEW POINTS, as I havent had my dash apart in awhile, and I cant be held for damaged parts or persons. But remember, you learn alot of stuff by doing things your self, and you save money.

GETTING RID OF TRANSMISSION SHUDDER (4R70W 94+) Pre 94's had the AODe, and I dont know much about it. I had a bad case of shudder. In 3rd or 4th gear it would shutter and rattle eratticly, at around 1200-3000 RPM's.. enough to make my rear view mirror vibrate. I finally got the chance to get some work done on it, so I poured some SEA-FOAM fluid (The kind where it claims to eleminate Eratic shifting) into the transmission. I used half the bottle like the directions said, and drove home for 15-20 Minutes, using every gear. Then I did a fluid flush, The Sae Foam is supposed to help flush out old fluid. I undid the tranny oil pan, and drained out the old oil. I also cleaned out the pan of metal build up, and cleaned off the magnet. I also replaced the Transmission filter while i was under there. Bolted the pan back up, with a new gasket, and poured in some "SUPER-TECH MERCON/DEXRON III" I know, its NOT Mercon V, and yes it is the cheap stuff...but who knew..right.. Anways, I've been driving the car for a few weeks already, and havent had that anoying shudder come back again. I am extremly suprised just a flush fixed that problem.

EDIT: Its now been months, and still havent had a problem :sunglasse

For those of you who want to do most of the work on your vehicle yourself, my best advice is to go to helminc.com and order the factory service manual for $80 and the electrical and vacuum troubleshooting manual for $32. Most of your questions can be answered by looking in these two manuals. If you have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket then spend another $320 for the powertrain control/emission diagnosis manual. Buying the first two books is money well spent.You can also go to your local library and ask for the Mitchell electrical manual for your year car and then photocopy the information you need. AutoZone has some basic electrical diagrams on their website, also.

All of the info I posted is reguarding the MN12 Thunderbird. Which is 1989-1997. Although 89-93's had the 5.0 Also, the Mustang headers wont fit, because the redesigned engine bay conflits with them. The steering shaft gets in the way, but with ALOT of modding, it could work. (Just not worth it though, IMO)

Heres some 4.6L Facts/Info I'll quick throw in here..


Heres some info on the 4.6L..in a nutshell..

-Origionally introduced in the early 90's Lincoln Towncar (went virtually unnoticed)
-Introduced to the MN12 (Thunderbird/Cougar) chassis in 1994. Virtually no changes were made compared to the Lincoln Town Car
-Went unchanged in 1995
-1994-1995 4.6L Engines made 205 HP.
-Slight Intake revisions were made in 1996, thanks to a different intake (The intake plenum is "sideways" on the 96-97 and "foward" on the 94-95)
-The 97 Engine went virtually unchanged
-The 4.6L Only appeared in the Mustang GT in 1996
-The 96-97 Thunderbird 4.6L Made 215 HP. Same as the 97-98 Mustang GT.

(The 94-95 4.6L couldnt be compared to a 94-95 Mustang GT, since they were still using the 5.0)

Ralph,
I bought the Cobra break conversion put out by Ford motorsport, at SummitRacing. The kit cost about 1700.00, but hade evrything yoiu need to get four wheel disc and upgraded breaking power. The kit is for mustangs, but fits the thunderbird just fine. If you consider going down this road, email me again and I can walk you through some tricky patrs that I ran into.

There is also a Mustang/Thunderbird specialty shop in California called maximum Motorsports, they may sell just a simple adapter to convert from 4-lug to five lug.

THIS IS NOT A Q&A THREAD!! Post questions in a new post.

This thread was three pages long because people couldn't take the time to read the first two posts of it to find out this isn't a thread for questions! Last week I asked the moderator to clean out all of the questions so please be considerate and post questions in the main forum.

i guess nobody liked the torque converter drain plug idea---oh well

Semi Automatic Temp Control Self Test
Be sure to run this test with the ignition in the "RUN" postion and the vehicle temperature stabilized between 40 and 90 degrees F.
1. Set the Blower Control to AUTO and the Function Selector to either PANEL or FLOOR.
2. Press and release the COOL and OUTSIDE TEMP buttons simultaneously and, within two seconds, press and release the WARM button. A tracer segment going in a counterclockwise direction will be shown in the center of the display window.
3. When the Self Test is done, trouble codes will be displayed. If no faults are are found then all display segments will illuminate.
4. To exit the Self Test and retain the codes, press the COOL button.
5. To exit the Self Test and clear the codes, press the OUTSIDE TEMP button and then the WARM button.
6. After exiting the Self Test, the ignition should remain ON for at least 25 sec to allow the Blend Door Actuator to calibrate.
7. Repeat the above test to see if you get the same codes both times.

1997 Codes (Other years are different)
Self Test / Intermittent
24 / 25 Blend Door Actuator
30 In-Car Temp Sensor Short
31 In-car Temp Sensor Open
40 / 42 Ambient Temp Sensor Short
41 / 43 Ambient Temp Sensor Open
50 / 53 Sunload Sensor Short
52 Sunload Sensor Open

Well I hope this constitutes as tech help. But for those who are not gear heads and are not very familiar with the symptoms their vehicles are giving them, I would recommend Motor Trend. Its a program that askes you to create a vehicle profile then askes a serious of questions about your problem. Based on your profile and answers it gives you a possible cause and solution to your problem. Your far more informed about your problem if your going to take your vehicle to a shop and less likely to be taken for more money than need be.

Excellent info on the 4.6L intake manifold problem and detailed DIY repair instructions:

http://www.autoclinix.com/Manifold.htm

Also has a link to a manifold vendor. Complete upgraded manifold kit for under $200 including shipping.

Cant find your owners manual?? Here are the ones for all 96 and up fords!!


https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owners_manuals/default.asp (https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owners_manuals/default.asp)

A lot of good Fox body info (83-88) can be found at http://www.coolcats.net. It's more Cougar oriented but everything still applies to the T-bird.

Looking for repair info or TSB's?
1. click on link :http://www.powerlibrary.net/Remote/Remote.asp?ID=meadville

2. enter the following as the code: pl249412345678

3. click on Auto Repair Reference Center in the middle of the page

4. and you're in! find your model, year, make etc...

I found this in an Australian MX6 forum. Lots of good info including wiring diagram's. Thanks to Morfeeyus!

For those of us with the AOD transmission, that are losing or have lost their overdrive, there is a possible simple fix. There are 3 cables at the throttle body, 1 is your throttle cable, 1 is your speed sensor cable and 1 is the CV cable that runs down to the tranny. At the throttle body side of the CV cable where it is connected, should be a rubber grommet holding it in place.

Sorry image is not working, I think it is attached though(a little help?)
If you do see the image I am pointing at my CV cable where the grommet has turned to dust. I replace that with the brass one and now have my overdrive back and, the tranny also shifts better through the gears.
This is a '93 tbird lx 3.8 auto
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/mhtml:{1BE88045-7810-4F6D-83E7-34C4614F1FAE}mid://00000748/!x-usc:cid:49E6CB99AD9E4D9A9F068D1138CA1506@BrettHP

If your overdrive is slipping, check for this grommet first. There is a cheap replacement(brass with a clip) on Ebay that is only $7.

It helped me avoid a tranny rebuild and/or solenoid replacement.



Hope this helps someone