"new" car, please help!

[iceiso]

hello everyone, in an effort to learn hands-on car repair, i got a mustang for a steal. i know there are probably other hidden problems, but this is a "learning" car, and in the future it will be an investment. getting a "new" car is damn exciting when compared to my tame I4 accord.

-the biggest problem is the shifting. 1st gear doesn't engage, and if i try to push it in, it just pops out. the most likely problem is that synchros and gears are beat to hell, however, i gave him the benefit of the doubt and asked him what the problem was. he said that when he installed the shifter, that he never adjusted the two bolts under the shiftboot. is this a common/possible problem?
assuming that the transmission IS shot, could someone please point me to a website that instructs on T5 rebuilding. or, would it be beneficial to just buy an aftermarket replacement?
-the car sometimes randomly stalls. one time i applied the brakes (kind of hard) and it stalled. another time when i turned the wheel really fast to dodge a pothole in my neighborhood (granted i was only going 5mph). i'm guessing this has something to do with the power brakes and power steering, somehow taking power away from the system. maybe the alternator needs replacing?

-there seems to be a "deadspot" in the steering when it's pointed straight forwards. is this common?

-if i'm not in the powerband, the car feels really boggy. in other words, it really likes gas. is this because of the cams?

since the idle is rough from the cams, i'm not sure if it's masking any other problems (maybe a piston that's not firing). i also wanted to check the compression. so, how do you check whether the pistons are firing and the compression?

the car came modded: b303 cams, headers, JE pistons, piston rings, reconditioned rods, flowmasters, 3.55 gears (i think the speedo is off, so i'll have to fix that also), aftermarket radiator, throttle body

besides that, the car runs well. i really wanted to learn how to work on domestics, and i'm told that the 5.0 is one of the easiest and cheapest cars to do so on. please bare with me. my other car is a honda accord. FWD+I4 is much different than RWD+V8. haha. thanks a lot for any help!

[GTStang]

The shifter if it is aftermarket and not stock will have 2 bumpstops(bolts). Just back both of them all they way back and see if it still pops out of gear.

I doubt this is the problem cause if he adjusted the shifter wrong you'd have problems wit 3rd and 1st. I'd think a rebuild is what your gonan find you need.

Have you ever rebuilt a manual transmission? If not it would probably be left to the Pro's also used T-5 can be had for a very good price if you shop around. If your dead set on it I can send you a PDF of the official T-5 rebuild manual. Going to an aftermarket manual would really depend on what the future of the car is. A.K.A. Do you really need it or will it just be a waste of money?

The stalling could be a lot of things. What does the car idle at?

Don't know what you mean by dead-spot.

It's cam not cams you only have 1 here pushrod powah!

B303 is not a very agressive cam and wit 3.55's should always be in the powerband. So if it really bogs I would say something not right.

Pull your speedo gear out of the tranny and tell me what color it is, maybe the previous owner did not change it to match the 3.55's. this would explian the speedo being off.

Best advice to start with would be give it a good tune-up and run codes. After that you can re-asses the situation.

[iceiso]

Originally Posted by GTStang

The shifter if it is aftermarket and not stock will have 2 bumpstops(bolts). Just back both of them all they way back and see if it still pops out of gear.

I doubt this is the problem cause if he adjusted the shifter wrong you'd have problems wit 3rd and 1st. I'd think a rebuild is what your gonan find you need.

Have you ever rebuilt a manual transmission? If not it would probably be left to the Pro's also used T-5 can be had for a very good price if you shop around. If your dead set on it I can send you a PDF of the official T-5 rebuild manual. Going to an aftermarket manual would really depend on what the future of the car is. A.K.A. Do you really need it or will it just be a waste of money?

The stalling could be a lot of things. What does the car idle at?

Don't know what you mean by dead-spot.

It's cam not cams you only have 1 here pushrod powah!

B303 is not a very agressive cam and wit 3.55's should always be in the powerband. So if it really bogs I would say something not right.

Pull your speedo gear out of the tranny and tell me what color it is, maybe the previous owner did not change it to match the 3.55's. this would explian the speedo being off.

Best advice to start with would be give it a good tune-up and run codes. After that you can re-asses the situation.

alright, i'm at school right now (i live on campus), so i'll try to answer your questions the best i can from what i remember...

regarding the transmission, i've never built one before, but i'm willing to learn. i was thinking about picking one up from the junk yard (car-part.com quotes 700-750 for a used one in my area), and while it's out, rebuilding it with a kit. to be honest, i'm not an expert on autorepair at all, so i'll take it slow, but i'd really appreciate that PDF, just to see what i'd be dealing with. how hard is the actual process of removing and installing the transmission?

i really can't remember what the car idles at, i'll have to get back to you on that after this weekend when i go home...

by deadspot, i mean that the steering isn't responsive when the steering wheel is pointed dead center. i could probably drive, and shake the steering wheel 5 degrees in each direction, and the course of the car wouldn't change.

i'll also pull the speedo gear this weekend, and after i get a better manual.

this may sound like a stupid question, but what do you mean by "run codes"? as in plugging the ECU to a computer at a shop?

also, how would i go about checking the compression and whether or not all of the pistons are firing?

good tune up:
-oil
-oil filter
-air filter
-sparkplugs

is there anything else i am missing?

thanks a lot for the quick reply. it's good to know that people are always willing to help!

[GTStang]

Originally Posted by iceiso

alright, i'm at school right now (i live on campus), so i'll try to answer your questions the best i can from what i remember...

regarding the transmission, i've never built one before, but i'm willing to learn. i was thinking about picking one up from the junk yard (car-part.com quotes 700-750 for a used one in my area), and while it's out, rebuilding it with a kit. to be honest, i'm not an expert on autorepair at all, so i'll take it slow, but i'd really appreciate that PDF, just to see what i'd be dealing with. how hard is the actual process of removing and installing the transmission?

i really can't remember what the car idles at, i'll have to get back to you on that after this weekend when i go home...

by deadspot, i mean that the steering isn't responsive when the steering wheel is pointed dead center. i could probably drive, and shake the steering wheel 5 degrees in each direction, and the course of the car wouldn't change.

i'll also pull the speedo gear this weekend, and after i get a better manual.

this may sound like a stupid question, but what do you mean by "run codes"? as in plugging the ECU to a computer at a shop?

also, how would i go about checking the compression and whether or not all of the pistons are firing?

good tune up:
-oil
-oil filter
-air filter
-sparkplugs

is there anything else i am missing?

thanks a lot for the quick reply. it's good to know that people are always willing to help!

Rebuild a T-5 w/o a press is going to be hard but I will get you the ODF anyway. I would not pay that much for a T-5... look at corral.net parts section and find a good used 1 local.

Dead-spot just sounds like you need to do some R&R on the front-end suspension. I'm mean the newest 5.0 is still 11 years old so parts wear out.

Run codes, the stock computer will spit out codes for things that are not working you can do this yourself by buying a $30 scanner at a local parts store or wiring it to have your headlights flash the codes out.


Tune-up add: plug wires, cap rotor, air filter(why not?), and fix any codes that you spit out.

Check compression you need to run a compression test and then also more importantly would be a leak-down test.

Also to check spark just pull a plug out put it in the spark plug wire. Crank the motor a few times and see if it the plug arcs. Do it for all 8.

[iceiso]

alright, time for an update:



i bought a compression tester (have yet to use it), and a ford code scanner from walmart. i did all the tests, KOEO and KOER and got these codes...



41C (No HO2S switching detected)

66C (VAF/mass air flow sensor fault, below minimum voltage)

12R (RPM at idle out of range/high

41R (HEGO (HO2S) sensor voltage low / system lean)

42R (HEGO (HO2S) sensor voltage high / system rich)



sooo, i'm guessing this HO2S sensor is all out of whack? what exactly is it anyways? i checked the glossary and there is no definition. it's weird though, because i get different codes (concerning the HEGO sensor) everytime. I guess i'll run codes a couple times every weekend, just to make sure i've covered all the bases. Does the scanner detect any internal engine problems?



also, i tried working on the shifting. i took off the shiftboot and knob, and all that good stuff. i found the stopbolt and screwed it all the way out, but first gear still doesn't engage. i tried rev-matching, feathering the clutch, easing it in. however, when i double clutched from second, it finally connected. i'm guessing that means the synchros are out?



how hard is swapping a transmission? i've given up on rebuilding one, since i obviously don't know enough to, and i probably don't have the necessary tools. i'm thinking about buying a "world class" T5 or a rebuilt T5, and swapping that in. however, i want a "stronger than average" transmission, just to give me some insurance and peace of mind.



i picked up a chilton's manual, and it illustrates the removal and installation of a transmission as a 24 step process. it doesn't seem to difficult, and i would have all summer just to check and recheck everystep and make sure i got it right. good or bad idea?





this weekend, i plan on doing a compression test, changing the spark plugs while they're out, and checking all the vacuum lines.

[iceiso]

alright, time for an update:



i bought a compression tester (have yet to use it), and a ford code scanner from walmart. i did all the tests, KOEO and KOER and got these codes...



41C (No HO2S switching detected)

66C (VAF/mass air flow sensor fault, below minimum voltage)

12R (RPM at idle out of range/high

41R (HEGO (HO2S) sensor voltage low / system lean)

42R (HEGO (HO2S) sensor voltage high / system rich)



sooo, i'm guessing this HO2S sensor is all out of whack? what exactly is it anyways? i checked the glossary and there is no definition. it's weird though, because i get different codes (concerning the HEGO sensor) everytime. I guess i'll run codes a couple times every weekend, just to make sure i've covered all the bases. Does the scanner detect any internal engine problems?



also, i tried working on the shifting. i took off the shiftboot and knob, and all that good stuff. i found the stopbolt and screwed it all the way out, but first gear still doesn't engage. i tried rev-matching, feathering the clutch, easing it in. however, when i double clutched from second, it finally connected. i'm guessing that means the synchros are out?



how hard is swapping a transmission? i've given up on rebuilding one, since i obviously don't know enough to, and i probably don't have the necessary tools. i'm thinking about buying a "world class" T5 or a rebuilt T5, and swapping that in. however, i want a "stronger than average" transmission, just to give me some insurance and peace of mind.



i picked up a chilton's manual, and it illustrates the removal and installation of a transmission as a 24 step process. it doesn't seem to difficult, and i would have all summer just to check and recheck everystep and make sure i got it right. good or bad idea?





this weekend, i plan on doing a compression test, changing the spark plugs while they're out, and checking all the vacuum lines.