1986 SVO Mustang Return to Service

[brotharon]

Hello,

My 1986 Mustang SVO showed up on the truck today from Oregon to Houston, TX.

I looked it over really good, and have already identified some things that need fixed immediately, but overall I am pleased with the purchase. I also got a couple of surprises that I wasnt expecting, but what old car doesnt want to surprise its new owner?

The hood latch cable has broken off because the old battery leaked acid which ate through the cable. I have one on order and will be replacing that immediately.
The horns are missing, and I will need them in order to be able to pass the vehicle safety inspection. I have them on order and will be replacing immediately.

I was told that the car is medium canyon red, and that may be the color that it is, but the color code on the door is 2R which is either Bright Red or Jalapena Red depending on where I look. Either way, that is news to me. SURPRISE!

The engine on this car is very modified. It also appears to leak a little bit of oil. I will need to find the oil leak, it is somewhere underneath since it is not splashing about the engine bay and all around the head looks clean and dry, but their is an oil slick on the oil pan and oil on the steering shaft. I am going to have to try to figure out what all mods have been done to the car, but that may be easier said than done.

The wiring harness is a hack up and spliced together mess of wires. I expect no less from a car of this vintage, but I will have to sort it out and get rid of wires that don't do anything.

It has some stuff that I didn't expect it to have: sunroof bag, parcel cover (although it does not retract anymore), the koni shock adjuster, and the original Hurst shift boot.

It is missing some things that I didn't expect as well: The quad shocks for the rear are gone, and I think that may be causing the ride quality to be less than superb.

The steering wheel is an aftermarket Grant wheel (not super), the shift knob is some round plastic POS, the flocking on the dash front is gone, the dash top is cracked (I am hoping that a dash top out of any Mustang of this vintage will work?), the driver seat is pretty worn, the AC system is gone, and I do not feel any air coming from the dash front vents when the heat is turned on (only from the defroster and floor vents). The paint is ok from 20 feet and really bad from 5. The trim work and plastics are tired and some of them are brittle. The spats and fog lights are MIA.

Basically, I have some work to do. I am not looking to turn this into a 100 point show car, but I want to get it to Sunday driver status so I can take it to cars & coffee meets and cruise around when I feel like it. Luckily I have the resources to make this happen, and I want to keep it running as much as possible throughout the process. I do not want a non-running project car because I lose motivation when the thing wont move under its own power. Step 1 is to get it to where it can pass the inspection so I can register it, and then I will start checking things off of my to do list.

TLDR: Yay, I have an SVO Mustang...it needs work

[ChrisCurtin]

congrats, looking forward to pictures.

If the latch cable is trashed, take out the battery and check the frame rail under it. (bend back the plastic if necessary to see the bottom.) Mine in my RS Turbo was trashed under the battery due to the leak.

[brotharon]

Thanks for the info. I checked and it looks good under there. The car is mysteriously rust free. It does have some serious problems though. It runs like total garbage. It falls off hard once it hits boost and the idle starts surging really hard. I wish I knew what the hell the PO had done to this car, but I think that a return to stock as much as possible is in order to try to get it running better. I also need to figure out the wiring mess that I have inherited and fix other things. It does run, but it doesnt do it well. It also squeaks, squeals, and has a really hard ride so I need to sort that...it is going to be an adventure. It is pretty intimidating right now, especially since I have no idea what was done to this car over the past 33 years. I will just start sorting one problem at a time and then moving on to the next one until either the car is fixed or I die of old age...I hope it gets fixed first!

https://imageshack.com/i/pn2bCHvpj

[MikeFleming]

That looks like Jalapeno Red - definitley NOT Med Canyon Red Glow.

[brsvo]

Sounds like it has suspension mods too if its really stiff. Check the rear suspension for tubular control arms and stiffer springs. Also check what is in it for ECU. with wiring mods it might have a pimp or something. Nice looking from the picture.

[brotharon]

Yeah, the suspension is modified. I think it has Eibach Sport springs on it, I will get a closer look once I take the wheels off. It sits pretty low so I am going to have to get it up on jack stands.

In other news, I think that I know why it was running like crap. I believe that the fuel pump was either going out, or something connected to it had split, cracked, exploded. Took it for a run around the block to get some data on when it was starting to lose power and what might be causing it. When I got home my wife said it smelled like gas...not good...looked under the back and noticed that it was dripping gas from the gas tank. My wife thought that there was a hole in the tank, but I reassured her that all of the gas would have been leaking out prior to the trip if it had a hole in it. I am going to have to drop the tank and look at the pump, filter, lines, sending unit, and inside of the tank. At least the car had the decency to tell me what was wrong with it instead of making me hunt the problem down! Might be time for an adjustable fuel pressure regulator as well since it looks like I will be digging into the fuel system and I dont know how long this car was sitting (although Carfax tells me that it wasnt registered for 12 years until about 18 months ago) but I am guessing that it sat in someone's garage for a long time.

Good news is that when it wasnt in boost and choking for fuel it was running excellent. The little 4 banger has all kinds of spunk so that is neat. Also my 8 year old daughter likes the car a lot so that is to its credit!

[MikeFleming]

If you need one, I have a new-in-box fuel tank sitting in my garage wanting a new car to call home.

[brotharon]

If you need one, I have a new-in-box fuel tank sitting in my garage wanting a new car to call home.

I may be taking you up on that. I am thinking that the trip on the back of a shipping truck may have knocked some rust loose in the tank and it made its way into the system and caused a catastrophic failure of the fuel system. If that turns out to be the case I would love to purchase your fuel tank. I need to get it drained, dropped, and inspected before I can know for sure.

[Mike S]

When you pull the fuel tank, don't forget to check the filler neck grommet. It can leak from there on a 3/4 full tank.

[powered by turbo]

If you get under the car with the key on, engine off, can you see where the leak is coming from? There are several connections that can leak there:

- pump to filter
- filter to rail
- rail to return

Then the fuel lines themselves are steel. These can be rusted through in places.

Dropping the tank is likely to damage the filler neck grommet on a car of this age. If you go that route, new ones can be had from LMR.

[brotharon]

Thanks, people! I did get under it a bit last night. I didnt have a lot of time, but i looked at a couple of things. The pump is turning on when the key is turned in the ignition. The leak is somewhere above the gas tank, I cannot see it so I am going to have to drop the tank and replace the seals. Not a big deal, they probably were past it at this point anyway.
There is no pressure in the lines even with the pump on. 0 on the gauge and not a drop from the valve under the hood. I am thinking that one of the connectors may have broken off as a result of the shipping of the vehicle...not sure if that is a thing, but it is really all that I can think of. My mechanic who looked at it before I bought it said it ran great and I dont see why he would have lied to me, he had no skin in the game as to whether or not I bought the car. He is my brother in law though so maybe he thought it would be a funny prank...plus he is a Corvette guy

[brotharon]

Ok, I took off the driver side rear wheel with the help of my mini mechanic last night, and found that the only mods that appear to be there are H&R Sport springs and the removal of the quad shocks. I also took a cursory look a the area where the fuel filter is while draining the gas tank and saw a mess of rubber hoses up there, and one that looks to be completely perished. I will have to investigate further once I get the tank down, but it looks like the problem may be that one of the previous owners didnt want to use the right stuff and did a real hack job on the rear fuel lines. I will have to look closer of course, but I think that the culprit may be a barbed fitting that was leaking fuel and finally gave up on doing its job. That would be nice. I have pics of the suspension and stuff that I will get on here later, for some reason my employer blocks image sharing sites so I cannot get to where I have the pictures hosted at.

[MikeFleming]

Rubber (actually neoprene or Viton) should never be used in that application. Ford used only Nylon lines/hoses with their quick-connect fittings on this era vehicle. Bulk hose (5/16") , appropriate ends in 5/16-5/16") are all available.

Need special tool to install ends though. It's in a box in the garage somewhere if you need to lend it.

[brotharon]

Yeah, I may have to do that and build some fuel lines. That would be a first for me.
Also, I lied earlier, I was reading about Pat's suspension setup over on SVOCA and got H&R on the brain. The springs are all Eibach Sportline springs. They are way too aggressive and make the ride very harsh. I will have to change them out since I do not like getting kidney punched every time I go over a bump. I had a Focus RS that was like that too and it made my daily commute less enjoyable than it could have been.

[brotharon]

Ok, well...this car is apparently trying to never ever leave the garage or something. I dropped the fuel tank, and it appears that the leaking from the top of the tank was from a bad seal and that will need replaced but that is not why it suddenly died when I took it for a spin around the block. So, I got to poking around in the engine bay, and I started looking at the mess of wires that are all over the place and I discovered a few fun things that a previous owner left for me to find...

Think that looks like some exposed wires just hand spun together? You would be right!

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I don't know what this is or where it goes, but I know where it doesn't go
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So, I tried spraying some starting fluid into the line between the intercooler and the throttle body. I am not sure if that works or not, but I thought I would give it a try to see if it would even try to start, but it wont. It turns over no problem, but that is it. I also found out that the fuel pressure test kit that I have has every fitting you could possibly imagine except for one to hook up directly to the Schrader valve on the fuel line, so I do not know how much fuel pressure I have, but I do know that I have fuel pressure.

I am going to have to go and check for spark, but I know that the distributor, plugs, and wires are all brand new...like less than 10 miles on them...

I really don't understand how the car went from running fine, to running fine unless you were above 3500 rpms, to dying while cruising at about 35 mph on the road. I am feeling a little defeated and a lot upset right now, and I am going to have a beer...that is all

[brotharon]

Ok, in typical fashion I was unable to give up that easily. There is no spark. I tested the leads coming into the coil and I have 12.8v at them when the switch is on, and it drops to about 10.8 when the ignition is turned. The resistance across the primary coil is .3 ohms and the resistance on the secondary is 8k ohms.

Those values seem like they check out to me. This leads me to believe that the problem must be past the coil. I will check the distributor to make sure that the rotor is pointing at #1 when at TDC tomorrow...I think that is the correct alignment? I would check to see if I can get a spark off of the coil onto the block or something, but I dont know how to do that with the plug. I am used to disconnecting one side of the coil and then connecting the other side to the negative battery terminal to test the spark. Any advice there would be appreciated.

If all that checks out I will be replacing the MSD wires with Motorcraft wires and seeing if that solves the problem. Hooray?

[MikeFleming]

In your pics above. The first one shows a melted/mangled TPS harness. This happens a LOT since the turbo heat damaged wiring. Replace the TPS and repair (as mneeded) the harness stub that goes into the firewall tray. Also the ECT sensor wire comes through the same hole in the tray. It's also shown as mangled / melted. All of those wires should be cleaned up and insulated,

The second pic shows the boost fuel pressure switch (only on 85.5 and 86 models). It samples manifold pressure and when it is below a specified value, it lowers voltage (adds a resistor into the circuit) to decrease voltage to the fuel pump, allowing it to run quieter (NVH mod). Take it out and remove the resistance wire and learn to live with slightly increased pump noise.

You need to get an EVTM (Electrical & Vacuum Troubleshooting Service Manual) for the 1986 Mustang. Or
New $42.78 $38.50 1986 FORD Body & Chassis, Text & Illustration Parts Book CD [eb12233N]
1986 FORD MUSTANG, THUNDERBIRD, CONTINENTAL, MARK VII, COUGAR, CAPRI, MARQUIS Body, Chassis & Electrical Service Manual CD [eb12126N] [12126],

Try http://www.lloydsautolit.com. There are other companies that may have it too.

It will show you how to properly diagnose / troubleshoot the FI / PIP ignition system. But first make sure the rotor turns when the engine turns.

[brotharon]

Yeah, I am buying that CD regardless of what happens. I want to have that as a resource.

I am going to have to track down a new TPS and work on soldering, sleeving those wires to fix that mess. RockAuto doesnt appear to list a TPS for a 2.3L Turbo Mustang from 1986, but does list one for a 1986 TurboCoupe. Would this one be compatible?
I am assuming that for the pressure switch you are talking about tapping the wire that is coming up into the hatch area from the tank and running a new chassis ground to the wire that comes out black and becomes white. I saw your write up on this :D I actually looked a lot at posts that you did on building the Red Baron. Very cool stuff.

I will check to see if the dizzy is turning the rotor when I get home this afternoon. I hope it is...it is a brand new dizzy and oil pump. I know that doesn't preclude it failing in a spectacular way, but I hope it didnt. Although, I am supposing that I am likely to wind up having to replace the distributor regardless. I also need to get some Motorcraft wires apparently, the shop that did the engine work put MSD wires on and I had no idea that they were not any good on this engine.

Update: 11:44AM Texas time 8/8/2019 -> Well, I have been doing a bunch of reading up on stuff related to the ignition system for a SVO mustang (and other mustangs too since there seem to be at least a few similarities). I think I need to take a look at my TFI. I am pretty sure it is just kinda flopping about in there and not attached to anything. I dont know why it would be like that, but I kinda remember seeing a little module just hanging out (literally) next to the engine block last night. I wasnt aware of what it was so I assumed it knew what it was doing. I think I may have been mistaken. If that is the case, that could be my guilty party. Maybe I will use this as an opportunity to relocate it to a safer place in the engine bay where it wont be exposed to the dangers of heat and being beaten against the engine block.

[MikeFleming]

I am going to have to track down a new TPS and work on soldering, sleeving those wires to fix that mess. RockAuto doesnt appear to list a TPS for a 2.3L Turbo Mustang from 1986, but does list one for a 1986 TurboCoupe. Would this one be compatible? I would expect the 86-88 TC to be the same.


I am assuming that for the pressure switch you are talking about tapping the wire that is coming up into the hatch area from the tank and running a new chassis ground to the wire that comes out black and becomes white. I saw your write up on this I actually looked a lot at posts that you did on building the Red Baron. Very cool stuff. The ground wire is ONLY used on the dual pump system, 1983.5-1985. The single in-tank pump system (86+, all) does not use the ground wire in the trunk (boot) harness as hte dual pump system does.

I'd have to research it but IIRC the single pump system uses a pressure switch that adds resistance to the pump electrical circuit that can easily be bypassed by removing the switch (plug vac/pressure hose) - maybe jumper the pins, would have to look that up. The wiring diagram you are ordering will have details.


I will check to see if the dizzy is turning the rotor when I get home this afternoon. I hope it is...it is a brand new dizzy and oil pump. I know that doesn't preclude it failing in a spectacular way, but I hope it didnt. Although, I am supposing that I am likely to wind up having to replace the distributor regardless. I also need to get some Motorcraft wires apparently, the shop that did the engine work put MSD wires on and I had no idea that they were not any good on this engine. Nothing wrong with non-Motorcraft wires.Obviously there are junk wires out there, which should be avoided, but any quality product will work just fine. If you're looking for wires that will never fail, get Magnecor #49190 in 10mm jacket size. NOTE: the stock 7mm plastic thingies will NOT work. I have Magnecor 49190 10mm solid-core cables on the Red baron - probably visible in some pics here.


I think I need to take a look at my TFI. I am pretty sure it is just kinda flopping about in there and not attached to anything. I dont know why it would be like that, but I kinda remember seeing a little module just hanging out (literally) next to the engine block last night. I wasn't aware of what it was so I assumed it knew what it was doing. I think I may have been mistaken. If that is the case, that could be my guilty party. Maybe I will use this as an opportunity to relocate it to a safer place in the engine bay where it wont be exposed to the dangers of heat and being beaten against the engine block. Engine heat is nothing to be concerned about - the TFI is more than capable of handling that. Even in 120F ambient temps.

If the TFI itself is flopping about, perhaps the screws fell out and it started to leave home? It should be firmly attached to the side of the distributor body - 4mm screws, iirc. The top of the TFI module has 3 flat-blade electrical connectors that push up into the PIP (ignition component inside the distrubutor) and if those pins come disconnected, then no workie.

If the distributor is new, it *may* have come with a new PIP already installed.

As another aside, I also have some new auxiliary shafts for the 2.3/2.5L OHC block in the shop somewhere. The aux shaft has the mating gear to the distributor gear. If either one of them is chewed up, both should be replaced.

[MikeFleming]

Pics.

TFI assembled to side of dist body with PIP in place.
9875
PIP installed under vane.

9876

Top side of PIP (stator).
9877

Bottom side. Note three flat-blade female connectors where TFI plugs in.
9878

Thermal compound before assembly of TFI to dist body.
9879

[brotharon]

You are a great American!

So, I removed the cap and had my wife try to turn it over, and the rotor does not move...well, it does, it kinds jerks back and forth 1/2 of an inch and that is all. So, I guess I need a new dizzy? I will pull it when I get back from the kids karate.

[MikeFleming]

Yeah, pull it pout and inspect the driven gear. Suspect missing teeth. Also look down in the hole the dist shaft goes into and see if you can see how damaged the auxiliary shaft gear is. Those drive/driven gears usually die in sets.

If those gears look OK, pull the front timing belt cover and inspect the belt.

You, uhh, got a cooler in the garage?

[brotharon]

Yeah, pull it pout and inspect the driven gear. Suspect missing teeth. Also look down in the hole the dist shaft goes into and see if you can see how damaged the auxiliary shaft gear is. Those drive/driven gears usually die in sets.

If those gears look OK, pull the front timing belt cover and inspect the belt.

You, uhh, got a cooler in the garage?

Like a beer cooler? No, not yet...when my new house is finished being built it is getting a beer fridge in the garage (have the fridge already) but I have to wait 6 months or however long it takes to build a house.

If you mean is it cooler in my garage than the 100 degrees it is outside...the answer is no

I also suspect that it ate the gear. The problem that I have is that the dizzy is brand new, but I guess that doesn't matter to the fact that it appears to be kaput. It is a reman motorcraft unit and the gear was replaced at the same time.

The timing belt is fine. There is no cover on the timing belt because apparently it will not fit over the Esslinger pulleys. Either way, the timing belt is intact 100%, and the oil pump does not appear to be binding. I suppose it could have been poorly remanufactured. The rebuild on the motor was just completed on the 20th of last month, but I suppose it could have been poorly done. I don't know the mechanic, it is a shop in Oregon.

Update: 8:38PM Texas Time: Pulled the dizzy. Gear is...well, actually it isn't, and that is the problem. I am going to have to pull the other gear, but looking at it I am assuming that means removing the oil pump, and I am not up for that tonight. I am wondering if I should replace the oil pump at the same time. It is brand new, and it doesn't appear to be seized, but I know that something had to have caused this very premature failure.

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[MikeFleming]

Yep - that gear is gone. We used to be able to get replacement dizzy gears in the parts stores but I haven't looked for one in decades. Esslinger used to make a bronze driven gear (now sold by Race Engineering) that fits out dizzys with some mods (I thknki I posted pics of that) . I would also replace the aux shaft (mating drive gear). I have new ones in the shop if you can't locate one locally. Reman dizzys usually don't install new gears.

If you have a long 8mm 1/4-drive socket and extension, you can manually turn the oil pump through the dizzy hole. If it's smooth in rotation (load will increase as oil pressure builds) it's probably good. Dont spin it too fast as oil will come out hte dizzy shaft hole and may make a mess on the floor.

The aux shaft comes out the front with no need to pull the oil pump. The aux shaft gets its rotation from the cam belt, the aux shaft gear then turns the dizzy shaft via its driven gear whole the same dizzy shaft turns the oil pump. They all cousins, so to speak.

Be sure to change the engine oil after the repairs are done - BEFORE starting the engine. Inspect the waste oil looking for gear chunks. If you see many, pull the pan to clean out the sump and clean (or replace!) the oil pump pickup screen.

I was asking/suggesting that you install an evap cooler in the garage. Around here (except during our monsoon season) it drops shop temp by 40 degrees.

[brotharon]

I intend to put an ac system in the garage. It is too humid here in Houston for a swamp cooler, but for sure cooler air is very important when you are spending significant time in the garage.

It looks like rock auto has the gear as well as the dizzy.

[brotharon]

Ok, I need some advice here. I have looked for how to pull the aux shaft info, and it all says "pull out the aux shaft"...which is super helpful, but I have the pulley off, I have the 3 bolts (8mm) out, I have the timing belt plastic cover off, and it will not budge. Do I need a puller to get this thing out of the engine? All of the stuff I am seeing it sounds like people just yank it out, but I do not want to start hammering on it or try to pry it out and wind up doing a bunch of damage.

[MikeFleming]

Take the cover off (seal holder that's retained by the three bolts). Then loosen the two Posi-Drive screws (close to a #4 Phillips) and remove the retaining plate. Then the aux shaft will, accounting for the two bearing shells in the block, pull out with some guidance. Must pull almost perfectly in-line with the bearing bores.

9880988198829883

[brotharon]

Ok, I got it off. The previous person to work on this had been so kind as to use the wrong fasteners to attach it and then ground the heads off of the hex bolts that had been used so that the cover could fit over these incorrect bolts.

I fixed the melted/damaged wires that ran to the TPS. I found a couple of connectors that do not seem to have a home, but I would like them to have one, in the process of cleaning up/repairing/sleeving/soldering the wiring. I am hoping that someone might know what the heck these are or where they are supposed to go to. The connector is on the same circuit (at least in my car) as the TPS.



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[brotharon]

I figured it out, i think. I believe it is a connector for the coolant temp sensor, but there is already a connector attached to the coolant temp sensor. I am guessing that someone added one in at some point for some reason I have yet to determine.

[MikeFleming]

Do you have a connector on the knock sensor (Rear of lower intake, pointing rearward)?? I don't think they're the same though but I don;t have a car handy to reference. But I do have pictures. Tomorrow.

[brotharon]

Yes, I believe that I do. Car is at home, but I am certain that I checked there. I looked at the connector and it looks exactly like the connector that is already attached to the coolant temp sensor on the intake manifold. I dont know why someone would have spliced a second one in, but it appears to be the case. I am seriously concerned about the quality of work being done at the shop that allegedly did the engine "rebuild" on this car last month. I do not think that a respectable shop would have had sensor plugs spliced into the wiring by just twisting the wires together and wrapping in electrical tape. Maybe I am wrong and this is the industry standard, but it seems odd to me that the car basically went from the place I bought it, to the shop for the engine rebuild, and then to me and it arrived in this condition. Not saying I am not willing or able to take care of it. I actually pulled the harness with these sensors, fixed it all up, properly soldered the connections, and put it back, but I assumed that the second connector was needed for something, and now I believe it does not. I really want to be sure before I delete the second plug, but I can do that when I get home today.

I am also going to need to fix up the wiring for the horns and lights. It is a rats nest that has been all electrical taped together as well. I want to figure out why my passenger inner marker light sometimes doesn't come on, but if I tap the light it suddenly lights up. I am guessing it is a ground issue.

[brotharon]

So, I have been looking over the wiring diagram that I got for the car. I am still doing due diligence to make sure I know what the heck that connector is before I take action on it. I mentioned before that I was having an issue with the inner marker light on the passenger side. It will come on sometimes and others it wont, but tapping on it will make it come on. I got to looking at the wiring diagram and I am wondering if the ground is insufficient for the circuit. It looks like all of the lighting on each side was spliced to a single ground wire. I haven't looked at the ground truth wiring that is in the car, but it seems to me that making a dedicated ground for each light would possibly be a viable solution for my lighting woes.
I am basically making plans for things I want to get to, and creating lists of (and ordering) parts to do the repairs because it is too hot to actually do the work...I dont know what this weather is all about, but I am opposed to working in my garage while it is 85% humidity and 105 degrees...I dont remember it being this hot in Iraq...

[MikeFleming]

So, I have been looking over the wiring diagram that I got for the car. I am still doing due diligence to make sure I know what the heck that connector is before I take action on it. NEVER remove anything unless it's a severe weight penalty. And this is not.



I mentioned before that I was having an issue with the inner marker light on the passenger side. It will come on sometimes and others it wont, but tapping on it will make it come on. I got to looking at the wiring diagram and I am wondering if the ground is insufficient for the circuit. It looks like all of the lighting on each side was spliced to a single ground wire. I haven't looked at the ground truth wiring that is in the car, but it seems to me that making a dedicated ground for each light would possibly be a viable solution for my lighting woes. Yes, all the lights on each side (two side markers, rurn signals, headlight, foglamp) come to one, VERY SMALL ground connection. Find where the individual wires come together and install a 12Ga wire there and run it to the ground screw on the radiator core support. IIRC I posted pics on doing this to the Red Baron.


[/QUOTE] but I am opposed to working in my garage while it is 85% humidity and 105 degrees...I dont remember it being this hot in Iraq...[/QUOTE] Your memory is slipping. And, iirc, most of Iraq is very dry. Like Tucson.

I have several projects and parts to install to the Tesla. Need a cooler in the shop (for after the monsoon season passes).

[brotharon]

My thoughts exactly. I dont see any reason to remove a connector that isnt hurting anybody. I will just zip tie it out of the way so if I need it later I have it.

You probably did post pics of you doing that on the Red Baron. I can only look at pics on my home computer. The server here at work blocks embedded images on websites unless I go out of my way to VPN around it, and I try not to do that unless I need something for my job. Dont want to get in trouble just to see a ground wire! I was pretty sure that it was a grounding issue, and seeing the wiring diagram it made sense that if all those lights ran to one wire it was likely to be insufficient grounding was the issue.

I didnt know that they made parts for Teslas. I have heard horror stories from my coworkers who own Teslas about their cars being in the shop for months waiting on parts to come in due to some national shortages. Not to say that they dont love their cars, they do...I just dont need to get good fuel economy since I only live 5 miles or so from my office and 3 miles from my lab so I drive a new Ram Rebel 1500 Crew Cab for a commuter car!

[MikeFleming]

I was pretty sure that it was a grounding issue, and seeing the wiring diagram it made sense that if all those lights ran to one wire it was likely to be insufficient grounding was the issue. It's more of a problem with age AND folks installing much higher amperage head and fog lamps. The the five wires (turn signals, markers, headlight, fog) that come into one are merely a mechanical crimp. THAT needs to get fixed when you tie in a larger wire to the core support ground lig. And clean the paint off first (and use star washers).


I didnt know that they made parts for Teslas. I have heard horror stories from my coworkers who own Teslas about their cars being in the shop for months waiting on parts to come in due to some national shortages. Not to say that they dont love their cars, they do...I just dont need to get good fuel economy since I only live 5 miles or so from my office and 3 miles from my lab so I drive a new Ram Rebel 1500 Crew Cab for a commuter car! "They" don't usually make parts fo Tesla outside of the usual stuff: wheels, suspension springs, etc., And getting spare parts from Tesla is like raising the Titanic.

I have a set (of four) wheel hubs with double ceramic bearings in them that I want to install and test. I've been trying to get spare axle nuts and hub bolts for 7+ months now form Tesla and still have no idea if/when I will/may have them. Worse than annoying.

[brotharon]

Oh, i see. I thought maybe you had the inside track on some Tesla parts and I was gonna send my coworkers your way...lol

I got to taking the gear off of the dizzy from the SVO and it was seized on real bad. Seemed odd for a recently rebuilt distributor. I got to looking at it more closely and the gear wasnt on straight. I dont know how to describe it, but it was a little lopsided. Anyway, when I got the pin out and took the gear off (wasnt easy, it was stuck on really hard) I found that one of the pinholes was elongated and the gear had been kinda driven on at a slight angle. Not saying that this is what caused the very premature failure...but I mean, it could have...right?

https://1bbc9a.sn.files.1drv.com/y4mkM6KRuoUbVqDytQMeax26XY1HH0BHitC1FUw5zM_VjmvpNyt-s_Bs0n9jihy3BpQ68VMJNzqMV_tEBlPJQf0m0ltygea1t6s9yPYW-SA7uTwWGfXsnmtdppL_C4gEcBHgrZytZ2aZe6AV_Epp2LBjH00PRo7kNiABi nFQOqB_f6khu0YXDD7dETlP1Sb3cjh-fQFPysEF-n8WoM3gDHejA?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none

[MikeFleming]

There should be *some* interference fit, but it has only taken light tapping on the shaft to remove the gear on all 2.3L OHC dizzys I have taken apart. Eventually the pin hole will get out-of-round and the only solution there is to drill a larger hole. And that has its limits before the shaft needs replacement.

That one doesn't look too bad though. I would use a new pin with a new gear and new aux shaft .

[brotharon]

I will take another look at it. I just dont want to put it back together and have it blow up another gear after less than 100 miles. I suppose it could have been that they did not replace both gears at the same time, but I am just wanting to be able to drive my car more than 20 miles between break downs. 22 miles would be excellent!

[brotharon]

Ok, I had already ordered the replacement distributor from Rock Auto. I am going to swap the gear out on the old distributor with a new gear that I bought. I am going to replace the aux drive gear as well at the same time. If everything goes well I will just return the reman unit I ordered and only be out shipping, but if it goes less than favorably I will have a new reman distributor on hand to put in there. I suppose this is an ok plan since I have outs, and I learned from poker to always have outs or fold... :D

[MikeFleming]

...and I learned from poker to always have outs or fold... :D Or a yuuuge pile of money that you're not particularly attached to.

[brotharon]

Yeah, I suppose losing all of your money is a thing you could do...I can imagine that would be a good way to keep getting invited to people's poker games.

I am hoping to have the time and cooperative weather to allow me to get out into the garage and work on the car this weekend. If things go as planned I will have it running again by next week...I hope

[brotharon]

Had to order a new aux shaft. Too far gone on the one in the car. Bought a supposedly good condition used set of both gears. If they are a fail I guess it will be billet parts up next.

[MikeFleming]

I gave some NOS auxiliary shafts in the garage if you decide you need one.

[brotharon]

Oh...I guess I should have asked here first. I bought a pair of aux shaft and distributor gear off of ebay for $100. If it blows up I guess I know who to ask.

[brotharon]

Just to keep this updated while I wait for the replacement aux shaft and distributor gear to arrive. I have gotten a little bit of work done since last week. The hood pull was broken, the cable had snapped because it had been eaten by battery corrosion. I replaced the cable, removed the battery tray, cleaned up around the battery tray area. I am waiting on some wire loom holders to arrive from Amazon so I can clean up the routing of the wires before reinstalling the battery tray. The good news is that there was no corrosion under the tray, it did its job. I pulled the gauge cluster and replaced the light bulbs that were burnt out. My daughter really liked this project because she got to put the parts back in. Now all of my indicators work as intended. I purchased some KYB quad shocks and installed them. They are a placeholder for some future Koni replacements once I get the car fully functional again. I got them for very cheap and it was one of those things I figured I would do. I cleaned up the gas tank, got all new seals on it, the top vent seal was very perished and had a lot of dirt caked around it so I am guessing that is where the fuel leak was coming from. Got the tank back in the car. I have a few other small projects to tackle, but the big one, getting the distributor and aux gear back in the vehicle and getting it running, is still on the horizon. Hopefully the parts arrive this week and I can fire it up for the first time in a few weeks by the end of the weekend.

[brotharon]

Keeping it rolling along here. I know that I am not making legendary progress on this project, but I do what I can when I have the time to do it.
I drained the oil yesterday when I got home from work, I wanted it to have ample time to drain all the way out. I also placed a screen over the opening in the container that I drained it into to see if any large metal chunks came out. I suppose it is good news that none did. I am assuming that means that either the oil filter caught the damaged parts or they were fine enough that they slipped past the screen. Either way, I am going to put new oil and filter in/on it this weekend when I get the new parts installed. My plan is to run it for about 100 miles or so with this new oil and filter (assuming I get it started and it does not suffer another catastrophic failure) and then change the oil/filter again to make sure that I got it cleaned out. I am putting a magnetic drain plug on it as well so I can observe if any metal contaminants were captured in the sump.
The plan is to get it back to a running state this weekend. I will not start driving it until I can get the wiring mess cleaned up and get it past a safety inspection, but running and able to move under its own power again would be a nice change.

[MikeFleming]

Note that only iron (some steels), nickel and cobalt are magnetic. No other metals will be collected by the magnet (copper, aluminum, zinc, etc.)

[brotharon]

Yep, I got that. I am looking for pieces of the distributor gear that were ground/broken off. I tested it with a magnet just to be sure that it was cast iron. I hope it will be ok. I dont have the ability to pull the engine out in order to remove the oil pan in my current garage. I wish that I did as I would be more comfortable knowing that I got the shavings out, but I am just going to hope for the best.

[brotharon]

Well, it runs again. It runs pretty good too. Super fun to finally get to drive it and feel that boost come on like a light switch. What a car. Now I get to start setting it right and removing the mods I dont like, aka the fun stuff.

[MikeFleming]

Good job. Congrats.

[brotharon]

Thanks, Mike. I still have some stuff I need to take care of before I go get it inspected and registered. The battery is too big for the battery tray and cannot be secured in place, plus it sits at an angle in there, so I need to remedy that. I need to properly cap off the vacuum lines that are not being used. One of them has a bolt jammed into it, and the other is rigged in a similar fashion and so needs to be dealt with. There are some misc fasteners that are MIA from the car that need to be replaced. The ground for the lights need to be addressed still, and I need to fix the exhaust system...or lack of one.

[MikeFleming]

The plastic golf tees are much lighter than bolts.

Just Sayin'!

[brotharon]

Been a minute since I updated this. I have done a few more things since I last checked in here, so it is time for an update:
Obviously the fix to the distributor went swimmingly, and the car runs great now.
The lighting issue with the turn signal/marker lights has been fixed by giving it a better ground and cleaning up the terminals and putting in some new dielectric grease. Amazing what a little TLC can yield.
I cleaned up the battery box because of the acid leak from the previous (too big and not secured) battery that was in the car when I got it. I also replaced the battery with one that actually fits in the car. I was going to go with an Optima, but instead went with a regular battery. It works just fine.
I got under the car to track down the oil leak that had been plaguing it since it arrived, but wasnt bad enough to be an emergency. It would appear that the engine rebuilder used black silicone adhesive instead of a gasket to attach the oil return line to the underside of the turbo. I have the correct gasket on order, and will be fixing that. I didnt see anywhere else that oil was leaking out from, so hopefully this fixes my oil leak issue. I did clean up the greasy spots with some brake cleaner and a rag just to make it easier to tell if this indeed fixes this issue.

I am really happy with this car so far. It seems to be pretty easy to work on. Most of the parts are readily available and reasonably priced (save the SVO specific parts that are very expensive or dont exist anymore). So I am just going to keep fixing little things until they add up to fixing big things. I am also going to keep my ear to the ground for a steering wheel and shift knob since mine are MIA and I do not like the 8-ball style knob and grant steering wheel that are in the car right now too much.

[brotharon]

I fixed the oil leak from the turbo, and now there is no more oil leaking under my car. That is nice. I discovered, once the oil was cleaned off, that not all of the smoke was from burning oil. Some of it was exhaust gas that was leaking between the turbo and the exhaust manifold. Good news is that the little fel-pro gasket kit that I bought for 3 bucks has that gasket as well, so I will be pulling the manifold and turbo to replace that in the next few days. I am guessing that when I pull the turbo and manifold that I will find that there is no gasket there at all. The place that did this engine rebuild must be some real heroes. Either way, seems like an easy fix and then I should get back some of my horsepowers.

[MikeFleming]

There is no gasket (and should not be) between the exhaust manifold and head.

There IS a gasket (SS stamping) between the manifold and turbo turbine housing.

[brotharon]

There is no gasket (and should not be) between the exhaust manifold and head.

There IS a gasket (SS stamping) between the manifold and turbo turbine housing.

While I agree with you in principle, my car has a gasket (that should not be) between the exhaust manifold and head, but no gasket between the manifold and turbo hot side. I have the SS gasket that I got with my gasket set to replace the oil return line gasket that also didnt exist. When I pull the manifold I will delete the unneeded gasket and add in the missing gasket and that should stop the leaking of exhaust gasses into the engine bay and probably help with the slight surge in the idle. This gets added to the list of things that I didnt know to look for when I bought the car, but now I know.

[MikeFleming]

Make sure the head side of the exhaust manifold is flat. Cast iron has a tendency to shape-shift with continued exposure to elevated temps.

[brotharon]

I will do my best. I have to do all of this work with the motor in the car for now since I dont have a lot of space in the place we are renting while our house gets built. I am just trying to get this car sorted as best as I can and keep it in running/driving condition at all times. I have had a few projects fizzle and die because they got overly taken apart and the motivation to put it back together wasnt there. Basically, I dont want to have to pull the head and send it off to be machined. I am hoping that i will be able to remove the manifold and turbo, insert the missing gaskets, reinstall, and go on about my business. Of course, if the head is warped/deformed/shapeshifted I will have to deal with it, but I sure hope I dont have to.

[MikeFleming]

I'd worry more about the exhaust manifold flange that mounts to the head being flat than the head's exhaust port surfae. He head is water-cooled and the manifold is not.

[brotharon]

Yep, that makes sense. I never considered the possibility that the exhaust manifold could be flattened as well...that is why I post all of my thoughts here, so that I spend less time chasing my tail. I didnt have enough time last night to get the turbo all the way off. I have to get it disconnected from the exhaust and get the oil return line off of it and pull it out with the manifold. Not a whole lot of space in there, but not too bad to work around either. I will get it out, take a look at the turbo and manifold. Make sure there are no cracks or anything like that. Put it back together with gaskets in the appropriate spots. Check the manifold surface for flatness. Hopefully be able to reinstall, torque to spec, and get it back on the road with less exhaust gas leaking out into the engine bay.

[brotharon]

The bad news bears have returned. I am not sure where to go at this point. I took the turbo and manifold off, removed the gasket, put it back together. It fired right up and was running great. Let it warm up in the driveway, and then my daughter and I went for a drive of about 5 miles. About 100 feet from our house (on the way home fortunately) there was a loud pop in the front and the car started backfiring and lost all compression to the point where it would die if I let the clutch out at all. After sitting overnight it now will not start at all. I pulled the distributor to look at that and see if it had chewed another gear. It didnt, the dizzy looks fine, but it wont start. It will turn over, and I got the timing set correctly, but it just backfires a bunch and wont start. I am at a loss. As a home mechanic I am kinda limited for time and how much I can do, but I am also not going to send it out to a mechanic as this is the state that the car is in after spending $3000 to have the engine rebuilt. Something went horribly wrong, and I am at a point where I am really regretting buying this SVO. I like the look and idea of the car, but I kinda hate this particular example.

[Under Pressure]

check your timing belt it may have jumped a few teeth, worst case is it blew a head gasket. SVO's can drive you crazy with little things. You can get it it's a slow going process. talk nice to it

[brotharon]

check your timing belt it may have jumped a few teeth, worst case is it blew a head gasket. SVO's can drive you crazy with little things. You can get it it's a slow going process. talk nice to it

Checked the timing marks. The timing is correct. With the crank at TDC the timing mark on the cam pulley is pointing right at the aux shaft bolt. Confirmed using the string method as well.

When I pulled the #1 spark plug it was soaked in gas. it is getting fuel, but something is wrong and causing it to have no power. I suppose I can go to the auto parts store and borrow a compression tester and determine the compression in the cylinders. At least that will give me a starting point for trying to figure out what is wrong with this engine.

Out of curiosity I decided to check the plug gap on the #1 plug that I pulled out. I measured it at ~.040mm. I have read that the OEM spec is 0.034 but many folks recommend gapping at between 0.028 and 0.030. I am not sure if this could be causing my problem, like maybe the engine is blowing out the spark? I dont know why it wouldnt start at all like this though.

[brotharon]

Correctly gapped the plugs, re-stabbed the dizzy, got the timing set to dead on 10 degrees of advance. Was running...then coolant began shooting out of the passenger side of the engine under the turbo and I believe that is the engine screaming to be freed from this world. Now I get the opportunity to pull the head and see the head gasket carnage. There doesnt appear to be any coolant in the oil, but that is little in the way of consolation. It is the project car that I deserve, just not the one that I need right now...

[brsvo]

If its coming from under the turbo it could be the coolant line for the turbo not the head gasket. Worth checking before you pull the head!

[brotharon]

No coolant line going to turbo. Turbo is oil cooled only. I wish that was the case, but I am pretty sure I blew the head gasket...I hope i only blew the head gasket and the head/block arent cracked. There was a bunch of suspect "upgrades" done to my SVO by previous owners. I would like to un-upgrade it, but that is easier said than done. I think that the turbo is way too big for the car for one thing. It is HUGE, like barely fits between the manifold and the strut tower huge...it actually touches the strut tower and I am fairly certain that is not right. No idea what turbo it is except that, judging by the polished chrome housing with no markings on it at all, I am assuming it is a chinese ebay turbo...probably a t3/t4 that is way too big for a little 2.3. I think I need to stop putting band-aids on knife wounds and dig into this thing and fix it properly. I was hoping to be able to put it back to right incrementally, but it appears that is not what is best for the car.

I wish I could find an AC system to put back in while I am at it since it looks like I am going to be waist deep in SVO repairs anyway. Maybe I can piece something together. Either way, I need to dig in and find out what exactly failed and get to fixing it properly. There has been so much of this car that has been hacked out over the years it is hard to say what is ok and what needs fixed/replaced...and as I am sure you all know, some of these parts are hard to find.

[Under Pressure]

There are coolant lines that route around the bottom side of the engine that route to the oil filter housing, there are some small angle hoses that are connected to metal lines. check those hoses and the clamps.

[brotharon]

I will check them, but I still believe in my heart that the head gasket blew. Low compression on cylinders 3 and 4 and the car was dog slow before it started puking out all of the coolant onto my garage floor. I really just want to try to put it back to being the fun little car that I am sure it wants to be. If this means that I have to take the whole thing apart and put it back together, it may take me a bit of time, but so be it. I hate that I find myself in a situation where time to spend on the car is my limiting factor in all of this, and I do not want to pay someone else to do the work on my car because the point was for me to undertake doing this myself. It is just a little frustrating that the project is turning out to be much larger than I expected, at least initially. I am beyond that now, and have committed myself to getting this thing running and doing fun car things. I just know that it is going to take me a bit of time to get it all sorted.

[Under Pressure]

search on here about the 84 and 85 heads getting cracks in the head. They are notorious for blowing head gaskets. I've blown many that's why I'm now using a copper head gasket with arp studs to hold down the head. I can feel your frustration, I've been there. Pulling the head isn't too bad, just take your time. once you get the head off, check the head out real good. If it's got a crack it can be repaired. While you're in there, you should consider a new cam as the stock 84 and 85's were dogs. Some people like the roller cams. I like flat tappet cams. Study up on everything here on this website, these car are finiky. As Broson use to say Hang in there!

[brotharon]

I appreciate it. I am in the process of getting it apart. Mine is an 86, though I am pretty sure that a lot of the information applies to it as well.
I am actually glad that I am doing this, because it is allowing me to get a good look at what is up with this car. I was pretty upset, but I got over it and now I am just going to tear into it and get it fixed up.

What I have found so far (other than what is listed in my previous posts): the fuel lines to the fuel rail didnt have the little plastic clips that are supposed to hold them onto the lines. I am going to get that fixed for sure. The upper intake has been completely gutted, and the port on the back of it for the egr has been blocked off. The inlet portion has been opened up a lot to match the throttle body. The tb mounting holes have not been modified, and there is not an adapter plate or anything so I am assuming that this is still a SVO tb that is on the car with a gutted upper intake mani. The lower manifold has been ported pretty aggressively. It looks like a home job, but it also looks like the person who did it tried their best, and I dont see any of this being an issue so I intend to move forward with this manifold/tb combo. The knock sensor is gone and the location for it has a plug in its place. I have read conflicting information about whether or not you should run a knock sensor in these cars. I have one on order. The entire top end was just rebuilt with new valves/cam/followers. It is a flat tappet cam, and I have no problem with running a flat tappet cam. If I ever decide to put in a Boport cam I will address that then, but for now, as long as the head is ok, I am going to stick with what I have.

Coming up: I need to pull the belts off and get the head off. I am then going to check the head and block to make sure that they are flat. I will inspect for cracks in the head as well. If the head is cracked I will have to deal with that, but for now I am holding out hope that it is a blown head gasket that is the guilty party.

I will get some pics of the work in progress so that y'all can see what I am looking at and probably point out things that I am missing. Thanks to everyone for all of the sanity checking to this point.

Nightly Update: That head is heavy. I am going to have to get a shop crane or a personal trainer...shop crane it is! Good news is that I found some head studs in there, so that is going to save me some money now that I dont have to replace the head bolts. Going to have to find me a shop crane now, but I suppose I should have one around anyway.

[brsvo]

Sounds like the engine has had some serious attention. Most don't put in studs for a basic rebuild.

[brotharon]

I agree with that. It also has copper gaskets with the exception of the head gasket. The bad thing is that it also had a cheap chinese turbo, and I dont know what trim it is or anything about it, but I have heard nothing but bad stuff about these ebay turbos. I have a garrett 50 trim on order that should be here in the next few weeks. Figured I might as well put a quality unit on it while I am in there rather than putting it back together with some garbage. I am putting all new hoses on for the radiator as well because they were pretty perished and had many cracks and things in them. I checked the block and head for flatness and the good news is that the block/head are super flat, like all the way flat, I couldnt get any feeler gauges between the straight edge and the block or head at any position. I am waiting on some parts to show up now so that I can start putting her back together again.

[brsvo]

Did you have it magnafluxed for cracks in the valve seats. Can you see if the seats have been replaced with hardened inserts? Are the valve diameters stock or oversized?

[brotharon]

Did you have it magnafluxed for cracks in the valve seats. Can you see if the seats have been replaced with hardened inserts? Are the valve diameters stock or oversized?

Didnt have it magnafluxed. I wouldnt even know where to go to get that done around here. Everything looks good visually, and the amount of coolant that exploded out wasnt from a microfracture, but i do know what you are getting at.
I do not know what hardened seats look like compared to regular seats. This is my first foray into these engines and I am not sure what it is supposed to look like versus what it looks like. I can get pics and put them on here maybe that will help.
I am not sure of the valve sizes. I will have to get measurements of them, but I dont have calipers to allow me to get accurate measurements of the valves.

Pics to come...I promise.

Pics

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[MikeFleming]

Definitely standard/stock sized valves. Larger valves don't have much clearance between them on the inside and the clearance to the chamber wall is also much smaller.

I see no evidence of seat inserts on the exhaust side from those pics.

Look at the Red Baron engine / head pics to see about the clearance between the valves and what seats look like.

[brotharon]

Definitely standard/stock sized valves. Larger valves don't have much clearance between them on the inside and the clearance to the chamber wall is also much smaller.

I see no evidence of seat inserts on the exhaust side from those pics.

Look at the Red Baron engine / head pics to see about the clearance between the valves and what seats look like.

Thanks Mike. I know that the pics are basically crap, but I did my best. It all looks stock to me. It also all looks to be in pretty good shape from what I can tell with my eyes. There are no cracks large enough to explain the explosion of steam and rivers of coolant that came out last time I had it on the road. I will get to the bottom of this. There are so many different things that could be causing my issues that it is dizzying. I do searches and return a ton of posts of people having similar issues, but it turns out that what was their problem is not what is my problem. I am going to make this car great again if it is the last thing that I do. The world needs more SVO Mustang! I will get it back together with new parts and make sure everything is to spec as far as torque and then try again and see where it gets me. At least the car is keeping me busy :p

[MikeFleming]

What head gasket was installed (blue, black, special?)? Could you determine where the gasket was leaking from by looking at the gasket by itself? Looking at head surface? Looking at block surface? Investigate. Pictures, measurements, etc. How thick is the outgoing compressed gasket?

Did all the head studs / nuts appear to have retained near the same break-away torque to loosen?

Yes - that cast iron head is HEAVY. ~50Lbs assembled with cam. MUCH easier to pull all the studs from the block so you don't need to lift straight up an additional 6" inches to clear. And install the head without thte studs to save some back muscles too. Then re-fit the studs to block (DO NOT loctite to block - use engine oil only after cleaning all threads)

FYI: Proper British terms for R&R:
Remove and Refit - take a part off, inspect, clean, re-install same part (new gaskets, etc.)

Remove and Replace - take a part off, replace with new spare part. New gaskets, etc.

[brotharon]

What head gasket was installed (blue, black, special?)? Could you determine where the gasket was leaking from by looking at the gasket by itself? Looking at head surface? Looking at block surface? Investigate. Pictures, measurements, etc. How thick is the outgoing compressed gasket?

Did all the head studs / nuts appear to have retained near the same break-away torque to loosen?

Yes - that cast iron head is HEAVY. ~50Lbs assembled with cam. MUCH easier to pull all the studs from the block so you don't need to lift straight up an additional 6" inches to clear. And install the head without thte studs to save some back muscles too. Then re-fit the studs to block (DO NOT loctite to block - use engine oil only after cleaning all threads)

FYI: Proper British terms for R&R:
Remove and Refit - take a part off, inspect, clean, re-install same part (new gaskets, etc.)

Remove and Replace - take a part off, replace with new spare part. New gaskets, etc.

The head gasket was a Fel-Pro 8993, or something that looked exactly like one. The gasket doesnt have any signs of irregular wear, damage. I couldnt identify where the leaking was coming from once I removed it. I will get pictures of the gasket when I get home and get them on here. Looking at the head surface it looked like it might have been leaking between the gasket and the head toward the back on the passenger side of the block, but this is subjective analysis because it had been removed and the coolant that was there could have happened during removal. The block surface shows no signs of anything. I will need to pick up a set of calipers so that I can get measurements of things. I just dont have a set yet.

No, all of the head studs did not seem to have the same break away torque. Some were so tight that I needed my breaker bar to get them loose, and others I was able to get with my 1/2" drive ratchet with a little force. Nothing seemed loose though.

It is super heavy, I bought a shop crane to lift that monster. 50lbs isnt too heavy, but when you are leaning over an engine compartment with outstretched arms it may as well be a million pounds. I do like that bit of advise about removing the studs to reinstall, that should make my life a lot easier as long as I can properly index the head gasket to the block prior to installation.

Sounds like a British R&R is something you better clarify with the mechanic before you let them start the work or you may not get what you expected. This is not a tip that I picked up from years of watching Edd China fix cars on TV.

[brotharon]

I decided that it is pointless to post pictures without having the tools to get the analysis done to the parts. I ordered a set of digital calipers and when they arrive I will get measurements of the various parts that I removed. I am working on getting things cleaned up and prepped to be reassembled. It doesnt appear that loctite was used on the studs, so that is nice, i can get them out can then put the head back on and reinstall them. Will make my life a bunch easier.

[brotharon]

Quick question to whomever might be have an answer. I have the timing belt tensioner and spring off because the head is completely removed. I cleaned the head all up and made it look nice (plus got years of old gasket off of it) and I dont want to mess it all up. Is there some trick or pro tip you can give me on how to get that spring back on there. I know that normally you would tension up the spring and lock it in place, but it is completely off of the engine and needs reinstalled, and that is one tough little spring. I dont have a tool to tension it over the little stud on the engine, but I am assuming that there is a tool for that. I am hoping that there is a trick to getting it on there without the use of a special tool otherwise I get to invent something.

**Nevermind, I figured out that it is pretty easy to get the tensioner on there, and then have a helper tighten the bolt in the tension removed position when you hulk grip the tensioner as if your life depended on it. No prybar or special tool required.

[Corrugated]

Hello brotharon,

I used this tool :

http://www.company23.com/products/fordtools/603

when I did my timing belt earlier this year..


Quick question to whomever might be have an answer. I have the timing belt tensioner and spring off because the head is completely removed. I cleaned the head all up and made it look nice (plus got years of old gasket off of it) and I dont want to mess it all up. Is there some trick or pro tip you can give me on how to get that spring back on there. I know that normally you would tension up the spring and lock it in place, but it is completely off of the engine and needs reinstalled, and that is one tough little spring. I dont have a tool to tension it over the little stud on the engine, but I am assuming that there is a tool for that. I am hoping that there is a trick to getting it on there without the use of a special tool otherwise I get to invent something.

**Nevermind, I figured out that it is pretty easy to get the tensioner on there, and then have a helper tighten the bolt in the tension removed position when you hulk grip the tensioner as if your life depended on it. No prybar or special tool required.

[brotharon]

Thanks for the link. I will look into that for the future. I was able to do it without one, but I am sure it is a task that could be made easier.

Now, I am putting everything back together and I want to know what the heck is with the mess of wires that dont seem to have homes on the driver side of my engine bay. I am going to post some pictures below, and if you know what these things are please let me know so I can figure out how to reassemble this rats nest.

https://bywgug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4ms2UPFOl-5wW-qz7rCZKhiQotiCAcI780880sDsFRvyNmLzyaFb5bI0UPTy5XHa_QaUKbpHye 6w1jXqoynj6wsMuXdulmlcBm3K6bhbxrdlPcDiYtw5znMLbl6WxuuwywlI8l gR1xU36498e75tWjz4PdTgiPUldJN988Tl_A2ilBwPPguTP4xpOnWdZJV5Xa V9E0X6eeaoDOwyFVV2jYPQ?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none
https://bywuug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4mMExazlpPydia3w_EAB_mmGvIPiU7gor_FaFVpVmJXQFbmD3pSp44UjZln HQ-Q5VdSydZiAhbUn31djG-N2lCu85Yr1o2j6Gmi2swRTtnSTW3NxFS2IuKo0vh4Dh3gkbNY142LVimjuve meRRYRFNdT7ehdymWh11HaURuaBkZKIz-ZIZiaWoWbZuHulqh9_IC1qIQABqcDCQ8aOtWYbQJw?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none

https://aowmug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4mXsK-fZskV_yCO-B4A4yMLBLJKhQRRp0R-dtRrTxTKPSkS-kA94rM3Jenh8a7Rtwd8nGSqyRGEboTrlCgNd68SnskNOt-tERUT5sGgKmZYt5ycALIKN8rNOq2cSMDdEC_kJFXIcHIk4HSabxz8vbMpS4N pzKgxVzx7ap2KxltIxnXxzHYWsEbKAIContwP0nHt_QuqyDeW6BskYEbWJRH _g?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none

Of course I have a big helper...but she doesnt know where these things go either.

https://bywjug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4mRO3I8PjwkR6Z364sX4a_3oTxQeYQiOS2Le3Mq3KYj7vvSMHfBwxPtoCcQ fZGQIDokLvUGnSWy0nfhBFVWMhm9u_UqN_M4UcrMcgnAMpsiTD_Rv9TaiJ2g _13zUSKPbr6JaGtmu-wYQDQC-_ZuiJiWu9pjsn-1JWMNfW8qXzCGPJvm93YJpnGZ2LbQ2k7z0Ph49-FUwCN0JgaLs54DWGKtw?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none

[brsvo]

I believe the third one is for the oil pressure sending unit on the drivers side rear of the head.

[brotharon]

I already have one of those hooked up to the oil pressure sending unit. This one is too small for that. It looks like it is supposed to be for the temperature sensor according to the shop manual, but my temp sensor has a connector and not a threaded stud...

[brotharon]

I got a metric s***load done on the car this weekend...I think. The motor is all back together, torqued to spec, and with all new gaskets. The new (refurbished) 50 trim turbo is mounted. I need a few pieces of hardware that are on order to finish the install because I am relocating the BOV so that it is not on a flexy pipe that overhangs the oil fill location in the valve cover. I also need to tap in a barbed fitting so that I can have a boost reference for my wastegate/boost controller. That stuff should all be here this week. I need to attach the oil return line to the underside of the turbo (that thing is a pain to get on there) but it was just too muggy yesterday to be under the car in the garage for any length of time and I was sweating too much to be able to turn the bolts into the mounting holes for the flange.

Once I get those couple things buttoned up I should be able to fire it back up once again and get the timing set. Hopefully, at that point it should be good to go.

[MikeFleming]

https://bywgug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4ms2UPFOl-5wW-qz7rCZKhiQotiCAcI780880sDsFRvyNmLzyaFb5bI0UPTy5XHa_QaUKbpHye 6w1jXqoynj6wsMuXdulmlcBm3K6bhbxrdlPcDiYtw5znMLbl6WxuuwywlI8l gR1xU36498e75tWjz4PdTgiPUldJN988Tl_A2ilBwPPguTP4xpOnWdZJV5Xa V9E0X6eeaoDOwyFVV2jYPQ?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none

Can't tell which side of engine this connector is located. This one above looks like the connector that goes to the AC pressure switch on the accumulator can on the passenger side of the firewall.

Alternately the 86 has an oil level sensor in the left side of the oil sump (pan). I seem to recall it's a single-conductor though,

https://bywuug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4mMExazlpPydia3w_EAB_mmGvIPiU7gor_FaFVpVmJXQFbmD3pSp44UjZln HQ-Q5VdSydZiAhbUn31djG-N2lCu85Yr1o2j6Gmi2swRTtnSTW3NxFS2IuKo0vh4Dh3gkbNY142LVimjuve meRRYRFNdT7ehdymWh11HaURuaBkZKIz-ZIZiaWoWbZuHulqh9_IC1qIQABqcDCQ8aOtWYbQJw?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none


https://aowmug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4mXsK-fZskV_yCO-B4A4yMLBLJKhQRRp0R-dtRrTxTKPSkS-kA94rM3Jenh8a7Rtwd8nGSqyRGEboTrlCgNd68SnskNOt-tERUT5sGgKmZYt5ycALIKN8rNOq2cSMDdEC_kJFXIcHIk4HSabxz8vbMpS4N pzKgxVzx7ap2KxltIxnXxzHYWsEbKAIContwP0nHt_QuqyDeW6BskYEbWJRH _g?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none

Above - maybe the Start pin on the starter solenoid. The 86 should have a two-conductor connector on the fan temp switch in the lower manifold. The block coolant temp wire should be part of the injector harness. IIRC the oil pressure connector is part of the TPS harness.

https://bywjug.sn.files.1drv.com/y4mRO3I8PjwkR6Z364sX4a_3oTxQeYQiOS2Le3Mq3KYj7vvSMHfBwxPtoCcQ fZGQIDokLvUGnSWy0nfhBFVWMhm9u_UqN_M4UcrMcgnAMpsiTD_Rv9TaiJ2g _13zUSKPbr6JaGtmu-wYQDQC-_ZuiJiWu9pjsn-1JWMNfW8qXzCGPJvm93YJpnGZ2LbQ2k7z0Ph49-FUwCN0JgaLs54DWGKtw?width=768&height=1024&cropmode=none

Don't forget the eye protection.

[brotharon]

Yeah, that must be the block coolant temp sensor wire. Now I have to find that connection with everything back in. The single connector wire is coming off of the injector harness. I believe that one of the previous owners hated sensors and disconnected as many as humanly possible. I am trying my best to put it all back together, but some of these things are just more trouble than they are worth I believe. Either way, it is coming together.

Oh, we always wear eye protection! Safety is a #1 priority in the garage...except that I cannot get this kid to wear sleeves or long pants, but who wants to do that in Houston.

[Corrugated]

Great quote, that got me lol'ing for sure! Keep up the good progress on that car!


Yeah, that must be the block coolant temp sensor wire. Now I have to find that connection with everything back in. The single connector wire is coming off of the injector harness. I believe that one of the previous owners hated sensors and disconnected as many as humanly possible. I am trying my best to put it all back together, but some of these things are just more trouble than they are worth I believe. Either way, it is coming together.

Oh, we always wear eye protection! Safety is a #1 priority in the garage...except that I cannot get this kid to wear sleeves or long pants, but who wants to do that in Houston.

[brotharon]

Great quote, that got me lol'ing for sure! Keep up the good progress on that car!

I appreciate the encouragement. I usually just get eye rolling from my wife about the car, so it is good to know that there are other maniacs out there trying to keep these things on the road.

I expect to have it started again this weekend. It wont really be driven much until I get a few more things done mechanically (I have a checklist), but it is getting close I think. I am doing what I can to minimize the amount of time that the car is non-operational for. I have had projects in the past that fizzled and died because I tried to do too much at once. I am doing my best to exercise self-control with this one, and tackle one thing at a time...but sometimes when you start tackling one thing you realize that it is a great time to do a few upgrades. I will admit that a new/rebuilt turbo was not required, but the car had an unidentifiable Chinese turbo in there, and I don't trust those things to hold down a stack of papers on my desk. I feel that was a good purchase to make at the time (with the head taken off and the exhaust out of the car) since it makes for a lot less removal and re-installation of stuff in the engine bay.

[Under Pressure]

yeah it's easy to get side tracked, take notes so you get lost in the direction you're headed.

[brotharon]

Fired it up last night after getting the last few things bolted on. Once I got the timing set it was running better than ever. The engine seems to have smoothed out quite a bit, but I wont know for sure until I get it out on the road. I hope to be able to pull it out of the garage after work today and take it for a run around the block and see how it is doing before I take it on longer runs.

If this worked and I cured the engine of what was ailing it for now, next on the agenda will be to get the replacement springs for the sportlines installed and get an exhaust system on it. The sportlines are just too aggressive for my taste, and the exhaust system it came with is basically an eBay muffler on a stick. I am sure that both of these things work, but they arent what I want for my car. I am going to Eibach prokit springs to replace the sportlines. I already have a stainless 3" downpipe, so I will probably buy some over the axle 2.5" sections, a couple of magnaflow mufflers and fabricate up a midpipe. I looked at Stinger's site, but I didnt see him having a setup that doesnt include the downpipe. I also need to run out to the u-pull-it and get some exhaust hangers because mine are gone.

[brotharon]

Well, it would appear that my hopes were in vain. I pulled out of the garage, went to turn the corner onto the main street, car died. It would start right back up, but wouldnt move. After letting it idle for a few minutes with the hazards on i figured out that I could get the idle up without having it die by very slowly pressing the gas pedal. Any sudden input, even remotely sudden, and the car would sputter. Stick your foot into the gas and it died. I was able to nurse it back around the corner and into the garage at which point a fog cloud of antifreeze started pouring from the vents in the top of the dash.

I bypassed the heater core, which is apparently toast. I unplugged the VAM, cleaned the connector, plugged it back in. That helped to the point that it runs/drives. It surges really bad when you get on it in 1st and 2nd gear. I didnt really notice it doing it in 3rd or 4th. Seems like something is causing it to pull timing, but I dont know what would be causing that. Also, a bunch of exhaust was leaking into the cabin because it doesnt have a real exhaust system, just the crap that I inherited with the car. Dont really know what to do at this point. This isnt what I was trying to get into with a project car. I was looking for something that was a bit more sorted than this car appears to be. This might be beyond the scope of what I am willing to take on.

[Under Pressure]

You can't stop now because you want to know what the hell is going on. Check your TPS is set to .9v check your intercooler hose clamps are tight,check that wiring mess and distributor cap for water inside. You'll get it.

[brotharon]

The TPS is at 1v. I set it to .9v. I had my wife slowly press the gas pedal to watch the change through the range. It went between .9 and 4.6v from closed to WOT. This seems acceptable. I am looking into the vacuum/boost lines to make sure that everything is properly reconnected.

[brotharon]

I completely reset the idle and throttle. I set the idle at warm with the IAC disconnected to ~700 rpm. Plugged the IAC back in, let it figure out the idle. It settled in at around 1000-1050 rpm. The idle does vary a bit (about 20-25rpm) it seems. I do not know if that is normal for these cars or not. If not I may have a vacuum leak or something. Once that was done I found that the TPS voltage was at about .45 volts. I set it to .94 volts and tested that it is functional throughout the entire pedal range. There does not appear to be any dead spots in the range from .94v - about 4.75v (WOT).

I did find that if I press the gas pedal quickly the RPMs dip before picking back up. I do not know if this is only at idle or also under load because I have not been able to take the car out and road test it again. I hope to get it out for another road test later this week, but I have to be safe about this stuff and make sure that I have everything working that needs to be working. The car does not die from the RPM dipping, but it does drop about 300 RPM before raising like expected.

[Under Pressure]

That all sounds like normal operation, good work.

[brotharon]

That all sounds like normal operation, good work.

It is certainly a heck of a lot better than it was. Took it for a short 5 mile drive and it didnt blow up, so that is a start.

There is something still wrong that I need to figure out. It is stuttering/hesitating/surging/bucking under load from 1500 to 3000 rpm. At 3000 rpm the turbo is making about 11 lbs of boost and the car takes off like a rocket. It is tough to know what is going on because i am thinking that if it was fuel it wouldnt get better as boost increases. I am wondering if something is up with the vam or if there is some major vacuum leak that i have yet to locate. If you have any ideas about what to look at or what tests I can do to help find the cause I would be oh so grateful.

[MikeFleming]

It is stuttering/hesitating/surging/bucking under load from 1500 to 3000 rpm. At 3000 rpm the turbo is making about 11 lbs of boost and the car takes off like a rocket. It is tough to know what is going on because i am thinking that if it was fuel it wouldnt get better as boost increases. I am wondering if something is up with the vam or if there is some major vacuum leak that i have yet to locate. If you have any ideas about what to look at or what tests I can do to help find the cause I would be oh so grateful. Clean the VAM, make sure t's moving smoothly through it's full stop-to-stop range. And make sure there aren't any air leaks between the VAM and the throttle body.

Next check / verify the fuel injector pattern. It's more critical at low flow rates. Cleaning / replacement may be needed.

Lastly verify secondary ignition components (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, coil...) are proper. Above 3K and under higher loads, the fuel mixture goes crazy rich and can mask ignition issues.

[brotharon]

I have started on checking the mentioned systems. I checked to make sure all of the plug wires are properly attached. I pulled the cap off of the distributor. I removed and inspected the rotor. The little metal bit on the end of the rotor looked bent upwards. Upon further inspection i found that it was not pushed into its little groove, and was kinda pointing up at a 35-45 degree angle. Dont know how that happened, or if it is likely to have caused my issues, but it pushed into the groove and snapped into place. It doesnt seem to wiggle about or want to come out of the groove, so I am guessing that it is ok. Inside of the distributor I do not see any water, oil, or grease. I started the car after making this fix and checked to make sure that the timing is still correct. The timing is still at 10 degrees advance with the little metal bit sensor thing pulled, and 20 degrees advanced with it plugged in and at idle. I need to get it out for another test drive and see if this was my issue. If not, I will be moving on to cleaning the VAM, injectors, and throttle body.

I didnt find any disconnected vacuum lines, and the idle is relatively steady. It is not brand new car steady, but pretty ok. I think that I can rule out a vacuum/boost leak at this point, though I may circle back to it if I have to.

[brotharon]

That was certainly a problem, but it wasnt the problem. It is really strange. If i go light on the throttle and keep it out of boost I can get it to accelerate without the issue that it is having. I dont know what the term is to describe what it is doing, but basically, if I try to accelerate quickly the car starts bucking, the boost needle jumps up and down, the rpms jump up and down, it is like riding an angry pony. This stops above 3000 rpms and it just takes off smoothly...relatively anyway. I dont know if it is leaning out at lower RPMs and not getting the fuel it needs, I dont know if there is some issue in the ignition system. I am guessing that is pretty much has to be one or the other of these problems, but I am not sure which it might be.

[brotharon]

I am wondering if the O2 sensor is fouled. I do not know how much bearing this sensor has on how a SVO runs, but the symptoms that my car is exhibiting are very similar to what I have been reading happens with a bad O2 sensor. It also seems odd that once the fuel goes into open loop above 3100 rpm it stops having problems. It could be something else, but I should be able to disconnect the O2, put it into open loop and see a change pretty quickly if that is the issue...I think.

That being said, I am going to pull the codes (assuming that the computer has some) and see if the computer has any knowledge of what is going wrong with it. I dont have high hopes for this working out well since so many things are bypassed/disconnected/etc that it is likely to be a breakfast hash of code goodness, but it is worth a shot.

[MikeFleming]

You can disconnect the O2 sensor and it will stay at whatever fuel correction it had last set and will not change from there. If you power-cycle the ECU after that it will set all fuel corrections values back to zero and not move.

[brotharon]

You can disconnect the O2 sensor and it will stay at whatever fuel correction it had last set and will not change from there. If you power-cycle the ECU after that it will set all fuel corrections values back to zero and not move.

I can get behind that. I had been reading up on it on Corral and TurboFord as well, and I see that I need to reset the ECU in order to notice any change. I do believe that reading codes is probably needing to be high on my list of priorities. I am going to hope that this car is better at telling me what is wrong with itself than the system that I work on daily (which is really bad at telling us what is going wrong despite having thousands of trouble codes and sensors).

[MikeFleming]

More accurately:

The ECU starts with no corrections to compensate for air leaks, varying fuel pressure, clogged injectors, etc. Then, using inputs from the O2 sensor, it calculates the amount of fuel needed to correct back to zero oxygen in the exhaust (O2 input) and stores that value in KAM (keep alive memory). When the O2 sensor input is missing, it still uses the stored value but no longer corrects it.

When the ECU looses KAM power, it resets to no correction. Which, if everything is perfect, will be the exact same place as the previously corrected value. The total fuel range of the O2 feedback system is about 1% [of fuel flow] so it's not much. it's only intended to compensate / correct for small variations in fuel injector calibrations, small differences in fuel pressure, small air leaks, etc.

[brotharon]

More accurately:

The ECU starts with no corrections to compensate for air leaks, varying fuel pressure, clogged injectors, etc. Then, using inputs from the O2 sensor, it calculates the amount of fuel needed to correct back to zero oxygen in the exhaust (O2 input) and stores that value in KAM (keep alive memory). When the O2 sensor input is missing, it still uses the stored value but no longer corrects it.

When the ECU looses KAM power, it resets to no correction. Which, if everything is perfect, will be the exact same place as the previously corrected value. The total fuel range of the O2 feedback system is about 1% [of fuel flow] so it's not much. it's only intended to compensate / correct for small variations in fuel injector calibrations, small differences in fuel pressure, small air leaks, etc.

I think I have a bigger issue than a 1% variation in some value. Maybe not, but it is lurching pretty good under hard acceleration until the open loop fuel program takes over. I am just going to have to keep doing things until it explodes or gets fixed...I sure hope it doesnt explode...

[brotharon]

Well, it didnt explode yet. Something is wrong with the diagnostics plug though. I can get the fuel pump to cycle on by grounding one of the wires, but the part that is supposed to read out the codes doesnt do anything. I tried jumpering it with several different implements...2 specifically, a paperclip and a wire with spade connectors on the ends. Neither one did anything of value when the test light was touched to the other connector. I tried scratching at them a bit with the tester to see if I could get a better connection, but there was just nothing there. I dont believe that the car would run without a computer, so the computer must be doing something, but I have no way to tell what that might be.

[MikeFleming]

Buy a real EEC-IV tester (AKA OBD-1 Ford tester). They're really cheap now.

https://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3145-Ford-Digital-Reader/dp/B000EW0KHW/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=EEC-IV+tester&qid=1570140413&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr1

And don't forget where to lookup codes:

https://www.svocop.com/Articles/7/index.html

[brotharon]

Buy a real EEC-IV tester (AKA OBD-1 Ford tester). They're really cheap now.

https://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3145-Ford-Digital-Reader/dp/B000EW0KHW/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=EEC-IV+tester&qid=1570140413&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr1

And don't forget where to lookup codes:

https://www.svocop.com/Articles/7/index.html

Yeah, I was going to go to AutoZone and get one on the way home, but there was an accident and I didnt have time. I figured I would be able to pull them with a test light. I will go and pick one up if you think that it will be able to pull the codes when my trusty test light wont...poor test light :(

[rodster]

Just catching up on this thread and I must say I admire your determination! You will concur the beast and will be proud of your accomplishment. Fixing up a car someone has cobbed up is not for the faint of heart. Makes me really appreciate my boring stock 84!

Carry on!

[brotharon]

Just catching up on this thread and I must say I admire your determination! You will concur the beast and will be proud of your accomplishment. Fixing up a car someone has cobbed up is not for the faint of heart. Makes me really appreciate my boring stock 84!

Carry on!

Thanks. My determination keeps being tested. I keep giving up on this car. Then, I un-give up on it and get back to work. It is all part of my method.

[brotharon]

And persistence has paid off once again. It is running, driving, boosting...generally doing car things again. Now I can get down to making it better and fixing the messes created by years of negligence and abuse, but at least I do not have to worry about if it will even make it around the block.

[MikeFleming]

And persistence has paid off once again. ... but at least I do not have to worry about if it will even make it around the block. So, uhh, what did you do that made it all happy?

[brotharon]

Oh, that one pump thing that makes the fuel pump have less power. I reconnected it.

I realized that wasnt very clear. I was in a hurry.
The is a vacuum operated switch that is zip tied to the wiring harness. This switch causes the fuel pump to get less power unless it detects a load...more or less anyway... I disconnected it because I was informed that I dont need it. Well, maybe I dont need it, but my car sure likes it a lot. I am cure I could probably jumper the wires and bypass it, but I was just trying everything that I could think of, and one of those things was to put back the silly part that I took out and see if that does anything. I didnt expect it to completely fix everything. The car runs very well now. Surprisingly well even. My daughter said it runs pretty good, so that is all I need to know.

[brsvo]

Good for you for not giving up on it! Now you can just enjoy!

[brotharon]

Now I can start working on the things that are the things that I thought that I would be working on from the onset of the purchase of this car, that is for sure. There is some work that needs done to get it to the condition that I want it to be in. The interior is very tired. There are cracked and faded plastic parts that need restoration/replacement. The driver seat outer bolster is worn through. I am not sure if that can be fixed or if I need to replace it. I did find an SVO steering wheel that is in terrible condition and I am going to restore that and put it into the car so that I can get rid of the ill-fitting Grant steering wheel that is in there now. The SVO shift knob is gone and I will probably be putting a cobra or similar shift knob in to replace it. The heater core needs replaced, and the wiring behind the dash is most likely a rats nest just like under the hood. I will tackle it when I pull the dash to replace the heater core and upper dash pad. I will tackle the rats nest under the hood when I get to the point that I am ready to paint the car since I will likely pull the motor so that I can get inside the engine bay all cleaned up as well...and I will probably smooth out the multitude of bonus holes that were put in for various things over the years.
I think I will enjoy these things. It will certainly take me a while to get through all of it, and that is ok, but I want to try to keep it running/driving as much as possible through the whole process. Obviously there will be points where it will be down for 30 days or more because of the scope of the repair job, but I just dont want to take it all the way apart and then have it sit for 5 years+ while I think about getting back to it only to find that I dont know where all the parts are or what goes where when I do finally get around to trying to reassemble it...I have experience with this type of project, and do not want to go through it again. It broke my heart to have to sell off a car that I put a lot of work into because I just wasnt able to keep the project rolling along (this was while i was on active duty, and there were 3 deployments in that 5 year span which had a lot to do with the thing failing to be a priority).
Thanks for all the help and motivation to date. I will keep updating...with or without pictures...as the project moves along. I think that I am making good progress, and I am pleasantly surprised at how easy this car is to work on.

[brotharon]

Now that the car runs pretty well...

Update #1: When the car arrived to me it rode quite rough. I dug in and found that the stock springs had been replaced with Eibach Sportlines. Those are nice springs, but are too aggressive for what I am trying to do. I bought a set of Eibach Pro Kit springs off of a gentleman on SVOCA and have started putting them on. I have the back springs on at this point. There is a reason that I only have the back springs on, and that I started with the back springs.

This last weekend I went down to my local U-Pull-It yard in search of a nice set of over the axle exhaust pipes. The car came with a single 3" pipe with a welded in resonator. Not only did this take away from the overall appearance of the car (in my opinion), the pipe was very very rusty and looked horrible. I pulled a set of muffler back pipes from a 2000ish GT with some nice polished stainless tips. I got them all fitted up, while I had the suspension out, because I figured it was easier (and maybe necessary) to do it that way. I am waiting on a piece that I need to come in the mail in the next few days so I can weld up my mid pipe to tie it all in to the 3" downpipe. When it is all done I will have 3" downpipe to 2.5 inch in/out mufflers and 2.5" pipes the rest of the way back to 3" stainless tips. Maybe it is not as optimal as 3" pipes all the way back, but for 50 bucks at the wrecking yard (including the hangars which were missing from my car) I give it a thumbs up.

Since I am waiting on the part I need for the exhaust system, and the cooling fan wasnt working because the module under the dash gave up the ghost, I decided to do some electrical work of my own. I tied into the coolant temp switch on wire to make sure that is working, and it was, so I hooked up a 4-wire relay in place of the module that was under the dash to control the fan. I have it setup so that it comes on if the temp switch triggers it, the AC triggers it, or the little toggle switch that I put in triggers it (figured it was nice to have an override since it can get hot in Houston). I tested it once I got it all wired up, the temp got to about the 'A' in "NORMAL" on the gauge and then the fan kicked on and dropped it down to the "OR" range. I let it cycle like this a few times in the garage and then tested the AC (that didnt work until I jumped the plug under the hood because there currently isnt a compressor under there) and got it working, and finally tested my switch and it worked as expected.

That is where the car is at right now. I hope to have the exhaust fully installed this weekend and have the interior cabin back to a reasonable volume. Once that is complete I will probably begin working on getting the interior of the car to where I want it to be. Since that is where, as the driver, I will hope to spend the majority of my time (so far it has been elbows deep in the engine compartment) I would like it to be a lot nicer than it is right now.

[scenario]

Bravo! Nice work brother. All I can say is that I have been there on numerous projects over the years. This is a great troubleshooting thread for SVO owners.

[rodster]

You are the poster child for saving and appreciating SVO's!

Thanks for keeping us posted and share some pics. :like2:

[MikeFleming]

Thanks. My determination keeps being tested. I keep giving up on this car. Then, I un-give up on it and get back to work. It is all part of my method. I cna say - from personal experience this works well with car projects - turning the lights off and returning months later expecting things to bright where you last left them. It does NOT work with women.

Just sayin'!