What is the TFI? Where is it located?
I need to look for a sticky thread that has these acronyms listed. If we don't have one, maybe we should start one. I know having an acronym list would help me.
What is the TFI? Where is it located?
I need to look for a sticky thread that has these acronyms listed. If we don't have one, maybe we should start one. I know having an acronym list would help me.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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TFI is the : Thick Film Module on the side of the dizzy. I should have looked, you have a 1979. so you have Dura Spark. Either way, what I mean is to unplug the wires going to the dizzy.
I think I may have fixed oil leak #3, but I'm not sure. What do you guys think? The o-ring shrunk down enough that the O.D. was flush with the distributor base o-ring groove. Not sure if the o-ring broke during removal or if it broke sometime before.
Last edited by IDMooseMan; 05-28-2012 at 07:40 PM.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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Looks pretty flat to me. Time will tell.
Yep, I'm hoping this is the last oil leak to fix. It'd be nice to spend my money on a Ranger exhaust header instead of 5-gallon bottles of 20W-50.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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Well...looks like I still might have a leak somewhere, so the saga continues. The only things left to check are the dipstick tube o-ring (if it has one), the oil pan gasket, and the main seals.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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Did you ever pressure wash or steam clean the engine? Oil leaks can be almost impossible to pinpoint on a dirty engine.
Yeah, that dizzy o-ring was cooked. Dipstick tube is another common one for sure.
And you definitely need to clean the engine until it is bone dry, so you can do some actual diagnosis. I'm not a big fan of the pressure washer (i know it's quick and easy, but getting water in a connector sucks). I prefer to use a screwdriver to scrape the cruddy oil-dirt-mud off, then compressed air to blow off any crud you couldn't get a screwdriver on, then rags to wipe as much oil off as possible, and finally brake clean until everything is completely clean. Of course, if you have to pay for the brake clean (as opposed to working in a shop), the pressure washer will be the most cost effective..
But then in this case, even if you do all that, if you leave the transmission installed, any oil that has accumulated in the bellhousing will slowly ooze out for a long time.
Marc aka tripice351. 84.5 GT-350 2.3T.. and now, 1982 GL coupe.
check your fuelpump. it has a diaphragm that could blow and let oil leak out of it. look for the breather hole on the fuelpump
Last edited by CRAZYHORSE R1; 06-02-2012 at 07:48 AM.
Yep, the dipstick is on my "To Do" list and cleaning is a priority as well. Looks like I need to add the fuel pump to the "list" as a possible culprit.
Is the dipstick held in by a nut at the block or just the attaching nuts up top putting pressure on the o-ring? I don't think I'm asking this question very well.
Is the fuel pump diaphragm replaceable or would I need a new pump?
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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new pump
Thought so.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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Check the block breather to make sure it isn't plugged. It's on the drivers side and includes an oil separator that can plug up and cause oil to be forced out onto the block.
I'm not familiar with that one, Vern. I'll have to look in my manual for it and check the block. I don't recall seeing anything on the block that looks like it might be a breather. Would you have a picture of it? Where on the driver-side should I look for this?
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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It's where the hose from the PCV valve connects to the block.
PCV didn't have a hose on it when I bought the car. The PCV wasn't making a good seal and leaked oil, (surprise, surprise), so I installed an oil filler cap in its place. I guess that, technically, was oil leak #1, but oil is no longer leaking from the PCV on the valve cover, because the PCV is no longer in place. The only hose it would've had would've attached to the air cleaner housing. The air cleaner housing component was never there either.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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In the pic:
Note the medium hole, left (west) of the oil filter/block mount.
This is for the 2.3 oil separator (not shown).
Oil separator is a steel, box shaped part, with 2 tubes welded to it.
One (lower) tube presses into the block.
The remaining (upper) barbed tube is for the PCV valve rubber hose, which connects the seperator to the PCV valve.
Going up this lower PCV hose....
Next is the PCV valve. The valve also functions as a splice for the upper and lower hoses.
Last is the upper PCV valve hose. This hose connects the PCV valve to a large barb on the intake manifold tree.
In some cars of the past, this hose connected to a large barb on the base of a carb..
The small dipstick tube to block hole can be seen in the pic SE of the oil filter/block mount.
In this pic, paint makes it look like it is not a hole.
Strangely in the pic, the lighting/camera also makes #4 piston look used.
It is brand new, like the others.
Anyway, the dipstick tube is simply a press fit into the block.
Pressed in to the flange bump on the tube.
No o-ring, to my knowledge, was used.
A piece of brake line tubing can be bent to fab a new dipstick tube.
The diptube can crack off at the block if it lost support by it's upper bracket .
Mine did. Big oil leak.
Also in the pic the large hole, in the block south of cyl 1+2, is for the dist.
Below and to the left of that is the fuel pump mounting boss.
No TFI module on the 2.3 dist in 79. Good.
It does have a electronic ignition pickup assy inside.
PS pump not leaking is it? Just a thought.
Oil leak detection is why i decided to paint the block gray.
Dark blue, although factory correct, hid too much.
Thanks for taking me for a "walk around the block" gr79. That was great! I appreciate you removing your engine to show me this stuff.
With the head/intake/carb/oil filter installed, I can't twist around enough (back hardware) to see the location you identified for me. I'll take a look for that bugger, now that I know where to look. I hope I don't hafta pull the head to check the oil separator.
Yep, your #4 piston looks a bit tarnished in the pic. I was curious about that.
I was wondering about my P/S pump, too, but the area just behind it is dry. P/S fluid needs changing, but that's a different issue. I'm thinking this oil separator could be the problem. Now I just need to get my 4-eyes on it to verify.
The dipstick tube is properly fastened up top, so if there's no o-ring where it enters the block, I'll hafta check it for cracks, just to be sure.
Reps sent.
Another edit:
I went out and looked around that area for the oil separator. I did find it, but looks like I need to access the mounting bolt from underneath the car.
Last edited by IDMooseMan; 06-15-2012 at 05:49 PM. Reason: Reps sent to gr79
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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Okay, I, uh, couldn't figure out how to remove the oil separator. Is it pressed in? Is it screwed in and held in place like the distributor? That thing is in there solidly. It would not budge.
Since I was already dirty, I reset the timing again. Evidently, I didn't have the distributor hold-down properly tightened.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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Seperator is pressed in.. So the distributor oring was the problem?
1986 CHP SSP Coupe
The distributor o-ring was ONE of the problems. The oil separator looked good to me. It felt dry and the sections I could see had no crud on them. It was definitely NOT loose; I couldn't budge it at all. Since it's pressed in, I'm not gonna mess with it unless I'm 100% sure it's causing a problem. I'll keep cleaning and looking.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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What about a leak on the front of the engine that is blowing back or being slung back by the timing belt? There are several good leak places on the front of the engine. Pop the timing cover off and take a look.
86 Mercury Capri GS 2.3L
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That's what I was thinking, too, Ethan. I'm just about out of options now. The only seals left are the oil pan gasket, the main seals, timing cover area, and dipstick.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
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Just a thought- have you considered putting a ultraviolet die in the oil, and chasing the leak with a black light? works well when you cannot get it spotless to see where the leak is.
1983 Mustang G.T. No-option stripper- I like strippers.
5.0, GT40P heads, Comp Cams XE270HR-12 on 1.6 rockers, TFI spring kit, Weiand 174 blower, Holley 750 mechanical secondarys, Mishimoto radiator, Edelbrock street performer mechanical pump, BBK shortys, T-5 conversion, 8.8 rear, 3.73 gears, carbon fiber clutches, SS Machine lowers, Maximum Motorsport XL subframes, "B" springs.
Yeah, I have, Brian. I don't have access to a black light, but I have considered checking with my local Ford dealer to see if they'd do it for me. Seems like my Chevy dealer did it at no charge (when I had my Chevy K20 truck), but that WAS several years ago.
Craig "IDMooseMan" Peters
1979 Mustang Ghia Notchback, 2.3L, Holley 5200, 4-spd, 3.08:1 7.5" diff, A/C, PS, PB, AM/FM/8-Track, Sunroof, Rear Defroster
USAF SSgt 63170 1983 - 1992; Co-Founder, Vice President, Omega Delta Sigma, ID-A 2/2015
To those that serve and have served, "Thank You", to those that haven't, "You're Welcome"
2.3L Horsepower Potential Thread
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