^^^ Thanks for the tip, and for confirming that I wasn't just an idiot that didn't know how to get the washer off the striker.![]()
^^^ Thanks for the tip, and for confirming that I wasn't just an idiot that didn't know how to get the washer off the striker.![]()
Minor progress today, got the new cap & rotor and plug wires installed. Old distributor cap didn't look too bad, but the tip of the old rotor was definitely worn, and the plug wires were in bad shape, rubber all dried out and cracking.
Was doing some looking around, trying to see what all I need to remove to do the valve cover gasket. There's an awful lot of emissions (?) stuff in the way, so that's gonna be kind of a pain in the ass - I need to do some labeling of components and some picture taking before disassembly so I can put Humpty Dumpty back together again!
Removed the back seat, with the hopes that I would have access to the trunk and would be able to unbolt the trunk latch (so I can open the trunk to remove the lock cylinder to get a key cut). Unbeknownst to me, there's bracing across the trunk opening behind the seat back, so you can't crawl through there. (Well, I suppose you could if you were toddler-sized.) Newman! I'll have to grow a really long arm to reach back there, or shift my plan to pulling a lock cylinder from one of the doors. (And yes, I realize the glove box should be the same, too, but in my experience the glove box lock doesn't seem like it's good enough for key-cutting. The one on my Mustang is very loose.)
Supposed to be ~60F on Sunday, but also nearly 100% chance of rain. Hopefully there'll be enough of a break in the rain that I can get the gas tank reinstalled. Might also see about degreasing the engine and engine bay some - it really is just a grunge-fest in there!
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
- Didn't get quite as much accomplished as I would've liked, but I did get the gas tank reinstalled. I went at the surface rust (pretty much just on the rear of the tank, along the upper half of the rear face) with a wire brush, then threw a couple quick coats of Rustoleum "Rust Buster" paint on it. It will most likely be coming out to be replaced by a fuel cell, anyway, but I figured it couldn't hurt to protect it a bit.
- Took a bunch of pictures of the rat's nest of vacuum hoses and sensors and emissions (?) hoses to help put it all back together again. The unseasonably warm weather + a day of rain meant humidity was very high, so everything had condensation on it.
In the bottom right you can see where I've partially cleaned off the K-member. I was using a plastic scraper to just scrape off the 1/16" of grunge!
The hose on the very left of the last picture (connected to the carb) I found was not connected when I was poking around the other day. The hose had been plugged with something, and the hose nipple on the carb just had nothing on it. No idea what purpose it serves, but I figured it should be hooked up.
- Pulled off the rear bumper, kind of for curiosity's sake (to see how heavy it is), and also to see about modifying the mounts to pull the bumper in a bit. Not something real high on the priority list, but I figured since I was under the the rear of the car, anyway, I'd go ahead and pull it off to take a look.
Last edited by Patrick Olsen; 02-11-2018 at 08:31 PM.
Since I was thwarted in my attempt to get the lock cylinder out of the trunk, I went ahead and removed the lock from the driver's door. Carefully pulled the inner panel off - both doors appear to have very good panels, so I didn't want to mess it up - peeled the vapor barrier back a bit, and was able to remove the lock without much issue.
![]()
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
- Pulled the valve cover to replace the valve cover gasket. Holy sludge build-up, Batman!
- Cleaned up the inside of the cover with the plastic scraper, some rags, some brake cleaner, etc. It's not perfect, but good enough for my purposes. Cleaned the outside of the valve cover with Goop hand cleaner (a trick I read about online somewhere) - works quite well.
- Reinstalled the valve cover with a new cork Fel-pro gasket. The old gasket was definitely not cork, and was definitely dead - hardened & brittle.
- Replaced the PCV valve and PCV valve grommet.
- Replaced the fuel filter.
- Installed a new pre-heater hose (? - not sure if that's what it's called - the hose that runs from the top of the exhaust manifold up to the bottom of the air cleaner snorkel). There was no hose at all before, just an inch or so of old hose attached to the air cleaner snorkel. Plus, the flapper valve (whatever it's called) inside the snorkel was kind of bound up. I drilled out the rivet that holds the vacuum actuator to the snorkel, freed things up, then riveted it back in place. No idea what purpose all that serves, but at least it's all there now!
- Added some Seafoam to the oil, and bought another 5qt jug of oil and a filter so I can change the oil in a bit. Hoping the Seafoam will clean up some of the sludge. (I didn't bother trying to clean all around the valvetrain, I'm letting the Seafoam do that.)
- Started it with the fuel pump drawing from the gas tank, as it should, rather than from a 1gal gas can propped up in the engine bay. Took 5 or 10 seconds of cranking to get fuel from the tank (since the line was empty), but once it started it was all good. Didn't seem to idle any more smoothly / better than before, which was a bit of a disappointment - I was hoping the new plugs, wires, cap & rotor, and fuel filter would make things happier.
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
I really have no idea what I'm looking at when it comes to all of the vacuum lines and vacuum solenoids and whatevers that I assume are emissions related. As I was mapping out everything so I could pull a few things apart to make it easier to do the valve cover gasket, I found two connectors that aren't plugged into anything. A somewhat cursory inspection didn't reveal anything to plug them into. Anyone have any ideas?
Mystery connector #1 - 2-pin connector near the carb on the passenger side:
Mystery connector #2 - larger, rectangular 2-pin connector, with associated ground wire, driver side kind of down low (although there's enough slack that it could go high or low):
![]()
Sludge wise, two things.......
1 - someone never changed oil!
2 - the oil that was in it *sucked*.
So let me guess.... Penzoil ..... sludge forming crap....
Run a high detergent oil like Mobile or Valvoline or Havoline or Motorcraft and you'll never have that problem. My 1986GT has 1/2 million miles and has had the holy hell beat out of it but it always got oil changes on time and it's clean as a whistle inside.
Last edited by erratic50; 02-25-2018 at 12:54 AM.
Get an EVTM (Electrical & Vacuum Troubleshooting Manual) for your Fairmont https://www.ebay.com/itm/1978-FORD-F...xX5yXa&vxp=mtr
I've collected dozens over the years. They're invaluable and answer most questions you will have.
Mike
My '78 Fairmont build - http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...539-78-Big-Red
About Respect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bk9WG8KWW0
X's Album http://vb.foureyedpride.com/album.php?albumid=2922
Oz JPS Stang http://www.nzmustang.com/Images/Hist...cecars/jps.htm
4V (A)US Race V8's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqk18A-ibjA
ITZOLD 81 Fox http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-fun-and-games
6V i6's @ http://www.xecltd.info/?rd=10 ; AWD i6's @ http://www.apetracing.co.nz/
113 mph 84 5.0 at Amaroo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTezv3Pzdls&t=8s
Techno KCM Loop Out: Severed Heads 1m³ Angels 1985 https://youtu.be/Wll6G1KpLqQ
Future Shock https://youtu.be/rDKGkWU0lWQ
Last edited by xctasy; 02-25-2018 at 03:38 AM.
About Respect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bk9WG8KWW0
X's Album http://vb.foureyedpride.com/album.php?albumid=2922
Oz JPS Stang http://www.nzmustang.com/Images/Hist...cecars/jps.htm
4V (A)US Race V8's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqk18A-ibjA
ITZOLD 81 Fox http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-fun-and-games
6V i6's @ http://www.xecltd.info/?rd=10 ; AWD i6's @ http://www.apetracing.co.nz/
113 mph 84 5.0 at Amaroo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTezv3Pzdls&t=8s
Techno KCM Loop Out: Severed Heads 1m³ Angels 1985 https://youtu.be/Wll6G1KpLqQ
Future Shock https://youtu.be/rDKGkWU0lWQ
This is my Pursuit 170 1963 170 cubic inch Falcon cylinder head on a 3.3 1981 Mustang B code.
Yes, Virginia, they really didn't change much in 20 years of 144-170-200-250 I6 Ford production.![]()
(1960-1983)
This has aselection of, um, "remedial repairs" since I used it as a front line car for 5 years doing Road Inspections.
Hopefully that will show you the orginal grey and black wire links to re-establish things.
Its the Vac Operated Throttle Modulator or "Throttle Kicker" idle load control, found only on 1980-1983 cars with factory fitted air con. B and X code 3.3's. JA Cooke was saying the electric joiners changed between 1981 to 1983 on some Fords.
8868
3414
3415
This is the VOTM system (electric SOL V sits on rocker cover),
8878
Red squares were where my adjustable rocker arms hit the stock 1980- 1982 Blue high mount B code rocker cover. Disregard.
8865
8864 RPM adjustment knob
![]()
Last edited by xctasy; 02-25-2018 at 04:22 AM.
About Respect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bk9WG8KWW0
X's Album http://vb.foureyedpride.com/album.php?albumid=2922
Oz JPS Stang http://www.nzmustang.com/Images/Hist...cecars/jps.htm
4V (A)US Race V8's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqk18A-ibjA
ITZOLD 81 Fox http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-fun-and-games
6V i6's @ http://www.xecltd.info/?rd=10 ; AWD i6's @ http://www.apetracing.co.nz/
113 mph 84 5.0 at Amaroo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTezv3Pzdls&t=8s
Techno KCM Loop Out: Severed Heads 1m³ Angels 1985 https://youtu.be/Wll6G1KpLqQ
Future Shock https://youtu.be/rDKGkWU0lWQ
This is the idle control Sol V from Foxy Capris posts. His car had Speed Control, so it had some other sensors, but thats the control for the carb idle speed.
One Ford I6 web site has 70% of its communications made up of "my I6 Ford won't idle" posts.
I've been aound I6 cars since I was toted to kindergarten in a 1966 XR Falcon in 1974.
1. All Ford I6's with a 1-bbl or 2-bbl carb don't idle worth a damn. One jug feeding six pigglets just not workie. A triple Carb or EFi or Hilborn Injected Ford I6 idles better than any 200 Fored ever made.
2. Even on propane with a 2-bbl carb, my cross flow 250 ( a US 200/250 based engine)..... it idled badly, despite the fact that Propane makes any car idle better than it does on gasoline. Except on the Ford I6.
Notes. 3. the main problem is the leak prone two bolt on tow bolt carb to log head intake adaptor.
It always leaks, and needs to be very carefully tightend with a new gasket. If torquing down, it has to be done so with unlubricated theads, and done evenly on the alloy to log head theads.
4. Addding better EDIS6 ignition helps a lot, but the problem is the way a single point of fuel delivery cannot feed an I6.
5. Same 1-bbl carb on a Mopar 225 slant six, or Australian Holden 3.3, it idles just fine. Its all to do with intake pulses and 90 degree angles and port spacings being fed from intake lengths up to 1 foot different.
6. Fords I6 cranks weren't ever fully counerweighed untill 1993 on the Aussie 4 liter in line sixes. Even a 1953 Nash, a Hudson or AMC or Jeep I6 has a fully counterweight crank. That helps smoothen the strong intake pulses, but unless its independent runner or has an Independent Throttle Body or a single throttle body and multiple point injection system, no Ford I6 will ever idle well.
Lastly, the 85 devices that make up your engine VECI system are highly developed and work exceptionally well. The EGR system will no dobut be blocked, and I'd say the primary light off catalyst and secondary catalyst might be blocked up with leaded gas build up if the car hasn't had regular maintenance.
The best way to check it is to put a tee junction in the Catalyst, and measure the backpressure with a fuel pressure gauge.
You can drop the heat shield around the catalyst with a lot of work, make sure you mid the starter motor heat shield braket,and the EGR down stream air, its all very crowded, a lot more than a V8 is.
I used a drilled tap to insert a pressure gage in my upper catalayst. My car came with a non factory wide band 02 sensor.
You can then measure back pressure. If anything is blocked up, the I6 behaves like a Elvis before is life ended. Bunged up!
![]()
The cat is a big old thing...it has a hole cut in it to fit an O2 sensor. Your car doesn't have an O2 sensor, mine did.
"IMG_6861"
"IMG_7222"
"IMG_7223"
"IMG_7224"
Here is the non standard thermo couple in the back ground
The only other adjustment, and a non feedback one, is the orange null knob for idle speed solenoid setting beside the valve cover by the throttle cable.
Attachment 81017
Last edited by xctasy; 02-25-2018 at 05:25 AM.
About Respect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bk9WG8KWW0
X's Album http://vb.foureyedpride.com/album.php?albumid=2922
Oz JPS Stang http://www.nzmustang.com/Images/Hist...cecars/jps.htm
4V (A)US Race V8's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqk18A-ibjA
ITZOLD 81 Fox http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-fun-and-games
6V i6's @ http://www.xecltd.info/?rd=10 ; AWD i6's @ http://www.apetracing.co.nz/
113 mph 84 5.0 at Amaroo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTezv3Pzdls&t=8s
Techno KCM Loop Out: Severed Heads 1m³ Angels 1985 https://youtu.be/Wll6G1KpLqQ
Future Shock https://youtu.be/rDKGkWU0lWQ
My impression is that the last real owner of the car was elderly, so #1 wouldn't surprise me. I mean, the car was last registered in 2003, so clearly it wasn't getting a whole lotta love for quite a while.
Good call, thanks. Just bought one on Ebay, should have it later this week.
OK, so that's "mystery connector #1". My car doesn't have A/C, so if that "throttle kicker" was only for A/C cars, then it makes sense that it's not plugged in on my car.
And that's mystery connector #2. I don't have that adjustment knob mounted on the rocker cover.
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
- Got the driver's door lock back from the locksmith, along with a new key. Tested the key in the trunk and passenger door, good to go. (Locksmith commented that the driver's lock was very worn, so he wasn't sure the key he made would work in the other locks, but it does.)
- Reinstalled the driver's door lock.
- Got the trunk open and cleaned out the little bit of trash that was in there:
- Pulled the steering shaft apart so I can replace the rag joint. The original rubber (?) disk basically no longer exists, just a couple of very brittle chunks left over.
![]()
Last edited by Patrick Olsen; 02-28-2018 at 08:19 PM.
A more thorough write-up is here, but yesterday evening I completed blowing apart the rag joint...
... reassembled it using a Dorman 31000 kit from Autozone, and reinstalled the steering shaft on the car:
![]()
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
- Drove the car for the first time Saturday morning, just around the block. Forgot that I had removed the belt for the power steering weeks ago, so steering was a bit heavy, but other than that it felt fine. Got up to maybe 50mph. Was going to do a few miles down the road to get gas, but realized as I was leaving the neighborhood that I hadn't picked up my wallet. Oops.
The driver's shoulder belt is all the way out and won't retract, so that's annoying.
- Hit the junkyard today and grabbed a complete dual exhaust rear brake line off a '94 GT, to run from the passenger front wheel well back to the center of the chassis. I already have the bracket that the soft line (from the chassis to the rear end) attaches to (this part). Obviously that hard line will have to be modified to account for the longer wheelbase, but I figured I might as well grab the complete line rather that cutting it somewhere.
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
You found a Mustang GT in your local junkyard??!!!! Wow! We NEVER see those in junkyards here. Even base Mustangs are totally picked over in a week!
Brad
'79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
'17 Ford Focus ST
'14 Ford Fusion SE Manual
They're pretty rare here, too - I think this is only the 2nd '94/95 that I've seen since I've been looking. Someone had grabbed the transmission (automatic), but the 5.0L was still there. There have been a couple of '96-98s, but they don't have the same center brake line. Quite a few V6s to choose from, but again, they don't have the right brake line.
- Bought replacement v-belts on Rock Auto. Went 1-for-4 on getting the right thing.(Only 3 belts on the car, of course, but I ended with 4 belts because I bought 2 different fan/alternator belts.)
They had listings for 2 different fan/alt belt lengths, depending on "w/70A or 100A alternator" or "w/o 70A or 100A alternator", both w/o air conditioning. I wasn't sure what the alternator options were, but figured this base model, power-nothing car had whatever alternator is not the 70A or 100A. Well, turns out neither belt worked - seems like I needed something with a length in between. Annoying.
PS belt was correct, so I got that one installed.
Air pump belt wasn't even close - wrong belt width, so it wouldn't have even fit in the pulleys if it was the correct length. Looks like I just chose the wrong brand - other brands on RA had the correct 6mm / 1/4" belt width.
- Fixed the driver's seatbelt. Not sure what I did different, but this time I got it to retract on the first sharp tug.
- Took the car for a spin again, put more gas in the tank. Gas gauge works. Then took it to the local scrap metal yard so I could put it on their scale (the real reason for taking it out) - about 2845# with 3/4 tank of gas. Not too bad!
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
One small bit of progress, that actually took quite a bit of work, just not work on the car itself.The interior will be getting gutted, and that started with the door panels. I sold those to someone on the other side of the country, and had to build a box to ship them. They're a pretty awkward size, and I wanted to make sure they survive the trip. [I'll find out in another 4 or 5 days if I was successful.]
I haven't done anything to the car in the past few months, been busy working on projects on the other members of my stable. I'm hoping this weekend to maybe get some work accomplished, as the weather is supposed to be not quite so damn hot & humid! Right now my '89 GT is parked behind the Zephyr in the driveway, and has no ECU installed (was out to have a former Navy nuke electronics tech submarine-mate of mine replace the problematic caps on the board). Need to reinstall the ECU, then I can move the Mustang. Once that's out of the way I can take the Zephyr out for a spin again. Primary purpose of that is to warm up and circulate the oil, to which I had added some Seafoam. Then I'll change the oil again - I'm curious to see how well the Seafoam works. The oil will only have a couple dozen miles on it, but I'm hoping it comes out pretty dark, indicating that the Seafoam did its thing and cleaned out a bunch of sludge. We'll see...
'89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
'82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car
The packaging looks solid, Pat. No fears that the panels will survive undamaged.![]()
Mike
My '78 Fairmont build - http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...539-78-Big-Red
As tentatively planned, over the weekend I got my Mustang out of the way and took the Zephyr out for a quick spin. Took 20 or 30sec of cranking to get it to start (having sat for 3 months or so), but after that it was fine.
After driving it around a little bit I did an oil & filter change. The "old" oil (which had maybe 20-30 miles on it) came out black, like the oil that comes out of my other cars after 5000 miles or more. I don't know if that's due to the Seafoam doing its thing, or if that's simply a matter of running a neglected engine on some halfway decent, modern oil (with a modern additive package to help break down sludge). Either way, I was pleased to see the "flush" had done something.
Arrived in PERFECT condition. Your attention to detail is incredible.
Attachment 122113
Attachment 122114
So much better than what I scrounged up.
Mike![]()
My '78 Fairmont build - http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...539-78-Big-Red
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