My heater in the mustang is beginning to issue forth foggy ghosts on the glass, signifying that the heater core has failed. I had it replaced a few years ago. There is something about the velocity of the coolant passing through it. The first one had become limed up and the pressure ripped the center out of it, looking like someone had shot it with a shotgun slug. I'm wondering if the feed tubes might have fractured their soldered attachments. It'll be over $550 to have it replaced as the entire dash assembly will have to be removed to get to the heater/AC plenum. Not a better idea.
Wow that's not good. Have you thought about a bypass for it as well, so not the entire velosity goes through the core, just some of it?
It's worth a try so you don't keep going through cores and you still have heat.
They make a flow restrictor insert for the pump to core line. I'm not sure if they put one in last time, but there is one on order, along with a new Motorcraft core now. I have the same size engine (5.0) in my truck. 5 screws and 2 hose clamps to get it out and it still has the original core.
Just got a call from the shop. it is done now and it came to around $670. Sure cure for phoneitis. :D
Quote from: 19and41 on February 04, 2020, 01:46:31 PM
Sure cure for phoneitis. :D
My guess s a distraction of 1 year or less.
JMO,
Jim
I'll give it a couple of months. There is no cure, only a brief remission.
Got the core replaced. The next problem promptly reared it's ugly head. The engine would momentarily shut down, for a little less than a half second and resume. I was driving it on a short errand and the engine abruptly quit at a traffic intersection. No power to the engine management system, everything else works, including the starter. Sometimes I think Ford wanted to provide the driver with all the joys of a real sports car, down to simulated Lucas electrics. I had to tow it home with AAA after waiting in the cold for 2 hours. Thank goodness for my halogen radiant heater!!
Fix Or Repair Daily still holds true. Exactly why I DONT drive a Ford. My mom had a car just like that many years ago.. She got rid of it promptly.
I've had 1 car that was so rotten that it swore me off all cars and trucks by it's maker. I was delighted when a lady bought it thinking it was real cool. It was an '86 Toronado. My 25 year old mustang is a piker in the money pit department compared to that toro when it was 5 years old.
Luckily Odsmobile is no longer in business so you don't have to worry about another one ;D
GM is though. I see they have flung off the Holden brand now.
They also dropped their European brands, Opel and Vauxhall some time ago.
Poor Alfred Sloan's probably rolling over in his grave.
Everyone produces a Lemmon every once and a while. Because the name of the game is do your job and do it fast..
Unfortunately fast doesn't produce good results every time.
But your issue sounds like and ignition problem that's intermittent. That make its hard to diagnose.
When the mechanic was working on my mom's car, he inadvertently hit the wire from the coil to the points, the car died, he tried to start it, nope. Replaced that wire no problems after.. Until the next one reared its head.
Old mobiles were kinda cool in some designs, but over all not a very reliable car. I've owned Chevy's for years, never had any major issues I couldn't deal with. They never left me stranded.
This one was being intermittent, but I can see the failureis within the engine management area of the wiring. The ECM has an interface with the main engine support systems and is a relay module. I need a dry day or two to see how much of what is affected. If the car can be read with my OBD I reader, then the ECM is good. then the relay module and it's support circuitry would be suspect.
You know, with all these things having connectors to make a complete circuit to what they need to. It's no wonder there's problems. All it takes is a small spot of corrosion to kill a circuit in these cars.
I had a mini van, popular style, had issues come up with things come to find out it was water made its way into a connection, and threw everything off.
This one has quite a few connectors. the ones I'v e had apart were quite clean and dry inside. They even had gold plated pins.
Yes quite a few.. And yes as they should be, because they would be sealed from moisture if they are in good condition.
But I've been watching car programs and the newer cars have a staggering amount of connectors, compared to what the older cars did.
Well good luck.
Well, it's finally boiled down to the engine control module. The shop found out as I already knew, that they are none available at most of the auto parts outlets in the US. I've ordered one from a remanufacturer. It was fun trying to find one on Ebay. They were listing the relay interface as the microprocessor controller and a number of places was selling used units pulled from wrecked cars. I didn't want to get a used one and contend with 25 year old electrolytic capacitors in them.
Yes, the new cars have an enormous amount of connections. They have cut down on the number of wires & connectors by using a CAN - BUS system. I gave up working on cars long ago and I am glad I did. This new system somehow uses the same wiring to send several different signals. I guess the computers figure out where it goes. The air bag system is required to have gold connectors and yellow wires.
I guess I'm fortunate in that my work with microprocessor controlled 2 way radios gives me some understanding how this system works. I can do a little bit on the ECM, but mostly with it's peripherals.
Quote from: HarrySmith on February 26, 2020, 03:04:28 PM
. This new system somehow uses the same wiring to send several different signals. I guess the computers figure out where it goes.
Could be done with frequency, a type of power-line carrier, sorta like the old X10 home automation.
Just a guess.
Jim
CAN-Bus used in automobiles and machines is a serial bus, just like a USB connection on a computer. The units hooked to the bus exchange data with adresses.
When you put on the light, the light switch does not just close a circuit. It sends a data telegram which is adressed to the light controller unit. There a relay is closed to make the actual 12V DC circuit when the information is received.
(That's just a stupid example).
Ordered and got the new ECM, and when the shop installed it they found it would idle fine but will not fire correctly trying to drive it.now the module is going back cross country to it's supplier for a warranty return.
The seller got the warranty return but at $36 per trip, the seller just made a refund as opposed to an exchange. I found a auto parts chain store has them in stock now and for $40 less than the returned one was. It is supposed to get here tonight for them to install next week. Somehow, I suspect this one "won't work" too. If it doesn't, I'm towing the car home and holding a continuity and resistance bee on the engine management harness.
Wonder of wonders, it appears this module was indeed good and functional. I pick up the car tomorrow.
It drove for a day or two, then the electrical problem cropped back up. I've had it. I'll let someone else continue the search. I have made the deposit on a much newer Ford Explorer Limited. That's sporty enough for me. Especially if it behaves.
I'm making arrangements to donate the car to Georgia Public Broadcasting. They are to contact me in the next few days to pick it up.
Found On Road Dead
F O R D
Fix Or Repair Daily. Great high school humor.
Yes..I had a Camaro..Doug
Many's the time I've passed stranded Chevies on the highway. Sitting... like a rock.
I've never been stranded, just the opposite for me, seen many a Ford on the hook.
I've driven Chevy since I was 16, didn't have a licence, but a big driveway to practice on.
My dad had for as but they were always breaking down. So he went back to GM
I've driven Fords since I was 19 (had a Chevy Chevette - school bus yellow, manual, AM radio [only extra was A/C] - in high school that took anything we threw at it...): '85 Tempo, '90 Ranger, '96 Ranger, '02 Escape, '09 Escape, '17 Escape.
Each car well over 100k miles when trading it in. The only ones to give me fits were the Tempo (bought used) and the transmission (among other parts) all decided to die at once, and the second Ranger decided to blow a bunch of hoses at the same time under the hood (and generally stop running) on the same day my Grandmother had her heart attack (I took it as a sign).
Jim
I've driven them since having an '86 Toronado. That thing was a bucket of things to go bad and none were cheap. My next car was a '73 Ranchero GT. That truck ran like a champ til a lady t boned me running a stop sign at speed. Her front end was pushed back to the firewall and she lost some teeth eating the steering wheel. I got a dent just behind the drivers side door. It was still driveable, but I wanted to get another car as opposed to repairing the GT myself. The other driver had progressive insurance and they paid jack squat.
I have to say a toronato was a lousy car. And ugly to boot. Pontiac, old mobiles, and some bucks were lousy in later years, Pontiac olds are gone.
Every GM brand had their clinkers. The Monza, Vega, Citation and Corvair come to mind. No make is without their embarrassments.
Quote from: 19and41 on May 23, 2020, 02:16:49 PM
Every GM brand had their clinkers. The Monza, Vega, Citation and Corvair come to mind. No make is without their embarrassments.
when I was in high school, my friend had a white Corvair Rag top. It was a sharp looking and ran great. It has some power. It wasn't the mini Vette as it was advertised, but in no way an embarrassment. I wish I had one today....Doug
My "new" car is a 2010 Explorer limited. It has a leather interior, seats 6 with power folding rear seats, navigation system with sync and about every other option they could put into it. It has bluetooth that turns on my phone's music player and handsfree calling and answering. It has front and rear A/C with overhead ducting for the back seats and a power moon roof.