Progress Thread Getting In Over My Head: '89 Gt Hatch: End Of The Road

[LiquidStangs]

Yup you out of juice. Ive done this several times. Even with a new sending unit my gauge is crap. I just force myself to fill up every 100 miles or so.

And that was the culprit.

But, of course, the balance of things wrong cannot be upset. I decided to fill the tank, which should be OK, now that I've fixed the filler neck grommet, right? So guess what I find after pulling up back in the driveway: a new leak.

That's the edge of the tank as seen through the passenger rear wheel well. Don't know how well it comes out, but the dirt by the two hoses was soaked with fuel. The two hoses are attached to the fuel pump and vapor line (I think). Couldn't get a good picture, but the filler neck grommet was dry as a bone, which is good news; this is a different leak.

For now, I've got my two gas cans full to the brim, and the leak has stopped.

 

[LiquidStangs]

Probably has something to do with the "Faster than a Heartbeat" decal on the back glass. If I had bought this car, my first "mod" would be remove that sticker/decal...lol

Great minds think alike!

The wife worked on that while I was poking at something else. It turns out to be stuck with some really good glue. We bought some Goo-Gone today, and will mount a second assault soon.

And yes, that tint is in horrible shape. I can see well enough through the rear view mirror, so it will wait for another day.

 

[LiquidStangs]

Get a code reader and the manual. This is a must with these cars. Run the codes and see what pops up. Did you have old gas in the tank by chance? Have you changed the fuel filter? that chirping sounds like the T/O bearing to me also.

I did run codes before getting the tranny swapped, because I was getting a check engine light when driving around. I stopped getting the CEL after getting the car back, so I've got it on my list to run codes again.

When I ran the codes before, I got KOEO 14, KOER 12, 41, and 18. I also did a cylinder balance test, which came up with a 90, so good news there.

The fuel is fresh. When I bought the car, it was nearly empty then. First thing I did after buying it was fill the tank, which is how I discovered the first leak, so the old gas was very diluted. I've since put in a few gallons here and there, and just did the second fillup (and discovered the second leak).

Glad to hear confirmation on the throwout bearing. Looks like I'll be making a call Monday.

 

[LiquidStangs]

Update time.

First off: @A5literMan, what's the best way to get hooked up with those Eibachs? Never done a buy through the forums before.

I finally got around to making the call to the shop about the throwout bearing. They're going to take a look Wednesday.

The only other progress made was to the old tranny, which I want to take apart and inspect before buying parts. But first, some scrubbing:

I know, it's dark. Hopefully, you can still see where I stopped scrubbing. When I first saw it after it came out, I almost thought it had been painted black.

 

[A5literMan]

LMR (late model restoration) offers a 6% Stangnet discount all year long. They also have different sales during the year and other discounts. Go to the vendor page on this site and you will find the discount code to use when checking out(if you use them). Personally I'd be on the look out for some used ones on Corral.net. There are always good buys on used parts there. Everyone is constantly changing/upgrading these cars. You can easily save 50% or better on used vs new on all sorts of parts. Btw I imagine your code problems didn't "just go away". What happens a lot is when you disconnect the battery the computer will reset. Then after its running it will pick up the code issues that are present. Changing the fuel out will help also. I don't remember what your codes meant(41 is an o2/lean issue if memory serves). My manual is in the garage. Lol

 

[LiquidStangs]

LMR (late model restoration) offers a 6% Stangnet discount all year long. They also have different sales during the year and other discounts. Go to the vendor page on this site and you will find the discount code to use when checking out(if you use them). Personally I'd be on the look out for some used ones on Corral.net. There are always good buys on used parts there. Everyone is constantly changing/upgrading these cars. You can easily save 50% or better on used vs new on all sorts of parts. Btw I imagine your code problems didn't "just go away". What happens a lot is when you disconnect the battery the computer will reset. Then after its running it will pick up the code issues that are present. Changing the fuel out will help also. I don't remember what your codes meant(41 is an o2/lean issue if memory serves). My manual is in the garage. Lol

Right, but didn't you have a set of used Eibach shocks/struts? I think you quoted me $200 for the lot.

I'm figuring the codes aren't all better, but something did change. I was doing regular computer resets while fixing wiring problems before and after the tranny swap, and that was the magic moment when I stopped getting CELs when driving. I figured removing and reattaching the O2 sensor knocked something loose, or something. We'll know for sure once I get off my lazy butt and re-run the codes.

 

[A5literMan]

Right, but didn't you have a set of used Eibach shocks/struts? I think you quoted me $200 for the lot.

I'm figuring the codes aren't all better, but something did change. I was doing regular computer resets while fixing wiring problems before and after the tranny swap, and that was the magic moment when I stopped getting CELs when driving. I figured removing and reattaching the O2 sensor knocked something loose, or something. We'll know for sure once I get off my lazy butt and re-run the codes.

I forgot about that lol. Yeah I'll contact you through pm

 

[LiquidStangs]

I'm pretty sure my current springs are toast; they seem to be stock springs, likely the ones the car shipped with. The LMR page for the Eibach shocks and struts says they're designed to match the Eibach lowering springs.

I'm not yet interested in lowering the car. It looks to me like I'd need camber/caster plates to go with them, which makes the whole operation more expensive, and the Moog stock replacement springs at LMR are cheaper.

Does anyone see a problem using the Eibach shocks and struts with those springs?

FWIW, these are the springs I'm considering: Mustang Stock Replacement Springs (87-93) GT Hardtop

 

[89oem]

You can run the eibach springs without new cc plates, I did for years. when you align it, the rivet will go in the last hole in the stock plate, instead of middle for factory springs - thats why those holes are in the stock plate to adjust camber.

Never had inner or outer tire wear on my 10 holes with typical bfg factory size ties 225/60/15 iirc

A bump steer kit woulda been nice but again not critical...

 

[A5literMan]

I ran the struts and shocks with cc plate and a bumpsteer kit. I did it all at one time so I don't have anything to compare to other than the previous parts. Those parts were KYB struts and shocks with eibach lowering springs. The tires had wore bad on the edges. There was terrible bumpsteer. I replaced/installed the struts/shocks and cc plates with the UPR bumpsteer kit and new tires within first summer of purchasing the car. It made a huge difference. The car was incredibly better to drive and handled very well.

 

[LiquidStangs]

More news. First, the transmission shop says that the pressure plate from my new clutch kit has uneven teeth, which is causing the squeak. I'm going to get the car from them, while we wait for the replacement clutch kit to come in.

Second, this happened:

New, never been on a car. $175 on Craigslist. I think I'm going to spend the savings on this: SVE Mustang Caster Camber Plates - Black (79-89). With the shocks and struts from @A5literMan, I should be all set, and with a real upgrade instead of just a stock repair.

 

[89oem]

Nice!

 

[A5literMan]

Very cool. Should improve the ride characteristics a lot.

 

[LiquidStangs]

And who's that knocking on my door? Someone with a big box:

And what's in the big box?

Thanks @A5literMan! And the parts pile in the garage grows...

The CC plates and new isolators should be next, unless the replacement clutch beats them here.

 

[A5literMan]

Hope you like them! And oh the "parts pile"...you should see mine lol. Good luck on the project.

 

[LiquidStangs]

While waiting on the rest of the suspension parts and the clutch, I figured I'd start tearing into that transmission.

Here it is after cleaning (and removing the shifter bolts):

Not totally clean, but a lot better than it was.

And here's how I left it for the night:

The gears outside the case look pretty good; here's a close-up:

Not the whole gear, but I didn't see anything spinning the shaft. I'll be a lot more curious to see first gear, since that was what popped out of gear on me.

I'm keeping parts in ziplocs labeled with a marker, so I don't lose anything. Tomorrow, I get to do another tool run; I don't appear to have a wrench of the correct size to get the neutral safety switch off. Does anyone know which wrench that needs?

 

[LiquidStangs]

Well, this isn't cool.

The tranny shop says that the pressure plate has uneven teeth causing the squeak, which could have developed after install, so they won't warrant the labor installing the clutch. They're quoting me about $350 for the swap. I bought it from Amazon, who tells me to contact the manufacturer to make a claim on the labor warranty that's prominently featured on their product page.

So I just got off with customer service for LuK (the makers of the clutch), who told me that all warranty claims are handled by Amazon, and that Amazon needs to handle the labor warranty claim. I have an email in to Amazon to try and escalate that,but I'm not hopeful.

Meanwhile, I have a 30-day countdown on the clutch Amazon just shipped me to return the bad clutch, or they charge me for a new one.

So, in a bad mood about suppliers and installers right now. This was supposed to be the "pay money to get the job done right" path, except someone seems to be forgetting about the "get the job done right" part.

Really, I'm just venting a bit of frustration, though advice and opinions are always welcome. (And inevitable, whether welcome or not, right? ) But I'm almost to the point of telling everyone to take a long walk off a short pier, and replacing the clutch myself. Sure, I don't know quite what I'm doing, but at least my incompetence is cheaper than everyone else's.

 

[stykthyn]

If you use PayPal dispute it.

 

[LiquidStangs]

If you use PayPal dispute it.

No such luck, though I did use a credit card. I could dispute it that way, I suppose.

 

[LiquidStangs]

Work last week and this is turning out to be a bear, so only slow progress has been made.

The suspension parts are all in, so that's not holding me back. Last Saturday was nice and warm, but the daughter was heading back to college, which took up a good bit of time. Since then, snow and cold.

I'm still in negotiations on the clutch labor warranty. I did get Amazon to relax the usual timer on returning the old clutch, so I'm not in any rush there.

And I did get more done on that transmission:

Got it apart to the point where I need something like a press to get parts off the main shaft.

This tranny popped out of first gear, but otherwise shifted and ran well. So far, I haven't seen anything that could cause that problem. Here are the shift forks:

And here's a fairly good closeup of the main shaft, with gears still on:

All the gears have shown what looks like outstanding wear patterns; no blade finish, chips, or other issues. The magnet at the bottom doesn't have any chunks. Of course, I know I need to get the main shaft apart before I can say for sure.

Idle uninformed speculation: could a badly adjusted clutch cable or bad clutch cause the problem with popping out of gear? It only did it in first, and the clutch was really tough to push in originally. The adjustable cable and quadrant were brand new, according to the previous owner, although they were adjusted poorly, as I mentioned.

I was also able to pick up some really cheap Harbor Freight tools, including their 6-ton A-frame press. (This was better than their usual sales; the press was $35.) I've read that the A-frame press really isn't useful for pressing gears off due to the clearance issues, but I was curious if anyone had ideas for how it could be put to use here. No big deal if not; I'm sure the press will come in handy for other jobs, and I think I found a machine shop nearby I can call once things calm down a little at work.