Build Thread My C I P (continuous Improvement Program) Thread

for those of you paying attention to this thread, ive been making slow progress while i've been waiting on the powdercoater, but now i have a deadline: the first "factory efi class" event is april 18, want to have all mechanical bugs worked out, and hopefully tuned by then (assuming canada takes its weather back without us deporting celine dion and that bieber jackass).

got the new pioneer balancer in last week, its a nice piece, and the outer shell is held on with a snap ring so if the rubber ever does rot out, it wont just fly apart (hence the sfi rating i suppose)
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easy to read engraving too
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also got my intake and valve covers back from the powder coat.

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changed my mismatched bbk 65mm tb/70mm egr spacer for a full 70mm accufab setup, though if i had known the intake opening was 75mm before i ordered it, i would have gone that way (tfs must have started cutting them bigger at some point, i thought years ago they were advertised as 70mm?). also blocked off the egr ports and plugged in an egr dummy plug (the 1250s3's block em off at the heads, kinda pointless to have the valve there). also slotted out the holes in the throttle cable bracket to be able to ditch the 3/8" spacer i was using.

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after a little "mecahnics lube", aka
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ended up with a plate of plug wire spaghetti
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thats a taylor "custom-fit" set, all but three of them are between about 2-6" too long. since im trying to do things the right way, i grabbed some extra terminals and shortened em up.
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and where i left off today, new hood seal, h-pipe back on, and a new bbk cai to replace the cheap pos mac one i had on there.

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all thats left is the accessories, radiator/fan, hood, and then fill fluids/bleed brakes. and hope this 3" of snow we got last night melts soon so i can open the door while i rebuild the rear ( because friction mod STINKS).
 
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so after spending the whole weekend at work (the ot check is gonna be awesome, but so annyoing having to be there), i finally got some decent progress done on the fox. motor is done, topped off with fluids, and ready to fire. but, like always, one step forward, two steps back: i broke the crossbolt in the rear, meaning i cant get the spider's pinion shaft out, which means i cant get the c-clips out, etc.....pricing a 31 spline carrier and axles as a backup in case i :leghump: up the carrier trying to get the bastard out. was really hoping to have this thing terrorizing the street this weekend too :( i blame it on friday the 13th.

anyway, here's how it stands now

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and the bottom of this pic is why i decided to tear open the diff anyway......yeah, thats some nasty :poo:.
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now its time to go either easy-out the cross pin (HA!) or try to shear it off with a bfh (HA! again. damn im screwed)
 
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so i just said eff it, and ordered $550 worth of 31-spline trak-lok carrier and moser axles. also ordered an extractor kit to try to get the existing pin out, since i cant get to it in the car with a regular drill bit (though i will try the bfh on the pinion shaft approach in the morning). somebody mentioned breaking a 28-spline in this thread earlier, and i dont want that to jinx me cause with the kind of luck i had today, i'd get it all back together and break an axle on the first pass.

still shooting to have this done and one the road fairly quick, track opens next week, and first factory efi class race is april 18, really want to be able to at least get some points going (heads-up class, and i know theres cars that'll run 10's that will show up for this, not expecting any wins).
 
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i'm hoping so, the weakest link in the driveline now should be the torque boxes, and as well as the original owner of this car treated it, and its few good-hooking passes (aka, none), im not too worried about them yet.
 
so i have 2 questions:

1) who the hell **** up the forum layout? cant find anything now.
2) will the carbon fiber clutches i bought for the 28 spline rebuild work in the new 31-spline? i know the steels wont (obviously) but everyone talks about throwing an extra clutch per side in when rebuilding these, and i'm assuming the new 31-spline diffs are the same as the 28's other than the clutch-pack steels and outer spider gears. if this is wrong, lmk.
 
well, its a good thing i have the 31-spline stuff coming (should be here tomorrow btw, except for carrier bearings which i thought i had). after messing around trying to make my own "cross-pin extractor" (fail) and trying to smash the cross-pin through the thin side of the carrier with a bfh (also fail), i finally just used a big 2-jaw puller and smashed it through. tore the carrier itself apart this afternoon, and well, i would have need a new diff anyway because the spider gears have exploded teeth. the clutch packs are also completely shot too, and i found a few chuncks of what looks like rtv in the packs as well (dunno how that got there, but there wasnt a lot on the face of the housing or the cover).

since everyone loves carnage pics:
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so gateway had their first event of the season last night, but because the fox isnt quite done yet and i need seat time the coyote got the nod. got three passes in before the line got ridiculously long and i left.

was an idiot on the first pass and left tc on (although i thought i turned it off, hit the button twice not realizng holding it turns it completely off), and then it locked me out of 2nd trying to powershift.
2nd pass was cleaner (no power shifting) except for a crappy 2.2 60', and ran to a [email protected]
was shooting for that 12-second et on the third pass against a 2015, got a 2.1 60', but then it locked me out of 3rd AND 4th, and i wasnt even powershifting that time.

all that means that, as soon as i get this stage of the fox done and on the road (and track), the coyote is going under the knife for a new set of wheels/tires, and probably an mgw shifter.
 
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Solenoid keeps sticking on the second turn off the key, knocked the contacts loose this morning after i got continuity between both studs. Did fine the first start, but when i turned it off to loosen the distributor and restarted, it stayed on. Just took the battery off the charger 5 minutes before it started last night, reads 12.5volts, and just cleaned the posts and terminals, still did it. Not slow to crank at all, plenty of fluid in the battery. It was disconnected all winter and just went on the charger yesterday morning. Motorcraft solenoid too. A bit lost right now, gonna do a little searching in some @jrichker (can't believe im using that feature btw) threads and see if I can't find a solution.
 
No Crank checklist for 5.0 Mustangs

Revised 24-Oct-2013 to update voltage drop figures.

No crank, slow crank and stuck starter solenoid problems have the same root causes – low battery voltage and poor connections. For that reason, they are grouped together.
Use the same initial group of tests to find the root cause of slow crank, no crank and stuck solenoid problems.

Since some of the tests will bypass the safety interlocks, make sure that the car is in neutral and the parking brake is set. Becoming a pancake isn’t part of the repair process…


1.) Will the car start if it is jumped? Then clean battery terminals and check battery for low charge and dead cells. A good battery will measure 12-13 volts at full charge with the ignition switch in the Run position but without the engine running.
A voltmeter placed across the battery terminals should show a minimum of 9.5-10 volts when the ignition switch is turned to the Start position and the starter engages or tries to engage. Less than this will result in a clicking solenoid, or slow cranking (if it cranks at all) or a starter solenoid that sticks and welds the contacts together.

Most auto parts stores will check your battery for free. It does not have to be installed in the car to have it checked; you can carry it with you to the auto parts store.

The battery posts and inside of the battery post terminals should be scraped clean with a knife or battery post cleaner tool. This little trick will fix a surprising number of no start problems.

The clamp on with 2 bolts battery terminal ends are a known problem causer. Any place you see green on a copper wire is corrosion. Corrosion gets in the clamped joint and works its way up the wire under the insulation. Corroded connections do not conduct electricity well. Avoid them like the plague...

If the starter solenoid welds the contacts, then the starter will attempt to run anytime there is power in the battery. The cables and solenoid will get very hot, and may even start smoking. The temporary fix for a welded starter solenoid is to disconnect the battery and smack the back of the solenoid housing a sharp blow with a hammer. This may cause the contacts to unstick and work normally for a while.


A voltmeter is handy if you are familiar with how to use it to find bad connections. Measure the voltage drop across a connection while trying to start the car: more than .25 volts across a connection indicates a problem. The voltage drop tests need to be done while cranking the engine. It's the current flowing through a connection or wire that causes the voltage drop.

See http://assets.fluke.com/appnotes/automotive/beatbook.pdf for help for help troubleshooting voltage drops across connections and components. .

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Voltage drops should not exceed the following:
200 mV Wire or cable
300 mV Switch or solenoid
100 mV Ground
0.0V Connections
A voltage drop lower that spec is always acceptable.

2.) Check the battery to engine block ground down near the oil filter, and the ground behind the engine to the firewall. All grounds should be clean and shiny. Use some sandpaper to clean them up.

3.) Jump the big terminals on the starter solenoid next to the battery with a screwdriver - watch out for the sparks! If the engine cranks, the starter and power wiring is good. The starter relay is also known as a starter solenoid.

The rest of the tech note only concerns no crank problems. If your problem was a stuck solenoid, go back to step 1.

4.) Then pull the small push on connector (small red/blue wire) off the starter solenoid (Looks like it is stuck on a screw). Then jump between the screw and the terminal that is connected to the battery. If it cranks, the relay is good and your problem is in the rest of the circuit.

5.) Remember to check the ignition switch, neutral safety switch on auto trans and the clutch safety switch on manual trans cars. If they are good, then you have wiring problems.

Typical start circuit...
Diagram courtesy of Tmoss & Stang&2birds
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6.) Pull the starter and take it to AutoZone or Pep Boys and have them test it. Starter fails test, then replace it. If you got this far, the starter is probably bad.


Starter solenoid wiring for 86-91 Mustang
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Starter solenoid wiring 92-93 Mustang or earlier Mustang with upgraded high torque mini starter.
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Electrical checks for the switches and starter solenoid

Remove the small red/blue wire from the starter solenoid. Use a screwdriver to bridge the connection from the battery positive connection on the starter solenoid to the small screw where the red/blue wire was connected. The starter should crank the engine. If it does not, the starter solenoid is defective or the battery lacks sufficient charge to crank the engine.

If the starter does crank the engine, the problem is in the clutch safety circuit (5 speed) or Neutral Sense Switch (auto trans) or ignition switch.


See the Typical start circuit diagram above for wiring information for troubleshooting.

You will need a voltmeter or test lamp for the rest of the checks. Connect one lead of the voltmeter or test lamp to ground. The other lead will connect to the item under test.
Look for 12 volts on the white/pink wire when the ignition switch is turned to the Start position. Check the ignition switch first.
No 12 volts, replace the ignition switch.

The next step will require you to push the clutch pedal to the floor (5 speed) or put the transmission in neutral (auto trans) while the ignition switch is turned to the Start position.
Good 12 volts, check the clutch safety switch (5 speed) or Neutral Sense Switch (auto trans) for good 12 volts on both sides of the switches. No 12 volts on both sides of the switch and the switches are defective or out of adjustment. Check the wiring for bad connections while you are at it.
 
going thru that list until i get to the "if stuck solenoid, go back to step 1":

1)12.5v with car in run, somewhere over 9 when cranking (hard to see voltmeter when i'm trying to quickly crank and still be close enough to pull the battery cable after it sticks)

2)cleaned all the grounds/removed paint, at least the ones from the battery to timing cover, and my extra one from timing cover to side apron near battery. also cleaned up "beneath" the solenoid (which i moved to inside the fenderwell btw). i'm reading less than .01v difference along any of those cables, or battery to ground. all my starter and ground cables are also either brand new, or less than 1 year old and have the cast-on or soldered-on terminals.

3)engine cranks fine without jumping the solenoid

i also pulled the small wire on the small post while it was cranking with the key out, and it still kept cranking till i pulled the battery cable. if i tap it real quick, it will release and stop, and then as soon as i hit the key again, it'll stick. i just went a grabbed a "heavy-duty" bwd unit from oreillys, i'll swap it in a few minutes and see what happens.
 
well, after recharging the battery overnight since i didnt realize that even WITH a 3g alt you need to keep the stock power wires going to the solenoid (regulator is tied into them, who knew), i got about 10-15 cranks before the new solenoid started sticking. think i'm going to swap to a '93 mini starter to see if i can take some of the load off the relay, and maybe just have a stronger starter. i guess theres just enough compression now to make the stocker pull too many amps for the crappy modern-built relays. if that doesnt work, i may just set this car on fire.
 
try adding another ground wire from one of the solenoid bolts directly to the - battery post. That worked for me.
How big of a ground did you run? Ive got plenty of 16 or 18 gauge laying around, would that be big enough?

Got these done up yesterday after work, took a lot of weight to balance, guy thinks that a little run time/burnouts may shape em up and he'll rebalance em.

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