Progress Thread 2003 Ford Mustang GT Build Log

Junkyard 03GT · Sep 14, 2019

2Blue2 said:
Would have to find a new hobby then and good hobbies are to find

true, I don't like working on other people's car as much as my own. I would take a job in learning how to build motors though.

Junkyard 03GT · Sep 15, 2019

rust free gas tank

original fuel pump?

I tried my best to clean the outside before removing the top lid. I wiped the inside of the assembly down with a shop towel and cleaned everything I can reach.

I am currently waiting for the new pump to arrive... its taking the driver a bit longer then expected. I ordered a OEM replacement so I am hoping its plug and play.

Junkyard 03GT · Sep 15, 2019

03GThoopty said:
rust free gas tank

original fuel pump?

I tried my best to clean the outside before removing the top lid. I wiped the inside of the assembly down with a shop towel and cleaned everything I can reach.

I am currently waiting for the new pump to arrive... its taking the driver a bit longer then expected. I ordered a OEM replacement so I am hoping its plug and play.

P1237 code and car doesn't want to idle. I am going to install the original pump to see if that fixes it. Don't know what the hell is wrong with this car jesus.

Junkyard 03GT · Sep 18, 2019

Had time today to reinstall the original fuel pump and the codes went away (P1151 active) so car is back to its original running state..

So that means the replacement fuel pump - Delphi FE0443 Electric Fuel Pump was not good. - returning asap

As for the build -
I have contacted a few shops on estimates/quotes for work on the car. If anyone lives near the 77449 TX area and wants to work on my car for cash feel free to PM me.
1.Diagnostic check - seeing if its something simple
2.removing heads
3.probably a engine swap

Online pricing off automotix -
2011 crown vic police pkg 50K miles ($1000) vs 111k 04 gt motor ($2500)

Lastly Iv'e been working on other cars too. 2020 Elantra and a 02 Chevy Suburban - control arm /suspension and tire job. So that gave me a sense of accomplishment lol

Thanks again for viewing. Nothing is final until it is. - I will probably drop the thread for a couple of weeks until a major update.

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 2, 2019

MAJOR UPDATE:

purchased 2010 vic block with 89k miles - its already at the shop
my mechanic that I am paying came to pick up my car with his trailer just damaged the whole exhaust system loading it and front bumper
front bumper has 2 nicks into it
the ends on the headers are damaged
the x pipe ripped off and the clamps are all damaged
the o2 sensors are ripped
the mufflers are dented in most likely

mmmm amazing and now I have a new straight headers exhaust system mustang parked out front waiting for his plan B

MattMan02GT · Oct 4, 2019

Holy flipping crap! The first part of the major update sounded very promising, but ripping off the exhaust during loading?! Is the car too low for the ramps and trailer he brought? It sounds like an insurance claim for him....

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 4, 2019

MattMan02GT said:
Holy flipping crap! The first part of the major update sounded very promising, but ripping off the exhaust during loading?! Is the car too low for the ramps and trailer he brought? It sounds like an insurance claim for him....

I know but I ain't going to sweat it. We going to make it work!

new clutch assembly
pulleys
tension-er

thermostat
belt
water pump
main/rear seals/gaskets
oil filter/oil
coolant
transmission fluid
probably missed something but engine is getting even more of a refresh again.

Hoping to get the car tested again by this Saturday.. long tube reinstall is the current obstacle to face again.

we making it work and hopefully will be back soon with no issues!

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 16, 2019

Finally driving the car!

runs good and new clutch makes it way easier to drive. My car doesn't sound aggressive up until I really step on it at around 3K RPM which I kind of like but also don't haha.

I tried to get the car inspected and 1. the cel light isn't turning on
2. the inspector said the computer wouldn't connect to my computer on my car but my OBD 2 scanner does read and I did have a code but after driving around for a couple of more mins it did go away. (P0153) o2 code.

So I am now going to see if the bulb needs replacing I have a bunch of spares. The inspector recommended me to go to ford. He said it may be a blown fuse or a bad computer.

I am going to check fuses first then check the bulb.

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 16, 2019

replaced fuse but didn't fix it so I replaced the bulb with a new led and it works now.

So not too sure why their scanner tool didn't connect to my car. hmm

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 21, 2019

passed inspection and registration is good for the year.

active codes after inspection are : p1151 p1131 p0153 all probably related to the long tube headers and or vacuum leak/LT headers

Iv'e been reading on this and it seems like its a common issue that I will need tuning for the long tube headers/o2 sensors to play nice and pop no codes?

Any recommendations let me know!

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 28, 2019

Car died at intersection late at night. I went into first gear and then the car completely shut off. I thought I stalled but the car wouldn't turn on, no power to the starter. The dome light and dash wouldn't turn on when trying to start the car. They would flicker and stay off when turning the key. Prior to this I did notice the car dash lights and radio would flicker/reset when the ac was turned on. WEIRD. I didn't think much of it and drove off. Anyways back to being stuck in the intersection. I turned off everything and waited. I was going to get a friend to help me push the car out of the road but after a few light cycles the car turned back on!

The next afternoon the battery was completely dead.

SO looking into the battery I noticed the battery wasn't the right one - at least that is from what is recommended. (not oem/oe spec replacement)
The battery was recharged and holds the charge at 12.6 so I know it is a good battery but maybe not enough juice for the mustang.

I need to test the alternator but before that I wanted to know why the battery was weak and or losing its charge so I did a parasitic draw test.

RESULTS -
Parasitic Draw - .37a draw
F1.6 fuse was removed and that dropped it to 0.00.. which led me to test everything under that said fuse and I found out that the radio and GEM F2.39 FUSE were the issues.

They both are drawing power when car is off. So I removed the radio and it dropped the draw to .16

I let the car sit for well over a hour to see if the car would go to "sleep" but it didn't and is still pulling .16 ( doors locked / hood latch in lock position)

So now I am trying to figure out if the GEM is damaged or something it may control is. ( F1.6 FUSE I think is everything the GEM controls so It may just be the GEM itself)

Not too sure where to go from here.

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 29, 2019

GEM update - pulled the first harness connector (black one) off and it dropped to .10 and after some time dropped to 0.00 range.

So at the moment I have the car with the connector back in and waiting another hour to see if the power drops down from .15-.16 to 0.00. ( maybe I did my first test incorrectly ) probably not.

Hopefully it does if not I will have to trace what is on the black harness and see what it connects to and hopefully I can cut something useless off and be done with it.

EDIT: after writing this up I went ahead and checked and here is a picture of the amp draw going down to .09 much better then .15... going to wait a little longer and hopefully it drops to 0.00.

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 29, 2019

shortly later - it hit the 0.01 - 0.00 range. !

So good news - I think unplugging the harness off the gem helped and reconnecting it after a period of time. ( or my test was bad the first time ) DOUBT IT!

this is without the radio installed. however I think the harness on this current radio is incorrect in some way.

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 30, 2019

bigger battery installed with new terminal attachments

So I let the car run for a bit and the battery light did come on but eventually went away. Could be a possible charging issue with the alternator?
I am not really sure if its normal or not.
At first, turning the lights/ac/high beams on I didn't notice a flicker but after a bit I did keep trying and the dash does do a little flicker. Which I am not sure if that is normal or not either.

Plan for tomorrow is to check the battery level and see how it performs with the rpm at 1500 while using all accessories. My guess is that the alternator is weak and could be needing replacing.

Junkyard 03GT · Oct 31, 2019

Battery level 12.4 (its new)
grounds checked out
Alternator test - car on = 14.2
with everything on but the radio = 13.99-14.01 range
So the alternator seems to be working fine, maybe it was just the battery.

P0340 (camshaft sensor) turned on when the car was started up ( weird ) checked the connection and the tab on the harness that holds it in was broken. - I pushed it back in and cleared the code. I will probably use zip ties to hold it in. This code never came back after a couple of hours of traffic.

Car drives great and the only codes active are P1131 and P1151 - I am going to drop the car off at a dealer for a smoke test/ diagnostic test. It has to be a leak somewhere; I just don't have the tools to do it even with my little smoke machine. I just can't get good results.

The car scraps, at first it was just the mufflers and I raised the right muffler up and it seems to have fixed it but now the muffler touches the side wall a bit so I will have to adjust that one more time. I may just swap to resonators later. The front K member mid section scraps on speed bumps too I think.. Kinda annoying.

I haven't posted a picture of the car so here it goes -

Last things to finish off
Fix P1131/P1151 - could be leak around throttle body and or small leak in brake booster but not sure if that could cause the codes.
headlight adjustment
replace the ac condenser / refrigerant
Radio
TINT

Junkyard 03GT · Nov 8, 2019

replaced the ac condenser but have not filled up with refrigerant yet.
EGR Valve and gasket replaced
IAC valve gasket replaced
Alternator bracket installed

Also may have found a small leak in radiator - not sure I will keep a eye on it and if needed I will replace it with a new one later.

Start up after changes -
my car sounds great and idles great too. I did these replacements because I still have the 1131/1151 codes. So hoping that fixes it but probably won't because -holding in the brake pedal, I can hear the brake booster whine. Almost sure the vacuum is coming out or going in through it. I will look into replacing that asap.

Condenser install 1999 - 2004 Mustang GT (for anyone searching)
You can remove the condenser and reinstall one without removing the radiator or draining the cooling system.

Move to the side the coolant reservoir and remove the radiator fan.
Unbolt the radiator and condenser
the wiring harness near the condenser needs to be unclipped so you can move the harness around while removing the condenser
push forward lightly on the reservoir from the top while removing the condenser

No you do not need a lot of force and this is easier with 2 people, one holding the radiator forward and the other working on the condenser
Takes 30 mins tops going very slow.

In my case the condenser leaked the ac system or it was never filled back up after engine swap.

Junkyard 03GT · Dec 8, 2019

couple more changes:

1. new updated radio with new wiring harness
2. brake booster DIY rebuild
3. bled the steering system (couple bubbles)
4. no brake booster leak and no CEL p1131/p1151 //// could be fixed now because of the rebuild on the brake booster.

on the new condenser - I think there is a leak at one of the o rings, I think I only replaced 1 O ring so I will replace both later and get a shop to refill it.

Test driving this Monday to see how the brakes feel, and to see if the codes don't return. Car sounds better and much smoother when it is revved out.

2Blue2 · Dec 8, 2019

All good stuff.

Junkyard 03GT · Jan 18, 2020

New alternator - the old one tested good but it through battery light on every once in a while so I didn't trust it.

New reman. brake booster installed like last month but today I noticed the puddle of power steering fluid... I already removed it and will be installing another replacement this afternoon.I went from having a leak in the engine bay to having one in my interior lol..

I also threw in a picture of how it sits at the moment. Pretty happy about the car. I really enjoy it. I can't wait to not have anymore issues though.

2Blue2 · Jan 18, 2020

03GThoopty said:
how it sits at the moment. Pretty happy

She's a good looking GT for sure!

Progress Thread 2003 Ford Mustang GT Build Log

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will be trying this sex one when I can find it

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will be trying this sex one when I can find it

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