Just bought my mustang couple probs

dlaul01

dlaul01

New Member
Apr 2, 2005
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#1
Now i just bought a 1990 gt mustang 5 spd its mint the body beutiful car.. The engine feels great the clutch everything pulls great car. The only downsides i noticed on my car... The back hatch latch need replaced wont stay shut does but rattles and comes up, Easy Fix, I need new brakes, Easy Fix, My Speedo wire it makes the noise nothing wrong with the needles or gauges tho i was thinkin about just greesing it up, Would need more info on that.

My airbag light blinks 10 stops blinks 10 and sometimes shuts off the comes back on above my steering column you can tell he was in their because he forgot to screw the screws in all the way maybe thats my prob with that. O and last but not least the car runs great but every morning it takes me 2 times to get it fired up. It will start die then crank and nothing happens then fires right up and i drive it all day without a prob. My e brake is broken and i have to leave it in gear. I need advice where to go with these problems or what is causing them the airbag thing i know i have to check the site. The speedo im not that great with and the start up thing .. i dont know what that is as well. If you guys can help me out im new to the v8 world.

Thank you very much , Dan
 
#2
Your hatch problem is kinda common. The latch assembly is most likely out of adjustment and/or the latch its self is most likely in need of some lubrication.

PM'd back at you about the speedo cable.

As for the airbag light and the startup troubles. It sounds like the car needs a good comprehensive tune up. The start-stall-start is possibly a carbon build up in the IAC motor thing. Could be a whole slew of things, but that's the simplest to check and often the culprit. It controls/regulates idle.
 
#3
So i should just go have it tuned. Their is a shop right by me that tunes mustangs and camaro's only. I should take her down thier im guessing. Because when you say IAC i have no clue what your talking about. When i do start it in the morning my idle rumbles a little but once i give it gas its fine all day.
 
#4
IAC = Idle Air Control. It's located on the side of the throttlebody.

If you're not real sure what's what, you can start doing some research and figure it out or take it to that shop. Shop would be faster. Doing it yourself would be satisfying. :D

If you just got it I'd think about checking the following....

- Check and replace if needed - distributor cap/rotor - Use Ford parts, the aftermarket caps/rotors are junk.
- Get new plug wires.
- Get new plugs.
- Have the timing checked - set to 12 degrees, it's a pretty good comprimise between more power and needing high octane gas.
- Change the fuel filter by the gas tank - this filter gets forgotten by most people.
- Have the IAC cleaned
- If the car has 75,000 miles or more I'd change the O2 sensors.
- If you don't know when the last oil change was done, change it.
- Inspect the air cleaner element. If it's a K&N clean it, re-oil it and put it back in. If it's anything else and dirty, put in a new one.
- Check your accesory belt. Small cracks on the ribs are normal. Comes from flexing around the pulleys. If it looks dry rotted, replace it.
- Inspect the radiator hoses. Another often forgotten thing to look at. If the hoses are real soft when you squeeze them whenthe engine is cold, replace them.
- Flush the cooling system and refill with fresh coolant. 50/50 antifreeze/water. Dispose of the old stuff properly. It's poison to man and animal.
- Check the tranny fluid level - Another forgotten thing to check. Run a T5 (or any tranny for that matter) withotu fluid and it will die.
- Check the rear axle fluid level - Yet another forgotten thign to check.

Can't think of anything else at the moment. But this is a good start.
 
#5
Well lol im going to print this page and literally go over every little thing because. This was my dream car and i love the car i wouldnt want any other car handed to me. It will just take time and money but its worth it.

I know i need break fluid do i just pour it in of should i just do that when i do the brakes?
Also rear axle fluid where would i check that at..

Thank you Dan
 
#6
As far as the cold start problem, I would suspect the ACT (Air Charge Temp) Sensor or the ECT (Engine Coolant Temp) Sensor. You might also want to clean your mass air sensor with an electronic spray cleaner that won't leave a residue. If possible don't touch the sensor with your hands as it is very fragile. Of course all the regular tune up parts will help as well.

For the hatch problem, look at the latch and see if it's missing the nylon bushing around the "catch" that the hook latches to. If it's missing go down to your local auto-whiz store and look for the isle that has the "Helps" section. They should have a packet of bushings that contains the proper diameter. Just remove the catch and install the bushing.
 
#10
dlaul01 said:
Well lol im going to print this page and literally go over every little thing because. This was my dream car and i love the car i wouldnt want any other car handed to me. It will just take time and money but its worth it.

I know i need break fluid do i just pour it in of should i just do that when i do the brakes?
Also rear axle fluid where would i check that at..

Thank you Dan
Click to expand...

Add the brake fluid after you have the brakes done.

Their is what looks like a pipe plug on the drivers side of the axle housing near where the driveshaft bolts to the pinion flange. If you take that plug out and stick your pinky straight inyou shoudl feel no fluid. Now curl your pinky down. You should feel fluid almost right away. If not add a little. Rear end gear oil is special. If you need to add, get the stuff with friction modifier in it all ready. I prefer Mobil Oils myself, but it's mostly personal preference.

One other thing. Keep an eye on your engine oil level. 5.0's often like to burn a little oil. Nothing bad. It's not much and it's pretty common. You can either add a little (usually just need to add a little bit only once) between oil changes, or you can run 20/50 racing oil. For some reason the 5.0 doesn't burn any of the 20/50. Plus the 20/50 gives a little extra protection if you are out pounding the he'll out of it. But remember to give it a little extra warm up time before you run it real hard. It's a little thicker than the standard oil the manual calls for, so it takes just a little longer to warm up. I've used 20/50 ever since I got my car 6 years ago. it won't hurt anything.
 
#11
Loco5.0 said:
Funny, my MSD parts are just fine.
Click to expand...

Everything I've tried and everythign that my friends have tried that's not been a Ford cap and rotor has had misfire problems. Maybe MSD is ok, but I know Ford stuff works and that's what I use on my stock distributor. Plus I get Ford parts at cost since my family owns a Ford dealership.
 
#13
tjm73 said:
Nothing beats red or black. :nice:
Click to expand...

I love the car everytime i drive places it turns every head i stop at gas stations people run up to me i love your car. Its hard to keep her clean but its worth it i clean it everyday. Its getting chipped and buffed on sat and brakes. Im gonna go over everything that day and see whats up and when having one of these cars dont have a 5 year g/f that makes you broke :D lol.
 
#14
dlaul01 said:
I love the car everytime i drive places it turns every head i stop at gas stations people run up to me i love your car. Its hard to keep her clean but its worth it i clean it everyday. Its getting chipped and buffed on sat and brakes. Im gonna go over everything that day and see whats up and when having one of these cars dont have a 5 year g/f that makes you broke :D lol.
Click to expand...


My 98 GT is black and it's a beyatch to keep clean, but when it's dolled up and waxed....MAN does it look good!! :flag:

You're car got black leather?
 
#15
No its grey leather power everything pretty nice my head liner sucks its falling down but. Literally two minutes from me i got michael auto trim they said they will fix it for 40 bucs... Other than that it is good condition.
 
#17
As far as the double cranking....try turning the ignition on for a sec (w/o turning the engine over) off and back on for a sec, then try to crank. It could be lack of fuel pressure. When I had stock fuel pump that was the culprit for me.
 
#19
Thanks guys for helping me out.. Krahkin ill try that tomarrow morning see if it works. My airbag blinks 10 then stops blinks 10 i gotta find out what code that is.. But Can someone show me a picture of the IAC and the and the ACT so i know what to look at i need a book whats the best one?

My airbag it says something about the fuse or battery is not connected i read. I looked down at the fuse box and the box is open their is no more cover the fuse probably is not even in their i dont know which one to look at?
 
#20
dlaul01 said:
But Can someone show me a picture of the IAC and the and the ACT so i know what to look at i need a book whats the best one?
Click to expand...

The ACT is in the lower intake on the driver's side behind the distributor.

The ECT is in the metal coolant line near the lower intake on the passenger's side.

They both look very similar (but have different connectors so there's no mistake) and they just screw in and out. Yes, a repair manual would be a good thing.

Here's a little something on the IAC (yours may be slightly different). http://www.muscularmustangs.com/iac.php
 
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