Progress Thread Komo's 1990 GT - Parts Gathering Purgatory & Home Remodel

AeroCoupe · Sep 6, 2025

Yes you do. That is what keeps them from backing off.

gkomo · Sep 6, 2025

Got the pins in as best I could. I couldn’t get them to sit completely flush but they wouldn’t hammer in anymore. Got the boots on and found out I don’t have zip ties long enough to go around the bigger side of the boot. Will have to ‘borrow’ some from work.

Still waiting on my MM order to be shipped which has my urethane rack bushings and steering shaft.

Biggest part I’m not looking forward to is the pump replacement.

nickyb · Sep 6, 2025

Pump will.be a breeze compared to what you just went threw.
Its coming along nicely,good luck.

gkomo · Sep 6, 2025

Well didn’t get very far tonight. Jacked the car up and removed the front wheels. Drained the PS fluid from the two lines going into the cooler tube. Both lines were completely covered in sludge and gave me a hard time getting them off. Ended up cutting them off with a box cutter. Then I was looking at my PS cooling tube and that was disgusting so I finagled that out to clean it all up, then couldn’t get it back in. Looks like I was staring to bend fins on my AC radiator thing when putting it back. Any tips on getting that back in?

Can I run water through the cooling tube to clean it out? I don’t have an air compressor so I can’t blow compressed air through it like most videos show.

Hopefully tomorrow I can start the pump removal.

gkomo · Sep 7, 2025

Alright got the PS cooling tube back in… at the expense of some bent AC radiator fins.

Got the fan and shroud out, and the AC and PS pump bracket off. Some of those bolts were pretty tough to get off, had to use a jack handle as a breaker bar. Was so dirty so I cleaned it off and now I’m painting it the same color as the intake.

gkomo · Sep 7, 2025

Alright got the pump removed and on the bench. Time to take the pulley off. I’m just following LMRs how-to video and have the pulley puller kit they do…. I feel like I’m doing something wrong. The tip of the puller bolt is starting to gall when tightening it down. So my question is, there is an inverted hex hole inside the pulley:

And I supposed to take that out or something? LMRs video didn’t show them removing anything prior to using the puller tool.

Here’s what my puller bolt is starting to look like:

Assuming it’s not supposed to be that hard to do this?

In the meantime I’ve sprayed it all down with liquid wrench and will get back at it tomorrow.

Edit: nevermind, got it off. I was doing it correctly just must’ve not been putting enough muscle on it. Was making a super loud ‘crack’ noise with every turn, thought I was gonna wake the kiddo up even being all the way out in the garage.

gkomo · Sep 8, 2025

Got the pulley pressed on, and pump reinstalled. Started putting the front of the engine back together, just need to bolt the fan onto the water pump. Now everything should be under the car! Pulley alignment seems good and there’s no for/aft play in this pump like there was on the original. Pulley is straight now too, previous one looked like it was being pulled “in” by the drive belt.

Here’s the PS bracket from the old one, so gross:

All cleaned up and painted now.

gkomo · Sep 9, 2025

I suppose i could start removing the rack and steering shaft but will be stuck waiting for parts after that. MM said another 2 weeks (which includes my 7/1/25 order) for the steering rack bushings which are part of my 4-point kmember brace order.

So i'm waiting on MM for:

- urethane rack bushings (ordered 7/1)
- kmember brace (ordered 7/1)
- bilstein struts (ordered 8/13)
- hybrid steering shaft (ordered 9/3)

But since i'm a noob when it comes to this, i was kind of hoping to remove/replace fairly close to each other so i can remember what needs to be done.

bird_dog0347 · Sep 9, 2025

gkomo said:
I suppose i could start removing the rack and steering shaft but will be stuck waiting for parts after that. MM said another 2 weeks (which includes my 7/1/25 order) for the steering rack bushings which are part of my 4-point kmember brace order.

So i'm waiting on MM for:

- urethane rack bushings (ordered 7/1)
- kmember brace (ordered 7/1)
- bilstein struts (ordered 8/13)
- hybrid steering shaft (ordered 9/3)

But since i'm a noob when it comes to this, i was kind of hoping to remove/replace fairly close to each other so i can remember what needs to be done.

yeah, just wait till you have it all on hand.

gkomo · Sep 10, 2025

Just for piece of mind, i've been reading around that the correct PS fluid is Type F. I went to my local o'rielly's to buy some and couldn't find any that specifically said Type F. May need to order online and then pick it up. How many quarts does the entire system require (pump, lines and rack)?

91AOD5.0LX · Sep 10, 2025

Yes Sir…
Ford Motorcraft Type F
Sku# 0 31508 09558 8
If your local store can’t get it, CARid.com has it in stock (6.71 per quart) Item # mpn4704298800.
Sorry I cannot answer the quantity of quarts question though.

gkomo · Sep 10, 2025

91AOD5.0LX said:
Yes Sir…
Ford Motorcraft Type F
Sku# 0 31508 09558 8
If your local store can’t get it, CARid.com has it in stock (6.71 per quart) Item # mpn4704298800.
Sorry I cannot answer the quantity of quarts question though.

Thank you sir. I'll search for this locally before buying online.

Edit: i'm impatient so i just ordered from carid.com as you linked. Ordered 5qts, hopefully thats enough.

AeroCoupe · Sep 10, 2025

If it takes more than two you have a problem. The Amsoil fluid works really well and stands up under a track day or two.

https://www.amsoil.com/p/amsoil-100-synthetic-multi-vehicle-power-steering-fluid-psf/?code=PSFCN-EA&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20384133774&gclid=Cj0KCQjww4TGBhCKARIsAFLXndS6qCQD5HtUgaFjkur1DP7gaCkM0kf3qyAq6uyuVHFM388Z0JLL6GwaApwzEALw_wcB

gkomo · Sep 11, 2025

No 'progress' really, but i did start at least loosening some stuff to get ready for the R&P swap. Got the outer tie rods loosened but not disconnected, loosened the R&P nuts, but not removed. I installed the two lines coming off the new R&P. Started looking at the OEM steering shaft and how to disconnect that. Can't tell if i need to move the wheel to get to the nuts/bolts easier or not.

I know MM has instructions on how to center the wheel with the new shaft, but, could i just measure the new R&P tie rod lengths to make sure they are even, lock my steering wheel at center and hope for the best that they line up centered? I also already counted 2.5 turns on the new R&P from lock to lock, and i currently have it at 1.25 turns from one lock, which should make the rack centered currently.

AeroCoupe · Sep 11, 2025

The pinch bolt you are after is at about 2:50 in this video:

View: https://youtu.be/TVcwUpRRsfM?si=63uiyuv_lgFwbt2A

gkomo · Sep 11, 2025

Hmm, ya my pinch bolt is facing upwards, not downwards like the video shows. I don't think i can get to it where it is now as part of the kmember (i think) is right in the way of the bolt. Its splined though so i should be able to rotate the steering wheel so the pinch bolt faces downward, loosen it, then reorient my steering wheel back to center? I don't have a helper so i was thinking of either locking my steering wheel, or using like a ratchet strap to keep it steady.

The new shaft should only be able to go on both the top by the firewall and bottom to the rack one way since the new rack has the 'triangular' mating piece, not splined, and i think it can only go on one way up by the firewall.

AeroCoupe · Sep 11, 2025

That is to just get the I old rack out of the car. You will have to remove the factory steering shaft from the steering column. There is a bolt on that end. Remove that and most likely it will take some persuasion to remove. It may even pull the steering column shaft out a little bit. You can tap it back up in the column after you get it out. Then you install the upper piece of the MM steering shaft into the steering column shaft and reinstall the bolt. The MM upper shaft is splined so that is how you get the steering wheel centered.

rwordenjr · Sep 12, 2025

gkomo said:
Side note, I bought a TFI tester someone linked somewhere around here and tested my spare Motorcraft TFI module… dead. Made sure my 9v battery was good, plugged and unplugged the tester numerous times, could never get the test light to light up.

gkomo · Sep 12, 2025

As mentioned before, i'm not great with a DVM but i will try these tests, so thank you.

So the DVM set for Ohms will provide its own power to run the tests through the TFI module on the bench?

rwordenjr · Sep 12, 2025

gkomo said:
As mentioned before, i'm not great with a DVM but i will try these tests, so thank you.

So the DVM set for Ohms will provide its own power to run the tests through the TFI module on the bench?

Yes, tfi just needs hooked up to meter while testing. Here’s a good video showing how to do what I posted screenshots of. Use the Ohms chart from my screenshot though, not that video.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SHPy5mCf6gI&t=201s&pp=ygUOVGVzdCB0ZmkgbWV0ZXLSBwkJsgkBhyohjO8%3D

Progress Thread Komo's 1990 GT - Parts Gathering Purgatory & Home Remodel

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

still married haven't seen testicles in years

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

I have a slight sag in my rear

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

Advanced Member

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft

Advanced Member

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