need vin decoder help

[leserz]

i'm putting this here because i have no idea where else to put it. i need some help on the door plate how to decode it. the vin i was able to do but cant find any thing on how to decode the rest. so here goes.
GVRW 3725
front GVRW 2172
rear GVRW 1981
exterior body 568
int. trim FA
R E4
AX 5 TR VWWGG
VIN 1FABP26A5GF . XXXXXX
86 mustang coup 2.3 auto

what i'm looking for is rear end size ? 7.5 or 8.8
gear ratio?
what trans do i have only thing on the floor shifter is 1 2 D N R P
my first mustang got my drivers license in 1964 so it has taken me a while to get one.

 

[RustBucket]

Don't need tag info to tell you the info you're looking for.

Here's some quick facts that should help:

All 2.3 Mustangs were equipped with 7.5" rear ends.
After 1985 or so the following is true:
Automatics had a 3.73 gear ratio
Manuals had a 3.45

The ONLY overdrive automatic transmission offered behind a 2.3 in a Mustang was the A4LD

Congrats on your first Mustang! Have fun

 

[leserz]

hey thank you that helps me quite a bit. i just got it yesterday evening. it's filthy dirty. paint has so oxide paint is almost gone. found 2 mouse nests in under rear seat LOL did not know it has a OD trans in it. only felt it shift from 123 but i never had it over 45 yet needs some front end work it wants to wanter going down the road. lots of play in the steering wheel. about the only i hate about it is. i need to cut my head off to get in it.

 

[kevinspann]

hey thank you that helps me quite a bit. i just got it yesterday evening. it's filthy dirty. paint has so oxide paint is almost gone. found 2 mouse nests in under rear seat LOL did not know it has a OD trans in it. only felt it shift from 123 but i never had it over 45 yet needs some front end work it wants to wanter going down the road. lots of play in the steering wheel. about the only i hate about it is. i need to cut my head off to get in it.

Id say for all of the mouse nests and whatnot...if you dont have to drive the car take the interior out and clean it really well, gut a steam cleaner and/or a carpet shampooer if possible.

As far as the transmission goes, i would think that if it were an A4LD the shift indicater would go P-R-N-OD-D-2-1. I could be wrong on this, and probably am

For the front end, check the steering shaft, the ragjoint bushing tends to fail and cause very very sloppy steering. Also both the inner and outer tie rod ends, and the balljoints can also cause front end wandering too.

And: How tall are you?

 

[leserz]

i'm 5' 11" but only have a 27" inseam . i have a tall torso short legs. runs in the family. getting out is easy . but getting in i can lean my head as far as i can and still need to force my head pass the roof opening. all 80's up cars are like that to me. once in side my head is one inch below the head liner. well my fat ass don't help ether

 

[ethangsmith]

Your 86 2.3L automatic mustang would have the following equipment:
-1 barrel Carter YFA feedback carburetor.
-EEC IV electronics for ignition and emissions controls
-C3 3 speed automatic transmission
-3.27:1 open rear end (7.5" axle housing)
-Charcoal fabric interior
-Am/Fm Multiplex radio


Basically, your door tag is identical to my 86 capris'. If you need any more info concerning the car, I know that powertrain setup like the back of my hand.

 

[leserz]

cool thats some good info you gave me. i guess i was right thinking it was not a over drive trans then. i thought it would be a OD trans of some kind. but a C3 is not a bad trans. if i remember right.
it seems to have some vacuum leaks in it idle is up and down.i caped off 3 hoses because i have no idea where the went to. i have replaced a few today.

kevinspann you were right about that rag joint nothing left in the rubber part of it. i have not checked the tie rods yet. but the rag joint is destroyed for sure. well i was working on the car today for 6 hrs stright. thought i was going to die
darn it's hot today in tennessee any way i filled up a 5 gal pail today with dirt paper and trash. it was sitting in the boonies for a long tome it seems. odometer shows 86.000 mi . the way the interior ,carpet looks like that might not be too far off. it's all very good just filthy dirty. carpet is not frayed at all. i had the rear seats out needed to do that because the trunk was replaced but no key for it. that was a pain to unbolt the latch.
i found out if i tilt the seat back it is easier to get in it.

 

[ethangsmith]

I found that Simple Green, some rags, a bucket of water, and a stiff bristle brush make seats and carpet look new. I cleaned up a capri seat with the stuff and it looks new now. Smells clean too. As for rolling idle, if those computer systems have any issues, it will cause it to hunt for idle speed. Mine did it whenever there was some sort of component failure. Basically, as long as your EGR system is working and your ignition system is working, you're ok. The stupid thermactor air injection system is about worthless on these cars.

 

[leserz]

the EGR is not hooked up to any vacuum source. there are 5-6 vacuum lines pluged off. haven't got that far yet.
looking at the door plate what color is it ? not much of any color right now. my guess is a metallic silver.
there is no radio in it now but there are many wires cut in the radio area.
any place to get some good big pic's of the vacuum routing ? the one on the hood you need to be double jointed to read it.

 

[ethangsmith]

I don't see a paint code in your stuff you posted up. If the car looks silvery, it could be 1E silver metallic, 1D smoke metallic, 4M dark slate metallic, or 3J light regatta blue metallic (turns greyish when heavily weathered). Check your door tag for a code matching one of those. As for vacuum harness diagrams, Chilton manuals have them. Or, click this link:

http://www1.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/16/65/cc/0900823d801665cc/repairInfoPages.htm

Just a forewarning- there are a few parts in the vacuum harness that are no longer made. One item is the part marked BVT (backpressure variable transducer). That's the EGR vacuum regulator (located above the exhaust manifold, attached to the Thermactor diverter valve). I just capped the lines leading to it off. Car runs a little funky at times without it, but at least it didn't ping. You can no longer get the item marked PVS in it's oem configuration with a vacuum bleed on it. The part is available without the vacuum bleed, so all you do is splice a vacuum bleed into the vacuum hose after the PVS (ported vacuum switch).

 

[RustBucket]

Thanks for straightening things out ethan. My information was for 87 and later cars.

 

[ethangsmith]

No prob. I've even gotten information about my 86 Capri directly from Ford stating it is fuel injected!! I think it's a common misconception since the 87-93 2.3L's are all EFI, and the Ranger 2.3L was EFI since 84 or 85. For some reason the Mustang(79-86 "foureye" type)/Capri/Marquis/LTD never got the EFI 2.3L unless it was turbocharged.

 

[4stanger]

Tell ya what I did when I had my seats out and they were dirty. I removed the seat covers, ran them through the washing machine and reattached them with zip tyes. Sounds crazy but they looked like new. Ok like new but still worn. It's a pretty easy project.

 

[leserz]

i had some seats from a RV well they were seats for the dinette.
put them in a washing machine and they came out of the washer as big ball of string. i will rent a cleaner after the 4 th. i'm broke till then.
thanks for all the help.

 

[leserz]

i looked at the door tag for the paint code it looks to be 1 ? could be a 0 after the 1 or a D or a Q hard to read it it's faint.

 

[ethangsmith]

Probably 1D. (see my one above post for some paint code possibilities). Saw your pictures, looks like a good starting point for a project. Just be sure that you replace that timing belt pronto!! Get a timing belt kit. It comes with the belt and a new tensioner. It's like 75 bucks. The last thing you want is for it to snap. That will cause a lot of unnecessary headaches. Also, be sure to keep the oil at a proper level. IF it runs low, you risk chewing up your camshaft since it's an OHC engine with a slider cam design.

 

[leserz]

thanks again for your help. yes the timing belt is in bad shape can see dry rot cracks in it. can't do any thing about that till july 3 rd. went to o'rielly's auto parts they say they have two belts for it one $ 7.00 and one for $ 13.00 if the bearing in the tensioner feels i am going to leave it alone. well thats what i am thinking now any way. may change my mind on a new one. don't look like it's very hard to change. did one on a Vega, and a 87 ply Horizon that one was a real pain to do. got my Haynes manual today. might get a Chilton manual also.