New member, new to mustangs. maybe buying one tomorrow

Obviously rust is something too look for. Look under the lip of the hatch and the lip of the sunroof (if it has one). Inside lip of the doors is another common place. I've also heard the front strut towers can rust in extreme situations. Check for vibrations in the front end going down the road. The inner tie rods are known for going bad, mine had a vibration around 60-65mph. Driveline vibrations can be common as well, I had some until I got my driveshaft professionally balanced. Rear main leaks can also be common on 302's, so check for that. The 3rd gear in the stock T-5 transmission are known for being weak, make sure it hasn't been busted. The uni-body design is very flimsy, visually check to see if the car is straight and sets fairly level. If it has subframe connectors...that's a good thing. Broken ashtray doors and armrests are the norm for these cars. Those are the main ones I can think of right now, other than those just use common sense and make sure they haven't did hack job repairs or modification.

The GT is an LX with a body kit when it comes to sheet metal rust. Look under all that body kit for rust. The spot that i missed on mine was behind the rear tires up under that plastic GT stuff. Get under the car and put your hand on it, mine crumbled away. The rest of that trim is suspect also, uses metal screws and clips in some places so check those areas too. Any place water can sit is a double check area.

Check the carpet in the passenger front for coolant due to a leaking heater core.

I was an aircraft mechanic for 11 years, even have an A&P license. It currently is inactive since I have been fixing computers for the last 33+ years. The computer and electronics repair knowledge has come in very handy fixing the EFI & electrical problems in 5.0 Fox Mustangs.

Welcome to Stangnet...

Not all of us know how to fix everything, but some of us know how to fix some things
with excellence!

If you want to do the fix up & power up thing, make sure that you have some other
form of reliable daily driver. That way the stang can sit while your wallet and hands
take a rest from the last project that didn't quite get finished on that 3 day weekend.
Things always cost more and take longer the first time you do them. Having some
other working vehicle makes life easier since it isn't the big crush to get it running
for the Monday morning drive to work or class.

Plan on spending some money on tools it you don't already have them. The stang
has both metric and American fasteners, so you really need two sets of wrenches.
A timing light, digital voltmeter, vacuum gauge, compression tester, fuel pressure
test gauge and fuel line coupler tools are some of the test & tuning tools you'll need.
Visit the pawn shops and sometimes you can find a deal on tools & test equipment
if you stick to well known name brands.

A sheltered work area is almost a must, someplace that you can leave the car in
pieces without upsetting anyone. Some guys here have changed a transmission in
the parking lot of their apartment in a rainstorm, but they will tell you it wasn't fun.
Depending on where you live, a warm dry garage is a nice place to do the winter
projects that stangs tend to become.

EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) Computer - every stang after 85 has or had one:
don't let it intimidate you. The computer based EFI systems are not hard to fix
and most of the time they tell you what's wrong with the engine. Here's a book
that will get you started with how the Ford electronic engine control or "computer" works.

Ford Fuel Injection & Electronic Engine Control 1988-1993 by James Probst:
ISBN 0-8376-0301-3.

It's about $35-$45 from Borders.com see http://www.amazon.com/ .
Select books and then select search. Use the ISBN number (without dashes or spaces)
to do a search

Use the ISBN number and your local library can get you a loaner copy for free.
Only thing is you are limited to keeping the book for two weeks. It is very good,
and I found it to be very helpful.

For lots of great ideas and tech notes on upgrades and repairs, be sure to check
out http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=643651 “Useful Technical Thread Index” sticky at the top of the 5.0 Tech forum.

Things that break often:
T5 5 speed manual transmission (syncros go bad, mostly 3rd gear)
TFI Module (Thin Film Ignition module - mounts on the distributor)
Electric door locks (see the link in my sig for a cheap & easy fix)
O2 sensors(oxygen sensors) They are good for about 60,000 miles and start to go
down hill after that.
TPS Sensor (Throttle Position Sensor) causes flaky problems with idle & acceleration.
Fog lights They overheat the wiring and cause the headlights to flicker. The fix is
cheap and simple if you can do electrical stuff.
Harmonic Balancer – they separate between the hub and outer ring. A harmonic
balancer puller is a must have to change it. You can rent or borrow a puller from
most of the larger auto parts stores.

Things that are very durable:
Engine - as long as it hasn't been abused, it will run good for 150,000-200,000
miles without an overhaul
Rear axle other than an occasional case of worn clutches in the traction lock,
they almost never have problems.
Computer - believe it or not, the computers seldom have problems of their own.
Most of the problems are with the sensors and the wiring.
Suspension – the front and rear suspension has very few problems if the car hasn’t
been wrecked or seen a lot of drag strip runs. The drag strip runs tend to distort and
tear the mount points for the rear axle control arms. Revving the engine up to 4000
RPM and dumping the clutch with slicks or drag radials tends to break things.

Things that don’t break often but are hard to fix:
Water pump mount bolts – they corrode and shear off when you try to change the
water pump.
Rear oil seal on the engine – lots of parts to remove to get to a $20 seal.
Power steering pump – the pumps are noisy and the pulley requires some special
tools to remove and install. If you have the tools, they are easy to do. Again, the
larger auto parts stores will rent or loan the tools for the pulley.
Power Steering rack - it is hard to get the toe in set so that you can drive the car
to the shop to get it properly aligned.
Starter – the top bolt is hard to get a socket on if you don’t have the right combination
of socket, universal joint and extensions.

Everything considered, 5.0 Mustangs are not hard to work on. They just require
some patience and though before you get started

I forgot some good ones, thanks guys.

I hope we're not scaring you away....this thread makes our cars sound like they're nothing but problems haha. Fact is, I've had my foxbody for 10 years this summer and it has never left me stranded. I love it.

Jason 302 said:

I forgot some good ones, thanks guys.

I hope we're not scaring you away....this thread makes our cars sound like they're nothing but problems haha. Fact is, I've had my foxbody for 10 years this summer and it has never left me stranded. I love it.

Click to expand...

don't be scared away... rather use this info and what you find to better negotiate a price that reflects what you find. if its perfect then just keep quiet and let the seller talk the car down. offer a "better" price once you look it over, worst he can do is say no or counter offer you. its all about the haggle

idk how well your negotiation skills are.. but if there are problems make sure you bring them up so he will lower the price.

Also check torque boxes

Another thing to consider are your goals for the car. Since it is an older vehicle, a lot of the technology is antiquated. If you plan on upgrading the power via heads/forced induction, etc, it will cause a cascade of necessary supporting upgrades. The money adds up QUICK. Everything is subpar to today's standards: fuel system, charging system, braking system.

Basically what I am trying to say is that a 'cheap' muscle car can end up being more than you bargained for. I know mine is, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

All that being said, if you are going to leave it stock, it's still a potent little package.

check all the suspension control arm bushings front and rear sway bar bushings and shocks/ struts. check under the carpet for rust and by under the carpet i mean anywhere there is a seal to the outside world check it. it may not be rotted through but depending on the cars origin there may be just surface rust or full on rotted metal or hell nothing. check all electrical switched and most importantly if they say it doesn't do something check it for example if they say it doesn't leak you better check.

Strut towers rust in the engine bay. Look at the sheet metal right around the master cylinder on the driver's side is notorious.