Think I bought a Lemon :(

[Jekyl]

I have had my car for three weeks now and I thought I got a pretty good deal on it. It came with all the mods listed in my sig and It drove really hard and strong for the first two weeks. In the last two weeks however, My hood has flown up at 90 km/h causing damage to the hood and cowl which is an expensive fix, my car isnt running right and seems like its firing on 7 cylinders instead of 8 but it comes and goes.. sometimes it drive strong and other times it just putters with no power and this has only started in last week. Last but not least... I think my clutch gave up on me this morning. The guy I bought the car off of said it was a brand new clutch yet this mornign on the way to school... Everytime I give it WOT, the revs go up and I dont accelerate and then it will catch and accelerate and then it will slip again. It doesnt slip If I drive slow and shift at 2000-2500 rpm. So do I need a new clutch or what? This sucks... Its going to cost me like $4000 to get my car to where I want it and I only paid $4400 CDN for it. Whats wrong with it!!!

/me wipes tears off face

 

[darthcual]

Bah sry bout your bad run of luck jekyl. My car has been somewhat of a challenge and still is but i have not given up yet. My advice is hang in there. I have been restoring my car for 2 yrs now and to get it where i want it I'll prolly need 3 more. Dunno whats causing your slip but it sounds like the clutch from what you've described. Remember Rome wasnt built in a day, It was built in two.

 

[MrKwik]

Try grabbing the clutch pedal and pulling up. You should hear a pop and like magic your clutch will be good as new. But then again it could be toast.

 

[70lightning]

It probabley needs a good tune and compression test.

 

[notchback]

hey lightning...lol..i forgot i said that

anyway...yeah try adjusting the clutch pedal first..maybe get an adj. cable.
the stocker plastic junk is junk.

sounds like a case of bad spark, have you checked all your plug wires, including coil wires?

it could be fuel , but if you hook up a fp guage you can rule that out quickly

my guess is spark...usually is.

do the clutch yourself if it needs it, and replace that cable

 

[Jekyl]

I JUST FOUND OUT THE CLUTCH!!

So I just went outside and pulled the pedal out and yes it wasnt fully out. took it for a test drive around the block and it still slipped when i did WOT but i put my foot under the pedal and pulled the pedal out again and floored it, it didnt seem to slip.

The clutch pedal doesnt come out all the way by itself and i have to pull it out about aninch with my foot after every shift so it doesnt slip. Everytime I push it in it doesnt come completely back out short of about an inch. So whats the problem? I will check my plugs as soon as I canget ahold of a spark plug socket!

 

[Jekyl]

Just talked to my mom and she said sounds like the clutch assembly just needs to be re-adjusted... what do u guys think?

 

[bhuff30]

Clutches need to be broken in corectly instead of beaten on immidiatly. If the clutch was so new that it hadn't been broken in properly, then it will slip. Proper break in is easy driving for the first 500 miles.
Its a used car built 15 years ago... what did you expect?

 

[rd]

Don't give up so easily, all that stuff can be fixed. You have one of the best performance cars in the world the best on line advise available at your fingertips here.

That said, it may take some careful looking and learing to figure out some of the probs, but all can be fixed, one way or another.

If the clutch was somehow hanging up not fully released, or got dirt/grease on it, it may have slipped enough to polish it. If the last owner just put a new disc in with a worn flywheel and pressure plate, it probably will get glazed and slip.

For the misfire, I would check plugs, then wires, then the coil, and then the TFI module.

I just bought an 89, and have changed the trans, the cooling control module, fan motor, the heater core, the front brakes, two tires, and 50 other knick-nak items, in about the first month. But now I have a nice driving 89 notch 2.3 with working overdrive and ac. Almost up to $1000 in it. These things are some of the best cars you can get as far as ease of maintenance and availability of parts.

 

[Dbeck002]

not all 5.0s these days that people buy second hand are gonna run fine. you need to massage them a little, baby them, sex them...


if you just give it some TLC and a good place to sleep it will run for the rest of your life.

when i bought my 5.0 at first it ran kinda crappy, but little by little i gave it a tune up and every part i added made it run better and better. you just need to realize thats how all 5.0s are, they are old.

 

[Carney Woods]

I think a good tune up is in order. Change all the "cheap" stuff before you start getting bent out of shape. Change: spark plugs,wires,distributor cab and rotor, fuel filter, air filter, oil and filter. Then at least you can rule out a few things.

As for the clutch what kind of clutch is it? Stock? if it is an aftermarket clutch it likely is out of the adjustment range of the stock quadrant. I had a similar issue when I upgraded to a King Cobra clutch. If aftermarket get a new quad and firewall adjuster set up with a new STOCK clutch cable (aftermarket cables are the s**ts) and go from there.

Good luck..........

 

[Darkhorse845]

It probabley needs a good tune and compression test.

Thats a great idea lol!

 

[gearheadfred5.0]

As far as the clutch goes, I would spend the money (like $100) and get an aftermarket quadrant and cable kit that will get rid of that cheesy plastic auto adjust quadrant! If the tune-up checks out OK, another possibility would be to look at the fuel injectors.

Fred.

 

[k12]

With the clutch, before you do anything, check to see if it has an adjustable clutch cable and or firewall adjuster. This could be the issue.

For the weak engine issue, be scientific in your persuit of the problem. Start small and basic, i.e. fuel, spark, compression. You will find plenty of posts on each of these issues. Stay with it and you will end up with a vehicle you know, and love. Mustangs can be exceptionally dependable.

Good luck,

Kieran

 

[NosPony]

I finally upgraded to a adjustable quad and firewall adjuster. WOW!!!! It made a differance. Dont know why i didnt do it earlier.

 

[baldy1]

I have an 87 5.0 I was told that the car had this and that. i was lied to also. Almost2 years later and alot of unrigging and tlc it runs greatRuns faster and better. Still have work to do and mods that I want to do. changs the cable and quandrant to an adjustable one. Also change the clutch its junk. Stay with the basice troubleshooting procedures first. Its probably something simple and that is always easy to overlook. So keep it simple first. Stay in there.