What to and what not to do with your new fox

[1.8kmint]

I don't know if this would fall under talk or tech but I figured I'd start a thread on basic ways to keep your fox running well and what you should not do if you wish to prolong its life. If you have any input drawing on experience it would be greatly appreciated. Things that worked things that didn't work etc.

I'll start

Things to do:

Check coolant levels... Overheating can lead to serious problems. Check for rust spots along the commonly known spots... Door trims, under floor etc.
Check oil... Basic fact
Use hood pins...

Things not to do:

Don't use corked gaskets when replacing gaskets. They do not seal well.
Don't bring car to WOT in overdrive.
Don't "plop" into seats which can cause "gangsta lean"
Don't use underdrive pullies with upgraded stero system.

 

[ryan218]

my car has the gangsta lean...i feel stupid sitting in the seat....why i want new seats!!

 

[93FiveO]

Don't use underdrive pullies with upgraded stero system.

I have underdrive pullies but not on the alt and I don't have any problems with charging or cooling but I do have a nice size battery.

nice list tho

When me and my dad bought my car we just thought it was low, so we just topped it off and when on are way 30min drive back home well the it started to run hot in maybe 5mins. So we just took the back way and ran every stopsign because when you went under 15 or so it would start to get to the red.Got home and found a stick in the rad

 

[UnderdogGN]

Anytime i buy a new car/truck i always change the oil, clean the air filter, check tire pressure, check coolant, change plugs etc.
So basically i do a tune up on any vehicle that is new to me.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Don't use Bosch +4's

 

[Darkwriter77]

DON'T:

- Buy the "Xtreme" or "severe duty" fan clutch offered by any parts store, as your motor will sound like a Hoover vacuum cleaner.
- Assume that just because you recently replaced your distributor with a reman'ed unit, that can't POSSIBLY be the reason why the thing just suddenly died and left you stranded 1 mile from home.
- Close 'vert or T-top doors by pushing on the glass.
- Let your obese alcoholic uncle into your 'Stang, as he will rip off the kickpanel, tear the weatherstripping, and put holes in your 'vert top when he gets in/out because he is uncoordinated as all hell and uses EVERYTHING as a handle to maneuver his tubby, intoxicated arse around.
- Let anyone except another 'Stanger drive your Fox, EVER, for ANY reason. This is especially true if you take your car to a shop to have it aligned or have tires put on, as they'll always want to "test drive" your car to "make sure everything's okay."
- Weld your subframes or cage pieces while the car is unevenly supported (preferrably with all 4 wheels bearing weight, rather than having it on a lift or jackstands).

DO:

- All of your own repairs, ALWAYS. Don't have the tools? Buy them. Don't know how? Read up on it. Too busy/lazy to ever mess with it? SELL THE THING TO SOMEONE WHO ISN'T. Otherwise, don't whine when you get screwed over by a shop of incompetent, over-charging yahoos.

 

[fiveohlxhatch]

+1 when I had my alignment done after redoing my entire front end my car dissapeared for a test drive... But there's just some stuff you can't do at home on your parking pad. I wish there were more competent shops in town here....

I agree with everything mentioned above, do your own work wherever possible to limit your car's exposure to incompetence!

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

When replacing hoses....don't forget the ones that flow coolant to the throttle body. I skipped them because I figured they were okay. YEAH.....Sometime in March/April 2005, the front one decided to develop a pin hole at 3:00a.m. when it was about 30* and windy as hell. Well that night was daylight savings time, so it was really 4:00a.m. I nursed the car home with no coolant, so 15 miles took me hours and hours.

 

[5.0Torx]

i do all my own repairs excpet tires and aligning.

How do you get the guy not to drive your car after aligning your car? usually they just go and do it without asking because tis implied that theyre going to test drive teh car to make it track straight.

The thought of some looser driving my car scares the crap out me!!! Because you know theyre gonna have as much fun as possible with your pride and joy as they can without getting caught.

My contribution to this thread is: when doing exhaust, be sure to route the passenger side tailpipe such that it doesnt melt the plastc gas line joint (i think thats what it is). I melted mine because i was working on it at night and couldnt see very well, and ended up melting through the gas line joint and leaking gas on the exhaust pipe. I never exploded, though i suppose i should have for being stupid, but i was getting like 16 mpg for a while there until i figured it out!

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

i do all my own repairs excpet tires and aligning.

How do you get the guy not to drive your car after aligning your car? usually they just go and do it without asking because tis implied that theyre going to test drive teh car to make it track straight.

The thought of some looser driving my car scares the crap out me!!! Because you know theyre gonna have as much fun as possible with your pride and joy as they can without getting caught.

You have to find a shop you can trust. I take my car to a family owned alignment shop. I have know the guys for 10+ years. The align my cars and tint the windows. They test drive cars they align in a residential subdivision behind them. They don't take out cars like ours on the road. Plus....they build hot rods and fix hot rods for guys who have close to or over 100,000 in their cars, so my car is nothing to them. But they still take good care of me and call as soon as it is done.

I deal with a ton of shops, and all of them use customers cars to pick up parts, get lunch, joy ride etc.....It DOES happen!!! I sold a greasy starter to a guy the other day, and he is like "Can I have a bag? I got a customers car...haha".

 

[5.0Torx]

thinking about that just makes me sick

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Hell yeah!! Some slime ball all greased up getting your interior all dirty, prolly smoking a cigarette, and texting his girlfriend while driving your car!!!


.....RRRRRRRR

 

[fiveohlxhatch]

I've worked or my friends have at most of the service centers in my area while we were all in college and you'd be surprised what happens to your car when it's left overnight. It's made me completely paranoid and it's why I avoid shops at all cost. I have stories upon stories that would make anyone cringe. I saw a tire-buster side step the clutch of a 5.0L LX reef blue hatch and spin it into the building while the original owner was watching from the customer area. Somehow the owner contained himself but you could see the incredible sadness in his eyes. That $50 he saved a tire wasn't really worth it. Saab 9-3 driven over a parking block and into a tree by mechanic, brought back in to "hide" it as best as possible. The list goes on and on. It's made me paranoid about my car for life! The worst part is most customers never know. The times the shop does get caught they are forced to deal with it but in many cases as with the LX hatch the car will never be the same.

 

[fiveohlxhatch]

You have to find a shop you can trust. I take my car to a family owned alignment shop. I have know the guys for 10+ years. The align my cars and tint the windows. They test drive cars they align in a residential subdivision behind them. They don't take out cars like ours on the road. Plus....they build hot rods and fix hot rods for guys who have close to or over 100,000 in their cars, so my car is nothing to them. But they still take good care of me and call as soon as it is done.

I deal with a ton of shops, and all of them use customers cars to pick up parts, get lunch, joy ride etc.....It DOES happen!!! I sold a greasy starter to a guy the other day, and he is like "Can I have a bag? I got a customers car...haha".

And that's why I was saying I wish there was a higher caliber shop I knew I could trust in town where a 5.0L mustang was absolutely nothing special. Not like down at CT where a 3.8L windstar is a muscle-car they all clamor over to do burnouts with.

TO THE OP:
I would say front bearings are something i've seen alot of younger people ignore. Most newer cars have sealed units that are maintenance free. I have seen several Mustangs come into the shops because of this problem. Grease them and make sure they're probably tightened. Seems simple but only if you knew it was required.