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Messages - skrimace

17
Engine Tech / 1988 thunderbird v6 problems
Quote from: Boothcody22;455506
I thought that but it did start twice when I put the new coil on and I tried the new coil b4 I mounted it when I came back and mounted it it wouldn't start?

Still wouldn't rule it out.  This forum's full of threads with folks having weird/intermittent problems that ended up stemming from the column ignition switch.  Charging system quit working when my switch went out, but seems there are no typical symptoms.  Any one of the many contacts within the switch could be too oxidized to conduct, causing different issues.  Might as well replace it if you haven't - it's cheap, easy, and the old one will fail sooner than later.
19
Engine Tech / Looks like my FP's gone south for the winter
Ha, this car's been yoyoing all month!  Fix one thing, another breaks down. 
Noticed a couple hairline cracks around a post on my dist cap which definitely need to be addressed, but my current issue seems to be one of starvation.
Finally got myself down to harbor freight for an injection tester.  Initial tests didn't look great - it primed to 16 PSI and ran at 35 PSI.  No gas in the line, but slight fuel odor and no change in pressure on removing the vacuum from the regulator.  I've never changed the filter :dunce:

Cool,  cheap stuff.  Start with new filter, new regulator.  Got new filter on - old one clogged as $#!7. 

Decided to give it test before fooling around with that regulator.  (From what I've gathered, it seems folks find it necessary to pull off the plenum.  Anybody around here ever changed a FPR on a 3.8 without pulling the plenum?)

First prime, 0 PSI.  Cool, lost an oz. or two of fuel changing the filter.  Give it three primes, still 0.  Another three - ah, 5 PSI.  A handful more and I never got it above 10 before I decided to just crank it.  She stumbles and starts, gets up to speed.  Steady idle at 35 PSI.  Pulling the vac off the FPR, now it's jumping up to 41.  Still going to replace it, but I guess it can wait for a less windy day.  Gauge won't reach past the cowl so wasn't able to do a full road test with it.

Shut the bird off and the pressure drops from 35 to 30.  Drops from 30 to 20 in about a minute and holds.  Ten minutes later, she's at 10 PSI.  Twenty minutes 8 - thirty minutes still at 8.

Guess I'm going to be dropping the tank, checking voltages and replacing pumps tomorrow.  I've dropped the tank before, so I know it's actually one of the easier components of the vehicle to remove - but sucks nonetheless.  C'est la vie. 
Replaced a kinked nylon line near the fuel rail input and found a worse kink under the heat shield hose.  I could see how all that regurgitating fuel could kill an already aging pump. 
I've no doubt we kinked those lines replacing the head gaskets.  Live and learn I suppose. I'll definitely take the time to get the spring locks loose or plan on replacing the rail lines with injection hose off the bat next time.
20
Electrical Tech / Problem with anti-theft system (I think) please help!!!
x2 on the switch.
Had one going out that resulted in the charging system quitting intermittently.  Dealt with it for a while by jiggling the keys anytime the speedo seemed a bit dim, but the jiggle trick quit working one night and I had the pleasure of watching my battery die as I bolted toward my house - timing the stoplights, avoiding the brakes, cluster fully dimmed, ignoring my blinkers, anything I could think to conserve battery.  Didn't quite make it, but got close enough to get a backup bat in the bird before rush hour - and more importantly before any LEOs noticed a rusty Thunderbird parked caddy-whompus across a downtown sidewalk. 

Like CoogarXR said, the part is super cheap and it's easy/quick to put in to boot.  It's really not a part you have to feel bad about throwing at it.  If the switch has never been replaced, its days on this mortal coil are likely quite numbered anyway.  Oxidation's a bitch. 
A heads up in case you don't have any- you'll need a torx driver (at least I did for my 88).  IIRC, the switch's retaining screws are T20.
Good luck!
21
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
Yeah, it's those ed mountains.  The weather always seems to follow along the East side. 
Definitely, we're wanting to get this bird fit for flight.  Last time we were out that way was in an E-250 with a 460.  Didn't gouge our wallet as bad as we expected, but it still wasn't easy on it. 
Some rat  stole it couple years ago.  :mad:
Likewise, drop me a line when you find yourself on the other side of the rock again!
22
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
That sounds like a bad afternoon indeed!  Never seen brake fluid ignite, but I'd imagine it's pretty wicked once you get it going.  Talk about poor man's napalm.  Glad you survived!
Saw an Explorer burst into flames on a more seedy stretch of Colfax Ave once.  Crackheads are like rhinoceroses - they came out of the woodwork by the dozens, full trigger on their motel room extinguishers before they're even in range of the vehicle. 

Thanks for the heads up on the rod.  I know the one - had to get it jiggly to get at the driver's side exhaust .  I'll be sure to pass that wisdom on to m'lady as well - it's actually her ride.  (Gifted to her on condition that its name remained "Roadrage."  It's not too bad, but you can see along the roof, trunk lid, and pillars why we appended the 'Rusty' bit.  It's our red-headed step child.) The mounts appear to be in pretty good shape, were probably replaced when the motor was rebuilt.  We were having a good laugh about that regulator.  Checked the regulator itself, but not the vacuum line.  It was the plenum side that cracked.  The obvious will always bite you in the ass. 
Noticed a kink in the nylon return line at the fuel rail spring-lock connects.  Should probably fix that sooner than later. 

P.S.  I'll take as much snow as you wanna give, but you can keep the negative temps.  On the other hand, I finally had a couple days peace and quiet from the construction.  They've been at it 7 days a week since they ditched the 'Coming Summer 2014' sign...
23
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
:headbang: Eureka! :headbang:
Got a little warmer today, so I finally got a chance to have a look without risking hypothermia.  That ECT was garbage;  wouldn't go any lower than 18Ω. 
Did another vacuum test, this time using butane instead of the pump.  Turns out my main issue was the fuel reg line. 
X

It's back in full action.  Thanks again for all the help!  These forums have been invaluable since we acquired the bird.  The community here is impressive - very knowlegable techs around here willing to help the clueless like myself.  Gonna let it warm a bit more before I tackle the gauge issue.

X
Thanks again!
24
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
Ah, it does appear to have a dedicated sending unit.  The car has a semi-digi cluster.  Maybe a blast or two of contact cleaner will clear that up.  Need to get a suitable fuel pressure gauge, so no, haven't done fuel pressure check.  Going to have to make a trip to harbor freight...
Suspecting I may have a  ECT (parts store brand), gonna have to test it.  Pretty sure I replaced it the same day I replaced the PCV duct tape with the plug.  Was running reasonably well for about a hundred miles prior.  Sounded a bit more 'poppy' than it should and was running a little bit rich, but could definitely feel the restored power from repairing the HG (which also solved the mystery of the disappearing coolant we had since we got the car).  Making a list of tests to perform from the literature I've been reading - starting to piece together a clear picture of how these EEC systems work.  Pretty darn impressive stuff for its day.  Feeling a bit more confident in diagnosing this thing, looking forward to the temps rising back above the teens.  Sucks not having a shop, or a garage - or even offstreet parking.  Had the pleasure a couple years ago of changing the bird's broken flywheel out in the snowy street.  I've never been more bitter about how recklessly many people tear down city sidestreets. 
:2gunsfiri :burnout:
[video=youtube;oT-uhxkNLhM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT-uhxkNLhM&t=31[/video]
25
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
Well, no luck.  Drove the idle up a little and tested until the EEC threw a 13 on KOER, but still idling like  in gear.  Also a whistle when I plug it properly, so there must be a leak somewhere. 
It also threw a 24, which is interesting because the ECT sensor is brand new.  Replaced it because my temp gauge reads way, way low (the needle never moves more than a mm or two beyond 'C').  The new sensor didn't remedy the problem, so I figured the cluster VR was going out.  Wondering if I have a wiring issue. 
Also wondering how much hysteresis the MCU gives the sensors before throwing a fault code.  Perhaps that py solder joint is providing enough resistance to cause drivability issues, but not enough to throw a code?  Didn't screw with the TPS connector or try to find the whistle today - got our first freeze/snow, body's not quite used to it yet.  It was 70 yesterday.
26
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
Yeah, definitely had it set lower than missing and bucking just a bit.  Spec is 550 RPM with the IAC unplugged which, when I think about it now, is basically just a low idle - not a struggling engine.  Will try setting to a higher base tomorrow and check the TPS range if no joy.  Thanks!
27
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
Thanks for the quick reply!
Have it plugged with the backyard bolt-in-vacuum line method.  Perhaps I need to be a little more liberal in setting the base idle.  Went to set it to spec and found my old tach/dwell has decided to retire itself.  My definition of "barely running" may be more conservative than the author of the forum post I read describing the procedure.  Idles fine in park, but the block starts doing the twist in gear. 
I found find a pic in the forums of a member's Cougar with a similar setup that had the same lonely barb.  A plug would explain my confusion on that.
28
Engine Tech / Missing vacuum line
Hey folks!  Hope you all had a good Halloween!  Spent mine learning more about these engines.  Never owned a car with a 'puter (save the Neon, whcih I really didn't care to work on, and the Cordoba whose computer was so primitive it didn't require any tune up procedures beyond the regular 'old engine' stuff), so my diagnostic skills are still pretty poor here. 

We did a top end rebuilt on our '88 thunderbird 3.8 after HG demise.  Had some issues and codes after rebuild, got it all cleared up with some assistance from the EVTM (thanks Trinom!), but there's an unused barb on the PCV valve that was previously wrapped with duct tape.  Nothing's been deleted as far as I can tell.  All the smog and A/C equipment is present and working, but can't seem to figure out what's supposed to plug in there.
Now, if I plug the port, the car runs like .  If I let it leak, the car runs like .  If I restrict it, the car runs great - no idle issues, no stumble, nothing untowards.  Still throwing no codes KOEO or KEOR.  No vacuum leak with the port plugged.

Unfortunately, the fan shroud is no help...
X
Can't even find a picture of the emissions decal for the 88 3.8 online - but lots of pictures of 88 5.0 decals and even decals themselves on ebay.

Neither was this Chiltons diagram for the '87 3.8  (they had diagrams for 83-87 and 89-90. WTH?  :flip:)
X
PCV runs to purge valve and intake (assuming that the electronic fuel control assembly is the throttle/plenum/intake), but still has an open port.

Here's what I'm looking at:
X
(New TPS connector is on the way.  Roadside crack lighter solder job isn't going to hold to much longer...)

:punchballs:  Been pulling my hair out over this for days.  Sure, I could just stick an inline filter and a vrest on it and call it a day, but I kinda like this car - don't wanna ghetto rig it.  Anybody know what's supposed to go there, or have a 88 3.8 efi specific emissions decal/vacuum diagram that may shed some light?
29
Lounge / passwords
Much. 

You can purchase a hardware security module developed by very, very, smart people which regularly regenerates key pairs and implement one or a combination of security modules like mag cards, smart cards, key fobs, biometrics, RFID, etc, etc, etc...

For most of us mere mortals, a non idiotic 8+ random character or 4+ random word password is fine.  If you're paranoid, you can throw in numerics and special chars.  Usually you can even go all out and throw some unicode in there (§,¿,÷,©,etc).  You can make your fence as tall as you want.  A random password generator may defy all odds and strike the nail on the head first try.  No password - nor any security measure - is unbeatable, but 'breaking' a password is useless - Brute force these days relies on tables of pre-hashed passwords.  If your password is not likely to be included in these tables, you're probably solid.

'Course if the encryption sucks or is non-present, it's all for naught anyway.  A forty foot high fence won't protect your house too well if it's only a 4 foot section.