Was about to do an oil change and noticed 2 drain plugs on the oil pan. One seems to be the main one in the center and another one on the front of the pan. Can't find anything about it. Do both need to be drained? Silly question - but I have never seen an oil pan with 2 drain plugs before.
Got the bushing in today and adjusted the cable. Everthing went really smoothly thanks to everyone's advice and links. Went for a ride, and everything seems okay. The slipping is gone and the car will now downshift when gassing it hard. Gave it a pretty good workout - and no issues arose. Hope I dodged the bullet and I did no permanent damage. I guess time will tell. Calling the local dealer tomorrow for a tranny oil change and fiter replacement. Thanks for the help and advice everyone!!
Thanks a lot for the links guys, seeing the video and the diagram link makes everything come together. I think I got it- seems pretty easy. I have Thursday off and I plan to do then. I'll keep ya posted. THANKS!!!
I got the part today at the local Ford dealership, a whole $4.18. I am going to try to install tomorrow or the next day, the car's gonna have to sit for a while longer. I plan on getting the bronze replacement - just wanna get it fixed for now. What is the best way to adjust the TV cable so I know its adjusted correctly after I replace the bushing? By the way, if a $4.18 part was the culprit that damaged my tranny - I'm gonna FREAK!
Okay - first, thanks to all for the help and suggestions, I would not have figured it out on my own. Everyone was right, the TV cable is broke. After giving a thourough look over, the cable has broken off right at the throttle body linkage. It looks like the plastic, or grommet used, broke off the top, and the cable no longer stays in the hole on the lever itself, and the cable is hanging there attached to nothing. I was able to push in the cable in the hole on the lever so it would just hold, and volia - the arm on the transmission started moving when the accelerator was floored. So, do I need a whole new cable, or can I get just the piece that broke? Is it hard to replace? And my main question is - do you think the cable just broke making the transmission act up , or based on the symptoms I have, has it been broken for a while, and now the transmission is damaged. I never really flogged the car, so I really didn't have the car downshift a lot, or get into passing gear frequently from OD, so if it has been broken for a while, I might have never noticed it. I know I will know the answer when I replace it, but just thought I'd get everyone's opinion so when I replace it - I can be relieved or still nervous.
Thanks to all - I would like to check the linkage first - but in the case of sounding dumb, can you tell me what I am looking for with the linkage. How will I know if it is out of adjustment or broken? What will it look like if something is wrong. It is most definatley going in for a filter and change. Thanks again!
My '88 Cougar 5.0 with 29,500 miles developed a bad transmission slip. It started yesterday and I can't tell if it is just 3rd gear or other gears as well. The car will take off fine from a stop or low speed, but on the highway at a constant speed and you gas it, the engine revs - but the car stays the same speed. While driving at about 60 mph I shifted from Overdrive to Drive and the RPMs climbed fast to 4500 rpm -probably higher if I didnt start to brake and put back into Overdrive. You can feel the slippage too when the cruise is on, and accelerates, say up an incline. If you are in second gear, and you floor it, the car is reluctant to drop a gear and even sometimes won't. And in second gear I can get the transmission to slip a little too. I checked the fluid first thing when I got home from work - about a 13 mile trip, and the tranny fluid was in the hash marks and still looked pretty good in color. Is it the old tranny fluid - not a lot of miles, but old - thats needs to be changed or, as I am afraid, it is a lot more? Common issue or not? The car has been babied it's entire life and never driven hard for any length of time and was my father's car he gave to me. I am sick over this and would appreciate any input.
Today the lever for the Cold/Hot for the climate control broke. I can swing the lever to hot and cold- but the air coming out is full hot. Something must have become disconnected in the back. How do I get to it - and any suggestions on what might have happened and what I will be looking for. Thanks!
I have just acquired an '88 Cougar LS 5.0 with 30,000 original miles from my father. The car is all stock, in showroom shape and has won several car show awards. I just broke it out of storage where it has been for the last 5 years. It was started regularly and I've had it all looked over by the local Ford/Mercury Dealer. I would like to turn the car into a 'sleeper' and not sure where to begin. I would like to put a bigger throttle boby and exaust as the first of many upgrades. What are the suggestions for this? Can I add a throttle body that will stay with the car through the upgrades I would like to do, or do I need to be careful what I get since the engine is currently stock? I would like a 'throatier' exhaust - what is recommended? Last but not least, how difficult is it to get Mustang/Thunderbird 5.0 performance parts to fit on a Cougar? A lot of questions, but would appreciate any help for the newbie! :)
