My 86 Tbird 3.8 idle control valve retracts in a "herky jerky" fashion. It does not retract smoothly. In other words it retracts at about 1/8" increments at a time when returning to idle. It seems that the engine is slow to return to idle.
Is that a idle control valve issue or is it the signal to the ICV doing that? I've tried my spare but it does the same thing. The spare is an old one from the 85 Cougar I used to have. So, it's not necessarily known good.
I finally have a picture of Vinniebird's Sport for my desktop. Big enough to be motivational for my 86. I need to be reminded everyday to "GET TO WORK".
The vinniebird:
Now the tbirdspsbird:
That's not a kitty litter box! Just oil drippings from the Ranger...
Besides my 92 Bird I have a 86 Bird project that's been on hold for almost a year. There is one major problem keeping me from going forward.
I need both right and left window track seals. They just disintegrated when I touched them. As you all certainly know there is nothing available nor is there any aftermarket or universal that will do the job.
I was thinking about those from a MK VII. There's one in the JY that the tracks are soft and plyable. Like my Bird the MK has no vent windows. Are these a possibility?
I also need the dew wipes but that is easy to deal with aftermarket.
Remember when it was a big deal to have a Thunderbird engine in your everday Ford sedan?
Ok I realize that I'm one of the old ones here that really does remember when.
Up until the mid to late 60's when you got a 312, 390 4V, 428/429 in you Galaxie or Country Sedan etc. the valve covers said "Thunderbird".
So how come folks here say that Thunderbird/Cougars share parts with Mustangs? Oh not so fast, I say that Mustangs share parts with Thunderbirds and Cougars.
I've been away from the forums for a bit. I've been working on the 92 LX. Like ScottD's 97LX I imagine that I've got the only 92LX on the Fox Tbird/Cougar Forums.
I've pretty much given up on the 86 Bird. I'm not motivated to get it on the road any time soon.
But, the 92 now has grown on me a bit. All the goodies work including the temp controlled HVAC. What a great feature. Plus the engine only has 22,000 miles so it's smooth and satisfies the state of California just fine. Emissions measuring in the mid single digits.
I've had to do some repairs however, after my wife's 12 years driving the car. It leaked fuel when the tank was full so it went 2 years only filling to 3/4 of a tank. I replaced the fuel pump and sender. All fixed. I had to completely rebuild the front suspension. Every component was worn out. But, I didn't replace the tires in time. The right rear gave up the tread at 55 mph so the rear inner fender plastic is long gone. It also bit a chunk out of the rear bumper by the wheel well but it really doesn't show too bad. It did however, give me an excuse to repaint the wheels.
Compared to the 86 this 3.8 has power. The EFI is a wonderful thing compared to the old CFI. This car will smoke the tires.
So, I'm thinking if we get enough MN-12's here then we'll have to expand to include them. I think we are up to three or four now. Besides this site is much more fun and friendly that the MN-12 (not mentioning names) site I've been frequenting lately.
I started the old 86 Bird yesterday after sitting for a year. It started straight away but boy did it smoke. After about 10 minutes most of the smoke stopped but the gas is quite old. I was totally taken by surprise that it started so quickly though.
I'm sure there are a few here that can do it. I'm afraid that to own my car for another 64 years is quite doubtful.
Can you imagine having the same car for 82 years?!!! I guess it was no longer under warranty... "How Long Have You Owned a Car?" Mr. Allen Swift ( Springfield , MA.) received this 1928 Rolls-Royce Picadilly P1 Roadster from his father, brand new - as a graduation gift in 1928. He drove it up until his death last year.....at the age of 102 !!! He was the oldest living owner of a car from new. Just thought you'd like to see it. He donated it to a Springfield museum after his death. It has 170,000 miles on it, still runs like a Swiss watch, dead silent at any speed and is in perfect cosmetic condition. (82 years) That's approximately 2000 miles per year...
OK, the 83-88 Tbirds and Cougars were very un-represented in 2010. This is way advanced notice. I don't have a car to enter but I'd like to see more than two this year! Let's woop it up! It is very much worth the trip and you don't have to have a "show" car to enter.
I must confess. After removing the whole interior, all exterior trim on the 86 a couple of months ago in preparation for repairs and paint I've done nothing else with it.
I did however clean up the 92 LX and rebuild the whole front suspension. Now I'm driving it daily. In addition after complaining about how big and sloppy the LX was that now I'm liking it a whole lot. I'm liking the power seat that the 86 doesn't have, I'm liking the Kenwood stereo that the 86 doesn't have and I really like the Automatic temperature control a/c the very best that the 86 doesn't have. Now that the front end is all rebuilt and aligned the rear end follows the front end around real good. And to top it all off it runs fantasticly smooth, no leaks and in general a much nicer car than the 86.
I also sold the 82 Mercury Cougar GS station wagon two months ago to a Mercury collector in Texas.
My daughter call me yesterday. "My battery light is on". So I say "bring it over". She can be smart most of the time and left it running. I put a meter on the battery and with it running it shows 4.65 volts. I was actually quite surprised it was still running.
So, I ask "how long has the light been on?" She says "since Monday after work".
So, basically if you have an Escort ZX2 you can expect it to run on a battery down to 4.65 volts.
Here's what Green Sales don't have. But they did provide the part numbers. No wonder the outer belt seals are so expensive at Steele. I was unaware that they came with the trim included. Steele has the outer belt moldings for $211 for the pair. They don't have the inners. These part numbers are for the 85/86's. I'm not sure if they apply to 83/84 or 87/88.
Part numbers: E4SZ6321596C: PASSENGER SIDE RUN CHANNEL E4SZ6321597C: DRIVER SIDE RUN CHANNEL E3SZ6321456A: PASSENGER SIDE INNER BELT MOULDING E3SZ6321457A: DRIVER SIDE INNER BELT MOULDING E5SZ6320934A: PASSENGER SIDE OUTER BELT MOULDING---CHROME E5SZ6320935A: DRIVER SIDE OUTER BELT MOULDING----CHROME E5SZ6320934DP: PASSENGER SIDE OUTER BELT MOULDING---CHARCOAL E5SZ6320935DP: DRIVER SIDE OUTER BELT MOULDING---CHARCOAL
