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Topics - CougarSE

2
Electrical Tech / How to kill, repair and not kill again an A9L in an 88 and possibly others.
Years ago when I swapped my car to GT40 I used a speed density EEC from an auto Mustang.  The car ran great, I made the jump to MAF with an A9L and the car has never run as good as it did with speed density.  Years of troubleshooting, trying different parts and failing to get codes from the DLC but I never fully resolved the issue.  I took the EEC apart and repaired the all to common SigRtn circuit but it never repaired the problem.  In rebuilding my car I started some new research and stumbled upon all things pin 30.

Pin 30 in regards to a stock 88 EEC works as a neutral indicator by grounding the pin to chassis ground through the starter solenoid of all places.  This wire runs through the Neutral switch on the transmission, this is how the computer knows the car is in gear.  Reference to ground on pin 30 through this circuit tells the computer the car is in park, no reference to ground = car is in gear.  When the car is started power is applied to the starter solenoid starting the car.  During this there is 12v applied to this wire, the solenoid has a diode to force the 12v through the coil engaging the solenoid.  Our stock computers can handle this 12v during cranking by its own diode protection.  The speed density HO computers use this configuration as well as the A9P, all are safe to install and no change is required to this circuit.

The A9L uses reference to SigRtn through both the neutral switch on the clutch pedal and the one on the transmission, these switches are in parallel so that either will provide reference to SigRtn with either the clutch pedal pressed or the transmission in neutral.  The Mustang guys find a problem through the O2 sensor harness.  I am not certain what the problem actually is but I am pretty sure that there is no problem with our O2 sensor harness, the Mustang one looks like it runs the NGS through its O2 harness and ours does not.

Now to some pictures.

Page 44 of the 88 EVTM shows the start pin of the ignition switch connected to the starter solenoid through the neutral safety switch. You can see the red with light blue stripe wire goes to the transmission and back to the starter solenoid changing to a white with pink stripe wire at the transmission.  This is the how your car actually starts.  Notice the brown with white stripe wire coming off to the left and where it shows to follow it to.  You can also see the diode in the starter solenoid that allows reference to ground but forces 12v through the coil.

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Page 61 (not 58 as it says, thats a 3.8) shows the brown/white wire on  its way to pin 30, the only connection is C143 and that is one of the  connectors by your brake booster.  So it leaves the starter switch and goes through the firewall to C143 by the booster, this is one of the engine to body harness connectors.  From there it goes strait to the EEC.  With both of these we can see how the car applies 12v to pin 30 while cranking and reference to ground when running.  Neither thing an A9L Wants.

X

This is a picture of my starter switch, you can clearly see the brown/white red/light blue crimped together at the switch just like page 44 shows.  As a safe start to an A9L conversion the brown/white needs clipped from this location.  There are many different plans of attack from this point forward from all over the internet.  Some say leave it open however you cannot pull KOER codes.  Others say to connect it strait to pin 46 (SigRtn), however others complain of idle issues.  Wiring like factory is ideal, parallel the clutch switch and the Neutral safety switch on the transmission. Myself I have an Sn95 t5 so I have no neutral switch on the transmission so I will use only the clutch switch.  So the brown wire can go to one side of the clutch switch and a wire run from SigRtn to the other.  This means a wire across the back of the dash to the EEC as there is no SigRtn on the driver side. Ideally you would run the red/light blue wire through the other switch on the clutch pedal so the car wont start unless the pedal is down.

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I'm sure this is not new information to some of you and I may find that all of this info is already on this forum but I only found bits and pieces in different threads but I also didn't look to hard.  I needed to have a mind dump so I figured you all wouldn't mind.:hick:
3
User Rides / Claude puts his car back together.
So after many years of sitting I'm going to have this car back in one piece, not that it really ever wasn't but all of the parts that I wanted to install will be installed finally.

When I bought this 88 XR7 From Mayhem it was a really nice clean rust free car.  It has been repainted and was really a 20ft car but it was/is clean. 

X

Under all of this filth is a still decent looking car.  However it is going to need painted soon and some body work.  It has always had hail damage on the roof that is pretty bad.


X

I have been gathering parts out of various sheds and barns and so far I have all but a couple bolts worth of parts to install my T5.

So far this weekend I was able to drop the fuel tank, exhaust and drop the transmission.  This transmission didn't survive the GT40 head/intake swap, one of the reason I stopped driving it.

X

So while I have flip flopped the no money lots of time to lots of money and no time I have been spending a little me time on some projects lately.  While pulling the transmission I found that the oil pan is so rusty it looks as if it could leak, so I'll be pulling the engine next.  With that I'll be able to clean the bay up and paint it.  I'm torn between staying white or going black.  Either way It will be fun cleaning this car back up and eventually driving it again, its been fun cruising the forum the past couple days too.
4
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / 88 xr7 $800
Time to go, been sitting for a couple years now.  Transmission is shot but I have all the T5 swap parts to whoever buys it.  5.0 explorer engine with an A9L.  Good Tires.  Engine has low fuel pressure but it is either the kirban regulator or the small rubber line in the tank is split, it happend once before and I think I replaced it with a regular hose. 

The car is located in Vinton county Ohio 45622, I can help with delivery around Ohio. 

Old Picture here, pretty much the same except for a spot on the driver fender from a deer. 
5
Lounge / Anyone else a farmer here?
My wife's family has an orchard with a retail store for produce.  We grow a variety of fruits and vegetables with apple's being the primary product.  25 acres are planted into fruit and 6 of that is peaches. We plant out 1 acre of potatoes and 1 acre of tomatoes.  Several other things are grown but that is the larger of the produce.  Gumby can tell you he has been there !!!
6
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / 88 xr7


This is an older picture.  There is a dent on the driver fender now.  Picture makes it look better than it is.  There is hail damage and parts of it have been repainted in the past.  Very rust free car though.

The engine is an explorer engine with a speed density HO cam. Mass air convert with an A9L. 190lph pump.  Kirban regulator and rail mounted gauge.  Used to run really good but its down on its luck.  The header collectors leak because they are warped, the transmission shifts poorly and for some reason it is only pushing 20psi of fuel pressure now.  I don't know if its the pump, the regulator or that  line in the tank splitting again. 

This car has sat since march and been started once a month since then and only driven once. 

I don't know how far it would be able to drive, it might go 100 miles or 1 mile. The last time driven i went 120 miles round trip but it wouldn't down shift at lights and shifter hard when taking off.  Best to trailer.

The car was at the last Cat Jam.

Located in Ohio in zipcode 45622
Entertaining all offers.
7
Lounge / I hit a #$%&ing deer today
On my way to work, not half a mile from my farm. I could still see the barn...... :mad:
 

 
 
After I got home from work started the tear down.
 

 
And after the SE donated some parts. RIP
 

 
Ready to go for the next deer. :mad:
9
Lounge / Cern to end the world on September 10th?
Anyone read anything about this?  Seems like one of the biggest media hypes ever but apparently people think that this "Hadron Collider"  will create mini black holes that will grow and devour the earth.

http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/Welcome.html

They are trying to recreate the "big bang" and observe many things, including the building blocks of Atoms and why nature prefers matter over anti-matter. 

Odd.
11
General Fox T-Bird/Cougar Discussion / Factory Manual Brakes?
Not that I want them, at all but today I seen something odd in a Fairmont.  It had what looked like an Aluminum bracket to bolt a conventional master cylinder to the firewall sans booster of course.  Is this something the mustang crowd would want?  I'll go get it if so.
12
Engine Tech / My first 2.3 build.
After having an amazing time with the short amount of time I got to spend at Cat Jam I've decided to keep the 88 TC a 2.3 powered car.  Going for a ride in shawns 2.3t car I was very impressed!, had alot of fun in it.   

On the way home my girlfriend ask me what it would take to get the TC running.  I grinned from ear to ear after that. :D  So I've decided to tear into the 2.3t here that came out of Johns gold TC.  The engine would not rotate so I pulled the pan and unbolted everything to pull the crank out.  The crank looks very good, the rod and mains look great, no scoring.  A wrist pin was seized on the number 3 and 4 cylinder.  Number 4 moved with a little persuasion and number 3 took a breaker bar to line it up to get the piston out of the bore.  The cylinder walls look good too.

Now that it looks like I have a bunch of good parts I'm asking what direction I should go.  I don't want a stock engine, but I don't need a race car.  Never done anything to one of these motors.

What parts for this?

1. Engine bearings.
2. Rings.
3. Gaskets.
4. Head bolts/studs
5. Main bolts/stutds
6. Rod bolts/studs
7. Water pump.
8. Injectors

I plan on running a T3 with a FMIC,  Would like to run the max boost I can with the T3 safely.  After reading on nato and the likes I want to run the moates gear and tune the eec for a maf.  Looks pretty easy.
13
Lounge / Had to one up Carmen. ;)
Yeah I'm cool like that.

Still need to finish it up, hook up the display and paint.

Also a Gentex auto dim mirror hanging there.
14
Lounge / New members, why do you come here only ot sell your car?
Seems like every new member who posts pictures of their car on this board only turns around and sells it a day, week or month later..  Am I the only one to see this???


*yay look at my car*

*sob story*

*car for sale*
15
T-Bird/Cougar Parts & Cars FOR SALE / 2/27/08 Stuff for sale, Halo's SD HO compter + others.
Selling some stuff to pay for parts for the new car.

All parts shipped from 43130


- Halo Headrests - $50 SHIPPED
- Speed Density HO DX3 - $40 SHIPPED  Pending
- IHI turbo's I have 2 - $40 PLUS SHIPPING each
- 19lb Injectors I have 2 sets - $40 SHIPPED each set
- 87 Mustang 5.0 Harness - $60 SHIPPED
- 88 5.0 bird / cat engine harness, No cuts - $100 SHIPPED
- 2 Sets of Lighted visors Dark Blue - $30 SHIPPED each set
- 83 Brown Console with the puddle lamps in the rear PERFECT - $100 PLUS SHIPPING  One year only design
- 85 86 Full Length console Raven PERFECT - $60 PLUS SHIPPING
- 5.0 Fox Long tubes.  Paints flaking but never been run.  Didn't fit very good, I think they are for a 5 speed car only - $50 SHIPPED
- 87 88 2.3 intercooler - $20 PLUS SHIPPING
- Console lid / red Great shape - $20 SHIPPED
- Equalizer, button doesn't stay down - $10 SHIPPED
- Raven cloth rear seat.  Great shape - $30 PLUS SHIPPING
- Stock HO headers - $30 SHIPPED
- Any parts you need from a 2.3 except the turbo - Ask

3/11/08 New
- M90 Supercharger  $100 PLUS SHIPPING
- Gray Consolette arm rest ( Paul :flip: )

3/123/08 Pictures of the consoles...

First picture is of the 85-86 raven console.
Second picture is of the 83 console with the rear puddle lamps.