Hey guys long time no see! I'm proud to say My thunderbird is pretty much all done (for now:evilgrin:) I got wheel bearings going on tomorrow and I got a date with a shop to get the 3inch exhaust installed. After that I'm looking around for an 89-91 mustang LX to fix up and use as a daily driver because my lucky little brother is getting to that age and the bird is going to be his until he can afford his own. Once he gets his own car though, I'm taking her back and i'm wanting to add some serious balls to her.
So the whole point of this story is to ask you guys where the worst bottlenecks are on the stock 2.3 turbo. I'm trying to figure out what serious investments to get first. I'll have 2 cars then so the bird can safely be worked on for long periods of time while I drive around the 'stang, so anything goes :D
You said "Autozone switch". I think you answered your problem there.
Definitely try another ignition switch.
Lol, actually I finally figured it out, it wasn't even autozone's fault. That 20 amp fuse where the 15 was supposed to be, I JUST switched it out for the 15. So the new switch was good but I'm 99% sure it got fried because the circuit wasn't properly protected >_< I'll find out for sure tomorror
It looks like the regulator is fine, but no dice. I was checking the EVTM and I'm really starting to suspect the ignition switch I got might be a lemon. I've checked everything from the ground up, I did discover a 20 amp fuse where it should've been a 15amp on fuse spot #17 (fuel gauge, instrument cluster related stuff), I put a new 15 in there for the future. I just think it seems funny that the original ig switch that was built with the car went out after 25 years with everything working fine prior, then it goes out and everything falls to pieces, it's gotta be the autozone ig switch IMO. Any opinions? Ive gotten used to no fuel gauge but the one that worries me is the temp one, especially in the winter D:
Check that the regulator is getting Key battery and ground. If not the gauges wont work. Sorry to say those regulators are finikey. I have actually went through a couple to find one good one. But first you must check to see if the regulator is getting the correct voltage in and ground. then check with a test light for pulsing 5 Volts to ground. The easiest way to check is disconnect the temp sender at the block and ground an old fashioned test light to the block and probe the wire going to the sender with it disconnected from the sender. Your test light should blink dim when you key the ignition. Good luck!!
Thanks for the input, I'll give it all a shot! Dang regulators lol
So i'm completely stumped, A while ago i turn the key and hear a pop and all the gauges stop working. The first time it included the RPM+Speedo. Turns out it was an ignition switch so i replaced that and everything was good for awhile. But one day I start it up again and the RPM and speedo still work but everything else (except for the ammeter) stop working. I checked the fuses (all good) and thought it was a voltage regulator, summit racing was barely able to hook me up with one (I looked everywhere, rare part lol). Just got it installed tonight but it didn't fix anything :mad:So now im completely stumped.....only idea is sending units, but not every single one would go bad all at once would they? It's been too long without a working gas gauge lmfao
Thanks for everybody's responses! I went and bought myself some brand new lugnuts and a torque wrench. All I did was put em on and torque them properly and everything's peachy. It's just crazy how such a minor thing can make such a major difference
Otherwise I take care of my car, It's got fresh rotors, good balanced tires, good suspension (eibach's). So besides the lugnut question i'm a little stumped lol
I would venture a guess that if all else is "good" then maybe have your wheels/tires checked, balance, trueness (meaning s wheel isn't slightly bent) and/or if a tire is out of round.
Also you said "Jiggly" does the wheel move back and forth?? Does this happen ALL the time or at certain speeds?? or just when braking??
just my .02
I can get them fairly tight but I cant get them all uniformly tightened. So nut#1 might be at 50ftlbs while #2 may be 68ftlbs. So I was wondering if a bit of variation would cause this. It doesn't jiggle much and the steering wheel itself doesn't move but I can feel it in the steering wheel. It only jiggles at around 70mph and not at all at lower speeds.
So, my turbo coupe likes to jiggle down the road at high speeds. I've just put in a brand new steering rack, some brand new tie-rod ends, and I have a fresh alignment courtesy of les schwab. The only thing I can thing of is that my lug nuts are old and stripped and I can't get them uniformly tightened to my satisfaction. Would the lug nuts really make that much of a difference? Or is there something else wrong entirely?
Hey so i've been doing some electrical work on the turbo coupe and everythings been going well. But recently my fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, and temp gauge stopped working. I've already checked all the fuses and everything is sound. I went through the wiring diagrams and did some research and i'm convinced its the instrument cluster voltage regulator. I've been all over trying to find a replacement, but autozone/napa/o'reillys doesn't have any way of getting the regulator, and the local junkyards don't have any foxbody anything. So I was wondering if anybody out there had a parts car as i'm willing to buy, or if anyone has encountered the same thing and can tell me i'm wrong (hopefully).
I knew what you meant. Head, injectors and aftermarket ECU make a huge impact on HP and your wallet too! For now get it breathing, intake and exhaust as you plan and make sure you have good Motorcraft wires/cap/rotor. Adjustable cam gear can help tune a bit, up the fuel pressure and pull a few degrees of ignition timing....but be careful!!! That will really wake the car up and should have you happy for a while. I was faster than a stock 5.0 at that point in my old TC.
I have done some damage with the stock 35's and an LA3, they are a limiting factor but if your still kinda new to the car keep it simple for now and keep learning about it. You can find HP in a lot of places, some cheap, some not so cheap.
Thanks man, yeah I'm definately going to throw some of that goodness on there. I do run premium fuel 24/7, but I have the gillis set to 17 PSI. Would you say it's safe to up the timing a bit?
Speed is just a question of MONEY How fast can you go? M. M.
Ron
Yeah, I kind of used "free" horsepower as an expression lol, everything costs money. Exhaust and gutted/knifed is coming. And I'm looking at a t3 turbo soon, but wouldn't that require a bigger intercooler/bigger injectors?
Hey its me again, was just wondering if there's any tips out there for grabbing more free horsepower from a turbo 2.3. I already have a lot of the cheap "essential" mods. (Gillis valve set to 17 PSI. BOV. K&N filter + cold air intake). I'm also sending my upper and lower intake manifolds to a machine shop soon to have 'em ported 'n polished. But is there anything i'm missing? I have a feeling there is, as our awesome cars have a tendency to have hidden ponies all over the place.:burnout:
Tom recommend cats so ardently because the reaction creates heat downstream and acts as a scavenging aid and helps to keep velocity up.
OK NOW YOU GET THE IDEA!!!
Running a to big of an exhaust hurts this and that is why pipe size is critical. The CAT makes the car emission legal and keeps the gases flowing. This is better than most people think. Actually a proper running car with a low cell count cat can net good HP gains. Thanks
Thanks man, you really know your stuff! Yeah I did some research and to me it looked like anything bigger than 3" on the 2.3 turbo was too much pipe. Hows a car sound with no ler and cat only though?
Any opinions? Ive gotten used to no fuel gauge but the one that worries me is the temp one, especially in the winter D:
