Well, less than 3 months later, the transmission gave up the ghost. Daughter was told to take it to the mechanic to have the vacuum modulator looked at, and didn't do it. The transmission is toast.
The mechanic has located a low mileage C5, 15,000 mile transmission, for around $800 through a buddy of his. My daughter didn't listen and have the motor mount replaced or the steering taken care of either, so the car is going in for a tranny swap, motor mounts, and new rack and pinion steering...to the tune of $2k. If I had the physical capabilities, I'd do it myself, but I'm disabled now. The mechanic is the same one I've used since moving here, and I trust him. As a matter of fact, the mechanics wife said that she's putting my daughter on a maintenance plan with 6 month check ups to see if anything pops up. If she doesn't take it in, his wife is going to call me, and I'll make it happen...on the daughter's dime.
Let this be a lesson to anyone that ignores their parent's advice on car maintenance...a bit of money now will save you a lot of money in the future.
Later this summer, my son and I will rebuild the linage inside of the doors so it will lock again, as well as replace the trunk seal. It's time the men step up and do what the girl child refuses to do.
My daughter figured it out when she took the car in for transmission service. The mechanic assumed it was the AOD prior to looking at the car. Anyway, the transmission shifts hard and late. It only has 70K miles and my daughter is the 2nd owner.
What could cause it to shift like that? The mechanic said it's fine, but I'm not so confident in that statement, as no other vehicle I've owned shifts that way.
Up until a few years ago, when I got the MK VII, I had forgotten just how much I admired these cars. When I was younger, I would dream about the one that my neighbor had...a 1987 Thunderbird. These are sharp looking cars, no doubt about it.
Nah...I'm a Buckeye from Dayton, transplanted to the area. Yinz isn't in my vocabulary, and causes me great pains when I hear it. We say Y'all, and like to watch them twitch. LMAO
I grew up calling them wishy-washies...it's what my dad always called them.
While my wife and daughter are finishing up the interior detailing, I wanted another look at the trunk. It looks as if it's brand new. The tire iron was never used, nor was the jack. The spare still has the cover on it, and it appears to be the original donut spare. It still has the factory stenciling on the tread.
I'll post more pictures as I remember to take them.
I decided that the headlights will need replaced. The high beams have condensation in the bulbs. We'll get all four for them replaced at the same time, and keep the old ones as emergency spares, since the still work. We're also going to take it to a wishy-washy (do it your self car wash) and spray the engine compartment out. There's no oil or other signs of leakage, just dust and spray from the road. I hate a dirty engine...I like them clean enough to eat off of.
When we went to look at it, I checked the fluids and they were all clean. I swear, other than the paint fade on the top, this car is as like new as you can get.
Nest week, when the weather is nicer, I'll have my son and my daughter's boyfriend attack the body with a buffer and try to take care of the fade. I'm not sure how much good it will do, but we'll give it a shot.
BTW...she name the car Loraine. I had to laugh, because that's where the car was made, and she didn't know that prior to naming it. She said the name came to her as she was driving home from work last night.
I've not had gasket issues out of the 5.0 HO, but have had it with the 5.0. 3.8 models have been flawless in my experience. I'd like to add that the AOD is a PITA, while the C5 is a much better transmission. The AOD is pr0ne to TV cable breaking free from it's nest. When that happens, a rebuild is generally not far behind. Again...I'm speaking from my own experience on the mechanics of each.
Where I live, transmissions go out frequently, and finding a decent replacement is difficult. I had to thin the heard last year and sold a few great Fox bodies with bad transmissions that I was unable to source replacements for locally. The terrain and topography is a bit rough on them here.
I know your point. I used to own an 81 Tbird, beautiful car fully loaded no rust, before I bought this white 86. The guy I sold the 81 to was freshly married and I thought he might take care of it. I found it in the parking lot of a service station about a year later, he had, in a drunken state, crashed the car and totaled the thing. I was heart broken to see it in that condition.
I had the same thing happen to a very clean low mileage 1978 'Bird. 6 months after selling it to the guy, I saw the car...wrecked. the guy had been out drinking and wound up wrapping it around a telephone pole. It broke my heart.
Mine is a Bill Blass edition with the pillow top seating and all electronic dash, which I despise. Even the fuel gauge is electronic, and there was a learning curve to reading it. But, next to my Tahoe, I have never had a more comfortable ride for long distances. When we lived in Utah, which is where that picture was taken, I'd drive to Ohio and back once a month so I could see my kids...1700 miles once way, non-stop except for gas and bathroom breaks...for 25 hours solid. The car now has over 280K on the clock still runs like it's new. Very comfortable ride.
Quote from: My10-80;437250
Welcome, hope you stay a while
I plan on it. I'll be supervising all of the cleaning work on the engine, and will be posting update photos in the engine pic thread. Today was filled with interior detailing. Speaker covers were removed and cleaned, toothpicks and toothbrushes were used to clean crevices and such. I'm teaching my daughter how to clean and care for her purchase, so that it's still like new in the years ahead. She may have bought it cheap, but nobody can afford to throw money away in today's world.
My son has already told her that he'd like to buy it from her if she ever sells it. He doesn't know it yet, but he'll have to save his money between now and then, because this car will likely be a show car before my daughter's done with it.
Thanks...1987 560SL. Since moving here, it's been collecting dust in a storage unit. We'll pull it out every so often, put about 20 miles on it, and put it back away. I don't have a garage here at the house for it, which is upsetting. I'm waiting for the market to become stronger for it before I sell it.
It's the George D. Stuart Bridge. It connects the boroughs of Tarentum and New Kensington, PA. You should see the view I have of it from my back porch! The kids and I have caught a few nice catfish under it at the marina.
As for the compliment and welcomes, thanks. This Cougar is really nice. My wife and I have told her that we reserve first refusals whenever she decides to sell it. We picked it up on Monday, and she was offered $3k for it yesterday by a neighbor. It's a head turner, as all Fox-bodies seem to be.
She's very happy with it...A 28 year old car with under 62k original miles that is in really good shape. I've already threatened her boyfriend with certain death if he even thinks of doing anything to it without my approval.
BTW...Here's a pic of my MK VII. It's almost as shagy as the Cougar is.
I recently helped my daughter pick her first car...A 1986 Cougar. This car is in remarkable condition, with some paint fade and 3 cigarette burns being the worst part. It has 61,800 miles on it, and is all original. We bought it from the original owner that kept it in the garage for the most part, and never drove it in the snow...and that can be seen in the fact that it is rust free, save for a small scratch on the upper part of the driver's side rear fender. It is powered by the 3.8L V6. I didn't want her to have a larger engine due to fuel economy. She picked this up for less than $2000, which, considering the condition, I think was a great deal.
I'm quite familiar with this body style, as I also own a 1992 Lincoln MK VII, and have owned a 1985 and 1988 'Birds in the past.
Without further delay, here are the promised pictures...
