recall for 1988 tbirds?

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recall for 1988 tbirds?

November 11, 2007, 09:24:52 PM

the friend my father bought the car from (the original owner from 1988-2001) said that in the earlier 1990's (cant remember the year he said) the car was recalled for a motor problem and got sent in and had a new motor put in it.

also my head light holders ( the frame part) says E7 on it. i thought that was a mustang thing.

and on top of my engine bay, right infront of the windshield, centered in the middle, it sas E3SB. what does that mean?

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #1 – November 11, 2007, 09:38:55 PM

Was the car originally a 3.8? That's the only recall I've ever heard of, and I thought it was in the early 90's...

The E7 and E3 are year codes of Ford
The letters are alphabet for the year...E=8 in this case...E7 heads for example first came on 1987 truck and Stang (HO) 5.0 engines...the E6 (High Swirl) heads on the 86 5.0 were not as performance oriented.

The letter is the decade, with e being 8, f is 9, and so on...the second number equates to the particular year.

The reason your headlights have the e7 marking...87 is when the castings were first made for the Tbird/Cougars (at least with the aero front lights)

That's why an '88 might have an e7 code...probably most were made in 1987, before the big re-tooling up got the MN-12 in 1989.
All of the lights on mine, and even when I went to the TC inners have ALL had E7 on them...maybe they didn't even mold any lights in 1988??

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #2 – November 11, 2007, 10:07:31 PM

These are the recalls that I have (not including Turbo Coupe):

V6-232 3.8L Safety Recalls
1. 95S28 NOV 95 Safety Recall 95S28 - Ignition Switch Replacement
V6-232 3.8L Emissions Recalls
1. 91E14 MAY 92 Recall 91E14 Catalyst Inspection/Replacement - 49 States
2. 91E03 JAN 92 Catalyst Inspection/Replacement Emissions Recall 91E03
Cougar/XR7 V8-302 5.0L Safety Recalls
1. 95S28 NOV 95 Safety Recall 95S28 - Ignition Switch Replacement

Cougar/XR7 V8-302 5.0L General Recalls
1. 93B31 DEC 93 Throttle Body Lever Grommet - Recall 93B31

The headlight part number would be correct (1987). The E3SB on your cowl piece...are you sure that's not E8? Generally (and I use this term loosely because, as we all know, Ford will do illogical things without warning) that indicates model year of the car. The 1983 and 1984 had an ink stamp on the cowl, right behind the engine. I believe starting in 1985 the number (E5, E6, etc.) was physically stamped on top of the cowl like that. My convertible has a big E6 there. I think you *should* have an E8, or E8SE, because otherwise I'd have no idea why a 1983-stamped cowl piece (which was never stamped with E3) is on your car...

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #3 – November 11, 2007, 11:27:23 PM

Eric is there much or anything about our cars you don't know about?

Thank you for making coolcats.net and answering our ?s.

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #4 – November 12, 2007, 12:12:45 AM

LOL...believe me, I'm still learning a lot...but thanks.

Oh, the original question, forgot to answer that one. There was a phenomenon with the 5.0 engine beginning in 1986 where the factory aluminum pistons were slightly undersized--on purpose. The theory was that, as the engine warmed up, the pistons would expand to the "normal" size. Unfortunately when the engine was cold, two things would happen: some oil usage, as oil would slip by the piston rings; and the dreaded dieseling/pinging noise. Ford considered both conditions as normal--I know, that's just sooooo shocking LOL. The engines in question were the non-HO 5.0 version used in our cars, the 1986 Mustang GT/Capri 5.0, Crown Vic, Grandpa Marquis, and Town Car, plus the F-150. In 1987 with the use of forged pistons in HO motors and the trucks, the problem went away. But for the other cars the knocking and oil usage persisted until either the engine was axed in the product cycle or was replaced with the HO version.

However...if a customer complained enough, Ford dealerships were authorized to replace the entire engine under warranty. It was all a matter of how much they complained, though. Some dealerships were not so generous, even though it was well within their authorized ability to change out the motor.

Anyhow, that's how that came to be. Some engines have a pr0nounced knock on cold startup, like my old '88 XR7 did. Others, like my old '88 T-Bird Sport, never had a knock. It was a flip of the coin. I don't think this problem existed in the 3.8 V6 or the turbo-4 engine so if you have the 5.0 in your car, quicksilver, that's probably what happened.

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #5 – November 12, 2007, 12:32:24 AM

After purchasing my Cougar for my Uncle in 1986, my family(grandparents or parents) recieved a letter from Ford recalling my Cats. Said to bring it to a Ford dealer and they would be replaced... We never did because it was in storage over a 14 year period.

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #6 – November 12, 2007, 12:41:44 AM

the friend my father bought the car from was friends with a dealership owner, so he wouldnt have to complain if he did get a new motor.... but if he really did get a new motor, would it just be the SO or HO?

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #7 – November 12, 2007, 09:12:28 AM

The SO, because the HO would have required a new computer, wiring, etc. It was just an R&R deal. In some cases the new engine had the same exact problem. :)

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #8 – November 12, 2007, 09:34:35 AM

i heard ford put in crate 351 motors for the replacement on the recalls for 88 birds. :burnout:

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #9 – November 12, 2007, 10:03:36 AM

Quote from: 32VFoxBird;187171

i heard ford put in crate 351 motors for the replacement on the recalls for 88 birds. :burnout:

LOL

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #10 – November 12, 2007, 11:40:11 AM

Quote from: EricCoolCats;187109

The E3SB on your cowl piece...are you sure that's not E8? Generally (and I use this term loosely because, as we all know, Ford will do illogical things without warning) that indicates model year of the car.

-the numbers you see on the actual parts are Ford Engineering numbers. they may OR may not be close to the actual service part number. those you find like the above (E3SB) are prolly correct for your car. when a part for a "new" car,(i.e. body/model/etc.) is engineered, such as the "AERO" birds first produced in 1983, the engineering number will be along those lines(E3SB) and IF they continue to use that particular part for the life of the car until its changed(AERO made until 1988 and then ALL NEW body/model (MN-12) engineered for 1989) and there are no updates/changes to that particular part, the engineering number will never change, even though it is used from 1983-1988. clear as mud???? so even though a part is first made for a particular model year, it can last many years in service and even DIFFERENT cars, especially mechanical parts. trim and things seen by the eye are ususally different between models, but underneath, alot can be shared. if they update or improve upon an original part, they WILL change the engineering number to the year they improved it(E3SB updated in 85 would make it E5SB) to show the latest change......

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #11 – November 12, 2007, 01:45:18 PM

Quote from: EricCoolCats;187169

The SO, because the HO would have required a new computer, wiring, etc. It was just an R&R deal. In some cases the new engine had the same exact problem. :)

Just a new computer. The wiring is the same

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #12 – November 12, 2007, 04:37:14 PM

Quote from: shorangerbird;187186

even though a part is first made for a particular model year, it can last many years in service and even DIFFERENT cars

Exactly...E7 heads were used on trucks, HO5.0's, from 1987 till...well, I guess until the intro of the Mod engines.
Hey, we're talking about Ford stuff here...clear!? HA! :hick:

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #13 – November 12, 2007, 04:43:48 PM

Okay...reread this again:

Quote

The 1983 and 1984 had an ink stamp on the cowl, right behind the engine. I believe starting in 1985 the number (E5, E6, etc.) was physically stamped on top of the cowl like that. My convertible has a big E6 there. I think you *should* have an E8, or E8SE, because otherwise I'd have no idea why a 1983-stamped cowl piece (which was never stamped with E3) is on your car...

1983 = ink stamp behind engine
1984 = ink stamp behind engine
1985 = E5 physical stamp on top
1986 = E6 physical stamp on top
1987 = E7 physical stamp on top
1988 = *should have* E8 physical stamp on top

There were exceptions to the rule...late/early models were sometimes holdovers. But I've never seen an '88 with an '83 physical stamp.

recall for 1988 tbirds?

Reply #14 – November 12, 2007, 05:53:28 PM

Quote from: EricCoolCats;187260

1983 = ink stamp behind engine
1984 = ink stamp behind engine
1985 = E5 physical stamp on top
1986 = E6 physical stamp on top
1987 = E7 physical stamp on top
1988 = *should have* E8 physical stamp on top
.

-sorry eric, should have made myself more clear also. i was refering to parts, you were refering to body build stampings. BUT if you ARE talking about a physical impression in the sheetmetal, and not an ink stamp, then yes, if the piece was a carry over for all years Aero bird, it COULD be stamped E3SB. i can go to my '88 in the drive and show you E3 stamps IN the metal....
-stu