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Topic: Bird let me down today (Read 1976 times) previous topic - next topic

Bird let me down today

Reply #15 –
What about the Motocraft batteries? I've had alot of good luck with them.

Bird let me down today

Reply #16 –
Quote from: vinnietbird;344776
Scott D....did you fix the heater core yet. Most people put it off thinking it's a terrible job. It's not bad. I'd do it for everyone for $100.00 each.....if everyone was local.

 
I might have to drive to Oklahoma. Just kidding. If it's as easy as the article on coolcats than it should'nt take me more than a couple hours. I just need $60 for the heater core. It's hard to come up with that kind of money being unemployed.
88 Cougar LS 5.0 .030 over, ported E7s with GT40 valves & trickflow springs, Proform roller rockers, HO cam, removed air silencer, K&N filter, smog pump delete, 2.25" dual flowmasters, Pacestter H-pipe & headers, HO computer, 65mm TB, Explorer intake, 19# injecters, 3.45s, rebuilt posi, and TCI shift kit.

Bird let me down today

Reply #17 –
Quote from: vinnietbird;344762
Then,if I have this right,the car didn't let you down,the battery did. Every winter,check the battery,anti-freeze,heat,alternator and as always,fluids. Please don't blame the poor Bird,it can only give so much.
well yea lol had to put something in the title
I'm the forum asshole, put on your big boy pants and deal with it.  :flip:

Bird let me down today

Reply #18 –
Around here, the only core you can get is $20. I have been using the same walmart battery for about 2 years now. When I first bought the car, there was a overly large battery in the tray with a bungee holding it down. One day it broke and I did not notice until the car would not start. When I popped the hood, the battery was sitting on the belt by the a/c with a big hole in it. I went to walmart and had like $25 and bought the cheapest battery I could, with the right terminals. Haven't really had a problem yet. Only had one or two jumps, cause I left the lights on.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Bird let me down today

Reply #19 –
With proper maintenance and an adequate charging system, just about any battery will do, imho. Our cars don't really have any special needs as far as power goes (unless you put in a huge stereo or a hi-comp engine that's hard to crank, etc)

A guy once told me that a battery gets damaged when you leave it dead. So if you do kill your battery, recharge it as soon as possible.
CoogarXR : 1985 Cougar XR-7

Bird let me down today

Reply #20 –
Quote from: Scott D;344767
My Fox Cougar broke something once a month ...the MN-12's been okay, so far ...



I agree. Something on my  car is always breaking. When I fix one thing, something else breaks. I know it's an old car, but I dunno.

Bird let me down today

Reply #21 –
Quote from: Bruce M;344792
I might have to drive to Oklahoma. Just kidding. If it's as easy as the article on coolcats than it should'nt take me more than a couple hours. I just need $60 for the heater core. It's hard to come up with that kind of money being unemployed.

Where did you get a quote for $60? Mine was less than $35, I think I got it at autozone or something.

Bird let me down today

Reply #22 –
I bought an energizer for my tbird and one for my camaro, I have returned both every 6-12 months since '08

Free replacement is free replacement.... Now my DD explorer?

Optima redtop lol
1988 T-Bird LX- Awaiting HO build, Monster "Eat My Shift" AOD rated 550Hp. BBK ceramic shorties, Jegs mustang (catless) H-Pipe. mustang catback modified axle back for tbird, 94 17" Cobra wheels, 98 'Stang GT 8.8 Traction-lock

Bird let me down today

Reply #23 –
I bought my 95 3 years ago with 69,000 original miles on it. It now has just over 89,000 miles. I bought it becaue of the low mileage so I wouldn't have to invest a lot of time or money in it. I was wrong. In the three years and 20,000 miles I've driven it I've had to replace the following on the car:

TFI
stator
starter solenoid
all four balljoints
water pump
radiator
the passenger rear wheel cylinder exploded, had to rebuild the rear brakes
brake master cylinder and booster
Yesterday the driver's side front caliper locked up and chewed up the roter. Now I have to rebuild the front bakes on both sides.

At 89,000 miles these things should not be failing. My 88 T-bird has had two things fail in the 8 years I've owned it and it has 130,000 miles. The heater core failed and the stock AOD died after the GT40 HO swap. That's it. Everything else I've done has been for fun to upgrade the stock stuff.
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

Bird let me down today

Reply #24 –
Quote from: thunderjet302;344849
all four balljoints

At 89,000 miles these things should not be failing. My 88 T-bird has had two things fail in the 8 years I've owned it and it has 130,000 miles. The heater core failed and the stock AOD died after the GT40 HO swap. That's it. Everything else I've done has been for fun to upgrade the stock stuff.

The front ends on the MN12 are junk, that '95 LX I had needed ball joints(and about everything else)at just over 70K, and it was a calif car... Everything is still orig on my '88 and it has 140K mi... I did replace the LR shock due to it leaking, but that came from a junk TC...

Quote from: Thunder Bantam;344731
Maybe i heard wrong but i thought " interstate " batterys are supposed to last forever and this one is only a yr old...
Where'd you hear that??? 'Nuther one of those I-net myths, floating around...

I'd be finding out what's wrong before I put it away, possibly that battery is bad or the charging system is weak...

Now On batteries, I have a almost 13 year old Motorcraft that is the original out of my '98 Grand Marquis that will still crank... Currently it's in a '91 Super Duty with a 460(yeah it struggles a bit with the big block, but will spin a 4.6 without effort )... Seriously though, if someone had told me a battery could last 12+ years, I'd have called them a liar...

Bird let me down today

Reply #25 –
hmm interesting i may have to look into that, wouldn't have to buy a motorcraft battery from the ford dealer would i ?
I'm the forum asshole, put on your big boy pants and deal with it.  :flip:

Bird let me down today

Reply #26 –
Quote from: TurboCoupe50;344854
The front ends on the MN12 are junk, that '95 LX I had needed ball joints(and about everything else)at just over 70K, and it was a calif car... Everything is still orig on my '88 and it has 140K mi... I did replace the LR shock due to it leaking, but that came from a junk TC...




Yeah they are. Like I said I just had the driver's side caliper lock up on me, at 89,000 miles. It's crazy how py the front ends on the MN-12s are. If I buy another old Ford as a DD I think I'm going to look at a Crown Vic or a Grand Marquis....
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

Bird let me down today

Reply #27 –
Quote from: thunderjet302;344849
I bought my 95 3 years ago with 69,000 original miles on it. It now has just over 89,000 miles. I bought it becaue of the low mileage so I wouldn't have to invest a lot of time or money in it. I was wrong. In the three years and 20,000 miles I've driven it I've had to replace the following on the car:

TFI
stator
starter solenoid
all four balljoints
water pump
radiator
the passenger rear wheel cylinder exploded, had to rebuild the rear brakes
brake master cylinder and booster
Yesterday the driver's side front caliper locked up and chewed up the roter. Now I have to rebuild the front bakes on both sides.

At 89,000 miles these things should not be failing. My 88 T-bird has had two things fail in the 8 years I've owned it and it has 130,000 miles. The heater core failed and the stock AOD died after the GT40 HO swap. That's it. Everything else I've done has been for fun to upgrade the stock stuff.
In the 4 years I actually drove my '86 Cougar, I had to repair (or replace) the following ...

Alternator (5 times)
Alternator bracket
Tensioner pulley (2 times)
Headgaskets
Harmonic Balancer
Driveshaft U-joints
Window Switches (twice)
Power Window motor on the driver's side (2 times)
Speed Sensor
heater core
Then the Torque Converter went south on me & I said "shag it."

That car nickle and dimed me to death and I was glad to see it gone. My '86 Escort GT, with 100,000 more miles on it, was a more reliable car than my Fox Cougar was.

Since I've had the '97, I have put less than 700$ into it, the most expensive thing having been new tires.

If I bought another Cougar, it'd be an MN-12
If worms had daggers, birds wouldn't f**k with 'em

Bird let me down today

Reply #28 –
Quote from: thunderjet302;344860
If I buy another old Ford as a DD I think I'm going to look at a Crown Vic or a Grand Marquis....

Now you are talking almost indestructible... Other than shocks and one idler arm(turned out it really wasn't bad), I've never done any front end work to the five Grand Marquis I've owned('86, '92, '93, '98 & '07)... With coil overs, rack & pinion steering the '03-up drive really nice, reportedly the '03-up frame is 25% more rigid than the earlier models...