[jdubbs_stang]

Hey so this will be my intro/question post. I've always wanted a foxbody and I finally found one in the price range I was looking at in decent shape. It's a 1993 Mustang GT with T5 tranny. Finally have a 5spd 5.0!

I work on my own cars and rarely ever let shops do anything for me, so I have a lot of simple questions to make sure I have all of my facts straight.

#1 - The clutch is bad (have to depress the clutch pedal ALL the way down for the clutch to engage) and makes some grinds in 2nd and reverse only (sometimes, not always). Previous owner also installed a clutch adjustment in the firewall, so I'm going to play with that a little. PLEASE tell me this is just the clutch and my synchro's aren't gone?

#2 - Following up on #1, I'm going to change the tranny fluid to royal purple synchromax. How many quarts/litres (I'm in Canada) does this tranny take? I've heard 2.8 - 3 qts. I hope this gets rid of the grinds.

#3 - My idle is at about 1100 rpm's, is that normal for these beasts? The car does have 3.55 gears apparently, if that makes a difference.

#4 - How much engine oil does the 5.0 take? I've heard 5 qts.

#5 - There's a squeek from the suspension (I'm pretty sure) when I give a little gas. Any idea what it could be? The car is lowered, but I don't know what suspension it's on yet (haven't been under the car yet, just got it 2 days ago).

I think that's it for now. I'll post some pics very soon once I get some good ones uploaded. Other than that, I love this car!!!!!!!

Thanks in advance for your help!

[nigel]

Welcome to the site.
Adjust the clutch cable, not sure about how much tranny fluid. I just fill it up until I can fill it in the hole with the tip of my bent pinky finger. Idle is usually around 850 once warm. Gears don't effect idle. 5 quarts. You can go with poly bushings for the squeaks.

[sxrpGT]

Welcome to the site and congrats on the purchase.

1. Play with the firewalll quadrant adjustment and see if that helps the clutch any. Also look to see if the clutch cable is adjustable( this will be at the tranny, where the cable runs through the throwout fork, if there are threads you might be able to adjust it some to see if that helps) If not I suggest buying an adjustable one first and see if that helps ( steeda sells a great one) If you are still having issues, the it sounds liek the clutch to me.

2. When you drain the tranny fluid take note what color it is. It should be a ruby red, a clean ruby red at that ( assuming he used the right fluid for the T5). If it is dirty looking then your tranny may be on its way out. However if it is clean then you just narrowed down your gear issue to your clutch hopefully.

3. Idle is about 850-900. Mine idles at around 900-1000 depending on the air temp and how warm the engine is. You can try to clean the throttle body ( they do get nasty and this affects idle), rear end gears wont affect idle. Check to make sure the MAF sensor is clean and that the air filter is clean, Make sure that piping from the air box to the throttle body is tight and secure as well.

4. Motor takes 5 quarts of oil.

5. Does it squeak when you give it gas sitting still or in gear? Check the suspension, see if there are already poly bushings on it. If not I would recommend them. Also check to see if the tranny mount is a poly mount ( usually red) if it is red congrats you have a energy suspension motor mount and the red ones are notorious for squeaking...you can try to apply grease or just ignore it.

I would also check to make sure the sway bar mounts aren't shot and try greasing them if you can. If you already have poly suspension mounts try applying a small amount of grease to them and see if that helps.


Hope this helps, let us know what you find out with your issues.

Drew

[spdjnky_42]

First dont waste your $ on fluid you will most likely need a clutch. If the grind doesnt go away after messing w/ adjusting the clutch you will need to replace soon. If you replace it and still get grinding then you need synchros. Changing the fluid should be done after fixing the clutch/grinding problem. Your car will take 5.5 qts w/ a filter.

Adjust your tps to .98v then if needed adjust your set screw to drop your idle to 900 rpm. Squirt some wd40 on the front bushings to see if that helps. If it has a BBk tb that could be the noise you hear under throttle. Aslo look to see if they replaced the rubber seats when installing the springs, maybve tryu wd40 there too.

[jdubbs_stang]

Awesome guys thanks alot for the info. I'm going to check up on all of that stuff when I get a chance, had problems starting (completely dead battery, not alternator or wiring issue). I changed the oil on a car with 2 drain plugs for the first time, that was interesting haha. I've adjusted the cable and it APPEARS to have solved my clutch/grinding issues. The only time it grinds now is if I shift from 1st to 2nd really quickly. I can remedy this by hanging it in neutral for a second before shifting to 2nd. And it never grinds downshifting from 3rd to 2nd. Reverse grind is completely gone.

I doubt I have any poly bushings anywhere on the car, I didn't see anything close to red when I was under it changing the oil. The squeeking comes only when driving, not when revving in the same spot. Any idea what this could be? I'll check if the bushings and sway bar mounts are shot.

Oh and the idle I'm gunna have to figure out how to adjust, it's definitely too high at 1200rpm fully warm.

[spdjnky_42]

Clean your IAC and set your tps voltage (green black wires)to .98v

[jdubbs_stang]

Cleaned TB and IAC and idle is now down to 1000-1100. I'll check the how-to for the TB idle adjustment.

All of the high pitched squeeks and stuff went away, I think the car wasn't driven very often.

Now I hear the engine ticking, moreso when I'm accelerating. Haven't figured out if its an exhaust leak (looks like the gasket's been changed) or lifter tick.

Do you guys have ticking engines with 180,000km on them? Is it normal for this old of a mustang?