Hey, i just bought an 89 mustang GT cobra for 3800 and i need some help, i dont know much about cars. The car has a body kit, air intake, exhaust, body kit, short throw stick, and the wires that go to the sparkplugs. So i think i got a decent deal...
But there are some problems with the car:
1. first of all, the heater sucks, i bought it in florida so i didnt really notice, but i drove it to canada (which is where i live) and now i've REALLY noticed :P
2. The car also burns oil, i have to put in a quart every 500 miles or so, so its not too expensive. My mom told me that that's normal for older cars, but if i could fix it, it would be nice, plus i gotta pass an emissions test down here.
3. Also, the car makes a dull groaning noise which is loudest at like 2000rpm...it seems weird to me that the car is louder at 2000rpm than at 4000 or 5000rpm. Is that just cuz of the V8 or is there something i can have fixed? (maybe the exhaust?)
4. And lastly, i've noticed when checking my oil that something at the top left under the hood is always covered in ice whenever i drive my car for a while and there is a tube that comes from this thing that wraps around the top of the header (or the thing that says 5.0 on it) and comes down and around into the what appears to be the alternator (i may be wrong), this tube is also covered in a bit less ice. I thought the car was leaking something but it was actually the ice melting off this thing.
5. Also, since i live in Canada, my dad told me i should get my car 'winterized'. What kind of stuff do i need to winterize my car? Should i get an undercoat, or whatever to protect against rust from the ice?
Anyways, if anyone is kind enough to read through my laundry list of problems and try to figure out what problems my car might have, could u please give me an estimated cost of repairing each of the problems and where i should go to get the problems fixed and prioritize what problems i should take care of asap and which ones can wait a while. This is my first car, so i have no idea how to take care of a car, ive always driven my parents :P thx in advance!
What you see freezing up is the a/c system.Do you have the a/c switched on while you are driving it?If not someone has it setup to be on all the time.If you have it on the a/c low pressure switch is bad.That could also be the problem with your heat.If the a/c is running all the time It may affect the Heat.The noise you hear at 2000 rpm is pretty much normal for mustangs.Are you leaking any oil ?Are you sure you are burning it?Sorry but I cant help you with winterizing it.
1, (make sure car is cold)check the radiator and make sure you have enough fluid in it if its too low the heater wont work right, after that check the thermostat to see if its stuck open if it is the car wont heat up enough for the heater to get warm.
2, is it burning it or leaking it? if it is burning oil it could be a bunch of problems proably in piston rings or bad valve guides I think. Either one is going to coast a bunch of bucks to fix. 4, does the car have A/C if it does it could be one of the lines that comes from the a/c they will get frosty if your using the a/c. These are just simple things to check other people will give you more advanced info on your problems.
Chances are good that the car has a colder thermostat in the engine.
You want at least 180*. 190* is stock.
That is the upper half of the intake manifold that says "5.0". The alter-
nator is at the top left of the fan belt route.
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1992 Deep Emerald Green Mustang GT Hatch, 5 speed, 2.73s, Mac fenderwell cold air intake, '93 Cobra MAF, Mac 70mm throttle body & spacer, Explorer intakes, Mac unequal headers & offroad pipe, Magnaflow catback, Walbro 110lph fuel pump, Jet adjustable FPR, MSD Blaster coil, Accel 8mm wires, FRPP aluminum quadrant, UPR firewall adjuster, stock cable, Granatelli upper control arms.
Waiting to go on: Granatelli lower control arms, and GT40 Iron heads!
thx for the help, so what i think i will do first of all is:
check thermostat and a/c switch (is this something i can do on my own or should a mechanic do it?) I dont want to be ripped off for something as simple as this, how much would it cost? (and where can i locate the thermostat and a/c switch and exactly what do i do to them?)
If the oil problem is too expensive i may have to put it off for a couple months and just use alot of oil until then.
It's like 0 Fahrenheit right now, so i really need to get my heater working ASAP! :P Thx
Your best bet is to buy a repair manual, they are onlt like $20, if you look at your radiator, the big hose on the passenger side of the car leads to the thermostat, it's only 2 bolts, and new ones cost only a few dollars, make sure you buy a new gasket as well.
I would remove the plug from the a/c compressor to make sure your a/c clutch will not kick in. I'd try that and check inside the car to see if it heats up any better. That would be weird if they wired the a/c to run like that. I would feel the heater core hoses going to the firewall on the passenger side while the car is warm. They should be pretty toasty.
Run your car & check to make sure the ac does not come on.Make sure you have the heater off,the ac will cycle if you have the defrost on.Then check the coolant.
How do you drive the car.Do you run it rough or do you idle around.I live in NB & its common to see the older cars puff when they hammer on it.My own 89 Gt did the same.I took a liter of tranny fluid & switched out a liter at my next oil change & let it run foe 15 min then drain it & change the oil & filter.This helped.If your leaking the
oil then this wont do a thing,youve got to find the leak.The noise if your sure it is not exhaust may be coming from the rear end.If you plan on changing the gears then I would not worry about it.As for winterizing I would find yourself an old beater & run it instead.Depending on the shape of the car 3800.00 you may have got a deal but it is hard to tell.As far as I know all Gt's have ground effects & Im not sure what you mean by "the wires that go to the plugs" but you would be hard pressed to find any 89 gas car without wires.I hope that wasnt a selling feature.
I hope your mustang doesnt say 'cobra' on it anywhere and I hope you didnt buy it because it said 'cobra'. I would just purchase a new thermostat. They shouldnt be more then $10 unless if you go to a Ford dealership. Get a manual and that will help you out. If your lower on coolant then it will make it even easier to change your stat because you wont need to deal with the coolant running out of your intake. As far as what everyone else said, I say ditto... Also, you should check to see if your leaking a lot of oil. A rear main seal can go bad and cause you to go through a lot of oil.
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13.4@106mph (on old 302, no ET's on stroker yet)
'94 GT 347 Stroker, TFS stage 2 cam (.542 lift), AFR 185 heads, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, 30 lb injectors, 77mm Pro-M, Fox Accufab 75mm Throttle Body, 255lph fuel pump, Mac fox style Long Tube headers, Tremec TKO, aluminum driveshaft, 3.73 gears , Flowmaster 2 chamber, chrome Cobra R 17x9's, Steeda radiator, Eibach Sportline springs, Tweecer RT
Nobody has mentioned anything about the heater hoses being bypassed. It's possible that the previous owner of the stang bypassed the two small heater hoses (inlet and outlet) located on the driver side upper firewall. Be sure they are connected. Florida is not a cold state and the heater might of served no purpose to it's owner. I don't think you have an AC problem. It's not common that anyone might have connected the AC to run at all times.
Oh, and I think that when he says "cobra" he means a Fox GT. In canada Fox mustang GT's were sold as a "GT Cobras."
Cdndude where are you in Canada? If your gonna get the car rust proofed go to Krown Rust Control, it costs $100 but is worth it. If thier is no heat get the thermostat changed. When I first got my car it had a 160' stat in it, gets pretty cold waiting at a light in our nice Canadian winters. Jruppert I dont think his car would be a Gt Cobra because he bought it in the Florida.
Nobody has mentioned anything about the heater hoses being bypassed.
As I was reading this morning, that was my 1st consideration. Here in FL, many of us simply disconnect the hoses and bypass the H/C once it decides to leak. It almost never gets cold enough to care. Of all the Mustangs I've owned, I think only 2 kept the H/C.
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'87 coupe- 408W stroker
TFS "R" Stage II heads
Comp Solid Roller cam
forged everything
etc etc.
i'm in ottawa canada and i took my car to a ford dealership and they were useless....i tried to get a safety and etest and get my heater fixed and they charged me 120$ for the safety (a few minor issues needed to fix), they cant legally do the e-test because I have some high performance exhaust system with no catalytic converters....and they said my heater was fine (which it's not).
So maybe they overlooked the heater hoses being disconnected or whatever, so can you guys explain to me how to connect them?
Also, any recommendations about what to do with my exhaust?? I need to get my car e-tested and i need cat converters, should i replace my cool exhaust system? Or is their some way i can bypass the law :P
The oil has been fine since i got home, apparently it's only due to long trips.
I just said cobra cuz the guy said that it was a 'cobra kit'. It wasnt a main selling point he was just like 'i believe it is the cobra kit, if that matters to you'. And the wires to the sparkplugs are not stock, they are some kind of super wires :P I'll try to get a pic of it online sometime (after i wash it)
Yeah according to my title I have an 89 GT/Cobra and thats what I apy insurannce for. It is a GT but somebody thought they could just classify it as a cobra when it isnt one ...durr...gotta love the tag office
Drew
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If I take cars and hot girls with money and add them to my life, I have found the key to happiness!
87 GT (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) new paint job, 306 w/ TFS stage 1 cam, TFS intake , still cant decide on heads.
Yeah according to my title I have an 89 GT/Cobra and thats what I apy insurannce for. It is a GT but somebody thought they could just classify it as a cobra when it isnt one ...durr...gotta love the tag office
Drew
Is it from Canada? If so, it is technically a GT/Cobra. They marketed the Stangs as Cobras in Canada
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Cardinal Red '88 GT 5 speed, Cobra Upper/Lower, Dynomax complete Super-Turbo cat-back system, Turbo Coupe Rear 10" discs, 3:73 gears, SN95 Master Cylinder, Summit Racing adjustable proportioning valve, Spec Stage II kevlar clutch, steeda adjustable cable/quadrant, 73mm front calipers, P.A. Performance 130 amp alternator, 99 Contour Electric Dual Fans, Battery relocated, rebuilt 91 T-5, Mass Air conversion
1989 5.0 Mustang GT problems! NEED HELP! 
