[johnGT]

Long time member, new 4.6 owner. My 5.0 got totalled after a 18 year long run in my family. The car is now a yard ornament. (for now)

I will have pics up in the next few days. Here is what I know of the car so far..

138k miles, has a new timing chain (should I be worried that this went out so quickly?), new fuel pump, trick flow throttle body/intake? It says "trickflow" directly on top of the upper intake. O/R x-pipe (looks more like an H-pipe to me, but the guy said it is an x-pipe) 3.55 gears, cold air intake, and a short throw shifter.

Definite upgrade from my 95' automatic convertible.

What are some other mods I can do to help this pony move along? A tune is in order to get rid of the CEL caused by the missing cats. I'm thinking suspension and maybe a new clutch? (clutch seems fine, I'm pretty sure it has never been replaced though.)

 

[SoCal2V]

A full PI swap (heads and intake from a '99+) will add a good 40-50 hp, and is a pretty common upgrade for those who own the early 4.6's like you have. If that's a bit more than you want to get into then just do the PI manifold. 15 or so hp and can be done in an afternoon, and the engine will breathe and make power above 4500 rpm.

Handheld tuner is good, but if that's not in the budget at the moment then get a set of MIL eliminators to take care of the cel. If you Google "home made MIL's", you can make your own for about $10 worth of stuff from Ripoff Shack. Otherwise, AM and others sell them for about $50.

I can only guess the timing chain was replaced because it came with a new replacement set of guides/tensioners.

 

[lefty310]

Tip- if it's a manual and you have something of a crunch or grind when going reverse first go to 1st gear, release the clutch just a bit and go into reverse.. that should just about eliminate that. You know.. I think it's the same with the T-5 transmission too. Anyways the oil dipstick on these cars is incorrect.. I can't remember on what year they revised it but if your oil is at max at your dipstick you are still very likely to have some oil starvation to certain parts of your engine. I apologise I don't have the link to this information so I am not sure of what year Ford redesigned the dipstick but I'm sure a little bit of research will get you the answer.

 

[johnGT]

SoCal - the PI swap is one thing i am kind of on the fence about for now. I have never replaced a set of heads before. How much would a shop charge to do this? And yes now that i think about it the tensioner and guides were replaced.

Lefty- The oil thing is very good info. I checked the oil before i bought it and it was about 3/4 full. Im guessing it is running about a quart low then? I will definitely research that. What kind of oil/how much oil do these cars take? Is it 5w20 and 6 quarts like my dad's 3valve 4.6?

 

[JonR2006]

I wont go into the 5w20 debate but I use 6qts 5w30 Mobil1 EP with a motorcraft oil filter (which is what most people on here run...some like Royal Purple, I do not).

3.55s are much better than the stock gearing but you could with a 4.10 and help that npi get off the line a lot better.

I would def do the PI Intake at the least...and think about the PI head swap, it is worth it.

Congrats on the new car...sorry it had to come about the way it did but, as in most things in life, there always seems to be some good that comes out of bad situations. Looking forward to seeing some pictures!

 

[johnGT]

I wont go into the 5w20 debate but I use 6qts 5w30 Mobil1 EP with a motorcraft oil filter (which is what most people on here run...some like Royal Purple, I do not).

3.55s are much better than the stock gearing but you could with a 4.10 and help that npi get off the line a lot better.

I would def do the PI Intake at the least...and think about the PI head swap, it is worth it.

Congrats on the new car...sorry it had to come about the way it did but, as in most things in life, there always seems to be some good that comes out of bad situations. Looking forward to seeing some pictures!

5w30 it is then. 5w20 does seem to thin. I always use motorcraft filters on my cars.
I'm happy with the 3.55s really. I do a lot of highway driving, this is my daily driver not a trailer/drag queen.
I will look at the intake more closely tonight, it says "trickflow" on the intake. I'm not sure if its just the throttle body or the entire plenum. How do you spot the difference between the stock one and a PI intake/heads? I know the PI swap is worth it, I just have to restock my funds after spending $4500 on this one lol.
Yeah the insurance company was very generous and gave me $3319 for my 95' and we got to keep the car! It is fixable but it will sit for a while.
I snapped this pic before work. My parents are going to get a tag for it today.

 

[Lackey'sGT]

Good looking car, I like the exterior mods it has those side scoops are awesome!

I also run 5w30 mobile 1 with a motorcraft oil filter.

Does you car have an aluminum cross over on the from of the plastic lower intake manifold? Try snapping a couple of picture of your engine compartment and we can try and help you out. The upper intake plenum and throttle body are good mods but wont tell you if it is pi or not, the real sign would be the stamping on the heads and the lower intake manifold themselves.

 

[johnGT]

Good looking car, I like the exterior mods it has those side scoops are awesome!

I also run 5w30 mobile 1 with a motorcraft oil filter.

Does you car have an aluminum cross over on the from of the plastic lower intake manifold? Try snapping a couple of picture of your engine compartment and we can try and help you out. The upper intake plenum and throttle body are good mods but wont tell you if it is pi or not, the real sign would be the stamping on the heads and the lower intake manifold themselves.

Here are some quick shots I got under the hood before it got dark. I photoshopped them a bit to make it easier to see. (i am a graphic designer)

 

[johnGT]

So it seems my intake and heads are stock. PI intake is my next upgrade I think.
Also, I'm pretty sure it has underdrive pulleys, the voltage sits low at idle and it almost wants to die. (it never does but still)

It has an air/fuel ratio gauge, oil pressure gauge, and water temp gauge cluster on the windshield pillar. I will get some pics of the interior at lunch.
The speedometer is not accurate and gets stuck sometimes. I have to sit my phone where the speedo is to read my MPH with a GPS app. The tachometer does not work at all, it will go to 2k rpm and get stuck when I turn it on. It has aftermarket gauge "covers" I guess. They are white with flames that light up when you turn the headlights on.

Interior pics -

 

[Lackey'sGT]

I would try and take the aftermarket covers for the gauges off and see if the needles still stick. I like the oil water and air fuel ratio gauges!

 

[JonR2006]

Those flame guages have to go...they look terrible...They may be causing your needles sticking (good advice Lackey).

Post a pic of your pullies and we can tell you if they are UDs or not.

 

[johnGT]

I like the oil water and air fuel ratio gauges!

Apparently, the guy before me was going to supercharge it. All those gauges are functional.

Those flame guages have to go...they look terrible...They may be causing your needles sticking (good advice Lackey).

Post a pic of your pullies and we can tell you if they are UDs or not.

Yeah the flames are really lame..When the speedometer doesn't stick, it is about 10mph~ off compared to my GPS because of my rear gears. Not sure how I fix that..

The first engine pic^ shows 3~ pulleys. I can get a better pic later.

 

[JonR2006]

I actually see that now on the one pic...The WP pulley does look quite a bit bigger than a stock one, but post another pic if you can.

Replace those flame guages with some white-face Corba guages or the reverse-glow guages...I love my white face guages, one of my favorite mods on my whole car, honestly.

 

[Lackey'sGT]

To fix the speedometer being off you will need one of these:

Bama SF4/X4 Power Flash Mustang Tuner w/ 3 Free Custom Tunes 101200 (96-98 GT) - Free Shipping
399.99

Ford Racing Mustang Speedometer Recalibration Tool M-4209ADPT-AC (94-10 All) - Free Shipping
144.99

These will correct the speedometer electronically, and you only need one or the other. I personally would spend the extra money and get the tuner because it not only will fix the mph being off but also give you better mpg, more hp, and you can use it as a diagnostic tool for reading codes and data logging.

 

[SoCal2V]

^ I thought that pre-1999 cars had a mechanically driven speedometer and thus needed a new gear installed where the cable connects to the transmission?

 

[hotrodron]

Been down that same road with my 98. They are lacking just a little in the HP and Torque dept. My first mod was 3:73 gears, then PI intake. The gears made an impressive jump in power perception. Have now gone from air intake all the way thru the engine and out the exhaust. Lots of time and money spent. I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Change what you can, when you can. Enjoy the ride

 

[Lackey'sGT]

^ I thought that pre-1999 cars had a mechanically driven speedometer and thus needed a new gear installed where the cable connects to the transmission?

That is right, I am not an expert on this and if this information is wrong let me know.

To my understanding the manual plastic gears you can buy for the pre electronic cars are known to be off still and could be as much as 10%. People use the speedcals to be more accurate so I am pretty sure he could use the speedcal or the maunal gear. The tuner isn't going to work though.

Thanks SoCal I didn't think about it being a 98.

 

[johnGT]

Been down that same road with my 98. They are lacking just a little in the HP and Torque dept. My first mod was 3:73 gears, then PI intake. The gears made an impressive jump in power perception. Have now gone from air intake all the way thru the engine and out the exhaust. Lots of time and money spent. I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Change what you can, when you can. Enjoy the ride

Now the PI intake they have on American muscle says you have to have PI heads as well? I'm sure this is not the case but, how much of a pain is the intake install?