questions on purchasing a 1993 Mustang lx

1110 Views 19 Replies 4 Participants Last post by jraftb, Jun 6, 2009

jraftb

Discussion Starter · May 31, 2009

hello all, im new to the forums i just went to take a look at a 1993 mustang lx with the 5.0 the har has 180k miles 5 speed and is a hatch theres some rust on the lip of the hatch and thats it for the body, car has a flowmaster exaust and a fresh air intake. are there any problems relative to these cars that i should look for during a test drive? any common problems with the 5.0 or the trans at that high of mileage?

thank you in advance

joe

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FrankieSquid

· #2 · May 31, 2009

Welcome to this site, Well first of all when i bought my car i took a compression tester the owner thought i was weird but hey im a car guy and i wanna know what im getting, after all im paying for it. Well a compression tester will tell you how healthy the engine actually is. Do a visual inspection, Checking if there's any leaks especially the rear main seal. These 5.0 have a tendency to leak at high miles. Check the oil, look for any signs of water in there. when you drive it check for any vibrations unusual noises, i personally have the auto so im sure some one with the t-5 they can help you with that and what to look for.

G

· #3 · May 31, 2009

Hi Joe! Welcome to AFM... we just purchased a 1993 LX Feature...

Do you have the vin #? If so, shoot me the vin and your email address. I would never buy another used car without doing a car fax first... you wouldn't believe how our own brothers and sisters lie to us about the history of the car.... :bigthumbsup

If you have a friend that has a shop - test drive it and swing it by there...

It's so worth it to check it out as best you can before you buy it...

jraftb

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 31, 2009

thanks for the welcomes. the vin is 1FACP41E7PF196140. im a mechanic my self. the car is at a used car dealer so i wanna throw it on their lift if they would let me, the car was on display on one of those riser lift displays and i was able to get under it it has small oil leaks nothing i cant fix, and the rear is weeping a bit. i was thinking of bringing the compression tester and such with me anyway.

G

· #5 · Jun 1, 2009

Welcome to the party......:bigthumbsup

as a mechanic you know the 5.0 is a very sturdy motor and if well maintained it will run forever.....

T5's are a so-so tranny but very easily rebuilt.....

one thing i always check are the torque boxes......

usually a great indicator if the car was abused

jraftb

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 1, 2009

torque boxes looked good, another question, i have a large book titled mustang by peter henshaw and it shows a 20hp decrease between 1992 and 1993, does anyone know why this is? as the book didnt say any more than fords shenanigans with the cobra having 235hp.

G

· #7 · Jun 1, 2009

jraftb said:
torque boxes looked good, another question, i have a large book titled mustang by peter henshaw and it shows a 20hp decrease between 1992 and 1993, does anyone know why this is? as the book didnt say any more than fords shenanigans with the cobra having 235hp.

this will explain a lot......

1989/92 -- 225 HP @ 4000

Same block, heads, intake and exhaust manifolds as 1987
Introduction of the 55 mm Mass Airflow fuel injection system. Since this system measures the actual air flowing into the engine, high performance camshafts may be used.
These engines offer the greatest performance potential of the 5.0 H.O. series
In stock trim, the small 55 mm MAF & revised camshaft actually limited breathing, so it was no longer producing 225 HP.

1993 H.O. -- 215 HP @ 4200

Mostly indentical to 1989/92 engines
New cast hypereutectic aluminum pistons, lighter weightand greater hot strength
Hi-torque, mini starter
Advertised horsepower dropped due to the incremental changes.

1993 Cobra -- 235 HP

Same cast pistons as 5.0 H.O.
Cast iron GT-40 heads
Shorter duration, higher lift camshaft
1.7:1 ratio roller rocker arms
Cast aluminum GT-40 style intake
65 mm throttle body, 24 lbs-hr injectors, 70mm mass air meter
Special type exhaust manifolds
Specially programmed EEC-IV

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domindart

· #8 · Jun 1, 2009

great, another mustang owner:so haha just kiddin, I love the mustang. really do.

Sounds like your smart with checking them out. Let US know how it goes. :bigthumbsup

jraftb

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 1, 2009

im gong up to test drive on wensday, dragin my dad along hes good with mustangs, he has a 70 notch drag car and a 85 gt vert auto(ive been driving this for the past few weeks, my car got totaled) and is the reason i want a stang. but do any parts from a 70 302 fit the 93 302?

G

· #10 · Jun 1, 2009

what parts are you planning to swap.....:scratchchin

jraftb

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 2, 2009

anything that wuld fit i have a shed full of stuff from suspension to motor parts, i might actually have an agressive cam for it somewhere in the garage.

another question whats the difference between a lx and a gt? besides the only motor in the gt was the 5.0

Sarafenus

· #12 · Jun 2, 2009

The obvious difference between the Lx and the GT are the skirts. GTs have the ground effects, different wing, I believe different power seats, and of course those fancy GT badges.

The LX is lighter, and faster.

As far as your question about the performance decrease. Ford changed many things slightly throughout the 225 hp run such as a milder cam. air silencer etc etc. None of the things by themselves were much of an impact. but combined resulted in a 205 run. I was just reading about this a few days ago and was trying to find the link for you, but I failed.

Here are two links that I found interesting
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/
http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/history_79_93.htm

You can google just about any question you can think of about a mustang and there is someone that posted something about it. I have found this most helpful on the path i have chosen so far.

Anyone remember Crazy Pete and his Rust Proofing? google it "Crazypete Rust Proofing" You will shake your head and laugh. There were follow up posts for years.

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jraftb

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jun 2, 2009

thanks for all the replies people, i put a deposit on the car so they dont get rid of it on me, goin for a tet drive tomorrow. if all is well paying cash on the spot. i can already el ths car is gonna turn into an addiction, lol ive been looking at prices of long tubes, intake manifolds and heads for 3 days now.

G

· #14 · Jun 3, 2009

I was wondering what was up!!! Very cool - let us know what you decide!! Go with your gut!!!:gringreen

jraftb

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jun 3, 2009

well i bought the car ran strong, pulled good. all it needs is a belt tensioner, its locked up. other than that its in very good shape.

jraftb

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jun 5, 2009

just an update here im picking up the car tommorow morning. cant wait.

G

· #17 · Jun 5, 2009

Congratulations!!!! That's super exciting!!!!! Can't wait to see some pics!:bigthumbsup:bigthumbsup

G

· #18 · Jun 5, 2009

Congrats .......:bigthumbsup

Be sure to post pics......

G

· #19 · Jun 6, 2009

........... you'll never get to sleep tonight..................

jraftb

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jun 6, 2009 (Edited)

4

i know i wont be able to sleep, and im gonna take pics asap, all im gonna do is install my alpine head unit from my oher car so i have a cd player and end up using a tank of gas just driving around lol.

edit: here are the dealers pics from the ad.

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