Some time ago I had the opportunity to purchase a 331 stroker motor with a Vortech supercharger on it. I was considering just dropping the entire setup into my 94GT. The price was fantastic, and it had a handful of parts on it that I could sell to offset the price because I couldn't use the parts or I already had those parts. I'm not going to get into the buying / selling aspect or listing all the parts out.
Once I had the engine home, I used an endoscope with my laptop to look into the cylinders through the spark plug holes to see what the cylinder walls looked like. The didn't look bad, but I did see some scoring on one or two of the cylinders. I made the decision to have the engine freshened by my engine builder.
A little more about the engine. It is a 4.030 bore by 3.25 stroke for a 331 displacement. Heads are AFR 185, outlaw series topped with SVO A315 3/8 stud mount rockers. The pistons are dished for a boosted application, not sure what camshaft is in it.
I bought this motor knowing that it was an aftermarket ford block. Before I brought it to my builder I knew that there was an R in the lifter valley and XXX and XXX on either bank of the lifter valley. I came to learn that the block is nicknamed the Mexican R Block or more specifically the M-625-B50 block. This is good news, its actually a decent block! The other thing I was told is that the bottom was filled, which can also be an advantage making the block more rigid to hold more power.
I finally got the engine to MCRP in Easton. Mike did the work on the 306 that is currently in the car, and it runs absolutely fantastic. Once the block was disassembled, I stopped in to see him and talk about it. It turns out that the block is filled to the water jackets. This isn't good for a street application (even with an oil cooler) because the cylinder walls have no way to be cooled. This engine was in a street / strip car that saw minimal cruise time so that was OK. I plan on cruising a LOT and that wasn't a good thing. What happens is that the extra heat eventually wipes the cross hatching from the cylinder walls and that creates blow by and needs to be freshened pretty regularly. I didn't like what I was hearing.
Let me take a step back for a minute. My goal for this engine was to give me at least 100 more RWHP than my current engine, which put down 250RWHP on the chassis dyno with 300 torque. It is REALLY a fun car to drive right now. A 331 with AFR 185's was certainly able to hit my new goal without a power adder. I already knew I was going to get a custom cam for it, and we would need to replace the dished pistons with something suitable for a naturally aspirated application. So back to the issue with the block being filled. I made the decision to go with an aftermarket block, which would have much more potential down the road anyway. I asked Mike to order a big bore Dart SHP block which is a 4.125 bore. The same crank and rods will be used from the original motor, but with a Mahle piston that will yield 10.5:1 compression. The 3.25 stroke with the 4.125 bore works out to be just about 347 cubic inches. It also means that we will be making closer to 400RWHP, and hopefully more. Now that we had a solid foundation, it was time to outfit the block with some nice accessories.
Valvetrain - I decided to go with a shaft mount rocker setup from LGM. The ratio is 1.6. To stay with the stud mount rockers, they really need to be upgraded to 7/16 and then even more with a girdle. This starts to get expensive, and requires a tall valve cover. The shaft mount rocker setup is even more stable than the 7/16 stud mount setup with the girdle and should still fit under a stock height valve cover ). Yes they are more money, but to me the trade off is worth it!
Intake Manifold, TB and CAI - This is the new Trick Flow R EFI intake (Not the box R). RPM range is 7250 and it should clear the trick flow stock height valve covers with no problems. I'm going with a professional products 75mm throttle body to match the 75mm opening on the intake. I also have the elbow for the intake that is necessary for 94/95 model years. I'm likely going to have to make my own cold air intake for this setup. It will need to be 101mm or 4 inches to accommodate the BA2400 mass air sensor and housing I'm going to use.
Camshaft and Balancer - Romac Gold series balancer, 28oz was sourced from FlowtechInduction.com along with a custom grind camshaft to tie everything together. Spring recommendation from Ed will be given to Mike before the final assembly. The cam that is currently in the 306 that is in the car was also sourced from Ed. He took into consideration the 94/95 ECU being a little bit temperamental with aftermarket cams. I'll say this - tuning the 306 with the Moates Quarterhorse and Binary Editor was a lot easier with a cam that is friendly to the ECU! Ed does good work!
Shortblock - Dart SHP 4.125 by 3.25 stroke. Probe crank and rods, Mahle piston, 10.5 to 1 compression.
I already have 60lb injectors, so I won't need to change injectors. I also sourced a RAM billet aluminum 28oz flywheel.
Monday, November 27, 2017
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
1994 GT Brake Upgrade: Mach 1 Brake Swap, Pinion Seal Leak Fix
A good friend of mine named Mike has an 04 Mach 1. Its really a nice car. I helped him do the head cooling mod and do some work on his transmission. I got a call from him telling me that he bought a drag setup (big tires in the back, skinny ones in the front) for his Mach. He was concerned that the wheels weren't going to fit with his big Mach 1 brakes. The Mach 1 shares the brakes with the Cobras (model year 94-03). The front rotor is significantly bigger in diameter than the GT brakes. Same goes for the rear rotor. The Cobra rotor is not only bigger in diameter, but it is also vented for cooling. Mike was asking me if I had an GT brakes laying around. I told him all that I had was already bolted to my 94GT and we talked about doing a swap between the two cars. He would get the brakes off of my 94GT and I would get the brakes off of his Mach. The brakes on the 94 are not stock.
Here is the 94 setup:
1999 front dual piston PBR calipers, with Earls Stainless Steel braided brake lines.
Rear calipers are stock
Rotors are Centric cross drilled and slotted.
Pads are Hawk HPS pads for a 1999 GT
Since my brakes were upgraded, we figured the swap was fair, and I agreed to do the work in my garage. He brought his car over with the new set of wheels. We test fit the wheels and he was absolutely correct, they don't fit. So we got both cars up in the air, on jack stands, and pulled the wheels.
On the front, we would remove the caliper brackets and rotors, then swapped the front calipers and lines. We kept the stainless lines on the 99GT calipers. Before installing the Mach calipers, I would replace the factory Mach brake lines with Russel Stainless steel braided lines. I'll update with all the part numbers below. So Mike would remove the front drivers side on the Mach, and I would remove the front drivers side on my 94 GT. While he was installing the caliper on the Mach, I swapped the line, new crush washers for the banjo bolt, and installed it on my 94GT. We did the same thing for the front passenger side. Then we installed the front rotors, caliper brackets and mounted the calipers. The fronts went pretty smooth despite the need to get a little forceful with removing the front rotors from the Mach. I have a neat trick to put a bolt through the caliper bracket bolt hole, with a nut in between the rotor and the mounting ear. Then thread the bolt through until it puts pressure on the rotor essentially pushing the rotor outwards. Then whack the face of the rotor on the other side across from where the bolt is putting the pressure. Works every single time.
The back brake swap was a little more involved. The rear axles on both cars would need to be pulled in order to remove the caliper mounting bracket that is bolted to the 8.8 rear end housing. So with the cars in the air, we removed the 8.8 covers and drained the fluid. While the fluid was draining, we removed the calipers and the caliper brackets. This is when I noticed a pretty big problem. The caliper pins for the rear calipers on the 94 were frozen in place. I fought with them for a good while before realizing they needed to be replaced. Because of this, we did not remove the calipers or brackets from the Mach. All we swapped was the pads and rotors. On to the mounting brackets. I removed the axle pin retaining bolt and pulled the big pin out. Removed the C clips by pushing in the axles. This was a little bit of a pain because the anti lock brake sensor hits the exciter rings on the axles. With a little persuasion, the C clips came out, and the axles were removed.
Mike realized at this point that the rear on the Mach was upgraded. There was an Eaton Posi, 4.10 Gears and 31 spline axles. I also realized that it was going to be way easier to fill the rear with fluid with an aftermarket 8.8 differential cover. Luckily my buddy Lou had one for sale and he was local. We headed over, and Mike bought it. Its a Drake cover. I was going to buy it for my car, but I figured since I needed rear brake hardware, might as well order a new one and let Mike get this one so we can finish his car first and he can get it out of my garage.
Back to the brake swap. With the axles out, we needed to remove the ABS sensors. I very gently used a socket to tap them out of the axle mounting plates on both cars. Luckily, I didn't break them. Then we removed the four nuts and bolts that mount that plate to the rear and swapped them from one car to the other. This also included the anti-moan brackets, which are specific to the Mach or GT brake setup. With the plates swapped, I cleaned up the hole for the ABS sensor and re-installed it. Next up was the axles. It is MUCH easier to install the axles if the ABS sensor isn't completely seated yet. It gives a little more room for the axles to push in so that the C clips can be installed. The axles were installed, the C clips installed, the Axle pin was installed along with the retaining bolt with a little bit of blue loctite. I then installed the Drake 8.8 cover and torqued everything down. Then it was on to the rear caliper brackets, anti moan brackets, calipers and rotor. Once all the brakes were installed, we bled the brakes and fixed a leak on the front drivers side line. Next I filled the rear using a funnel and 3 ft of 1/2 inch vinly tubing. I ran the tubing through the wheel well, across the rear and into the fill plug. I filled it with 2 quarts of mobile 1 synthetic with the friction modifier 75w140. Later we would find that it needed at least 1 more quart due to the clutches popping in the Eaton Posi. More on that later! Once the fluid was added and the fill plug was installed with some thread sealer, we put the wheels on and torqued eveyrthing down. Then it came down off the jack stands. That night, Mike took his car home. Brakes work perfectly!
Next it was time to put the 94 back together. First I needed to get the rear caliper pins fixed. I found that it was just easier to order NEW Power Stop Mach 1 rear calipers from Summitracing.com. Again, part numbers below. They were about 52$ each, which was the caliper, bracket and hardware. The pads were not included. I also ordered a new 8.8 differential cover from Ford Racing. While waiting for the calipers to arrive, I installed the rear axles, C Clips, axle pin and retaining clip. I also installed the caliper mounting plates and the ABS sensors. When the calipers arrived, I painted them with Dupont semi gloss black engine enamel. This seemed to work great for the calipers I painted in the past. When it was time to swap the rear calipers, I also replaced the stock rubber lines with Russel stainless steel braided lines. Good thing too. I found that one of the rubber lines was chafed from the bolt on the anti moan bracket. To remove the stock rubber lines, the rear shock had to be unbolted from the rear and moved to the side to get to the brake hose bracket bolt. To remove the rear caliper I detached the emergency brake cable, then disconnected the line at the hard line and removed the bracket. I removed the stock brake line from the caliper because I needed the banjo bolt. I installed the new Russel brake line with new crush washers for the banjo bolt, and connected the hard line to the stainless line. I did this with the new caliper mocked up (no pads) so I could make sure the routing of the line was correct. Once it was all good, I tightened the banjo bolt, snugged up the stainless to hard line connection and installed the emergency brake cable. Then I installed the rotor, caliper bracket, pads onto the bracket, and the caliper. Then reconnected the shock and torqued that down. I had to do the same thing for the other side as well. Finally it was on to bleeding the brakes. I had to go around a few times, but eventually the pedal feel was correct. I also had to fix leaks at the front lines. This completed the brake swap!
While the car was up in the air, I decided to fix the pinion seal on the rear which is also currently leaking. I've replaced that seal twice already (rebuilding the rear) and it still leaks. This time I picked up a new pinion seal, new pinion flange and a new pinion nut from Ford. The car was already up in the air, and I had not added the fluid to the rear yet. I removed the driveshaft, then removed the pinion nut with an impact gun. I removed the pinion flange and used a seal puller to remove the pinion seal. I installed the new seal and lubricated the new pinion flange with some motor oil. I installed the new flange and the new Ford pinion nut. I torqued it to 150 lb ft. The nice part about having a solid pinion spacer instead of a crush collar is that the solid spacer doesnt need to be replaced like the crush collar once you remove the pinion nut. This was totally worth the upgrade when the rear was rebuilt! I installed the driveshaft and filled the rear with two quarts of 75w140 synthetic with the friction modifier. I also added a 1/2 quart of 80w90 full synthetic with the friction modifier. This is the fluid Ford recommended before changing the spec to the newer 75w140. With the fill plug on the front of the 8.8 housing (drivers side) removed, the rear was filled until fluid leaked out of that hole. Then the plug was installed, and the fill plug was installed on the differential cover. This completed the pinion seal / flange replacement!
The last step was to put the wheels back on and get the car back on the ground and take it for a test drive. The drive went well, but I think that the brake pads may be stock replacement. They certainly weren't as aggressive as the HAWK HPS pads that were swapped to the Mach 1. Also I'll be happy to note that the pinion seal no longer leaks.
Part numbers:
Pinion Seal: Timken 3604
Pinion Flange: E9SZ-4851-A
Pinion Nut: M-4213-A
Power Stop Mach 1 rear calipers: PWR-L4824A and PWR-L4825A
Russel stainless steel braided brake lines for a 94 Cobra: RUS-693350
Ford Racing 8.8 cover / girdle: FMS-M-4033-G2
Here is the 94 setup:
1999 front dual piston PBR calipers, with Earls Stainless Steel braided brake lines.
Rear calipers are stock
Rotors are Centric cross drilled and slotted.
Pads are Hawk HPS pads for a 1999 GT
Since my brakes were upgraded, we figured the swap was fair, and I agreed to do the work in my garage. He brought his car over with the new set of wheels. We test fit the wheels and he was absolutely correct, they don't fit. So we got both cars up in the air, on jack stands, and pulled the wheels.
On the front, we would remove the caliper brackets and rotors, then swapped the front calipers and lines. We kept the stainless lines on the 99GT calipers. Before installing the Mach calipers, I would replace the factory Mach brake lines with Russel Stainless steel braided lines. I'll update with all the part numbers below. So Mike would remove the front drivers side on the Mach, and I would remove the front drivers side on my 94 GT. While he was installing the caliper on the Mach, I swapped the line, new crush washers for the banjo bolt, and installed it on my 94GT. We did the same thing for the front passenger side. Then we installed the front rotors, caliper brackets and mounted the calipers. The fronts went pretty smooth despite the need to get a little forceful with removing the front rotors from the Mach. I have a neat trick to put a bolt through the caliper bracket bolt hole, with a nut in between the rotor and the mounting ear. Then thread the bolt through until it puts pressure on the rotor essentially pushing the rotor outwards. Then whack the face of the rotor on the other side across from where the bolt is putting the pressure. Works every single time.
The back brake swap was a little more involved. The rear axles on both cars would need to be pulled in order to remove the caliper mounting bracket that is bolted to the 8.8 rear end housing. So with the cars in the air, we removed the 8.8 covers and drained the fluid. While the fluid was draining, we removed the calipers and the caliper brackets. This is when I noticed a pretty big problem. The caliper pins for the rear calipers on the 94 were frozen in place. I fought with them for a good while before realizing they needed to be replaced. Because of this, we did not remove the calipers or brackets from the Mach. All we swapped was the pads and rotors. On to the mounting brackets. I removed the axle pin retaining bolt and pulled the big pin out. Removed the C clips by pushing in the axles. This was a little bit of a pain because the anti lock brake sensor hits the exciter rings on the axles. With a little persuasion, the C clips came out, and the axles were removed.
Mike realized at this point that the rear on the Mach was upgraded. There was an Eaton Posi, 4.10 Gears and 31 spline axles. I also realized that it was going to be way easier to fill the rear with fluid with an aftermarket 8.8 differential cover. Luckily my buddy Lou had one for sale and he was local. We headed over, and Mike bought it. Its a Drake cover. I was going to buy it for my car, but I figured since I needed rear brake hardware, might as well order a new one and let Mike get this one so we can finish his car first and he can get it out of my garage.
Back to the brake swap. With the axles out, we needed to remove the ABS sensors. I very gently used a socket to tap them out of the axle mounting plates on both cars. Luckily, I didn't break them. Then we removed the four nuts and bolts that mount that plate to the rear and swapped them from one car to the other. This also included the anti-moan brackets, which are specific to the Mach or GT brake setup. With the plates swapped, I cleaned up the hole for the ABS sensor and re-installed it. Next up was the axles. It is MUCH easier to install the axles if the ABS sensor isn't completely seated yet. It gives a little more room for the axles to push in so that the C clips can be installed. The axles were installed, the C clips installed, the Axle pin was installed along with the retaining bolt with a little bit of blue loctite. I then installed the Drake 8.8 cover and torqued everything down. Then it was on to the rear caliper brackets, anti moan brackets, calipers and rotor. Once all the brakes were installed, we bled the brakes and fixed a leak on the front drivers side line. Next I filled the rear using a funnel and 3 ft of 1/2 inch vinly tubing. I ran the tubing through the wheel well, across the rear and into the fill plug. I filled it with 2 quarts of mobile 1 synthetic with the friction modifier 75w140. Later we would find that it needed at least 1 more quart due to the clutches popping in the Eaton Posi. More on that later! Once the fluid was added and the fill plug was installed with some thread sealer, we put the wheels on and torqued eveyrthing down. Then it came down off the jack stands. That night, Mike took his car home. Brakes work perfectly!
Next it was time to put the 94 back together. First I needed to get the rear caliper pins fixed. I found that it was just easier to order NEW Power Stop Mach 1 rear calipers from Summitracing.com. Again, part numbers below. They were about 52$ each, which was the caliper, bracket and hardware. The pads were not included. I also ordered a new 8.8 differential cover from Ford Racing. While waiting for the calipers to arrive, I installed the rear axles, C Clips, axle pin and retaining clip. I also installed the caliper mounting plates and the ABS sensors. When the calipers arrived, I painted them with Dupont semi gloss black engine enamel. This seemed to work great for the calipers I painted in the past. When it was time to swap the rear calipers, I also replaced the stock rubber lines with Russel stainless steel braided lines. Good thing too. I found that one of the rubber lines was chafed from the bolt on the anti moan bracket. To remove the stock rubber lines, the rear shock had to be unbolted from the rear and moved to the side to get to the brake hose bracket bolt. To remove the rear caliper I detached the emergency brake cable, then disconnected the line at the hard line and removed the bracket. I removed the stock brake line from the caliper because I needed the banjo bolt. I installed the new Russel brake line with new crush washers for the banjo bolt, and connected the hard line to the stainless line. I did this with the new caliper mocked up (no pads) so I could make sure the routing of the line was correct. Once it was all good, I tightened the banjo bolt, snugged up the stainless to hard line connection and installed the emergency brake cable. Then I installed the rotor, caliper bracket, pads onto the bracket, and the caliper. Then reconnected the shock and torqued that down. I had to do the same thing for the other side as well. Finally it was on to bleeding the brakes. I had to go around a few times, but eventually the pedal feel was correct. I also had to fix leaks at the front lines. This completed the brake swap!
While the car was up in the air, I decided to fix the pinion seal on the rear which is also currently leaking. I've replaced that seal twice already (rebuilding the rear) and it still leaks. This time I picked up a new pinion seal, new pinion flange and a new pinion nut from Ford. The car was already up in the air, and I had not added the fluid to the rear yet. I removed the driveshaft, then removed the pinion nut with an impact gun. I removed the pinion flange and used a seal puller to remove the pinion seal. I installed the new seal and lubricated the new pinion flange with some motor oil. I installed the new flange and the new Ford pinion nut. I torqued it to 150 lb ft. The nice part about having a solid pinion spacer instead of a crush collar is that the solid spacer doesnt need to be replaced like the crush collar once you remove the pinion nut. This was totally worth the upgrade when the rear was rebuilt! I installed the driveshaft and filled the rear with two quarts of 75w140 synthetic with the friction modifier. I also added a 1/2 quart of 80w90 full synthetic with the friction modifier. This is the fluid Ford recommended before changing the spec to the newer 75w140. With the fill plug on the front of the 8.8 housing (drivers side) removed, the rear was filled until fluid leaked out of that hole. Then the plug was installed, and the fill plug was installed on the differential cover. This completed the pinion seal / flange replacement!
The last step was to put the wheels back on and get the car back on the ground and take it for a test drive. The drive went well, but I think that the brake pads may be stock replacement. They certainly weren't as aggressive as the HAWK HPS pads that were swapped to the Mach 1. Also I'll be happy to note that the pinion seal no longer leaks.
Part numbers:
Pinion Seal: Timken 3604
Pinion Flange: E9SZ-4851-A
Pinion Nut: M-4213-A
Power Stop Mach 1 rear calipers: PWR-L4824A and PWR-L4825A
Russel stainless steel braided brake lines for a 94 Cobra: RUS-693350
Ford Racing 8.8 cover / girdle: FMS-M-4033-G2
1994 Mustang GT TKO500 Tailshaft Leak Fix
The previous post talked about finishing up the TKO500 installation. At the end of which the tailshaft seal was leaking.
To replaced that seal I got the car back up in the air, removed the driveshaft and used a seal puller. I then put the new seal in so that it was flush with the tailshaft housing. Installed the driveshaft again and drove the car around. The seal was still leaking. The thought was that it was due to the driveshaft yoke.
I ordered a new driveshaft yoke. The part number is kind of hard to find. Lets talk about the yoke for a minute. Its a 31 spline, 4.5 inches from teh machine face to the end of the yoke. it takes 1330 style U-joints. The American Powertrain part number is DSUN-10001. Looking at the picture of the box, that part number is on it along with a Dana part number 2-3-6041x. I did some searching and found a reasonably priced new yoke on eBay and ordered that. I think I spent about 55$ shipped to my door. The yoke with the American Powertrain part number is about double the price. Newsfalsh - its the same yoke. I also ordered another new tailshaft seal - that part number is TCSJ1277.
I got the car up in the air and removed the driveshaft again. I also realized that the driveshaft bolts - socket cap bolts, were getting a little bit stripped out. Likely this was because of using a 3/8 hex instead of the correct 10mm hex. I headed to the hardware store and picked up replacement bolts. With the driveshaft out of the car, I removed the old yoke and installed the new one. I have a pretty serious Wilton machinist vice. I was able to use it like a press along with some sockets to get the U Joint out and swap the yokes. Next I headed under the car and removed the tailshaft seal with the seal puller again. this time, to install the new seal I made a seal driver. I wanted to be sure that it was seated correctly. This is when I learned that the seal should be installed with a seal driver. The last time the seal was flush with the tailshaft housing. This time the seal sat about 3/8 of an inch inboard of the tailshaft housing. Likely this is what was causing the leaking.
I replaced the driveshaft along with the new driveshaft bolts. I cleaned up underneath the car and proceeded to drive it a bunch of times. The leak was fixed!
Thursday, August 10, 2017
1994 Mustang GT TKO500 Installation
I finally got around to installing the TKO500 in the 1994 Mustang GT. This was a little bit more involved than I expected it to be. Read on to see what I went through.
Removal
With the help of my buddy Frankie, we got the car up on jack stands. The removal is pretty straightforward. First, disconnect the HEGO sensors and remove the mid pipe. Then pull the driveshaft - put it in gear and emergency brake on. Remove a bolt. Take it out of gear and emergency brake off, rotate the driveshaft, put it back into gear and the emergency brake on again, remove a bolt. Repeat for all 4. Then take the driveshaft out. At this point, we moved inside the car and removed the shifter nob, then the boot, then the two bolts to remove the shifter handle. Back to under the car. Removed the clutch fork cover and used a pry bar to release the tension on the clutch cable, and removed the cable from the clutch fork. Remove the cable from the bell housing. Disconnect the speedometer plug and reverse light sensor plug. This should be all of the wiring harnesses. Next we removed the 4 bolts that bolt the trans to the bell housing. Support the trans with a jack enough to relieve the weight from the crossmember, and remove the two bolts where the crossmember bolts to the chassis. At this point the trans can be moved backwards and taken out of the car. This took about 2 hours. Next we removed all the bolts for the bell housing and removed it along with the clutch fork.
TKO Installation, Part 1
The TKO500 requires a different bell housing. It has the same 10 spline input shaft as the stock T5, which is nice. We didn't have to mess with the clutch / disk/ flywheel at all. It's basically new / fresh as of last year so I didn't even inspect it. If a new clutch is in order, now would be the time to do it with a fresh re-surface of the flywheel. Remember to put thread sealer on the flywheel bolts. Another thing to note is that the two top bell housing bolts are shorter for the 94 / 95 bell housing. We installed the bell housing and new clutch fork. Then installed the new Steeda Tri-Ax shifter on the TKO and adjusted it (no handle yet). Then hoisted the transmission up into the bell housing. It was at this point that I realized there was an issue. The work stopped here this day.
Issues!!!
The shifter handle looks like it's pointing to the passenger side A pillar. Looking at how the transmission is sitting in the tunnel - from the back of the car looking forward, it looks like it is clocked towards the passenger side of the car. Upon further inspection, the entire motor looks like it is clocked toward the passenger side of the car. It took a lot of checking and thought, but eventually I decided it had to be the motor mounts. I bought a set of used Prothane motor mounts. These are nice because they don't have that alignment 'nipple' that sits into the slot of the crossmember.
Motor Mount Install
I got the Engine crane back to my house. I used some axle tie down straps and wrapped them around two header tubes on the passenger side. I did the same thing on the drivers side. Then I used some towing shackles and attached the passenger side two loops to one side of another strap. Same thing on the drivers side. I removed the motor mount to K member nut on both sides and positioned the crane to lift from the strapping. It lifted the motor straight up. I won't get into all the details, but it was a basic remove / replace job. Take one motor mount out, put in the Prothane mount. Once the drivers side was done (this was the easy one) I moved to the passenger side, which was much more of a pain due to the starter and position, which is directly above the K member. After some time, I swapped that mount out for the Prothane. It was then that I realized that the motor mount that was on the passenger side was severely bent. I think that this motor mount came from a 'parts car' that was hit hard in the front. Anyway, those two old motor mounts went right into the trash. I used the crane and lowered the engine back down onto the K member. The engine sat perfectly level! I torqued the motor mount nuts and removed the crane and all the strapping.
TKO Installation Part 2
Back under the car, I loosened up the four bolts that connect the trans to the bell housing. I then twisted the trans towards the drivers side as much as it would go. This got the shifter to sit practically straight up. Finally! the next thing I had to address was the crossmember and spacing. I am using a stifflers cross member - configured for the TKO. There's also a TKO spacer kit that will sit between the transmission and the energy suspension transmission mount. I installed the spacer kit and was able to get the transmission to sit perfectly on the crossmember, with the crossmember bolted to the frame. The transmission is very close to the tunnel, but it works! The transmission did hit the metal part of the lower shift boot. I needed to notch the metal frame on that lower shift boot and re install it. I also glued the boot back to the metal frame where it was pulling apart. Next I connected the wiring to the trans, the cable to the clutch fork and the dust cover for the fork. I moved into the car and installed the shifter handle, shift boot, and the knob. Back under the car it was time to install the driveshaft and the driveshaft spacer that sits between the pinion flange and the driveshaft flange. Its the same dance as the removal, but this time using a torque wrench. I also bolted up the 'new to me' BBK X Pipe after swapping over the oxygen sensors. I mounted it up and plugged in the sensors.
After getting it down off of the jack stands and starting it / moving it around, I realized a few things. First was that there was a terrible exhaust leak where the mid pipe meets the header flange. I eventually fixed that with the help of a friend later. Next I noticed that the clutch pedal adjustment was way off. This was resolved by using the firewall adjuster and the maximum motorsports clutch cable spacer (MMCL-17). I fine tuned the pedal feel over the course of a few sessions driving the car. Finally, the tail shaft seal on the transmission was leaking. I did get around to replacing that seal, but it still leaks. Likely it is due to the transmission yoke. I'll either have to replace that or polish the yoke. I think replacing it would be best. I'll put up another post on the shakedown cruise!
Removal
With the help of my buddy Frankie, we got the car up on jack stands. The removal is pretty straightforward. First, disconnect the HEGO sensors and remove the mid pipe. Then pull the driveshaft - put it in gear and emergency brake on. Remove a bolt. Take it out of gear and emergency brake off, rotate the driveshaft, put it back into gear and the emergency brake on again, remove a bolt. Repeat for all 4. Then take the driveshaft out. At this point, we moved inside the car and removed the shifter nob, then the boot, then the two bolts to remove the shifter handle. Back to under the car. Removed the clutch fork cover and used a pry bar to release the tension on the clutch cable, and removed the cable from the clutch fork. Remove the cable from the bell housing. Disconnect the speedometer plug and reverse light sensor plug. This should be all of the wiring harnesses. Next we removed the 4 bolts that bolt the trans to the bell housing. Support the trans with a jack enough to relieve the weight from the crossmember, and remove the two bolts where the crossmember bolts to the chassis. At this point the trans can be moved backwards and taken out of the car. This took about 2 hours. Next we removed all the bolts for the bell housing and removed it along with the clutch fork.
TKO Installation, Part 1
The TKO500 requires a different bell housing. It has the same 10 spline input shaft as the stock T5, which is nice. We didn't have to mess with the clutch / disk/ flywheel at all. It's basically new / fresh as of last year so I didn't even inspect it. If a new clutch is in order, now would be the time to do it with a fresh re-surface of the flywheel. Remember to put thread sealer on the flywheel bolts. Another thing to note is that the two top bell housing bolts are shorter for the 94 / 95 bell housing. We installed the bell housing and new clutch fork. Then installed the new Steeda Tri-Ax shifter on the TKO and adjusted it (no handle yet). Then hoisted the transmission up into the bell housing. It was at this point that I realized there was an issue. The work stopped here this day.
Issues!!!
The shifter handle looks like it's pointing to the passenger side A pillar. Looking at how the transmission is sitting in the tunnel - from the back of the car looking forward, it looks like it is clocked towards the passenger side of the car. Upon further inspection, the entire motor looks like it is clocked toward the passenger side of the car. It took a lot of checking and thought, but eventually I decided it had to be the motor mounts. I bought a set of used Prothane motor mounts. These are nice because they don't have that alignment 'nipple' that sits into the slot of the crossmember.
Motor Mount Install
I got the Engine crane back to my house. I used some axle tie down straps and wrapped them around two header tubes on the passenger side. I did the same thing on the drivers side. Then I used some towing shackles and attached the passenger side two loops to one side of another strap. Same thing on the drivers side. I removed the motor mount to K member nut on both sides and positioned the crane to lift from the strapping. It lifted the motor straight up. I won't get into all the details, but it was a basic remove / replace job. Take one motor mount out, put in the Prothane mount. Once the drivers side was done (this was the easy one) I moved to the passenger side, which was much more of a pain due to the starter and position, which is directly above the K member. After some time, I swapped that mount out for the Prothane. It was then that I realized that the motor mount that was on the passenger side was severely bent. I think that this motor mount came from a 'parts car' that was hit hard in the front. Anyway, those two old motor mounts went right into the trash. I used the crane and lowered the engine back down onto the K member. The engine sat perfectly level! I torqued the motor mount nuts and removed the crane and all the strapping.
TKO Installation Part 2
Back under the car, I loosened up the four bolts that connect the trans to the bell housing. I then twisted the trans towards the drivers side as much as it would go. This got the shifter to sit practically straight up. Finally! the next thing I had to address was the crossmember and spacing. I am using a stifflers cross member - configured for the TKO. There's also a TKO spacer kit that will sit between the transmission and the energy suspension transmission mount. I installed the spacer kit and was able to get the transmission to sit perfectly on the crossmember, with the crossmember bolted to the frame. The transmission is very close to the tunnel, but it works! The transmission did hit the metal part of the lower shift boot. I needed to notch the metal frame on that lower shift boot and re install it. I also glued the boot back to the metal frame where it was pulling apart. Next I connected the wiring to the trans, the cable to the clutch fork and the dust cover for the fork. I moved into the car and installed the shifter handle, shift boot, and the knob. Back under the car it was time to install the driveshaft and the driveshaft spacer that sits between the pinion flange and the driveshaft flange. Its the same dance as the removal, but this time using a torque wrench. I also bolted up the 'new to me' BBK X Pipe after swapping over the oxygen sensors. I mounted it up and plugged in the sensors.
After getting it down off of the jack stands and starting it / moving it around, I realized a few things. First was that there was a terrible exhaust leak where the mid pipe meets the header flange. I eventually fixed that with the help of a friend later. Next I noticed that the clutch pedal adjustment was way off. This was resolved by using the firewall adjuster and the maximum motorsports clutch cable spacer (MMCL-17). I fine tuned the pedal feel over the course of a few sessions driving the car. Finally, the tail shaft seal on the transmission was leaking. I did get around to replacing that seal, but it still leaks. Likely it is due to the transmission yoke. I'll either have to replace that or polish the yoke. I think replacing it would be best. I'll put up another post on the shakedown cruise!
1994 Mustang GT TKO500 install - shakedown cruise
I took the 94 on a shake down cruise last night. I wanted some confidence before taking it to work tomorrow. I hit some twists and bumps on the way to the highway, everything seemed to work fine. I get on the highway, and I notice that the RPMs are higher than normal at cruising speed. typically, they are like 2200 2300 for 80 MPH. I’m seeing 2600 to 2800 at 80mph now. This seemed strange to me. Then I realized everyone was driving really slowly. So I take out my phone and open the GPS dashboard to verify speed. Turns out, its ME that is going WAY faster than everyone else. The speedometer is off by 12-16 MPH slower. That means when I saw 80 on the dash… yeah… maybe closer to 95? creeping up on 100? Good part is that it was still pretty smooth at those speeds. Another thing that I noticed is that with the urethane motor mounts and transmission mount that I feel the vibrations more. Not a bad thing, just more noticeable. Lastly, the off-road X pipe is louder. Like I could scare someone walking down the street if I downshifted and got on it next to them.
More about the exahust - When I ‘get on it’ its really loud. Cruising down the highway its VERY quiet. The difference is night and day. The gear ratios in the TKO are similar to my t5, so that is not much different. The speedometer gear needs to change. My t5 is a 1994, so it has an 8 tooth speedometer drive gear. Stock driven gear is 20 tooth. I verified that since its sitting on the garage floor. I just pulled it out and counted the teeth.
https://lmr.com/products/Mustang-Speedometer-Gear-Calculator
I used the calculator online and entered my wheel /tire info: 255/45/18 and rear end gear info: 3:31. for the T5 8 tooth drive gear it states I need a 20 tooth driven speedometer gear. Which is exactly what I have. And the Speedometer WAS very accurate with the T5.
The TKO500 uses a 7 tooth drive gear for the speedometer. So changing the calculator from 8 to 7 tooth means I need a 17 tooth driven speedometer gear, which I ordered.
Note - changing to the 17x9 wheels with 275 40 17 tires needed a different speedometer gear again. Its close, but still a few MPH off.
Torque Specs for 5.0L and Ford 8.8 Part Numbers
I often come across questions about rebuilding an 8.8 rear. I've been keeping notes on the part numbrs. I thought it would be a good idea to have them all in one place.
Here are part numbers for reference. Prices are ballpark - likely out of date:
FMS-M-1225-B outer bearings and seals - 23.00
FMS-M-4700-C cobra carbon fiber clutch posi rebuild kit - 107.00
FMS-M-4700-B standard posi rebuild kit - 69.95
FMS-M-4210-B Ford Racing Ring and Pinion Installation Kits everything but the axel seals and bearings - $82.95
FMS-M-4210-C Ford Racing Ring and Pinion Installation Kits everything - includes axel bearings and seals. 99.95
RAT-3008K Ratech Deluxe Ring and Pinion Installation Kits - evertying - includes axel bearings and seals. 109.95
Ford Racing M-4204-F288 - Ford Racing Traction-Lok Differentials 28 spline 194.75
Ford Racing M-4204-F318 - Ford Racing Traction-Lok Differentials 31 spline 259.95
Ford Racing M-4209-F308 - Ford Racing Ring and Pinion Sets - 3.08 ratio 189.69
Yukon gear solid spacer kit with shims: YGA-55040
Yukon gear super shim set (clamshell) for carrier: YGA-55002
ARP 3 inch press in wheel studs: 100-7703
Press Studs (ARP 3 inch 100-7703 24$ x 2)
Gears - 3:55 M-4209-88355 175$ New
Pinion nut M-4213-A 10 for 20$
Pinion solid spacer - 5.99$ bought two. RMG-04-0011-1 (used Yukon kit instead)
Trick Flow® Differential Bearing Cap Stud Kits TFS-85101-1 39.99$
Fluid - Redline 75w90 full synthetic, no friction modifiers. 49$ for the gallon
8.8 spherical housing bushings - 2003-88 89.99$ (2003-POLY is the polyurethane is 39.99.)
Trutrac TT70P52670 or DTL-913A561
Axles Strange p3110
Pinion flange E9SZ-4851-A or M-4851-c 40.00 eBay
Pinion Seal Timken 3604 12$
Inner / outer pinion bearing and race
pinion outer race: TIMKEN M88010 3.43
pinion outer bearing: TIMKEN M88048 5.05
pinion inner race: TIMKEN M802011 6.82
pinion inner bearing: TIMKEN M802048 9.25
differential bearing and race TIMKEN SET36 11.06 need two
Cover: Ford DR3Z-4033-B
cover vent: 4R3Z4022AA
Cover bolts
ARP 612-1250 differential cover bolts 5/16-18 1.25 stainless
ARP 651-1250 5/16"-18" x 1.250" Hex Black Bolt - bought these
Pinion nut with solid spacer 125 lb ft
main cap stud kit 100 foot pounds
Typical Gear ratios
3.08, 3.27, 3.55, 3.73, 4.10, 4.30, 4.56
https://geargambler.blogspot.com/2019/04/setting-pinion-depth.html
1350 pinion caps 45 ft/lb
==========================================================================
5.0L Torque Specs - ft/lbs unless otherwise noted.
Belhousing to engine bolts 28-38 ft/lbs
Camshaft sprocket bolt 40-45 ft/lbs
Camshaft thrust plate to engine block bolts 108-144 in/lbs
Crankshaft pulley to vibration damper bolts 35-50 ft/lbs
Cylinder head bolts
-1979-1992
--Step 1 55-65 ft/lbs
--Step 2 65-72 ft/lbs
-1993-up
--Step 1 25-35 ft/lbs
--Step 2 45-55 ft/lbs
--Step 3 75-85 ft/lbs
Differential shaft lock bolt 15-30 ft/lbs
Driveshaft U-joint to pinion flange bolts 70-95 ft/lbs
Exhaust manifold bolts 26-32 ft/lbs
Flywheel mounting bolts 75-85 ft/lbs
Front engine mount nuts 72-98 ft/lbs
Intake manifold to head bolts
--Step 1 96 in/lbs
--Step 2 16ft/lbs
--Step 3 23-25 ft/lbs
Intake manifold (upper intake to lower) 12-18 ft/lbs
Oil filter insert to engine block adapter bolt 20-30 ft/lbs
Oil pan mounting bolts
-1979
--Step 1 (Large bolts) 11-13 ft/lbs
--Step 1 (Short bolts) 7-9 ft/lbs
--Step 2 (Large Bolts) 15-17 ft/lbs
--Step 2 (Short Bolts) 10-12 ft/lbs
-1980 to 1987 9-11 ft/lbs
-1988 to 1993 6-9 ft/lbs
-1994-up 110-144 in/lbs
Oil pickup tube to main bearing cap nut 22-32 ft/lbs
Oil pickup tube to oil pump bolts
-1979 to 1987 10-15 ft/lbs
-1988-up 12-18 ft/lbs
Oil pump mounting bolts 22-32 ft/lbs
Pinion bearing preload 8-14 in/lbs
Pressure plate to flywheel bolts 12-24 ft/lbs
Rocker arm fulcrm bolts 18-25 ft/lbs
Spark plugs 7-14 ft/lbs
Timing chain cover bolts 12-18 ft/lbs
Vibration damper to crackshaft bolt 110-130 ft/lbs
Wheel lug nuts 85-105 ft/lbs
rear caliper to axle adapter plates 40-50 ft lb
differential cover bolts 25 ft lb
front and rear upper control arm bolts = 80 ft lb
front lower control arm to k-member bolts 148 ft lb
front ball joint retaining nut 129 ft lbs
LCA to axle 70-100
LCA to frame 80-105
rear Shock, Top 25-30
rear Shock bottom 45-60
Upper control Arm to axle 70-100
Upper control arm to frame 80-105
front strut to spindle 140 to 190 ft lbs
rear control arms 75 ft lbs
Thursday, June 8, 2017
2003 Terminator Upgrade - Compustar 901 Alarm
I don't post too often about the 2003 Cobra. It typically sits in the back of the garage with a car cover over it. It comes out on very nice weekends when we are taking a cruise. It has gotten a LOT more use recently since the 94GT has been on jack stands for almost two months - See the post about the TKO500 transmission install.
Before winter, the Cobra came out for a trip to Perona Farms. My wife and I were married there, and they have a Sunday brunch witch is OUTSTANDING. We go every year on our anniversary. I noticed when we got to Perona that when I armed the Viper alarm system, it didn't sound right. I unarmed it and manually locked the car. Then I forgot about it. Fast forward to a cruise to the Sawmill in Seaside Heights NJ with the NJ Venom Outlaws. The cruise was quickly approaching, and if we were going we needed to take the cobra since the 94 was still under the knife. I tested out the alarm system - rolled down the window, armed the system, and opened the door from the inside. The alarm tried to go off, but it was stuck in some fast chirp mode. I needed to unhook the battery and pull the alarm control module out of the car. This is the second time this alarm gave me trouble. First time was when the original remote failed.
I stopped by a local shop - Direct Connection in Broadheadsville PA. I spoke to the owner, Marcus. He gave me some history on Viper, which he does not deal with anymore. Understandable when he told me about their history and product lines. The shop is a dealer for Compustar alarm systems. And after reading up on their products I was certainly a fan. I called Marcus on a Tuesday with the task of getting the old alarm out and the new alarm in before the end of the day on Friday. He told me that if I could have the car at the shop first thing Friday morning, it would be done. I got the car there, and he certainly delivered! I couldn't be happier with the work he did. The system installed is the Prime 901. I won't get into the details of the remote other than it has a range of about a mile. And believe me, that statement is pretty accurate! I couldn't be happier with the service and the product!
The cruise to the shore went great. At one point I even forgot to arm the alarm and really tested out the range. It did NOT disappoint!
Before winter, the Cobra came out for a trip to Perona Farms. My wife and I were married there, and they have a Sunday brunch witch is OUTSTANDING. We go every year on our anniversary. I noticed when we got to Perona that when I armed the Viper alarm system, it didn't sound right. I unarmed it and manually locked the car. Then I forgot about it. Fast forward to a cruise to the Sawmill in Seaside Heights NJ with the NJ Venom Outlaws. The cruise was quickly approaching, and if we were going we needed to take the cobra since the 94 was still under the knife. I tested out the alarm system - rolled down the window, armed the system, and opened the door from the inside. The alarm tried to go off, but it was stuck in some fast chirp mode. I needed to unhook the battery and pull the alarm control module out of the car. This is the second time this alarm gave me trouble. First time was when the original remote failed.
I stopped by a local shop - Direct Connection in Broadheadsville PA. I spoke to the owner, Marcus. He gave me some history on Viper, which he does not deal with anymore. Understandable when he told me about their history and product lines. The shop is a dealer for Compustar alarm systems. And after reading up on their products I was certainly a fan. I called Marcus on a Tuesday with the task of getting the old alarm out and the new alarm in before the end of the day on Friday. He told me that if I could have the car at the shop first thing Friday morning, it would be done. I got the car there, and he certainly delivered! I couldn't be happier with the work he did. The system installed is the Prime 901. I won't get into the details of the remote other than it has a range of about a mile. And believe me, that statement is pretty accurate! I couldn't be happier with the service and the product!
The cruise to the shore went great. At one point I even forgot to arm the alarm and really tested out the range. It did NOT disappoint!
Using Renewable Energy: MPPT Controller, Additional Panel
A lot has happened since the last update! I have upgraded to an HQST MPPT charge controller, 40A. I figured if 30A was good, a 40A was just better. It works fantastically! More on that in a moment.
I also added a third panel when I added the MPPT charge controller. I have the panels in series, thinking I should get about 36v out of them. The thought is that the higher the voltage, the lower the voltage drop over a long run of wire. To my surprise, the panels are putting out significantly more than 12v. They are closer to 20v. I've even observed 62v at one point! While the voltage is high, the amps are still on the low side. I don't think I've ever observed 3A. These numbers are from the display on the MPPT controller.
I also drilled a 3/4 hole to get the cable into my house. This makes it super easy to prop the panels against my shed in the backyard, temporarily, until I can get a more permanent solution in place.
The ExelTECH 600W inverter is performing flawlessly. I installed a rocker switch so that I can turn it on and off. It was set up with an internal transfer switch if the power was lost. To turn it on, one of the jumpers needs to be grounded. This made it pretty easy to put a rocker switch on it. From the inverter I run an extension cord to a power strip. this power strip has a bunch of chargers on it. We have charged: iPhones, iPads, Anker 10k and 21k portable battery banks, rechargable AA and AAA batteries - basically anything that can be charged we charge via that power strip. That means that all of these devices have been on clean solar power for a few months now. The only exception we have is when we are in the car when we use the car chargers.
To date the MPPT controller says that it has output 6 Kilowatt hours. Not bad for a small off grid system!
Plans:
Wiring - I'd like to clean up the wiring a bit and make it a little nicer. I bought some new wire to run from the panels to the charge controller.
Panel Mounting - I would also like to put something a little more permanent in place rather than have the panels propped against my shed. maybe something on the shed roof?
BATTERIES - The more I research batteries, the more I realize why more people are not going off-grid. It would be great if there was some kind of inexpensive energy storage solution, but there isn't. Maybe the industry will eventually come up with something efficient and cost effective but it really doesn't exist right now. The best bet is thousands of dollars in a battery bank. And to maintain the life of the bank, only use 20% of it.
I've learned a LOT so far. I also have a decent idea in my mind of what it would take to go entirely off-grid, which is a pretty sizable price tag mostly because of the batteries. This is why Net Metering is so popular. With Net Metering, the household gets credit for every single watt of power that is produced by the panels. No batteries are needed. With an off grid system, if the batteries are charged, and the house is not using all of the electricity the panels are producing, it's essentially a waste.
I'll post more once more progress is made!
I also added a third panel when I added the MPPT charge controller. I have the panels in series, thinking I should get about 36v out of them. The thought is that the higher the voltage, the lower the voltage drop over a long run of wire. To my surprise, the panels are putting out significantly more than 12v. They are closer to 20v. I've even observed 62v at one point! While the voltage is high, the amps are still on the low side. I don't think I've ever observed 3A. These numbers are from the display on the MPPT controller.
I also drilled a 3/4 hole to get the cable into my house. This makes it super easy to prop the panels against my shed in the backyard, temporarily, until I can get a more permanent solution in place.
The ExelTECH 600W inverter is performing flawlessly. I installed a rocker switch so that I can turn it on and off. It was set up with an internal transfer switch if the power was lost. To turn it on, one of the jumpers needs to be grounded. This made it pretty easy to put a rocker switch on it. From the inverter I run an extension cord to a power strip. this power strip has a bunch of chargers on it. We have charged: iPhones, iPads, Anker 10k and 21k portable battery banks, rechargable AA and AAA batteries - basically anything that can be charged we charge via that power strip. That means that all of these devices have been on clean solar power for a few months now. The only exception we have is when we are in the car when we use the car chargers.
To date the MPPT controller says that it has output 6 Kilowatt hours. Not bad for a small off grid system!
Plans:
Wiring - I'd like to clean up the wiring a bit and make it a little nicer. I bought some new wire to run from the panels to the charge controller.
Panel Mounting - I would also like to put something a little more permanent in place rather than have the panels propped against my shed. maybe something on the shed roof?
BATTERIES - The more I research batteries, the more I realize why more people are not going off-grid. It would be great if there was some kind of inexpensive energy storage solution, but there isn't. Maybe the industry will eventually come up with something efficient and cost effective but it really doesn't exist right now. The best bet is thousands of dollars in a battery bank. And to maintain the life of the bank, only use 20% of it.
I've learned a LOT so far. I also have a decent idea in my mind of what it would take to go entirely off-grid, which is a pretty sizable price tag mostly because of the batteries. This is why Net Metering is so popular. With Net Metering, the household gets credit for every single watt of power that is produced by the panels. No batteries are needed. With an off grid system, if the batteries are charged, and the house is not using all of the electricity the panels are producing, it's essentially a waste.
I'll post more once more progress is made!
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Using Renewable Energy: The Move to 24v Part2
The move to 24v part 2.
In the first part I listed some reasons to go to 24v and the plan. The plan included an additional solar panel and a decent inverter. I picked up both and went to work.
The first thing I did was to configure the battery bank to 24v. I started with two batteries and wired them in series. Then did the same for the other two pair. This gave me, essentially, three 24v batteries. I then connected the three 24v batteries in parallel. This gave me one large bank of 24v. Here is essentially how the 6 batteries are configured:
I did some testing with my multimeter for voltage. Everything looked good! I connected the charge controller to the right most parallel positive post and the left most parallel negative post. The charge controller read the pack at 24v. This was good!
Next step was to hook up the two panels in series. The first thing I did was disconnect the positive lead going from the existing panel to the charge controller. I left the negative of the panel connected to the charge controller. I put the two panels side by side and connected the positive lead from the existing panel to the negative lead from the new panel. Then I connected the positive lead from the new panel to the charge controller. I brought the panels outside and they began charging the battery pack! While the panels were outside, I connected them with a couple hinges. This made moving them around much easier.
Now that the battery pack and panels are configured for 24v the next step is to work on the inverter. The inverter is an Exeltech 24v 600watt. It was originally used as a transfer switch. It was hooked up to AC power, an AC Load and to the battery bank. If the AC Power was lost, it would switch to battery and provide the AC in less than 50ms. My guess is that this was used in the medical equipment field. While the transfer switch is a great feature, I don't really need it. The inverter does not come with an on/off power switch (that's automatic when used as a transfer switch) but it does have a RMT lead. The RMT lead, when grounded to the negative Battery, will turn the inverter on. I installed a rocker switch in between the battery negative and the RMT. Now when the rocker is 'on' the RMT is grounded to negative and the inverter turns on. It works perfectly. I now had a way to turn the inverter on without using it as a transfer switch!
Here is the inverter before I configured it with the on / off switch. Notice the two gray wire clusters for AC Utility and AC Load. That small red wire is the RMT.
Spring can be a tricky season. The amount of clouds we are getting doesn't really help the output of the panes. It does charge the battery pack though. My wife and I are still charging our smartphones and tablets via the pack. One day when it was really nice / sunny out, I put the panels in direct sunlight. I was charging two devices off the USB on the charge controller, and running the stereo in the garage using the inverter. The battery pack never fluctuated, which tells me that the panels provided more than enough power to keep the battery pack topped off, charge the two devices and run the inverter / stereo.
Plans!
The next step is going to be an entry panel to get the wire into the house without having to have a door open (or garage door closed on the wire). I ordered an 'entry panel' for exactly this purpose. It will be time to punch a hole in the wall of the garage somewhere to get a wire to come though. More on this once the entry panel arrives!
I would also like to upgrade the charge controller to something better, like an MPPT 30A controller. That will leave room to expand, I could feed that controller with up to 90v and it will recognize 12 or 24v battery pack. It's just a 'smarter' controller. And the increased voltage will allow me to use a longer run of 10 AWG wire.
I also ordered a 'kill-a-watt' meter. This way I can plug the power strip in my office into it (or anything with an electrical plug) and measure how much power the office is pulling. If it stays under 600watt, I may try and run the office off of the panels / pack during the day.
Stay tuned for the next update!
In the first part I listed some reasons to go to 24v and the plan. The plan included an additional solar panel and a decent inverter. I picked up both and went to work.
The first thing I did was to configure the battery bank to 24v. I started with two batteries and wired them in series. Then did the same for the other two pair. This gave me, essentially, three 24v batteries. I then connected the three 24v batteries in parallel. This gave me one large bank of 24v. Here is essentially how the 6 batteries are configured:
Next step was to hook up the two panels in series. The first thing I did was disconnect the positive lead going from the existing panel to the charge controller. I left the negative of the panel connected to the charge controller. I put the two panels side by side and connected the positive lead from the existing panel to the negative lead from the new panel. Then I connected the positive lead from the new panel to the charge controller. I brought the panels outside and they began charging the battery pack! While the panels were outside, I connected them with a couple hinges. This made moving them around much easier.
Here is the inverter before I configured it with the on / off switch. Notice the two gray wire clusters for AC Utility and AC Load. That small red wire is the RMT.
Spring can be a tricky season. The amount of clouds we are getting doesn't really help the output of the panes. It does charge the battery pack though. My wife and I are still charging our smartphones and tablets via the pack. One day when it was really nice / sunny out, I put the panels in direct sunlight. I was charging two devices off the USB on the charge controller, and running the stereo in the garage using the inverter. The battery pack never fluctuated, which tells me that the panels provided more than enough power to keep the battery pack topped off, charge the two devices and run the inverter / stereo.
Plans!
The next step is going to be an entry panel to get the wire into the house without having to have a door open (or garage door closed on the wire). I ordered an 'entry panel' for exactly this purpose. It will be time to punch a hole in the wall of the garage somewhere to get a wire to come though. More on this once the entry panel arrives!
I would also like to upgrade the charge controller to something better, like an MPPT 30A controller. That will leave room to expand, I could feed that controller with up to 90v and it will recognize 12 or 24v battery pack. It's just a 'smarter' controller. And the increased voltage will allow me to use a longer run of 10 AWG wire.
I also ordered a 'kill-a-watt' meter. This way I can plug the power strip in my office into it (or anything with an electrical plug) and measure how much power the office is pulling. If it stays under 600watt, I may try and run the office off of the panels / pack during the day.
Stay tuned for the next update!
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Using Renewable Energy: The Move to 24v
Moving to 24v has some advantages. First would be the wire itself. I'm using 10ga wire from the panel at 12v. This wire can support 12v at 8amps (best output of the single panel) for a length of 11.5 feet before seeing a 2% voltage drop. The wire I have connecting my panel to the charge controller is already longer than that. If we change to 24v, the length doubles. At some point I want this solar array ground based in my back yard, which is going to require a good length of wire to get the power into the garage.
Next, I have been doing some homework on inverters. It seems that the 300w inverter I have is a square wave inverter. In short - it doesn't really deliver clean power. A Pure Sign Wave inverter would be the most desirable, as it will produce 120v exactly like what is coming out of your wall receptacle in your home. A friend of mine said he has one he would part with - 600w pure sign wave inverter, and it's a good name. I'll enter more info on this when I have it. The inverter requires 24v, so I will need to reconfigure my battery pack to be 24v. There are 6 batteries. I'll pair two batteries in series to make 24v. Then take three pairs at 24v and run them in series to increase the capacity. That should support the inverter.
The charge controller is 12/24v (auto) so it should pick up that the pack is 24v right away.
Lastly, I'm going to need another solar panel to run in series with the one I already have.
These things are all in the works. Stay tuned for an update here!
Next, I have been doing some homework on inverters. It seems that the 300w inverter I have is a square wave inverter. In short - it doesn't really deliver clean power. A Pure Sign Wave inverter would be the most desirable, as it will produce 120v exactly like what is coming out of your wall receptacle in your home. A friend of mine said he has one he would part with - 600w pure sign wave inverter, and it's a good name. I'll enter more info on this when I have it. The inverter requires 24v, so I will need to reconfigure my battery pack to be 24v. There are 6 batteries. I'll pair two batteries in series to make 24v. Then take three pairs at 24v and run them in series to increase the capacity. That should support the inverter.
The charge controller is 12/24v (auto) so it should pick up that the pack is 24v right away.
Lastly, I'm going to need another solar panel to run in series with the one I already have.
These things are all in the works. Stay tuned for an update here!
Using Renewable Energy: In Progress!
A lot has happened since the last post about renewable energy. On Saturday 3/18/2017 I received the order that had the MC4 connectors and the charge controller. Those were the last pieces that I needed to start pulling power from the sun.
From the previous posts, you know that I have a bank of 6 batteries wired in parallel. This gives 12v but multiples the capacity of 1 battery by 6. It was finally time to hook up the charge controller to the battery bank. I had a few lengths of 10/3 600v stranded wire that I got years ago - someone was throwing it out. It came from old Uninterrupted Power Supply units. Those UPS units had batteries that failed, and it was cheaper to replace the units completely than to pull them apart and replace the batteries. I wish I would have taken the whole units back then knowing what I know now. Instead I just took the wire thinking I was going to recycle it. There are three conductors in that wire, all 10ga. I did not use the green wire. I stripped back the sheathing on the black and white wires and crimped a eye on each one. I also opened up the connectors in the charge controller, stripped the other end, and inserted black into negative and white into positive and tightened it down. Next I connected black eye to the far right negative battery post and white to the far left positive battery post. This will charge the whole bank evenly. So if the batteries were numbered 1 through 6, I had positive for the charge controller on battery 1 and negative on battery 6. The charge controller came to life and told me the pack had 12.6 volts in it. This was great! Next was time to connect the panel.
The panel comes with MC4 connectors - you can check them out on Google and YouTube. There's plenty of videos and pictures. I needed to put these connectors on another length of the 10/3 wire. Again I stripped back the white and black. Then looking at the diagram / instructions that came with the pane, I found that lead that was positive. I put a piece of red electrical tape on it to make sure. Then I found the MC4 connector that would match that positive and assembled it on the end of the white wire. I did the same for the negative side. This gave me MC4 connectors on one end of the wire. I forgot to mention that this wire was originally going to be an extension cord for my parent's RV, so it was double the length of the other wires at about 15 ft. Before connecting the wire to the panel, I connected it to the charge controller. Then I covered the panel with a piece of cardboard (even though I was still in my garage, I wanted to be sure) to make sure that it wasn't making any power / electricity. Then I connected the MC4 connectors. There was no change on the charge controller display.
Then I opened the back door to the garage and brought the panel outside. Even though it was cloudy, the charge controller still showed that the panel was charging the pack!
Here's a picture of the charge controller and panel outside: Charge Controller and Panel
I was pretty excited. It didn't take that long for the voltage to climb up to the 13.7 float charge the charge controller is configured for. After a few hours I took the panel back inside.
The next step was to start using the battery bank to charge various batteries. The first step was some AA batteries. I hooked up my 300w inverter to the pack the same way I did the charge controller. Then I loaded the AA batteries into my sunJack AA/AAA USB charger, and plugged that into the USB port of the inverter. I let those charge overnight. As I looked at the setup, I had an idea.
I found an old set of alligator clamps that came with a battery tender I have. I had cut the end off of it to make a connector for my parent's RV, but still had the clamps. I stripped the wires and connected them to a replacement automobile cigarette lighter receptical I had left over from another project. I could now clamp that onto the battery pack and use any charger or device that would typically plug into a car cigarette lighter port. I grabbed the Scosche dual USB 2.1a cigarette lighter charger from my car and plugged it into that receptical.
So at this point I had a bunch of ways to charge things. I had the 300w inverter with the two AC plugs on it, the two USB ports on the inverter, the two USB ports on the charge controller, and the two USB ports on the cigarette lighter receptical.
So far I have charged my iPad, the AA and AAA batteries, and the New Trent IMP120D (12,000 mAh ) battery pack. I've been using the New Trent (which is loaded with power from Solar) to charge my phone a few times, the bluetooth keyboard to the iPad and my jawbone ear piece. the IMP120D will help me from needing to go into the garage every time I want to charge something. It makes the power much more portable.
The only drawback here is that there is some loss going from device to device. What is nice is that the panel will charge the large battery pack up very quickly. And when I say very quickly, it was apparent to me that I'm barely tapping the output of the panel. I realized to really take advantage of this setup, I'm going to have to do more than just use it for recharging batteries in our devices.
From the previous posts, you know that I have a bank of 6 batteries wired in parallel. This gives 12v but multiples the capacity of 1 battery by 6. It was finally time to hook up the charge controller to the battery bank. I had a few lengths of 10/3 600v stranded wire that I got years ago - someone was throwing it out. It came from old Uninterrupted Power Supply units. Those UPS units had batteries that failed, and it was cheaper to replace the units completely than to pull them apart and replace the batteries. I wish I would have taken the whole units back then knowing what I know now. Instead I just took the wire thinking I was going to recycle it. There are three conductors in that wire, all 10ga. I did not use the green wire. I stripped back the sheathing on the black and white wires and crimped a eye on each one. I also opened up the connectors in the charge controller, stripped the other end, and inserted black into negative and white into positive and tightened it down. Next I connected black eye to the far right negative battery post and white to the far left positive battery post. This will charge the whole bank evenly. So if the batteries were numbered 1 through 6, I had positive for the charge controller on battery 1 and negative on battery 6. The charge controller came to life and told me the pack had 12.6 volts in it. This was great! Next was time to connect the panel.
The panel comes with MC4 connectors - you can check them out on Google and YouTube. There's plenty of videos and pictures. I needed to put these connectors on another length of the 10/3 wire. Again I stripped back the white and black. Then looking at the diagram / instructions that came with the pane, I found that lead that was positive. I put a piece of red electrical tape on it to make sure. Then I found the MC4 connector that would match that positive and assembled it on the end of the white wire. I did the same for the negative side. This gave me MC4 connectors on one end of the wire. I forgot to mention that this wire was originally going to be an extension cord for my parent's RV, so it was double the length of the other wires at about 15 ft. Before connecting the wire to the panel, I connected it to the charge controller. Then I covered the panel with a piece of cardboard (even though I was still in my garage, I wanted to be sure) to make sure that it wasn't making any power / electricity. Then I connected the MC4 connectors. There was no change on the charge controller display.
Then I opened the back door to the garage and brought the panel outside. Even though it was cloudy, the charge controller still showed that the panel was charging the pack!
Here's a picture of the charge controller and panel outside: Charge Controller and Panel
I was pretty excited. It didn't take that long for the voltage to climb up to the 13.7 float charge the charge controller is configured for. After a few hours I took the panel back inside.
The next step was to start using the battery bank to charge various batteries. The first step was some AA batteries. I hooked up my 300w inverter to the pack the same way I did the charge controller. Then I loaded the AA batteries into my sunJack AA/AAA USB charger, and plugged that into the USB port of the inverter. I let those charge overnight. As I looked at the setup, I had an idea.
I found an old set of alligator clamps that came with a battery tender I have. I had cut the end off of it to make a connector for my parent's RV, but still had the clamps. I stripped the wires and connected them to a replacement automobile cigarette lighter receptical I had left over from another project. I could now clamp that onto the battery pack and use any charger or device that would typically plug into a car cigarette lighter port. I grabbed the Scosche dual USB 2.1a cigarette lighter charger from my car and plugged it into that receptical.
So at this point I had a bunch of ways to charge things. I had the 300w inverter with the two AC plugs on it, the two USB ports on the inverter, the two USB ports on the charge controller, and the two USB ports on the cigarette lighter receptical.
So far I have charged my iPad, the AA and AAA batteries, and the New Trent IMP120D (12,000 mAh ) battery pack. I've been using the New Trent (which is loaded with power from Solar) to charge my phone a few times, the bluetooth keyboard to the iPad and my jawbone ear piece. the IMP120D will help me from needing to go into the garage every time I want to charge something. It makes the power much more portable.
The only drawback here is that there is some loss going from device to device. What is nice is that the panel will charge the large battery pack up very quickly. And when I say very quickly, it was apparent to me that I'm barely tapping the output of the panel. I realized to really take advantage of this setup, I'm going to have to do more than just use it for recharging batteries in our devices.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Using Renewable Energy: The Foundation
Using Renewable Energy: The Foundation
In the first blog, I had some great ideas. Since that post I have done a LOT of research. Finally when my curiosity got the best of me, I spent some $$ for the next phase of the experiment. There are essentially four parts: The solar panel, the charge controller, the battery bank, and the power inverter. I also purchased a USB AA/AAA charger and 8 each of the AA and AAA batteries.
The Solar Panel
I purchased a HQST 100 Watt 12v Monocrystalline Solar Panel from Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018BMGTTO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Update. Solar panel is HERE
I have high hopes for this panel. What is nice about it is that I can add another panel whenever I'm ready (and my budget allows). I think that two panels in series (24v) will allow for a better usage of the charge controller. After that I'll add another two panels in series, but combine 2+2 in parallel for more amperage. At max, one panel will be 8.33 Amps. So the four in that combination will be 16.66 Amps at 24v. But for now, I will have only this one solar panel. I also ordered the mc4 connectors.
Charge Controller
I went by the amazon ratings. I'm not looking for the absolute top of the line charger controller right now. I just needed something that will charge a battery bank. I bought this 20A charge controller / battery regulator: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU0WMGT/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The price was right. Hopefully it does what I expect.
Power Inverter
This inverter spent a lot of time on my wish list, and eventually someone bought it for me for Christmas! Its a 12v to 110 AC power inverter for a car - which also can be hooked up with alligator clips to a battery. It has dual 3.1A USB ports and two AC plug recepticals. Also from Amazon Prime. It is the #1 Best Seller in Power Inverters. This is what is going to drain the battery bank and provide AC Power.
Batteries
I also bought 8 AA and 8 AAA rechargeable batteries: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LW4AL1O/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&th=1
And a charger that will work via USB: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PZ6V99U/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The thought is to recharge those batteries via the battery bank and inverter.
Battery Bank
I've done a bunch of research on batteries. I found the absolute best AGM deep cycle battery ( Odyssey 31-PC2150S Heavy Duty Commercial Battery ), and the battery I think I will eventually use for going off-grid ( Trojan T105 RE ). With that being said, I needed something to experiment with. I searched Craigslist and came across someone selling batteries that were taken from medical equipment at the hospital. He was selling each one for 10$ so the price was right. I met him and bought 8 - 6 for me and 2 for a friend. The batteries are Panasonic LC-X1228AP. I wired them in parallel using 10GA well pump wire and put them on a battery tender. The battery tender topped off the battery bank nicely. This will get me ready for the solar panel and charge controller. I also have to come up with some solution to make the battery bank somewhat portable.
In the first blog, I had some great ideas. Since that post I have done a LOT of research. Finally when my curiosity got the best of me, I spent some $$ for the next phase of the experiment. There are essentially four parts: The solar panel, the charge controller, the battery bank, and the power inverter. I also purchased a USB AA/AAA charger and 8 each of the AA and AAA batteries.
The Solar Panel
I purchased a HQST 100 Watt 12v Monocrystalline Solar Panel from Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018BMGTTO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Update. Solar panel is HERE
I have high hopes for this panel. What is nice about it is that I can add another panel whenever I'm ready (and my budget allows). I think that two panels in series (24v) will allow for a better usage of the charge controller. After that I'll add another two panels in series, but combine 2+2 in parallel for more amperage. At max, one panel will be 8.33 Amps. So the four in that combination will be 16.66 Amps at 24v. But for now, I will have only this one solar panel. I also ordered the mc4 connectors.
Charge Controller
I went by the amazon ratings. I'm not looking for the absolute top of the line charger controller right now. I just needed something that will charge a battery bank. I bought this 20A charge controller / battery regulator: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MU0WMGT/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The price was right. Hopefully it does what I expect.
Power Inverter
This inverter spent a lot of time on my wish list, and eventually someone bought it for me for Christmas! Its a 12v to 110 AC power inverter for a car - which also can be hooked up with alligator clips to a battery. It has dual 3.1A USB ports and two AC plug recepticals. Also from Amazon Prime. It is the #1 Best Seller in Power Inverters. This is what is going to drain the battery bank and provide AC Power.
Batteries
I also bought 8 AA and 8 AAA rechargeable batteries: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LW4AL1O/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&th=1
And a charger that will work via USB: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PZ6V99U/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The thought is to recharge those batteries via the battery bank and inverter.
Battery Bank
I've done a bunch of research on batteries. I found the absolute best AGM deep cycle battery ( Odyssey 31-PC2150S Heavy Duty Commercial Battery ), and the battery I think I will eventually use for going off-grid ( Trojan T105 RE ). With that being said, I needed something to experiment with. I searched Craigslist and came across someone selling batteries that were taken from medical equipment at the hospital. He was selling each one for 10$ so the price was right. I met him and bought 8 - 6 for me and 2 for a friend. The batteries are Panasonic LC-X1228AP. I wired them in parallel using 10GA well pump wire and put them on a battery tender. The battery tender topped off the battery bank nicely. This will get me ready for the solar panel and charge controller. I also have to come up with some solution to make the battery bank somewhat portable.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Using Renewable Energy: The Beginning.
The start of using renewable energy.
This will seem a bit unusual of a post for a blog that is mostly Mustang Upgrades and Technology Posts, but I thought it would be relevant. I think that if we all built a habit of using a renewable energy when we can, it will be easier for everyone.
It all started today when the batteries on my wireless mouse were getting low. I use the Energizer rechargeable, 2450mAH batteries. I have a box in my desk that has a mix of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries. I pulled out two, put them in the wall charger and waited for them to charge up. Then I realized that at least one of the (very old) AAA batteries was starting to leak. I sifted through the batteries, and discarded the ones that I can't even remember how old they are.
That left me with two AAA batteries, and 4 AA Batteries. I decided to do some shopping on Amazon. I know that the Amazon Basics line of rechargeable batters are pretty good. As I was shopping ( I did not buy any yet ) I read in the description "Batteries come pre-charged using soloar power". This peaked my interest.
About a year ago, I purchased a solar USB charger during one of Amazon's lightning deals. It was about 30$. I bought it for camping in case we needed to charge anything. It folds out into five panels, four of which have a solar collector on it. I thought to myself, maybe I should just keep charging those AA and AAA batteries using solar!
My goal is to use solar to power my iPhone, iPad and the rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. I also did some searching and found a AA and AAA battery charger that will use USB instead of a home power outlet. Now, I don't want to have the chargers plugged directly into the solar panel charger - that would take forever and limit mobility while the charging was happening. I had an idea. I also have a New Trent IMP120D - 12,000mAh battery pack, which is great for traveling / camping / hiking. My wife has an Anker Power Core 10400 which is a 10,400mAh battery pack. My idea is to use these battery packs to charge the AA, AAA, iPhone and iPad batteries. Then when the battery packs need to be charged, use the solar panel charger to charge them!
I only came up with this idea on 3/1, so it may take some time to get used to. If I run into any issues or challenges, I'll report back!
UPDATE 3/13/2017
I have realized that the Solar USB charger I have is not only old, but it does not put out the amperage that is needed to charge the battery pack. The other thing I've learned is that the solar charger likely does not prevent charge back - so when the sun goes down, it may actually pull power from the battery pack. It's been a almost two weeks, and that solar charger has still not yet charged the battery pack. It's pretty obvious to me that this isn't going to work.
With all that being said, I spent some $$ and we are about to expand our experiment a little more!
This will seem a bit unusual of a post for a blog that is mostly Mustang Upgrades and Technology Posts, but I thought it would be relevant. I think that if we all built a habit of using a renewable energy when we can, it will be easier for everyone.
It all started today when the batteries on my wireless mouse were getting low. I use the Energizer rechargeable, 2450mAH batteries. I have a box in my desk that has a mix of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries. I pulled out two, put them in the wall charger and waited for them to charge up. Then I realized that at least one of the (very old) AAA batteries was starting to leak. I sifted through the batteries, and discarded the ones that I can't even remember how old they are.
That left me with two AAA batteries, and 4 AA Batteries. I decided to do some shopping on Amazon. I know that the Amazon Basics line of rechargeable batters are pretty good. As I was shopping ( I did not buy any yet ) I read in the description "Batteries come pre-charged using soloar power". This peaked my interest.
About a year ago, I purchased a solar USB charger during one of Amazon's lightning deals. It was about 30$. I bought it for camping in case we needed to charge anything. It folds out into five panels, four of which have a solar collector on it. I thought to myself, maybe I should just keep charging those AA and AAA batteries using solar!
My goal is to use solar to power my iPhone, iPad and the rechargeable AA and AAA batteries. I also did some searching and found a AA and AAA battery charger that will use USB instead of a home power outlet. Now, I don't want to have the chargers plugged directly into the solar panel charger - that would take forever and limit mobility while the charging was happening. I had an idea. I also have a New Trent IMP120D - 12,000mAh battery pack, which is great for traveling / camping / hiking. My wife has an Anker Power Core 10400 which is a 10,400mAh battery pack. My idea is to use these battery packs to charge the AA, AAA, iPhone and iPad batteries. Then when the battery packs need to be charged, use the solar panel charger to charge them!
I only came up with this idea on 3/1, so it may take some time to get used to. If I run into any issues or challenges, I'll report back!
UPDATE 3/13/2017
I have realized that the Solar USB charger I have is not only old, but it does not put out the amperage that is needed to charge the battery pack. The other thing I've learned is that the solar charger likely does not prevent charge back - so when the sun goes down, it may actually pull power from the battery pack. It's been a almost two weeks, and that solar charger has still not yet charged the battery pack. It's pretty obvious to me that this isn't going to work.
With all that being said, I spent some $$ and we are about to expand our experiment a little more!
Saturday, February 4, 2017
95 Mustang GT Troubleshooting
I'm a member of a countless forums and groups on Facebook. Most of which are centered around Mustangs. One of those groups is Lehigh Valley Mustangs and Domestics - Venom Outlaws. The Venom Outlaws are a great group of people, and they put on some fantastic events. The Lehigh group is somewhat new, but very close to where I live in PA.
One of the members of the group just picked up a 95 GT and it was running pretty rough. He's had a few mustangs in the past (foxbodies) but never an SN95. He reached out to the group for some help and direction. I offered to help him out if he could get it to my house and he agreed.
His main concern was the rolling idle or 'hunting'. This is typically a vacuum leak. Once the car was in the garage, we popped the hood. The smog pump was still in place, but the hoses and solenoids going from the pump to the hard lines were gone. The hard line going to the mid pipe was also gone. Then I noticed was the vacuum T on the neck of the upper intake. There are 2 ports there. There was a hose going from one port to the other, and in that hose there was a T that went to a vac gauge inside the car. Next the EGR vac line was cut. It was attached, and about 4 inches down the line it was cut. The Fuel Pressure regulator had a line going to it that I traced back to the cluster of 4 vac lines coming from the passenger side fender area. It ended at the red hard line, which was cut before the junction. This cluster also had problems. There are 4 vac lines - 1 green, 1 red and two white. The red hard line was cut before the junction and a rubber line went from that to the fuel pressure regulator. One of the white lines wasn't connected to anything. The green and white lines did go to the junction, but there was nothing for the green line after the junction. The white line was melted shut after the junction. This needed to be fixed.
The stock setup is three of the 4 vac lines go to a junction while one of the white lines is supposed to go to the smog. The other white line goes to the smog after the junction. The green goes to the EGR after the junction. And red goes to one of the two ports on that upper intake vac T after the junction.
The goal was to make it functional today, not pretty. I'll leave the dress up part to the owner! First I removed the rubber line from the fuel pressure regulator that goes to the red line in the firewall. Then I removed one end from the intake vac T port and moved it to the fuel pressure regulator. This is how it is stock (FPR to one of the ports on that T). I left the T in that line to the vac gauge. Then I ran the red line from the fender cluster to the other port on that T. I made a new line that went from the green line from the fender cluster to the EGR. Finally I jumped one of the white lines in the cluster to the other white line, since they are no longer used. This should resolve the vacuum leak.
Next step was to pull the codes. The Check Engine Light was on when he showed up. My guess at this point is that CEL is for the EGR, since it was missing a vac line. We did the Key On Engine Off test. It read: 563 563 1 211 332 211 332. So 563, 211 and 332. The 563 is the high speed fan electro drive failure. I'm guessing it's the fan, and the owner is going to check it by jumping the fan directly. The other possibility is that the relay in the Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM) for the high speed fan has failed. It also means that only the low speed fan is working. The 332 code is for the EGR, which should be fixed now. The 211 code is for profile ignition pickup (PIP Sensor) circuit failure. The PIP sensor is in the distributor. When I checked out the distributor I noticed that it was not the correct stock distributor. I'm not sure what vehicle it came from, but it had the accommodation for the TFI module to be mounted on the side of it. That was likely the cause - he will need the correct distributor for the 94/95 mustang. The TFI mounted to the heat sink on the passenger side fender well was the correct part number.
Feel free to read all about TFI and PIP here: http://www.myo-p.com/Ford-EEC/EEC%20Help%20files/Files/TFI_grey_or_black.html
Finally we moved to under the car. We jacked it up, put jack stands under it and chucked the wheels. We found that the anti-moan bracket on the 8.8 housing was connected on just one side, and the other side had the rubber bushing pulled out. We removed this bracket since it wasn't secure. The passenger side cat back exhaust was loose, so we tightened that. Both hangers for the exhaust were broken, so we removed those rubber hangers. The mid pipe had an accommodation for the smog. Since there was no smog pipe going to that port, we plugged the port. There was also an exhaust leak on the mid pipe - looked like the previous owner tried to patch it and the patch failed. The final concern was the emergency brake cable was rubbing on the driveshaft and it had eaten through the outside sheathing of the cable. This will also need to be repaired. The owner already knew he had an emergency brake issue, but didn't know why. This likely contributed to that issue. The last thing we addressed was a trim piece that was loose / broken. We secured it so it wouldn't flop around while driving.
He started it up and it immediately idled better. The hunting / rolling idle was gone. The computer will need to re-learn after the changes we made, and the CEL should go off.
The owner sent me a text message after he left saying thank you, and that the car was driving much better! It still needs some things corrected by the owner, but the main hunting concern was corrected!
One of the members of the group just picked up a 95 GT and it was running pretty rough. He's had a few mustangs in the past (foxbodies) but never an SN95. He reached out to the group for some help and direction. I offered to help him out if he could get it to my house and he agreed.
His main concern was the rolling idle or 'hunting'. This is typically a vacuum leak. Once the car was in the garage, we popped the hood. The smog pump was still in place, but the hoses and solenoids going from the pump to the hard lines were gone. The hard line going to the mid pipe was also gone. Then I noticed was the vacuum T on the neck of the upper intake. There are 2 ports there. There was a hose going from one port to the other, and in that hose there was a T that went to a vac gauge inside the car. Next the EGR vac line was cut. It was attached, and about 4 inches down the line it was cut. The Fuel Pressure regulator had a line going to it that I traced back to the cluster of 4 vac lines coming from the passenger side fender area. It ended at the red hard line, which was cut before the junction. This cluster also had problems. There are 4 vac lines - 1 green, 1 red and two white. The red hard line was cut before the junction and a rubber line went from that to the fuel pressure regulator. One of the white lines wasn't connected to anything. The green and white lines did go to the junction, but there was nothing for the green line after the junction. The white line was melted shut after the junction. This needed to be fixed.
The stock setup is three of the 4 vac lines go to a junction while one of the white lines is supposed to go to the smog. The other white line goes to the smog after the junction. The green goes to the EGR after the junction. And red goes to one of the two ports on that upper intake vac T after the junction.
The goal was to make it functional today, not pretty. I'll leave the dress up part to the owner! First I removed the rubber line from the fuel pressure regulator that goes to the red line in the firewall. Then I removed one end from the intake vac T port and moved it to the fuel pressure regulator. This is how it is stock (FPR to one of the ports on that T). I left the T in that line to the vac gauge. Then I ran the red line from the fender cluster to the other port on that T. I made a new line that went from the green line from the fender cluster to the EGR. Finally I jumped one of the white lines in the cluster to the other white line, since they are no longer used. This should resolve the vacuum leak.
Next step was to pull the codes. The Check Engine Light was on when he showed up. My guess at this point is that CEL is for the EGR, since it was missing a vac line. We did the Key On Engine Off test. It read: 563 563 1 211 332 211 332. So 563, 211 and 332. The 563 is the high speed fan electro drive failure. I'm guessing it's the fan, and the owner is going to check it by jumping the fan directly. The other possibility is that the relay in the Constant Control Relay Module (CCRM) for the high speed fan has failed. It also means that only the low speed fan is working. The 332 code is for the EGR, which should be fixed now. The 211 code is for profile ignition pickup (PIP Sensor) circuit failure. The PIP sensor is in the distributor. When I checked out the distributor I noticed that it was not the correct stock distributor. I'm not sure what vehicle it came from, but it had the accommodation for the TFI module to be mounted on the side of it. That was likely the cause - he will need the correct distributor for the 94/95 mustang. The TFI mounted to the heat sink on the passenger side fender well was the correct part number.
Feel free to read all about TFI and PIP here: http://www.myo-p.com/Ford-EEC/EEC%20Help%20files/Files/TFI_grey_or_black.html
Finally we moved to under the car. We jacked it up, put jack stands under it and chucked the wheels. We found that the anti-moan bracket on the 8.8 housing was connected on just one side, and the other side had the rubber bushing pulled out. We removed this bracket since it wasn't secure. The passenger side cat back exhaust was loose, so we tightened that. Both hangers for the exhaust were broken, so we removed those rubber hangers. The mid pipe had an accommodation for the smog. Since there was no smog pipe going to that port, we plugged the port. There was also an exhaust leak on the mid pipe - looked like the previous owner tried to patch it and the patch failed. The final concern was the emergency brake cable was rubbing on the driveshaft and it had eaten through the outside sheathing of the cable. This will also need to be repaired. The owner already knew he had an emergency brake issue, but didn't know why. This likely contributed to that issue. The last thing we addressed was a trim piece that was loose / broken. We secured it so it wouldn't flop around while driving.
He started it up and it immediately idled better. The hunting / rolling idle was gone. The computer will need to re-learn after the changes we made, and the CEL should go off.
The owner sent me a text message after he left saying thank you, and that the car was driving much better! It still needs some things corrected by the owner, but the main hunting concern was corrected!
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