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Car Forum / Ford / Ford Mustang / August 2004

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5.0 Thunderbird hesitation

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Christopher Wall - 24 Aug 2004 00:28 GMT
Hello all.

I'm having some minor problems with my 5.0l in my 88'bird.
In park, when I rev the engine, I get  some hesitation/skipping/popping at
certain rpm. It starts off around 1200, disappears about 1800-2000, then
comes back harder from 2300-2600 rpm. But ONLY during those times. Will go
all the way to 5500 from there with no problems. Also, when driving down the
road, if I am just barely touching the throttle, it will skip and hesitate
some. When driving like normal, or hard acceleration, there's nothing -
smooth as glass almost.

I have checked the timing (seems happiest at 12` btdc). New wires, plugs,
air filter, replaced the timing chain when the cover gasket failed (6 months
ago).
There are no mods to the engine (hopefully rebuilding soon!!!) except for a
65mm tb +67mm egr, MSD 6A, and MSD tfi coil (both 1.5-2 years old and eat 75
amp alternators for breakfast!).

Thanks for your time in reading this, and hopefully someone may have some
answers!
WraithCobra - 24 Aug 2004 00:35 GMT
Sounds like it could be your Throttle Position Sensor going bad. It can be
tested on the car with either a Volt or Ohm meter. I don't remember which
wire is which but someone here will be able to offer a detailed testing
procedure.
Signature

Mike
Silver 10th Anniversary Cobra Coupe
---

> Hello all.
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Thanks for your time in reading this, and hopefully someone may have
> some answers!
Carver - 25 Aug 2004 23:00 GMT
If you want to test the TPS  you will need to get a volt / ohm meter
and set it to read volts.  Take a needle and perice the green wire ,
do not let the needle touch anything metal on the engine once the wire
is periced. Take your Red wire from the meter (+) and clip it on to
the needle.  Take the Black wire from the Meter (-) and Ground it to
anything metal like the throttle body.  Once done take you key, put it
in the ignition turn the key forward into the Acc "ON" position . Do
Not Start the car.  Look athe digital meter and see what it is at.
You normally set the TPS like this, however this will not tell you if
it is good or bad. Your TPS if it has high mileage on it could very
well have some dead spots inside it .  Replace it and when you put the
new one on set it with the above info. You may have to take a drill
and wobble out one or both of the holes on the TPS so you can twist it
to get the desired setting. Each car is different.  Settings are best
around 9.7V to 1.5V   on the meter.  Once you get the desired setting
screw it down on to the throttle body and look at you meter to see if
it stayed at the setting you wanted. If not loosen it barely then
twist the TPS and screw it back on.

 About you alternator, the factory 75amp alt is a piece of trash, I
burned though a sh.t load back in the day.  Go buy a 1993 Ford
Aerostar V6 3.0L  95 amp alternator with 6-groove pulley.  It has the
same bolt pattern and will be the cure for that old 75 amp design.  It
has an internal fan and is internal regulated.  The only thing you
have to do is cut the three wire square power plug off and crimp  Ring
connectors on the two black (+) wires and get a stator pigtail
connector for the stator wire.  See the newer 95amp alternator is a
one wire type, take the two blk (+) wires with the Ring connectors and
slip them on to the bolt and tighten it. Slip the third wire the
skinny wire (stator wire) on to its connection then Install the
alternator and belt and you are done.      

>Sounds like it could be your Throttle Position Sensor going bad. It can be
>tested on the car with either a Volt or Ohm meter. I don't remember which
>wire is which but someone here will be able to offer a detailed testing
>procedure.
WraithCobra - 26 Aug 2004 00:31 GMT
> If you want to test the TPS  you will need to get a volt / ohm meter
> and set it to read volts.  Take a needle and perice the green wire ,
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> it is good or bad. Your TPS if it has high mileage on it could very
> well have some dead spots inside it .

You test it the same way by slowly opening the throttle. The V should go up
smoothly in proportion to the throttle opening. Bad or dead spots will show
the V bouncing around or droping to 0v.

The Ohm meter testing is done similarly with the key off and the TPS
unpluged. Attach the leads to the green and orange wires at the TPS plug.
The resistance should go down smoothly as the throttle is opened, bad or
dead spots will show the ohms bouncing or going to open.

>Replace it and when you put the
> new one on set it with the above info. You may have to take a drill
> and wobble out one or both of the holes on the TPS so you can twist it
> to get the desired setting. Each car is different.  Settings are best
> around 9.7V to 1.5V   on the meter.

The setting should be below 1v, 0.97 to 0.98. IIRC, the computer thinks the
throttle is open at 1.2v and above.

>Once you get the desired setting
> screw it down on to the throttle body and look at you meter to see if
> it stayed at the setting you wanted. If not loosen it barely then
> twist the TPS and screw it back on.

Signature

Mike
Silver 10th Anniversary Cobra Coupe
---

Carver - 26 Aug 2004 07:21 GMT
>The setting should be below 1v, 0.97 to 0.98. IIRC, the computer thinks the
>throttle is open at 1.2v and above.

Are you sure about that ?  For a long time I always thought that the
best setting was .999v .  I aquired  Mustang Performance Handbook
and Mustang Performance Handbook 2 (by William R. Mathis) from a buddy
about five yrs ago.  In Vol 1 they recomend playing with settings from
1.5 down to 9.7 or so.  

>> If you want to test the TPS  you will need to get a volt / ohm meter
>> and set it to read volts.  Take a needle and perice the green wire ,
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>> it stayed at the setting you wanted. If not loosen it barely then
>> twist the TPS and screw it back on.
WraithCobra - 26 Aug 2004 21:26 GMT
>> The setting should be below 1v, 0.97 to 0.98. IIRC, the computer
>> thinks the throttle is open at 1.2v and above.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> about five yrs ago.  In Vol 1 they recomend playing with settings from
> 1.5 down to 9.7 or so.

It's been a while, I know .99 is suppose to be the best setting but I could
have swore the 1.2v was the highest before the comp thought the throttle was
opened. I also read somewhere that the EEC-V took the reading at start-up
(below the throttle opening threshold) and used it as a baseline, setting it
makes no difference on the newer engines.
Signature

Mike
Silver 10th Anniversary Cobra Coupe
---

Backyard Mechanic - 25 Aug 2004 21:39 GMT
Christopher Wall opined in

> There are no mods to the engine (hopefully rebuilding soon!!!) except
> for a 65mm tb +67mm egr, MSD 6A, and MSD tfi coil (both 1.5-2 years old
> and eat 75 amp alternators for breakfast!).

your symptoms are classic spark system mismatch,  

Restore all the "Hot Rod" pieces to stock, including wires, and install
motorcraft regular plugs and i will bet it goes away

to save money, just go to a scrapper and pull good looking stock pieces.
Backyard Mechanic - 25 Aug 2004 21:46 GMT
arghhhh.

did you just notice this AFTER you changed the timing chain?

This is a classic one-tooth off symptom
Christopher Wall - 26 Aug 2004 04:44 GMT
> arghhhh.
>
> did you just notice this AFTER you changed the timing chain?
>
> This is a classic one-tooth off symptom

Actually, I noticed a little bit of roughness after having my car returned
from a trans re-rebuild (The first guy apparently didn't know wtf he was
doing...fried the whole aod in less than 6months!....and he still expected
me to pay full price again!). I didn't think much then, it wasn't really
bad. Didn't really change any after the timing chain was replaced, and has
just gotten worse over the past 8-12 months. Just a nagging annoyance, but
the skipping while driving is recent-- last week or so.

Please tell me it's not the chain! lol I'll check the tps as soon as I
figure out where I put the meter. But of course, all things being so
pleasant this month, my analog cluster quit working this evening (only the
speedo and tach work, everything else has no reading) The fuses all look
good....ground fault somewhere?
Backyard Mechanic - 26 Aug 2004 14:59 GMT
Christopher Wall opined in news:90dXc.249525$OB3.24789@bgtnsc05-
news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

> Please tell me it's not the chain! lol I'll check the tps as soon as I
> figure out where I put the meter. But of course, all things being so
> pleasant this month, my analog cluster quit working this evening (only the
> speedo and tach work, everything else has no reading) The fuses all look
> good....ground fault somewhere?

prolly not the chain... disconnect spout, use timing light  and look for
flutter in timing marks or lite misfire.

but i've had lesser noted symptoms of the same when bosch plats were
installed in my fords. started afte about 1000 miles on plugs.

so i'd start back at ground zero as far as the ignition goes... spark
enhancers on that car is eye candy or brag stuff, anyway.  And I've had new
plug wires returned in two different cases.

either a ground in the cluster/steering column area or a bad cluster voltage
regulator... little three terminal part on the back of cluster, may have what
looks like 9volt battery clips... dont rule out fuse, though, use meter or
test lite on the little metal bits top of fuse.
Christopher Wall - 27 Aug 2004 03:48 GMT
> prolly not the chain... disconnect spout, use timing light  and look for
> flutter in timing marks or lite misfire.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> looks like 9volt battery clips... dont rule out fuse, though, use meter or
> test lite on the little metal bits top of fuse.

Yeah, I had those bosch platinums in there untill about a  5 days ago.  Went
back to copper plugs, std. 8mm wires. Is there any real way of testing the
wires to see if they're possible culprits? An ohms reading, or continuity
test?
I found my volt meter tonight, so after work tomorow I"ll start checking
things. As far as the cluster in concerned, I'm thinking a bad ground/power
or, as you mentioned the regulator. The gauges all started working(somewhat
erratically) today. Kept working, then fading out, nothing, then spikied,
stayed at a regular reading, but only for a short time. Went back to being
erratic (either pegged up, or almost nothing for the most part).
Regulator??? If I remember, when pegged, they are grounded out?
 
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