motor

hemi_fan · 03-03-2004, 08:44 PM

1992 Ford Mustang ~ 5.0L, 5 Speed, Hatchback, not trunk model.

Ok, My dad just got really excited today cuz a friend of his saw a 72' Challenger ad and the lady only wanted $5500, so he Immediately ran down the road towards where I work and I drove by him and stopped, he got in the car and was like "Get out, I need to drive down to St. Catherines quik! (1 hour drive) Theres a Challenger there I really wanna look at!!" so he does... 2 1/2 hours later he comes back dissapointed cuz it was really rough, and the frame was totally gone etc. This showed me that he wouldnt mind having a pony car around... so Now I just talked to him and asked him what he thought was wrong with the stang I recently looked at. Surprisingly, he had no specific grudges against it and his excuse was "I just dont know a lot about those cars." Luckily for me, the guy who was selling it is going on his honeymoon tomorrow, so the car wont be sold for at least a week. This gives me 7 days to convince my dad that this will be a worthwhile purchase... Im gunna do tons of research, but I would appreciate more help on this. You guys have been great so far, and hopefully I'll be one of the spoiled kids on this site with a decent 1st car

Basically im looking for reliability reports, general info, just anything you can get on the car. Heres a picture to inspire you, lol:

Thanx guys!!
Tell me if you cant see the pic.

Original Post: My Lemons book doesnt go back that far... we went to look at it just now and I liked it. Its the nicest stang ive looked at out of 3, and its really clean in and out. I'm not a mechanic however, and despite what I tell my friends, I dont know much about the mechanics of cars, especially mustangs. What are the major problems with them, and what should I look for? Ive already checked for rust and the body, and the tires/clutch are not worn out... so no major signs of it being driven hard, but what speciffically should I look for?

P.S. I forgot to mention that i'm really happy right now... cuz I can now say that I've driven a performance car (even tho it was around the block). My dad was driving it, and he goes "Hey matt, wanna try?" So I was like... "alright... (kinda skeptical), but i'll probably stall it". He goes "Thats ok, if you stall it, you cant have it!". So I hopped in, my only standard tranny experience is in his spongy 92' accord, and I drove it Really smoothly (I mean smoother than I am in the Honda, lol). The guy who was selling it was like "Damn, I had my money on you stalling it" lol "but u're pretty good!". So I parked it and now we're gunna go back tomorrow when theres some daylight... Thats y i need to know what to look for asap. Thanx guys![/img][/b]

T-Bird · 03-03-2004, 08:59 PM

just make sure to check all the fluids and make sure they are the right color and decent level. there wasn't anything specific that I'm aware of when it comes to that car. I love the Fords and the 5.0 is a decent car but I still prefer the new MOD motors over the 5.0's just make sure the doors are in alignment, make sure the exhaust isn't leaking, simple stuff like that. Some Mustangs/T-birds had problems with the rear brakes wearing uneavenly but you might have noticed that while driving but otherwise go for it, Thankfully Ford's are really easy and cheap to fix especially the performance end vehicles.

SFDMALEX · 03-03-2004, 09:15 PM

Make sure that all the syncros are working. I see lots of idiots driving those 5.0 Stangs.

Junk2006 · 03-03-2004, 09:47 PM

what u don't know much about the mechanics of a car u liar

hemi_fan · 03-03-2004, 09:47 PM

How would I check if the synchros are good, and how much would it cost to have them fixed if they were worn out or not working? All I could find on the net is that If I double clutch properly I dont need synchros at all. lol

hemi_fan · 03-03-2004, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by Junk2006

what u don't know much about the mechanics of a car u liar

lol...

SFDMALEX · 03-03-2004, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by hemi_fan

How would I check if the synchros are good, and how much would it cost to have them fixed if they were worn out or not working? All I could find on the net is that If I double clutch properly I dont need synchros at all. lol

Drive the car in each gear, and see if all the gears engage without problems. If they engage without any problems then the syncros are fine. If they dont then you'll have to fix them. How much? I got no clue. BUt im sure it aint cheap.

As for double clutching its true that you dont need the syncros, but thats going into the stone age, and its very inconveniant.

BTW If you cant get 1st dont worry lots of cars dont alow first gear.

666fast · 03-03-2004, 10:13 PM

Listen for noises from the engine
Check for rust
Check fluids
Check maintanence history if possible (probably isn't)
Make sure body panels are aligned correctly
Watch engine run, make sure there is no smoke and such
Check for fluid leaks (look at the guys driveway, any stains?)

gottacatchup · 03-03-2004, 10:50 PM

make sure he's not ripping you off on the price even if it is a perfect running model. Check Kelly Blue Book for relative values.

Vansquish · 03-03-2004, 11:30 PM

BTW If you cant get 1st dont worry lots of cars dont alow first gear.

That's not true. If you can't get 1st gear, it's a good indicator of something being wrong with the transmission, and you definetely should NOT get it. If you're double-clutching down through the gearbox, then it may lock you out of 1st gear until you're down to something like 10-15 miles per hour, but you should certainly be concerned if it will not engage at all.

As for other things to look for:
-Check for fluid leaks, color and consistency (i.e. murky thick oil/transmission fluid, spots on the driveway/in the garage etc...)
-Check for body panel, door, hood and trunklid alignment. Check for wobbliness in the reflections, it's a good indicator of an accident repair.
-Bring a magnet and run it over the body panels (without touching them of course-you'll scratch the paint) If it has been repaired with bondo or some other body-filler, you'll know it when you find it.
-Check for overspray on the windshield surrounds, mirrors etc... this will tell you if the car has been repainted (another indicator of a potential accident)
-Check that the engine runs smoothly throughout its rev range and that it doesn't belch smoke or anything like that.
-Check for any odd smells (i.e. burnt clutch, skunk, burning oil, radiator fluid etc..)
-Check for stains and smells on the interior of the car as well.
-Check that there is a maintenance history (hopefully there will be one)
-Check that the engine doesn't make odd noises, bangs, pops, rattles, squeals etc...and the same goes for the gearbox, air conditioning, heat etc...
-Make sure that the air con and heat work.
-Check the tires for tread depth and that the wheels are not cracked.

-Make sure the guy is giving you a decent price for the mileage and condition of the vehicle

-Make sure you enjoy the car!

hemi_fan · 03-04-2004, 12:05 AM

Thanx! you guys are really coming through in the clutch, I didnt expect this many posts. By the morning when I go look at it, I should have a pretty broad list of things to check, thanks again!

altezza · 03-04-2004, 12:19 AM

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/19/92191747.html

make sure that all the appropriate recalls have been performed

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/u...ex.cfm/id/2036

Trouble Spots

Suspension problems: It may be impossible to align the front end and get the camber correct due to the dimensions of the crossmember across the spring seats. (1990-93)

Vehicle noise: A chattering noise that can be felt coming from the rear during tight turns after highway driving is caused by a lack of friction modifier or over-shimming of the clutch packs in the Traction-Lok differential. (1990-93)

Wipers: Because water commonly seeps past the hood seal onto the wiper motor, the wipers may be erratic or quit working. (1990-93)

Carpoint reliability rating
Engine:
An occasional problem on this vehicle is failure of the TAB and TAD Solenoids (5.0L engines only).The cost to repair the TAB and TAD Solenoids is estimated at $100.00 for parts and $65.00 for labor.All prices are estimates based on $65 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax.

Heating & Air Conditioning:
This vehicle was originally charged with R-12 refrigerant which is no longer being manufactured. The refrigerant is still available, but it is very expensive ($25.00-$50.00 per pound, 2-5 pounds per vehicle). Conversion to the new R-134A refrigerant is possible, at an average cost of about $200-$300 parts and labor.All prices are estimates based on $65 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax.

hemi_fan · 03-04-2004, 12:27 AM

many of these recalls I dont have to worry about, just from the quik test-drive i did...
Inadvertantly tested the wipers while trying to find the head-light switch, and the ignition is brand new since the car was broken into recently (the stereo was stolen out of it, and they tried to steal the car), but I need to check into that other stuff... luckily even if it does need a little work, scrap-yard mustangs are plentiful and used parts would probably be quite cheap. Im gunna print out those recalls also Thanx Altezza!

dragula_bassman · 03-04-2004, 12:30 AM

and another thing, anything you find wrong, wether it be on the outside or the inside, use it for a little leverage to get the price down

SPEEDKILLAR · 03-04-2004, 04:11 PM

What ever you do, TAKE your time, don't take any decisions when your doubting
about something.
Good luck, hope you don't have any problems with it