Panther Megathread - Live axles and dead coils

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Panther Megathread - Live axles and dead coils

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I always thought they aimed the CNG version at taxi fleets?

I see a shitload of CNG taxi Crown Vics, but I've never seen a police version.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2013 06:24

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 05:37

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Yes.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2013 07:11

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I got pulled over by a riced out 99-00 Civic Si ages ago (I think this was in 2001?). I assume it was something that was seized from someone, but I saw it a lot for about two years. One hell of a "I'M NOT A COP" sleeper for sure..

I've also been pulled over by a mid-late 80s Aerostar with peeling paint (in the mid 00s).

Gotta love the suburbs. :allears:

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 10:21 on Mar 3, 2013

# ¿ Mar 3, 2013 10:10

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I kinda miss the old one for some weird reason :smith:

_{_{I've also had recurring nightmares about mine, they're getting old.}}

# ¿ Mar 5, 2013 11:56

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I'm pretty sure only the Sport (wat?) trim was offered with a console shifter. A brief glance at Wikipedia suggests that the Sport trim was dropped for 06 (and moved into a handling package for 07), and civilian sales ended after the 07 - so no console shifters after 2007, I guess.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 09:17 on Mar 7, 2013

# ¿ Mar 7, 2013 09:14

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

leica posted:

Plus I have steering wheel controls and I don't wanna gently caress that up

I really hope my sarcasm meter is just broken.

_{Since there's hundreds of adapters to tie that poo poo into any major-name head unit now}

leica posted:

just think how good some ... 3 ways would sound

This part, however, I fully agree with. :quagmire:

# ¿ Mar 10, 2013 09:03

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

More room for :quagmire:

activities.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2013 01:33

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

leica posted:

[edit] Also the consensus for coil replacement is OEM Motorcraft, cheaper aftermarket coils are hit or miss apparently.

I always thought that was the case for any coil, not just Motorcraft.

I know I went through plenty on my Integra before settling on a Denso (OE) part... which then outlasted the car.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2013 14:16

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Our 01 F-150 still has all the dash lights working. That said, the signals on the mirrors crapped out at least 5 or 6 years ago, and it looks like a whole lot of :effort:

to get to them.

I see a shitload of newer GM, Ford, and Kia running around with burnt out exterior bulbs.

My Altima had all original bulbs when I bought it, even the headlights were stamped 1998. :iiam:

# ¿ Mar 12, 2013 19:26

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

wolrah posted:

They're just normal cars, they have cats (two per side on some models) and there are no exemptions when in civilian hands. The cops probably don't have to get 'em tested, but they don't exactly have plates on 'em either. My old '93 CVPI got the sniffer twice during the time I owned it, anything '96 and up would get the plug.

In Texas, they don't need registration stickers (and the plates show "EXEMPT" below the name of the state). But they get smog/safety inspections like any other car, and carry the same inspection sticker that my car has. Hell, even the city garbage trucks get inspection stickers.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2013 03:45

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

T1g4h proves that glasspacks are the only answer :allears:

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Mar 15, 2013

# ¿ Mar 15, 2013 18:50

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I don't know about on the Panther, but on the F-150 with the 4.6/5.4, the #8 plug was right under the cowl - and prone to getting a soaking if the gasket between the hood and cowl was compromised.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2013 04:04

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Washington State Patrol posted:

The maximum level of sunscreening material to be applied to any window, except the windshield, shall have a total reflectance of 35% or less, and a light transmittance of 24% or more. RCW 46.37.430

Usually tint shops will tell you if you're going too dark, won't they? Every one I've been to did, anyway.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Mar 22, 2013

# ¿ Mar 22, 2013 00:31

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Holdbrooks posted:

Cross post fror the AI image thread, but why do I want to ruin everything I own?

I usually don't like slammed, but that just works. :allears:

# ¿ May 5, 2013 07:22

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

DFW NORML scooped one up about 2 years ago for their "Truth Enforcement" car :v:

IIRC they got it pretty cheap - around $2500? - it was a retired Ft Worth PD patrol car with about 100k.

AFAIK, the only issues they've had so far have been the starter and a/c compressor. And of course it's a massive cop magnet, as one would expect when your car is covered in pot leaves and NORML stickers. I can ask around and try to get more info on it if you want - right now it's mostly used for events in both DFW and Austin, and gets driven back and forth between DFW and Austin pretty regularly.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2013 04:17

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

travisray2004 posted:

Pardon my ignorance but how do they not get hassled for impersonating police?

Because they're not impersonating police. They don't try to pull anyone over, and green lights are 100% legal in Texas. They keep the light bar covered most of the time.

The car was sponsored by a local attorney who specializes in drug and DUI/DWI cases.

Holdbrooks posted:

Yeah, highway cars are the ones to get for sure. Another tip is that the newer cars I think 06 and up have an hours meter in the cluster when you cycle the odo/trip. So you can see if it spent an eternity idling. I would not want railway car as those would spend a lot of tile driving lovely dirt road and have probably seen a lot of airtime from crossings and washes. And if its anything like the rail industry the were beat on without mercy as the people I know that work rail company tell me tails of basically destroying new cars and how may transmissions and such they have broken.

Texas Railroad Commission has absolutely nothing to do with railroads (and hasn't since 1984) - they're a regulatory body for oil/gas.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Jun 5, 2013

# ¿ Jun 5, 2013 18:17

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Pulling new wires into the door isn't the worst job in the world, though definitely a PITA. Had to do it on a few of my cars actually.. Pull the kick panel, remove the door panel and speaker, grab a metal coat hanger (or better yet, actual fish tape) and some tape, go to town. After disconnecting the battery, of course. Just abandon the existing wire and pull new wire all the way to the head unit, just try to pull it into smurf tube or something to protect it once it exits the kick panel.

At least on most of my cars, you're able to pop the rubber harness "sock" out of its housing, the rubber tube that goes between the door and car. No idea what the technical term is, but if you open the door and look at the wire tube, and know how it was originally installed, it makes sense. Disconnecting it from both ends may make pulling new wire easier - it just pops out, to reinstall you usually squeeze it a bit and pop it back into the openings. Again, once you see how it installs or how it connects, you'll get the idea of how it fits.

A speaker wire short won't drain your battery, it'll just put your head unit or amp into protect (or if it doesn't have a protection mode, you let a little bit of the magic smoke out). Your battery dying is generally related to a worn out battery, a weak/dead/dying alternator, and/or corrosion on the battery cables. Likely 2 out of 3.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 10:40 on Jul 6, 2013

# ¿ Jul 6, 2013 10:38

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

leica posted:

Only the CV LX Sport model has a console shifter so just look for those.

I think the Marauder also had a console shifter.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2013 07:35

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Jared592 posted:

I tried to connect to it with an ELM327 and Torque just to look for old stored codes, but for some odd reason Torque is unable to successfully connect.

The ELM327 knockoffs don't talk to a lot of Ford OBD2 ECUs. In particular, earlier OBD2 models (2002 and older for sure on most models).

# ¿ Jul 8, 2013 06:58

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Now I don't know about Panthers, but most other cars I've owned will also turn on the brake light if the brake fluid is low. :downs:

leica posted:

Looks ten times better, makes the car look new again!

Agreed. It's amazing what new headlamps will do to a car.

# ¿ Aug 4, 2013 03:21

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

StormDrain posted:

Or if you've got an unequal pressure between front and back - but you should know if you've lost half your braking already.

That depends on the car. I know Fords, at one point anyway, did put a switch on the proportioning valve for just that reason (even my 1980 had that, and I found out it worked very well), but on the Hondas I've owned, there was no switch on the proportioning valve. Same with my old Nissan, and I'm pretty sure my Saturn is the same way.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2013 01:11

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

BrokenKnucklez posted:

I have had only one miss with rockauto.... but I wasnt sure if it was them or me.

Either way, the customer service folks were incredibly nice.

Their miss for me was very much them - ordered most of a cooling system, water pump gasket didn't make it into the order. It was even on the pick list in the box, so someone was just in a hurry and/or didn't double check.

Called them, gave them the order number, said "X part is missing". They asked if I wanted it shipped or refunded (I opted for the 58c refund, since I needed the car running ASAP and AutoZone had it in stock for all of $3). Wasn't a big deal, though the customer service rep I talked to sounded annoyed.

Motronic posted:

They even refund cores in a reasonable timeframe, which I never expected (I've bought a few things with cores worth enough to send back, mostly AC compressors).

I've never bought anything that needed a core from them, how does that work? Do they send return shipping labels?

The only thing I've bought from them that would normally have a core charge was a set of brake calipers, but apparently they were closeout (I guess the supplier was shutting down, from what I dug up), and as such, no core charge, though they came with packaging to return them.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2013 12:10

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

T1g4h posted:

Now put a rumbly exhaust on it. That 4.6 sounds so good with a set of aftermarket mufflers.

You should know!

# ¿ Sep 26, 2013 04:28

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Those things handle a lot better than I thought. :stonklol:

I think I know what my next car will be... with a manual swap at some point.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Sep 27, 2013

# ¿ Sep 27, 2013 11:03

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

blugu64 posted:

If you're still in the Dallas area, let me know beforehand. Maybe we can get a group rate on the swap.

Also I want mine as a column shift.

3 on the tree? :v:

Still very much in DFW. I want to escape so loving bad.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2013 11:38

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Holdbrooks posted:

I made it back home with no issues, 5400 miles total in two weeks. I got 16mpg overall for the 1800 miles home, which I think is pretty good for towing 4000lbs and keeping up with the speed limits. I have to say that I am really impressed with the P71, best $3800 I have spent on a car.

16 mpg in a land barge, pulling basically its own weight behind it.... :stare:

... while my 2800 pound 2.2L plastic economy car is lucky to hit 22 MPG when used for delivery, and so far, I've yet to break 26 mpg highway.

:sigh:

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:53 on Oct 9, 2013

# ¿ Oct 9, 2013 07:51

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Holdbrooks posted:

When I returned the tow dolly yesterday the three guys jumped my poo poo about towing with the vic. The said it was not a valid hookup and it should have never left uhaul. It was pretty funny how little they know when that think that the know everything about towing.

What do you expect when you pay minimum wage and shovel buckets full of "the customer doesn't know poo poo" at the employees? :smith:

There are many, many reasons why I will never do business with U-Haul again.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2013 08:47

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Delivery McGee posted:

My #7 and #8 are completely dead. Fuckin' V8 (well, V6 with a two-cylinder air compressor) idles like a Harley, flashing CEL all the time. Still drivable, but slow as balls under 3k rpm or so.

So tell me again how much you value stuff like oxygen sensors and catalytic converters. :allears:

# ¿ Dec 27, 2013 11:29

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

MonkeyNutZ posted:

E: There was a bad seal around the old headlight that let a bunch of water into the housing, I drained it so hopefully it dries out eventually

If it was definitely the seal on the bulb, then no, it probably won't as long as the bulbs are installed.

If the housing is that easy to remove (fake edit: just looked at a video on youtube, looks as easy as the ones on my Saturd), I'd take it indoors overnight with the bulbs removed, with something like a desk or table fan blowing across the openings. Should dry it out as long as you've drained it.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2014 08:35

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

It's still, at the root, the same 302. The 86 actually introduced true multiport EFI, but I don't know if that was halfway through the model year, or at the beginning.

If it's actual MPFI, then it'll be EEC-IV - there's plenty of options to make a bit more power. Trans would be the Ford AOD, which was an early 4 speed auto (lived on until the 91 model year for the Vic, little to no electronics).

Only engine options were 302 or 351. The 302 is a lot more common, as you know. The 351 is still a common engine - it was the Windsor variant by then, which was used well into the 90s.

Personally, if it's a good price, I'd pick it up. Maintenance will be like any other mid-late 80s V8 EFI - filters, PCV valves, gaskets, distributor cap/rotor, spark plugs. It's late enough that you won't have to carry a spare EEC module with you if you go venture more than 5 miles from home (ask me about my 1980 F-150). Modern enough that you won't really need much work outside of what a more recent car would need.

I'd expect more electrical issues than, say, an 87, since 86 was the first model year for true MPFI.

# ¿ May 24, 2014 11:48

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Pham Nuwen posted:

It's super clean all over, which is really nice. I've got an OBD v1 scanner in the mail from Amazon

Yeah uh, there's nothing compliant with OBD anything on that car. OBD1 was generally 92-95. Return it when you get it.

You can jump a couple of wires under the hood with a paperclip to get it to blink codes out. Otherwise you need an EEC-IV reader like this one.

Nice car, I'd drive the hell out of that.

e: is it just me, or is there not even a light for engine temp? :stonk:

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Jun 26, 2014

# ¿ Jun 26, 2014 16:20

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

It's pretty easy; I had a set of gauges in my F-150 (the typical 3 gauge under-dash thing - oil pressure, coolant temp, voltage).

You either disconnect the original senders, or get a T-fitting for them. Or find a new location for them (my 351M had an unused port on the water pump that fit the sender perfectly, for example). In my case, I stupidly disconnected the sender for the oil pressure light - and the rear main seal was non-existent on that engine. I'd glance at the gauges now and then, but occasionally I'd hear it start rattling... then see the gauge sitting at 0. Whoops.

The tach needs switched 12V, ground, and a wire connected to the coil. They usually have a selector on them for 4, 6, or 8 cylinder operation. If it's backlit, you'll need a wire to the dash lighting. I had mine strapped to the steering column.

Also, for the love of <deity>, go with electric gauges. They cost a little more, but trust me when I say you don't want to run an oil line into the cab. It's more than unpleasant when it pops.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2014 16:43

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Mooseykins posted:

Vacuum leaks! Don't these Ford Modulars have issues with cracking plastic inlet manifolds and gaskets?

Yup. First clue on stepdad's F-150 (5.4) was a coolant leak from what at first appeared to be the thermostat housing. Then it started throwing codes for running lean, had an odd idle (not rough, but it wasn't steady), etc. Still drove fine, but mileage went to poo poo, and it felt a little down on power.

Long term fuel trims were around 15% :stare:

Shop replaced it for him, hasn't had any issues since.

# ¿ May 26, 2015 23:43

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Dorman. Pretty affordable too, it's $160ish on Rockauto for the 5.4.

The shop that did the work gave him a lifetime warranty on both parts and labor (the part has a lifetime warranty anyway, but I've never heard of a shop giving a lifetime labor warranty). I think with the shop markup, he wound up paying a bit over $200 for the part, and not much more in labor.

I noped the gently caress out of replacing it for him; I'm not digging that far into an engine I don't own, I learned that lesson a long time ago. All of the vacuum lines on it are brittle as poo poo anyway.

# ¿ May 26, 2015 23:59

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

The EGR valve and associated hardware on my Altima had a rubber hose running into it. Well, many of them. But one of them was special.

That hose indeed carried hot exhaust. Not as much as the rest of the EGR tubing, but I found out in a hurry how quickly vacuum lines melt under both heat and pressure when I replaced it. I was wondering why it only lasted a week, then put my hand over the hole in the hose with the engine running. The air coming out of it was more than a bit hot.

The original hose had been rubbing against the injector harness and wore a hole through it, causing an EGR code (and melting some of the tape on the harness). The hose was NLA from Nissan, but they did have a cut to fit version that replaced it ($20 for about 12 inches of hose when I only needed about 3.... but it was rated for EGR temps).

It was a hose running from a metal tube on the intake manifold to the EGR transducer (whatever the gently caress that doohickie is).

# ¿ May 28, 2015 09:18

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Protip on the fuel filter - start the car, then use the handle of a screwdriver to whack the inertia switch in the trunk. Should pop it, engine will stall immediately or idle for a bit (if it keeps idling a bit, that filter is super clogged).Try to restart a few times to get rid of as much pressure as you can.

It's still gonna try to give you a face full of fuel, but it won't be nearly as bad. Pop the outlet side first. And drop the $10 on a metal quick release tool instead of the plastic ones.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2022 20:13

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

If those are the factory headlights, keep them! Aftermarket replacements (OEM style and others) are dirt cheap, but don't light up the road for poo poo.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2022 05:22

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Also, if he replaced all the coils with aftermarket.... plan to get OEM ones. From anywhere but Amazon. You'll be chasing misfire codes for the entire time you own the car otherwise.

I'll take used junkyard OEM coils over brand new aftermarket, and won't go near "OEM" coils from Amazon.

There's tons of these for sale (especially P71/P7Bs, as departments are retiring the very last of them), but a lot of people are asking stupid money for them these days.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:06 on Oct 29, 2022

# ¿ Oct 29, 2022 07:04

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Seat Safety Switch posted:

Is it feasible to do a conversion to the GM truck coils? Those are dirty cheap these days and junkyards are overflowing with them.

LS coils are 3 or 4 wire, Ford coils are 2 wire. You'd need to do some magic to make them work.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2022 01:09

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 05:37

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I'm honestly shocked it hasn't peeled more by now.

Embrace the acne look. Unless you sand it through the lovely horrible primer and re-paint it, it'll eventually shed its skin.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2022 01:11

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