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Ford Thunder Bird Car Repair Questions and Answers

Question: 2001 Thunderbird mileage: 102,000. Cranks, no start, no spark. What type of signal comes from the crank and cam sensors? How can I check to see if they are good? How can I check the spark control Module and the coil? Ford checked out the car and said it was a wiring problem on the ignition harness. I removed it checked every wire and nothing is wrong with the harness. Where can I find the exact specs and schematics on the ignition?

Answer: The crank and cam angle sensors put out an AC voltage signal. The best way to check the spark control module and the coil is by substitution of a known good unit. A Mitchell1 auto repair manual or a specialty repair book for your make of car will have diagrams and or specifications showing what you are looking for.

Question: 2002 Ford Thunderbird  mileage: 76,000. For the past 6 months I noticed that as I accelerate lightly and the car reaches above 35 mph if I hold the accelerator steady and not wide open throttle, the rpm slowly decrease and the engine begins to vibrate until I let go of the pedal a bit and give gas again. During the winter when it's cold, the car would run well until it warms up. I tuned it up, changed all filters, and many people tell me that it could be the EGR valve. Should I try to clean it or replace it? It feels as if the engine is losing power during cruising condition but while driving with full acceleration the car runs fine.

Answer: Your problems may be caused by your transmission. If you have not had the transmission fluid and filter changed recently, it would be worth your while to try this first.

Question: 2001 Ford Thunderbird  mileage: 94,000. The brake pedal slowly went to the floor with the engine on. Drove it yesterday and found that, sitting at a long stop sign, if I pressed harder, the pedal went to the floor. Didn't seem to lose braking power though. Is the replaced rebuilt master cylinder bad? Could it be the booster? She says, though I haven't tested, that the pedal stays up with the motor off, seems I recall that is how it behaved last November. Bled the whole system then, found a hard pedal with the motor off. Now it makes me think booster, though how can the pedal go to the floor if it goes directly to the master cylinder? PS, checked the archive, and the jeep with the pedal to floor problem sounds just like this, but guys, it has a rebuilt unit in only since November.

Answer: It probably is your master cylinder. We have not had much success using rebuilt master cylinders.

Question: 1996 Ford Thunderbird SC  mileage: 145,000. My Thunderbird super coupe has all wheel disc ABS. The motor to the actuator is not charging. The wires to the motor are only showing a half a volt when I tested them. In fact, all of the wires I checked to the ABS under the hood only had about a half volt. Someone drained the brake fluid completely and then filled it up. That's when they said the problem started. I read in a book that if the pressure switched is replaced then you must replace the pump motor relay. Maybe the loss of fluid caused that pressure switch to go bad which popped the relay. Well the moral of the story is where could the pump motor relay be? The dealer wire diagram says on "RH of dash on relay bracket" along with the ABS modular relay. I can't find this. All I found was the brain to the car. The computer to the ABS control in the trunk has power (forgot to tell you that). If you can help me locate this relay or know what the problem is I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer: The relay is located on the firewall on the passenger side. Be prepared, you may have to replace the entire ABS unit to get proper function.

Question: 1995 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 63,000. My emergency brake is hanging down underneath my car. How do I tighten it? When the brake is on it does not hang down. When released it sags underneath my car.

Answer: Check for clips on the underneath side of the car that hold the cable up. They may have been inadvertently knocked off. Also check the return springs on the rear brakes to see that they pull the cable back when the parking brake is released.

Question: 1995 Ford T-Bird  mileage: 180,000. Dear Bob and Ken, I bought my T-Bird used with 70,000 miles. The car pings when you get on it hard. It also only gets about 18 mpg overall. I checked over the plugs and put a professional 3-part injector cleaner in it along with a fuel filter. The car is still no better. Also the car in 1st gear tachs up to 4500 rpm and shifts and drops to 2900 rpm, which seems to cause the pinging. Is this normal? What can I do to achieve good gas mileage with using expensive premium gas to stop the pinging?

Answer: We are assuming here that your car is not in need of a tune-up and the computer has recently been scanned for fault codes. Most cars have knock sensors that adjust the timing but yours does not. Instead, located in the wiring loom that goes to the computer you will find a small connector with a jumper. Removing that jumper will retard the timing approximately 4 degrees. This should stop your pinging and help your gas mileage.

Question: 1996 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 71,000. Hi guys. I have a gas consumption problem with this car that I have had since I purchased it. I only get 200 miles out of a tank of gas. It has an 18-gallon tank. This is involving mostly expressway driving, very little city. I average around 14 mpg, which is abysmal. Taken it to several Ford dealerships, which test and say according to their diagnostic computer, I should be getting 26.7 mpg. The car runs perfectly, except for an occasional shudder coming from the transmission. There are no gas leaks at all. The dealerships don't know what's wrong with the car, so I am hoping you can steer me in the right direction.

Answer: Try replacing the oxygen sensor and the fuel filter. Check the fuel pressure regulator and the catalytic converter.

Question: 1997 Ford T-bird mileage: 79,000. Hello, I was recently told that my car has a main bearings problem. It is still running, but I was told to expect the engine to blow a rod anytime now. I have been diligent in doing oil changes ~3000-4000 miles, and also in other routine maintenance. The car has never run low on coolant. Ford had a safety recall for head gasket problem potential & did a fix on my car ~10,000 miles back. Before the repair, the thermostat registered slightly above mid-mark. After the repair, the gauge reads midway or slightly below. Is there any significance to this? Could there be a connection between the bearings problem & the head gasket defect? I appreciate your advice

Answer: No, we do not see any connection with the head gasket that was repaired 10,000 miles ago and your present main bearing problem. Probably what is happening with the temperature gauge is that before the repairs, there was a slight seepage from the head-gasket that caused the engine to run warmer than normal.

Question: 1989 Ford - Thunderbird mileage 155,000. I bought an 89 Ford Thunderbird. I've been having problems with the anti-lock (ABS) brakes. I would like to know if you can change an anti-lock brake system to a (non ABS) system. And if so would it be difficult or expensive.

Answer: It is not a good idea to change the brake system in your car. It was designed by the manufacturer to work with ABS brakes for a safety reasons. We recommend that you take your car to a qualified brake specialist in your area that can take care of the problems you are having.

Question:  1996 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 51,100.  The fan stopped working on it today.  I looked in the fuse panel to see if there was a blown fuse, but I could not locate it.  We did not receive the owner�s manual with the car.   I have looked in the engine compartment for the blower relay.  I could not tell which one was which on the control panel there either.  The heater or AC is not working since the fan is not blowing.  Any info that you can give me would be very well appreciated. 

Answer:   The blower motor may have failed.  Test it by checking for 12-volts at the blower motor with the blower switch on.

Question:  2001 Ford Thunderbird  mileage: 85,000.  I have an oil leak that is [I believe] the rear main seal.  Does the engine have to be removed to replace the seal or can it be replaced by removing the transmission?

Answer:   You can replace the rear main seal by removing either.  However, the transmission is a lot easier to remove than the engine.

Question:  2002 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 63,000.  I have a problem with my headlights blinking off and on after being on for about an hour.  They keep blinking off and on and not sure just what the problem might be.  None of the other lights go out.  If I shut the lights off for a while they come on and stay on, until the circuit gets hot again.  Could you please tell me where the circuit breakers are located to replace it, or is it a more complex problem.

Answer:   Your problem is likely not a circuit breaker it is probably a faulty high-low beam selector switch.

Question:  2001 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 82,000.  Would anything other than the radiator cap being no longer functional cause overflow out of the radiator cap.  Water pump 1 year old, no noise or leak from it.  Brand new radiator put in two weeks ago used cap from old radiator

Answer:    A blown head gasket can cause the radiator to over flow, but try a new radiator cap first.

Question:  1978 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 125,000.  Hello, a taxicab hit my car while I was stopped at a red light this morning at about 20 Mph, after we got everything settled, and I was ready to leave, my car would no longer start!  I was informed that it may be a "safety switch" that disables the car after an accident.... how do I know if it is, and how do I reactivate it without taking it down to the shop?   Thank you

Answer: Pushing the button on top can reset the �safety switch�.  The switch may be in the trunk or glove box.  Check your owner�s manual for location.

Question:  2003 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 28,000.  I just changed the rear brakes and calipers on this car.  When I went to bleed the brakes, I get no fluid to the rear calipers.  These are hydraulic brakes and I think there is a procedure to accomplish this.  I have tried to reset the proportioner valve didn�t seem to change also tried to crack the front bleeders while applying pressure to the peddle.  Have had the engine running and not.  I have talked to several shops and many say you need to do several different functions to reset the system.  If you have any information on this procedure, it may help.

Answer:   Check to see that the master cylinder is full of brake fluid.   Loosen brake line at rear caliper, apply brake pedal, and check for brake fluid at the fitting.  If fluid is present then there is a blockage in the calipers.

Question:  1997 Ford Thunderbird  mileage: 10,100.  My driver side door hinge/lock unit (the piece that goes on to the car post to hold the door shut) will not go all the way down so it will fit over the post.  Do you know of a way to get that to function again?  If I lift the handle up the piece does release but not far enough to fit over the post.  Any kind of help/trick would be appreciated.

Answer:   If we understand your problem correctly, the proper way to fix it is to replace the worn latch assembly.

Question:  2003 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 40,000. The car is not starting, I have changed the ignition coil the ignition module the cap and rotor and I am still not getting any spark. The car cranks but will not turn over. Got any ideas?

Answer: Here are some things to have checked: 1. Check to see if the timing belt/chain has failed, 2. Check for ignition spark at spark plugs, 3. Check for fuel pressure, 4. Scan P.C.M. (computer) for fault or error codes. The information should pinpoint the malfunctioning components.

Question:  2002 Ford Thunderbird mileage: 63,000. I have automatic headlights and my lights had been flickering on and off, now they won't come on at all by way of manually turning them on or by the automatic. The parking lights do work. I have been told that it is the relay and needs replacing. Where is this relay for my headlights located?

Answer:  The headlight relay is located behind the dash to the right of the steering column.

Question:  2001 Ford Thunderbird, mileage: 85,000. I recently did an oil change on my car, but was very concerned when only approximately 3 quarts came out when drained. I added 4 quarts and it read that it was 1-quart overfull. I then proceeded to drain out 1 quart and the oil was only trickling out when it read that it was overfull. What is going on; is there sludge in the bottom of the oil pan or what do you think it could be?

Answer:   Yes. It sounds like sludge has built up in the oil pan. To repair, remove oil pan and  clean it, also replace with a new oil pump that comes with a pick-up screen.
 

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