96' Procharged Cobra "Casper" Build

ViciousBlack97

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Well I could have swore I checked dimmer switch last night, but based on your post I went out and checked again...

It was clicked all the way to the left, turned it back and a second later dome light turned off...

I feel dumb but I’ll take a simple fix.
Hey, take the easy stuff when it comes haha
 

01silverstang

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So I rented the coolant system pressure test kit from Autozone. I have not topped off the coolant in the expansion tank, and have not installed the serpentine belt or ran the vehicle since I parked it in the garage. I pressurized the system to 15 psi and ten minutes later I dropped about 1 to 1.5 psi. I tightened the tester cap again and pressurized it again to 15 psi and dropped about the same over 15 minutes. Not sure what to make of this... as the radiator is a little banged up and I have swapped any hoses or clamps. I saw no leaks under the vehicle.

So on one hand the vehicle did shred a belt and therefore didn’t have water pump with the previous owner. On the other hand it seems like there could be easily be a small leak any a number of places in the coolant system? Thoughts?

I know I can buy a head gasket leak tester at Harbor Freight which I may do tomorrow? Would you have concerns over the head gasket based on this or am I freaking myself out?
 

DSG2003Mach1

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It’s within the realm of possibility even though it seems unlikely unless the po let it get really damned hot.

head gaskets don’t always blow between cylinders but when they do you’ll frequently see adjacent cylinders have lower compression that the rest
 

04DeadShort

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Take a look at the clamps on the hoses at the firewall going to the heater core. They are known to get weak and start leaking coolant. I dealt on a strange occasion this hose was leaking but instead of running down the firewall it actually ran back into the car. That could be where your losing your pressure. Or the heater core itself. Another possibility is a failing o-ring in the oil cooler.
 

01silverstang

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Take a look at the clamps on the hoses at the firewall going to the heater core. They are known to get weak and start leaking coolant. I dealt on a strange occasion this hose was leaking but instead of running down the firewall it actually ran back into the car. That could be where your losing your pressure. Or the heater core itself. Another possibility is a failing o-ring in the oil cooler.
I’ll check both as it’s getting an oil change today.
 

01silverstang

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So, Friday night I swung by Autozone and checked out a coolant pressure testing kit I know you have to put a deposit but I was little shocked when it took $270 on the credit card to check it out. The test kit instructions didn’t provide a lot of detail and simply said once you have pressurized the system if the pressure holds steady for "several" minutes the system is fine. I completed two tests and the pressurized the system to 15 PSI and after 10 minutes it had dropped 1-1.5 PSI. I then completed a second test and after 15 minutes it had dropped approximately the same. I will say there are a number of variables such as unknown amount of coolant in the system, old cooling system that could have a tiny leak, unknown quality of the fittings on the test kit, and using the best fitting cap I could find out of the kit. So, I was thrilled that it dropped any, but I was also glad that the amount of PSI drop was minimal. I will also note the car had been sitting since I brought it home, and it's in a cold unheated garage. So perhaps once pressurized as the system got colder as the night went on it lost PSI, so maybe that plays a part too... similar to a tire. The system had a lot of air in it as we found out on Saturday.

The next day I made a ton of progress. My Father-in-law came over to help, and we got the pulley removed from the P-1SC and replaced the front seal then filled it with a new bottle of oil from Procharger. I got the Procharger reinstalled with a new Gates belt and the alignment was spot on. Finally, we got the fan reinstalled, the coolant expansion/degassing tank reinstalled, and filled it with coolant and burped it at the crossover. The engine produced a little white smoke on startup which went away, I'm going to chalk it up to having sat for so long without running... previous owner said it had been about a year since he drove it. The Procharger sounds great, very healthy, no strange noises. Now I just need to purchase the couplers and filter for the Anderson Power Pipe that came with the car.

IMG-3417.jpg

Getting started...

IMG-3418.jpg

Used my Husky bag as a "nest" for the Procharger after seal replacement and oil fill.

IMG-3426.jpg

Finishing up re-assembly.

IMG-3437.jpg

Feeling good while Casper idles, nothing like getting a bunch knocked off your "to do" list.

The car ran out of gas while we were burping it, so I'm going to have to get some more to let it idle a bit longer... but the engine seems to be in good shape now, if anyone can give a suggestion on a site that hosts video for free, I can upload a short video of it running.


The next items on my list to get it drivable for summer are the shifting issue. To re-cap transmission will shift with the engine off, but will not move out of whatever gear is selected with the engine running. I was told it was due to synchronizers in the transmission, but the local Mustang club guys advised they were hesitant to believe that on a TKO600. Said it was more likely the clutch cable or throw out bearing. It felt like the clutch was not disengaging, which we tested by putting the car in both first and reverse and then trying to roll the car forward or backward with the clutch depressed. The car wouldn't roll, so we felt pretty confident that the clutch for an unknown reason was not disengaging.

The next test was to look under the car and see how much the clutch fork moved when the clutch was depressed. It ended up moving a couple inches, but still had the shifting issues. Noticed this on the firewall, appears the firewall adjustor was installed backwards. So tonight I'm going to get some pictures of the quadrant, and then try to get the car jacked up to see how and how well the cable is connected to the fork.

IMG-3445.jpg
 
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DSG2003Mach1

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moving right along it seems.

never seen someone manage to install the adjuster that way, I'd also look up from under the dash and make sure the cable isn't getting messed up rubbing something. Promotion transmissions says on their site that when properly adjusted if you pull on the clutch cable at the adjuster there should basically be a dime width worth of slack (they have a video floating around). Id flip that around so everything is lined up properly first then start looking at movement.
 

01silverstang

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moving right along it seems.

never seen someone manage to install the adjuster that way, I'd also look up from under the dash and make sure the cable isn't getting messed up rubbing something. Promotion transmissions says on their site that when properly adjusted if you pull on the clutch cable at the adjuster there should basically be a dime width worth of slack (they have a video floating around). Id flip that around so everything is lined up properly first then start looking at movement.
I have been talking with the owner of a semi-local shop who has been graciously helping answer questions. He advised I should be able to pull it out about a quarter inch and its not coming out at all.
 

DSG2003Mach1

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I have been talking with the owner of a semi-local shop who has been graciously helping answer questions. He advised I should be able to pull it out about a quarter inch and its not coming out at all.

I dont think anything about the clutch cable adjustment is valid until the adjuster is installed correctly and verify the quadrant is installed correctly
 

BOTTLEFED5

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Wonder if it even has the correct clutch cable it it? Seems like the cable is long af,I would look into that as well along with getting the quadrant/firewall adjuster in order. I might have a quadrant/and adjuster laying around also ill check later tonight for ya.

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01silverstang

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Wonder if it even has the correct clutch cable it it? Seems like the cable is long af,I would look into that as well along with getting the quadrant/firewall adjuster in order. I might have a quadrant/and adjuster laying around also ill check later tonight for ya.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

It's hard to say, the transmission is a TKO600 with a Quick Time Bellhousing. So I don't know how long the cable should be... I can see rom the pictures on various Mustang Vendor sites how someone could install it backwards, because in some parts pictures it's installed like my photo. However, the installation guide clearly shows the piece that sits at the firewall is reversed.

Now when my father-in-law pushed the clutch pedal down the clutch fork did move an inch or two... but tonight I'm going to check the quadrant and at some point this week jack the car up and inspect how the cable is installed on the fork.
 

01silverstang

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I've seen similar issues arise when a pilot bearing is shot as well. Just something else to consider
The only thing throwing me off about the pilot bearing is it's not making any noise.

The speculation about the throw out bearing being fused to the carrier on the input shaft, is that the clutch fork shouldn't move then when the clutch is depressed but it does.
 

01silverstang

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Man reverse that adjuster, adjust it correctly, and you may be all set. What kind of doofus installed that?

bbk-16095-1011.jpg


This is an image from BBK on Late Model Restoration, American Muscle has a similar image. So if someone bought it used, or didn't pay attention to the installation instructions well...
 

Tabres

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As always, do the easy stuff first. Pulling a transmission sucks, especially if you discover you didn't need to.


It doesn't sound like transmission to me, more a cable or clutch problem. We're it me, I'd re-install the adjuster correctly and then put a new stock cable in it and go from there. There certainly appears to be enough other evidence on the car of someone simply not knowing what they were doing while modding it.

I'm not suggesting this is your issue but merely something else to look out for - years ago I had several fingers on a pressure plate go bad and I experienced the same behavior you're describing. You would be able to see that through the inspection cover on the bellhousing.
 

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