1999 Cobra SVT recall work?

[Stokestack]

Hey guys,

I've decided to replace the heads on my '96 Cobra with the 2003+ heads, so I also need to get a '99-'01 manifold set. Naturally I want the fixed ones. Does anyone have a part number or casting number for the revised manifolds?

I've heard of stickers and "BA" stamped somewhere; but I'm looking at some that have neither, but are supposedly from a 2001.

 

[03cobra#694]

Reference thread. That was from 2001.
https://www.svtperformance.com/forums/threads/1999-cobra-svt-recall-work.9098/

 

[52merc]

The link to SCOA document doesn't work and you can't see the pictures. Sorry but not very helpful. I did some research on this subject and there is a variety of facts and myths associated with the "fix". Real information is hard to find

 

[Dave.O]

get a mach 1 or marauder lower manifold

 

[dhoening]

Yes, the 1999’s got the fix and the 2001’s came already fixed. My ‘99 got all the mods noted and has colored dots on the lower intake. I won’t be near the car to take pictures for another week or so. Sorry about that.
Not sure what the part number is for the lower intake for the 2001’s. But the color dots on mine are very obvious as I remember noting them when I got the car back from the dealer. He told me the “fix” came in a very large box with the exhaust system, manifold, etc.
I also remember thinking that the car had a lot of power for the time and that this “fix” can’t be a big deal. I was wrong! The car definitely had much more power after the fix....
Ford also sent each of us 1999 owners a very nice Roots leather jacket with our VIN labeled on the inside as a way of apology for the mess-up.

 

[shurur]

from what I understand, there was also..supposedly a reflash of the ecu...

The fix is impossible to verify, until you start taking things apart..
The fix made good on the 320 flywheel HP rating.
I suspect a lot of FORD dealers pencil whipped "the fix."...knowing most would not dyno the cars.

I dyno'd at 263 RWHP.
With a 15% transmission loss, that makes my Flywheel HP ~309.
This is right in line with the prefix numbers.

Not even my belt tensioner was replaced.
I'll definitely take pics of my intake when I pull it "some day soon."

And I have a blue/green dot on my alt bracket..a blue loop on my block..etc..

 

[dhoening]

The belt tensioner fix was a separate recall. Some folks were having their belts jump off the pulleys, so they came up with a bracket to keep the tensioner tight.
See Pix.
If you have this extra black bracket, you have the tensioner recall completed as well.

 

[shurur]

Then there was the rear knuckles recall...
I probably don't have that fix either..

My mid cats were removed...i wouldn't doubt that the original owner was afraid to bring her in..

 

[dhoening]

I think the new rear knuckles have a different color insert. I don’t have a pix right now. But I think that’s how you can tell.
The first recall was for “The Vibe”. I picked up my car in Jacksonville, FL and drove it home to TX. When I got above about 70 mph, the inside rear view mirror shook so bad I thought it was going to fall off! I called my local dealer the next day and he told me about that fix. So the car was less than a week old when I took it in for its first recall. The assembly line workers didn’t know how to properly “clock” the driveshaft to the IRS differential. So all they did was reset it. Was perfectly smooth after that!
Somewhere, there is a great article about the SVT guys having some serious issues with the production guys not following their instructions when they built these first-of-their kind Mustang Cobras. The battles were so bad, they cancelled the 2000 model year to get their stuff together to avoid all the issues with the 1999.
They eventually did make the 1999’s all good, and the leather jacket was a nice touch.

 

[dhoening]

There was also a recall for a strange sound in the rear end that occurred when turning while going over a hump of some kind. Turned out, the sway bar was shifting left or right and hitting something. So that recall installed a small collar on each side of the sway bar bushings to keep the bar centered!
Bringing back a lot of memories! Still a great car (now that everything has been fixed).

 

[52merc]

The 01s have the swaybar collars from the factory. I had a 2000 Mystic Gold on order before they cancelled the 2000 build. Ford and my dealer both stepped up and gave me a discount on my 2001. On that car I had the headlights replaced (TSB - haze on the inside), the power steering pump replaced (warantee - leaking), the hood repainted (warantee - spider cracks), the rear window reseated (warrantee - squeaked like a banshee), and the 1-2 synchro and shifter fork upgrade to the TR-3650 (TSB). Only regular maintenance since, but I only have 80,000 km on the clock.

 

[railroad]

I had the vibe fix. Ford flew in Bill Franco, strapped a device on the gear housing and drove. We indexed the driveshaft front and rear without a cure. Bill had a new driveline shipped down and installed. That fixed the vibe, which was a buzz in the seat at 2000 rpm.
On the HP fix, new catback, extrude hone the intake, flash computer, belt tensioner. Car dyno'd 245 before, no dyno after. Car was very nice after the fix. I put an alum flywheel, driveshaft, tri ax shifter, KB supercharger, Corbeau seats, Cervini hood. The extrude honed intake, not for sale, was slick as glass in the runners. I put some bushings on the gear housing forgot, forgot what they were, and the cooling crossover on the back of the heads.
I think I have about 32K miles on it. On yeah 3.73 gears and chrome spoke wheels.

 

[shurur]

Good to know..thought the tensioner was part of the fix.
Didn't realize the prefix dynos were that bad..no wonder folks were upset..

 

[shurur]

Then there was another fix for popping noise in the back..
Fix was to bend the sheet metal on the back seat brace ..passenger side..where it was coming into contact with the wheel Well in the trunk area..was not an actual recall though.

 

[shurur]

No collars on my swaybar either....

 

[railroad]

I did have the sway bar collars installed. I forgot to mention that. I did not know about or have the sheet metal popping issue.

 

[dhoening]

From the other thread regarding identifying lower intake manifolds that have been modified on the ‘99s: “...the first ~100 intakes were extrude honed and are identified with a blue dot on front left side of lower intake...the other intakes were made from an acid dipped core & and are marked with a green dot..“
Mine has the green dot. Don’t know what they did to identify the ‘01s (if anything).