The Merkur Club of America Forums

Looking for a few items.


Dipstick tube + dipstick (new if possible, good used is fine) (1989)




Starter Y bracket

Pretty darn sure I have that here, Matt.

Do you realize that the "Y" brace is just a NVH item?? It's not required. The '71 to '74 EAO2.0L Capris had
a similar brace, they really don't do anything...

PMed you Mike. Might be a good time to meet up.

Rocky's Wrench wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 12:56 am Do you realize that the "Y" brace is just a NVH item?? It's not required. The '71 to '74 EAO2.0L Capris had
a similar brace, they really don't do anything...

This. I think I threw one out a few weeks ago, same with the brace on the driver's side.

Each of you have NVH Engineering degrees hanging on your walls?

YMMV

Ed Lijewski wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:49 am Each of you have NVH Engineering degrees hanging on your walls?

Dead nuts on. Not only does it help with NVH, which you may or may not care about, but it structurally stiffens and strengthens the drivetrain at that point. How can that not be a Good Thing?

John Brennan wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 10:19 am

Ed Lijewski wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:49 am Each of you have NVH Engineering degrees hanging on your walls?

Dead nuts on. Not only does it help with NVH, which you may or may not care about, but it structurally stiffens and strengthens the drivetrain at that point. How can that not be a Good Thing?

Here's a personally oft observed datum re NVH: my XR, with the starter Y brace, and with a/c compressor compressing is quite distinctly smoother running at low and low mid speeds (where my driving mostly operates). It's palpable.

YMMV

My favorite quote that I've heard with regard to certain brackets is "Ford is so cheap, that bracket really has to be there for a good reason." I can't shoot holes in that argument.

Yet internet injuneers will still say why, why, Y, Y...?

YMMV

Did the Ranger or other cars with a mini starter also use that bracket? Curious if it was necessitated by the very large and heavy factory starter, or truly was a performance part/NVH part separate from the starter itself.

Ed Lijewski wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 1:55 pm Yet internet injuneers will still say why, why, Y, Y...?

YMMV

Well Ed, you're still an opinionated idiot, you see, I've been racing and beating EAO2.0Ls and Lima 2.3Ls for the better
part of 40 years. Can you guess how many problems I've seen because I've saved 19oz from leaving those braces off??

And to answer your next question, yes, 19oz is enough of a weight saving to scrap those pieces of afterthought. You
couldn't possibly understand the lengths racers will go to to save over a pound of weight.

So go ahead and keep your NVH braces, I wasn't aware you had an XR, so you must be the eggspurt, you do what you
think is best...

As I always note, YMMV.

For we who appreciate a quiet(er) cabin, tossing something engineered to address some part of NVH considerations is a zero sum game...no tangible benefit.

We don't race. Probably never, or at best seldom, see the tach at red lines.

Note that the OP asked only where to find the Y brace; nothing more.

Instead of advice that categorically (Categorically!) says toss it-from two members who each responded from their experiences in racing and most likely don't DD those cars, inquiring of the OP how s/he uses the car would've been appropriate. My input cited alternative considerations to racing approaches to balance the one-sided ("opinionated") info they provided.

YMMV

Ed Lijewski wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 7:47 am As I always note, YMMV.

For we who appreciate a quiet(er) cabin, tossing something engineered to address some part of NVH considerations is a zero sum game...no tangible benefit.

We don't race. Probably never, or at best seldom, see the tach at red lines.

Note that the OP asked only where to find the Y brace; nothing more.

Actually Ed, I seriously doubt you'd be able to tell whether the brace was installed or not. Now if you have poly engine mounts,
you still wouldn't be able to tell, but the NVH will increase because of the mounts, not because the braces are missing...

Rocky's Wrench wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 8:23 pm Actually Ed, I seriously doubt you'd be able to tell whether the brace was installed or not. Now if you have poly engine mounts,
you still wouldn't be able to tell, but the NVH will increase because of the mounts, not because the braces are missing...

This is why I didn't mind ditching those braces. ChuckW mounts, poly trans mount. No bit of rubber in the suspension besides the tires. I don't think I'd notice the NVH change with the brace in place.