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My Dad's XR4Ti has been sitting for 6 years in my garage. Here are some photos I took today and a list of things I plan to do. Any suggestions are appreciated. Anyone know how to stop the leak in the rear differential and what to fill it with? Also, what is the orange filter looking thing near the external fuel pump? Thanks
Merkur XR4Ti
Thermostat and Gasket $17
Radiator flush with leak stop $25
Front Inner and Outer tie rods + Alignment 190
Battery and Gold terminals 100
Brake Fluid Flush 10
Front Rotors and Pads 75
Rear Drums, Shoes, Wheel Cylinders and Hardware 200
Oil change
Fuel Pump upgrade 116
Power Streering Fluid Flush 10
Manual Transaxle Flush 10
PCV Valve 3
Convert A/C 30
Radiator Cap Stant 320 or 230 (10230) 10
To fill the rear diff you just pull that plug and put in some gear oil. i have been using mobil1 75w90. Not sure what is causing the leak - looks to maybe have sprayed out of the vent or weeping out of the side adjuster.
The orange filter looking thing is a cover for the fuel filter. remove a couple of 8mm (???) bolts and you will see the fuel filter in there.
Car looks nice though
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT http://www.cartct.com
are you sure you need tie rods? you definitely need boots.
I wouldn't put stop leak in the radiator. it's nasty stuff that plugs up a potentially already gummed up system. Go nutty with the cleaner stuff, and fix leaks, dont patch them.
to flush your brake fluid are you doing anything special or just pumping fresh fluid through?
to flush the t9 gearbox do you have one of those vacuum pump deals? there is no drain plug.
the pcv valve should be more than 3 bucks. figure around 10. get the motorcraft one, not a generic one. trust me.
also, since it looks like you're just doing a pretty well rounded tune up, replace the air filter, plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor, clean the VAM, clean the TB, adjust the TPS, make sure the IAC is working, check the fuel pressure regulator, replace the fuel filter, change the timing belt and tensioner, adjust base timing after that obviously.
There are some things on your list i'm not sure you would need, but wouldn't hurt to replace.
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT http://www.cartct.com
How many fuel filters does the car have? If that orange thing is one, then it must have 2 because I believe I saw one in the engine compartment?
I definitely need new outer tie rods and boots, not sure about the inner tie rods though. Are the inner tie rods really tough to change? I can borrow or buy the best tool to make it easier. How do I test them?
Nobody likes the stop leak in the radiator? I think it will fix a little seapage after it's flushed and cleaned.
For the brakes I was going to syphon the fluid out of the resevoir and then loosen the bleeder valve at each wheel then pump the rest through.
No drain plug on the gearbox? How do you flush and fill it?
"clean the VAM, clean the TB, adjust the TPS, make sure the IAC is working, check the fuel pressure regulator, replace the fuel filter, change the timing belt and tensioner, adjust base timing after that obviously."
I am going to need help with the rest of the stuff on your list.
Thanks
PittsburghXR wrote:How many fuel filters does the car have? If that orange thing is one, then it must have 2 because I believe I saw one in the engine compartment?
Just one. It's possible that someone installed an additional fuel filter in the engine compartment, but it didn't come that way.
I definitely need new outer tie rods and boots, not sure about the inner tie rods though. Are the inner tie rods really tough to change? I can borrow or buy the best tool to make it easier. How do I test them?
The inners twist off in the standard righty-tighty, lefty-loosey fashion. I've heard a pipe wrench suggested as the tool of choice, but a large pair of channel locks worked for me.
Nobody likes the stop leak in the radiator? I think it will fix a little seapage after it's flushed and cleaned.
Stop leak stuff tends to collect in the cooling system where you least want it, like at the coolant temperature sender for the radiator fan and the coolant temperature sender for the gauge in the dash. The lower intake manifold seems to attract that stuff with negative consequences for coolant flow out of the lower intake. The lower intake has a tiny fitting for the coolant to flow out of.
For the brakes I was going to syphon the fluid out of the resevoir and then loosen the bleeder valve at each wheel then pump the rest through.
Siphon old fluid and fill with new fluid then drain out making sure fluid always remains in the reservoir for an easier time bleeding the system when you are done flushing.
No drain plug on the gearbox? How do you flush and fill it?
Correct. Siphon the fluid and fill from the fill hole or go through the trouble of adding a drain plug.
What you are seeing under the hood for a filter might be the fuel pulse damper. it's bolted on via a bracket to the intake manifold. the fuel filter is under that orange plastic case.
the inner tie rods can be a bitch. I used a pair of vice grips when i replaced mine. I also should make a note to use loc-tite on those threads when reinstalling.
To clean the VAM (volumetric air meter) simply remove it, and spray electric cleaner, mafs cleaner, what have you to make sure it's free of any gunk and moves freely.
To clean the IAC do the same.
To adjust the TPS (throttle position sensor) - do a search. There are a few good threads here. Check the FAQs as well. If you cant find it let me know and i'll type up a how to.
To change the timing belt, remove the crank pulley and water pump pulley, remove the plastic cover (10mm bolts IIRC), then set the car to top dead center, remove the distributor cap, note location of the rotor, index that to the cap to make timing easier, remove the belt tensioner (17mm big one, 13mm smaller one) remove belt. install reverse of removal. the little index mark on the cam gear should point dead center to the little plastic tab with three teeth. if you're looking at it from the front it should be around 4:30 or 5:00
If your radiator is leaking, replace it. If you are solving another leak, fix the hose or gasket. There is no point to using stop leak. Talk to merkurdriver (i am pretty sure that's him). He was offering a nice aluminum radiator setup for these cars at a really good price.
Hope that helps.
-Ray
1985 Ford F150 - Tow Missile
1985 Merkur XR4Ti -#141 CP "Miss Daisy"
2005 Subaru LGT http://www.cartct.com
Thanks for the replies. You make the work sound easy. Now I just have to wait for this cold weather to go away so I can do the work. I have been using 2 kerosene heaters in my garage but at 5 degrees F they aren't much help.
Just got the upgraded pump and kit to do the fuel pump. I was going to eliminate the second fuel pump and just put fuel line there instead of a filter. Is the any reason I should put in a second fuel filter instead of the second fuel pump? I figure it would be a waste to have a second filter in there that would need changing eventually. How do I check the fuel pressure regulator? Anyone know what to do with 10 gallons of 6 year old gas?
I was going to change the timing belt but I didn't put it on my list because I was going to do it last if needed. The car has 55k on it so it really should not be too bad, but it seems easy to replace being in the front of the engine and it is due. I also have a 91 Celica (daily driver) and the belt is on the side which is going to be a pita.
Ok no stop leak in the radiator. I will replace it.
There's no reason or benefit to having two fuel filters. There's also no need to add any fuel line. Just remove the original, external high-pressure pump and move the lines around - it should be easy enough to see what will make sense.
The ~1992 Ranger fuel filter will fit a little better than stock here (longer legs), but it's not required.
Belts are like tires - it's not just the miles, but time that kills them. A 25 year-old timing belt is in need of replacement whether it's got 5 or 55,000 miles on it. You could probably let it slide until Spring, but then again, do you really want to risk being stranded on a cold, snowy night in January when it snaps?
The only silver lining is that being stranded is indeed the worst of you concerns. The stock 2.3 is a non-interference engine, so you won't hurt anything but your pride if the belt lets go.
Yeah I guess that time on the timing belt makes sense. Might as well replace the other belts as well. I was wondering if the engine is non interference or not. Thanks.
So I figured I would upgrade the fuel pump, replace the radiator ($210 new), fill with oil and gas, clean a bunch of other stuff and try to start it. Then tackle the timing belt, axle fluid, suspension and brakes. Here are some pics of my riggery on the fuel pump.
Fits in the tank...I want to say perfectly because it goes right to the bottom with no clearance. Also, the fuel tube on the pump and the other fuel pipe joined by the rubber hose are basically touching each other.
Just had to tighten up some things and and now install it. Then deal with the in-line fuel pump and grab the power wire from it and run it over to the red wire with the blue butt splice on it. The red butt splice wire will just sit there wrapped around the other 2 wires and the brown wire with the blue butt splice will go to the body ground somewhere.
The directions at merkurtech.com (excellent directions) say to drill a hole to run the power wires through, but I used gasoline rated butt splices to tap into the existing wiring so no drilling and dealing with the hole. The gasoline rated butt splices came with the $116 pump and kit (FPF003) that I ordered from http://www.autoperformanceengineering.com
Here's a question..what does the other fuel hose do? The end of a pressure relief system? Seems to be plugged up with soft rubber that has no holes.
Ok, so it sat for a little while longer, but I finally fired up the engine today. After all this time, I managed to do the fuel pump upgrade and flushed fluids. I also replaced the pcv valve which turned out to be more of a suspect as to why the car ran bad in the first place.
After sitting for 5 years, it fired right up on the 3rd crank, I let it run for 10 minutes, but I noticed some things were not working right away. The passenger side window did not roll down (fuse?) and the tachometer did not work (loose wire from coil?). One of the top small brake lights was also out.
The leather still had that distinct smell I remember. It was great, but I didn't have any wheels on the car so I couldn't take it out. I need to replace the rack and pinion boots on both sides and get the tires remounted.
I still need to clean the vam, and iac? Where are these located as well as the coil and why would the tps need adjusted? Also need to do the timing belt.
I read somewhere that the head gasket is more prone to blowing when the car has sat for a long time. I was wondering if it would be wise to use some head gasket sealant product before I drive it and it blows?
use some electric cleaner on your pwr. window switch may fix the pass window prob.
the tach not working is common, usually its caused by a bad sauder on the red wire to the tach in the insturment cluster. do a search youll find alot of info on that.
the vam is located under your air filter box, the iac is on the side of the throttle body a round cylindrical looking piece, the tps is something that often needs adjusting or replace on these cars and once set properly really makes a difference on how the car runs and idles. its directly below the IAC.
i wouldnt use any headgasket sealer, its about like stop leak in my opinion. I would drive as is or change it and be done with it. Its really easy on 2.3 motors.
I HIGHLY suggest you take the time and replace the rubber hoses, vacuum, coolant etc. there is nothing worse than driving downt the road and have a dry rotted coolant hose blow on you, trust me, ive been there its worth the time to do so.
