New Owner of a 2002...Lots of advice needed!!

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ltsheets

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Jun 4, 2017
Thunderbird Year
2002
Well due to my mother in law passing away, my wife and I now have a 2002 Premium in Thunderbird Blue. This is going to be a bit of a project for me because unfortunately the car had been sitting in a carport, under a cover, for the last 4.5 yrs or so without being driven. Luckily after checking fluids and tires, it made the 3 hr drive back home without incident (other than being hot due to AC needing charging). So far, here's a list of what I know needs to be addressed...

- Weather stripping is coming unglued and may need to be replaced entirely
- Tires are showing the starting of dry rot so they'll be replaced immediately
- ABS light is on
- TC light is on
- Check engine light is on with 7 codes
- AC needs to be recharged (I'm seeing through research that it needs to be on a lift to do this though I have the recharge bottle already.
- I also haven't removed the hardtop yet to see the condition of the soft top. I'm totally expecting it to be ruined by mice and hoping that I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Due to mice issues, I'm expecting some of these to be messed up wiring from them but we'll see. My current plan is to get new tires and then find a mechanic I trust to completely go over the car top to bottom, front to back and make a list of what needs to be addressed in his opinion before moving forward. We are planning on taking care of this car with an open checkbook because it means a lot to my wife and we want it to be reliable to drive anytime we want. I'm curious how you guys would handle this situation and what I'm missing regarding getting it back to par and what I might need to do to prevent any known issues with this car. Also curious how replacing the factory radio with an aftermarket could hurt the value in the future (though we are not intending on ever selling it).

I know this is a lot in one post, especially a first post, but I want to do this right and learn from what other owners have already figured out. Thanks a bunch in advance!!
 

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Also have there been any recalls for this model?
 
Start by replacing all fluids and filters, flush the coolant and replace with Ford approved coolant. Replace the gas filter and consider having gas tank drained and flushed. Buy replacement coil over plug wires as you will probably need them. Check all hoses and replace any that are soft.
 
Thanks gents! She's getting new tires as we speak and will be ordering a new spare too. Re-titling and registering later this week. Then it's time to take it to a shop for a diagnosis on a lot of those issues and see what the damage is gonna be. Also gotta check the softop. I'm expecting it to be a mess from mice but hoping it's not!
 
Check your air filter box, my experience has been that mice like to get into those in various cars. You really never know what the mice are going to mess with, they like the insulation in the trunk and other parts of the car.
 
Yeah I need to check the air filter. I'm planning on replacing it with a cold air intake soon but it's not at the top of the needs list just yet. I will check it to make sure it's not shredded though.

On another note, is there a maintenance manual out for this car? I can't seem to find one. I used to have a Bentley's for my audi.
 
ltsheets said:
Yeah I need to check the air filter. I'm planning on replacing it with a cold air intake soon but it's not at the top of the needs list just yet. I will check it to make sure it's not shredded though.

On another note, is there a maintenance manual out for this car? I can't seem to find one. I used to have a Bentley's for my audi.
Click to expand...

The factory maintenance manual is here- http://forums.fordthunderbirdforum.com/threads/thunderbird-manuals-electronic-version.2998/

Here is some information on performance upgrades- http://forums.fordthunderbirdforum....2-2003-2004-2005-thunderbird.5001/#post-32542
 
Don't need to hoist car on lift to do a/c. Unless 2002 is different than 2003. The low side is in Driver's wheel well. Remove tire and a piece of plastic cover towards front of car. It has 2 small bolt/screws under car and a plastic pull pin in lower wheel well.
 
Thanks David! I'll take care of this in the garage if that's the case. I was confused on this actually b/c I found a video from what seemed like a reputable site that showed them using the port that's on the front left of the engine (if standing facing the front of the car) rather than the one down by the driver side tire.
 
Well I removed the hardtop. The soft top is dirty and required a lot of vacuuming as we slowly extended it. Although the outer shell is intact, unfortunately a mouse chewed a 2" hole over the passenger's right shoulder. Is it possible to have the interior lining and insulation replaced without doing the whole cloth top?
 
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