2002 - Sitting for 2 years

[NickTbird]

I am inheriting my grandfathers 2002 Thunderbird Blue Thunderbird. Unfortunately it has been sitting for about 2 years, covered in my grandmothers garage. I am hoping it only needs an oil change, but I am preparing for the worst. I will be taking a look at it this weekend to get it ready to go to the shop for a good inspection. It was serviced just prior to being parked, and all repairs needed at the time were done. I don't know what was all done during that service yet. I know the CD changer was broken, but I don't know if that was ever fixed. I believe the tires are less than 10 years old, and I am hoping any flat spots will go away with some driving, but also prepared for needing new tires. What is the go-to for these cars? I have the cheaper Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's on my daily, and they do alright with that car, wasn't sure if it would do well with the Tbirds. They aren't that powerful, so I don't think they would need a sticky tire, but curious what others run. I believe my grandfather stuck with the stock Michelins when he replaced them last. I won't be driving at all in the winter, and I am not a fan of all-season tires on any of my cars.

I have read up about the ignition coil issues, but would like to know what else I should look out for. I am mechanically inclined, so after any initial repairs, I will be doing most of the work myself, however I currently live in an apartment building, so until I get a house with a garage, I will be limited on what I can do.

I am thinking it would be best to tow it to the shop and let them do an oil change, empty the tank and check all fluids, and replace them as needed, before even starting it. I can empty the tank and put fresh gas in it myself, but don't think it would be a good idea to run it with 2 year old oil and I don't have the tools needed at this time to do the oil change.

Any advice is appreciated! I can't wait to get to drive her again, it has been too long. My grandfather and I bonded over this car and I am the only grandchild (of 15) he let drive it, without him in the car.

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[medurham]

Make sure the battery is in a good state of charge before attempting to start. These cars are sensitive. Mine always revs to 1500-1800 for a minute then settles down to 800 or so on start. I also have a 2002 as seen in the pic, with 68K miles on it with a white top.
Take some time and look at the reviews and comments on this site. The main issues are valve cover gaskets, which when leak can short out the plugs and or drip on the exhaust header, so spark plugs and the coil overs can be an issue, these 2002's also came with a hydraulic radiator fan which, after about 15-18 years start to be a problem, and they are hard to get parts for, Mine is doing well but there are options for adding an electric fan to the car, as a Ram 1500 electric kit fits our radiator size and provides plenty of air.
I have bought but have yet to install all new calipers and brake hoses. The Air conditioning compressor seems to be another issue to watch for, and the in tank fuel pump. I would at least change the fuel filter in the left front wheel well also. The transmissions have no dipstick, so if not leaking the manual says no need to change transmission fluid for the life of the transmission. Mine runs and shifts great, so I'm leaving that alone for now. Take a look at the drive line couplings, and of course verify brake pad and disc condition.

My door lock solenoids were broke when I got the car, replaced those and while the pass door works great the drivers won't lock all the time. It's not inconvenient to move my elbow back and push the lock down so as for now I'm not going to delve into those relays ans wiring. Both pop up in the auto unlock or using the button.

Mine sat for a time in a barn also, and had ignition harness damage from mice the PO got repaired prior to my purchase.

Use as good quality 5-20 oil as you can afford. The motorcraft recommended oil is a semi-synthetic, you can get as good or better quality brand of full synthetic oil today for about what the motorcraft semi costs, but then I use full synthetic in all my cars.

Enjoy! I used to own a 2004 Chevy SSR, and this little retro T-Bird is much more fun to drive!

Mark

 

[Mrdan]

I am inheriting my grandfathers 2002 Thunderbird Blue Thunderbird. Unfortunately it has been sitting for about 2 years, covered in my grandmothers garage. I am hoping it only needs an oil change, but I am preparing for the worst. I will be taking a look at it this weekend to get it ready to go to the shop for a good inspection. It was serviced just prior to being parked, and all repairs needed at the time were done. I don't know what was all done during that service yet. I know the CD changer was broken, but I don't know if that was ever fixed. I believe the tires are less than 10 years old, and I am hoping any flat spots will go away with some driving, but also prepared for needing new tires. What is the go-to for these cars? I have the cheaper Firestone Firehawk Indy 500's on my daily, and they do alright with that car, wasn't sure if it would do well with the Tbirds. They aren't that powerful, so I don't think they would need a sticky tire, but curious what others run. I believe my grandfather stuck with the stock Michelins when he replaced them last. I won't be driving at all in the winter, and I am not a fan of all-season tires on any of my cars.

I have read up about the ignition coil issues, but would like to know what else I should look out for. I am mechanically inclined, so after any initial repairs, I will be doing most of the work myself, however I currently live in an apartment building, so until I get a house with a garage, I will be limited on what I can do.

I am thinking it would be best to tow it to the shop and let them do an oil change, empty the tank and check all fluids, and replace them as needed, before even starting it. I can empty the tank and put fresh gas in it myself, but don't think it would be a good idea to run it with 2 year old oil and I don't have the tools needed at this time to do the oil change.

Any advice is appreciated! I can't wait to get to drive her again, it has been too long. My grandfather and I bonded over this car and I am the only grandchild (of 15) he let drive it, without him in the car.

Too funny my story is almost identical with the 2002 but my wife inherited the car

 

[NickTbird]

Make sure the battery is in a good state of charge before attempting to start. These cars are sensitive. Mine always revs to 1500-1800 for a minute then settles down to 800 or so on start. I also have a 2002 as seen in the pic, with 68K miles on it with a white top.
Take some time and look at the reviews and comments on this site. The main issues are valve cover gaskets, which when leak can short out the plugs and or drip on the exhaust header, so spark plugs and the coil overs can be an issue, these 2002's also came with a hydraulic radiator fan which, after about 15-18 years start to be a problem, and they are hard to get parts for, Mine is doing well but there are options for adding an electric fan to the car, as a Ram 1500 electric kit fits our radiator size and provides plenty of air.
I have bought but have yet to install all new calipers and brake hoses. The Air conditioning compressor seems to be another issue to watch for, and the in tank fuel pump. I would at least change the fuel filter in the left front wheel well also. The transmissions have no dipstick, so if not leaking the manual says no need to change transmission fluid for the life of the transmission. Mine runs and shifts great, so I'm leaving that alone for now. Take a look at the drive line couplings, and of course verify brake pad and disc condition.

My door lock solenoids were broke when I got the car, replaced those and while the pass door works great the drivers won't lock all the time. It's not inconvenient to move my elbow back and push the lock down so as for now I'm not going to delve into those relays ans wiring. Both pop up in the auto unlock or using the button.

Mine sat for a time in a barn also, and had ignition harness damage from mice the PO got repaired prior to my purchase.

Use as good quality 5-20 oil as you can afford. The motorcraft recommended oil is a semi-synthetic, you can get as good or better quality brand of full synthetic oil today for about what the motorcraft semi costs, but then I use full synthetic in all my cars.

Enjoy! I used to own a 2004 Chevy SSR, and this little retro T-Bird is much more fun to drive!

Mark

Thank you for the information. I have been pouring through the forum looking for common problems and the fixes and I love all the information that is available and how helpful the admin is.

Too funny my story is almost identical with the 2002 but my wife inherited the car

Too funny!

 

[NickTbird]

UPDATE: Removed the cover and popped the hood and immediately noticed we had visitors. First thing I checked was the filter box, thankfully they didn't go near it. There was some waste on the ABS controller and on top of the engine cover. Removed the cover to find they nested right behind the thermostat housing. Cleaned that up and didn't notice any chewed wires in the area of their nest. Battery was completely dead, so I connected my car to be able to check the fuel level. When I entered the car this time, I noticed a bunch of white stuff sprinkled across the passenger seat. First thought was seat material, thankfully my grandfather had a Kleenex box in the back that was good enough for them and the seats were untouched. From now on, if I ever have to leave a vehicle sit, I am putting a few Kleenex boxes around to keep them away from other stuff.

Checked the oil, still golden, smelled fresh and felt fine. Tried to syphon gas but it smelled fine, so I didn't worry about it. Will see if the mechanic will empty it for me and put some fresh gas in and I will change the fuel filter and run some fuel system cleaner through it. Once I knew the oil looked fine to start the engine and eventually a short drive to the mechanic, I tried to see if my car could jump start it, big nope. No surprise here though, my little Kia doesn't have that kind of juice. Left it connected to see if my car would put any charge in the battery but it didn't. After disconnected my car I tested it and read 0V, as well it wasn't the correct battery for being in the trunk. After purchasing a new battery, I pulled the fuel pump and injector fuses to turn the engine over and get some oil moved around. Plugged the fuses back in and it started up like it was running the day before; I was very impressed. It was intermittently stumbling and stalled once, but after that it was completely fine to sit and idle. The following day, May 16 I took it for its first drive in over 2 years, a very short drive around the block. Yesterday I found out that was Thunderbird Appreciation Day 😛

The hydraulic fan was spinning. The top was going up and down okay, just got a little stuck going down near the beginning. Did sound like there were air bubble or somethings. Steering sounded bad but cleared up after the short drive. Transmission has a bit of a "mushy" squeak (I don't know how to explain it) when going into reverse, but I will wait until it has had some road time to be worried. Only has 66,000 km's (41,000 mi), which is less than my 6 year old car that I drive less than the average person. With having 2 motorcycles, I didn't drive my car much in the summer, but now my car will barely get driven in the summer.