Getting a 2004 ready for a roadtrip.

Kevin in CDA

Kevin in CDA

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Jul 13, 2019
Thunderbird Year
2003
My mother passed about a year and a half ago, She had a 2004 with about 15,000 miles She had no will so it has taken this long to get the estate settled. It has not been driven in the meantime. I will be going to get this beauty and bring it to my home. I know it will need new tires ( when I realized it still had the ones it left the factory with, I was telling her to replace them a month before she passed) and a battery. Of course I will have a Lube oil and filter done. What other recommendations would you have before I take it on a 1000 mile drive. Fresno Ca to North Idaho.
 

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Kevin in CDA said:
My mother passed about a year and a half ago, She had a 2004 with about 15,000 miles She had no will so it has taken this long to get the estate settled. It has not been driven in the meantime. I will be going to get this beauty and bring it to my home. I know it will need new tires ( when I realized it still had the ones it left the factory with, I was telling her to replace them a month before she passed) and a battery. Of course I will have a Lube oil and filter done. What other recommendations would you have before I take it on a 1000 mile drive. Fresno Ca to North Idaho.
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Service the transmission!
 
Definitely buy a set of coils, per Biddle's link, and gather the tools needed to R&R. Maybe a set of plugs, also. Anyone can change them - it isn't rocket science, just tedious. If you can't change them, just having the parts onboard will shorten the downtime at a shop. Avoid dealer$. Good luck - should be a fun trip. :)
 
If it were me I would pay to have it shipped (~$600-$1000?). Waaaay too many unknowns for a 1,000 mile road trip. Once you have it at home you can sort it out methodically, economically, locally and not waste time and money on things you don't need (you don't know what you don't know.) Imagine being broken down ~200-500 miles from home and being at the mercy of a mechanic (complete mercy - you have few if any alternatives) that you no nothing about and who very likely knows next to nothing about these cars. . . (At least get an estimate to ship it.)
 
You could shake it down by driving the radius of your insurance free towing around home. Have a local garage look it over for warts. My 04 had 130,000 miles when I bought it 3 years ago. Sure, had to replace one COP (myself) within a few months. Had the AC emptied and recharged (shade-tree friend). Otherwise smooth sailing in a car to love! Cheers
 
If it has been idle for almost 2 years, it would be wise to drain the fuel and clean the fuel system before trying to start the engine. These cars have a high pressure fuel system (about 50 psi) and gasoline can turn to gel.
 
When you replace the tires, don’t forget the spare. Buy it direct from Maxxis and get it mounted locally. If you are a member of Costco or Sam’s, mounting would be scout $15.
 
Kevin in CDA said:
My mother passed about a year and a half ago, She had a 2004 with about 15,000 miles She had no will so it has taken this long to get the estate settled. It has not been driven in the meantime. I will be going to get this beauty and bring it to my home. I know it will need new tires ( when I realized it still had the ones it left the factory with, I was telling her to replace them a month before she passed) and a battery. Of course I will have a Lube oil and filter done. What other recommendations would you have before I take it on a 1000 mile drive. Fresno Ca to North Idaho.
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Suntan Lotion, and drive with the top down.
 
Mach5 said:
If it were me I would pay to have it shipped (~$600-$1000?). Waaaay too many unknowns for a 1,000 mile road trip. Once you have it at home you can sort it out methodically, economically, locally and not waste time and money on things you don't need (you don't know what you don't know.) Imagine being broken down ~200-500 miles from home and being at the mercy of a mechanic (complete mercy - you have few if any alternatives) that you no nothing about and who very likely knows next to nothing about these cars. . . (At least get an estimate to ship it.)
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Already looked into that, as a local friend guessed it would be $500 and $800., so I figgured it would be a wash vs getting it myself. Turns out when I went online to get estimates they wanted anywhere between $1500 and $2000!
 
Kevin in CDA said:
My mother passed about a year and a half ago, She had a 2004 with about 15,000 miles She had no will so it has taken this long to get the estate settled. It has not been driven in the meantime. I will be going to get this beauty and bring it to my home. I know it will need new tires ( when I realized it still had the ones it left the factory with, I was telling her to replace them a month before she passed) and a battery. Of course I will have a Lube oil and filter done. What other recommendations would you have before I take it on a 1000 mile drive. Fresno Ca to North Idaho.
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I suggest you go to the Fresno Ford/Lincoln dealer for an LOF service and ask them to do a complimentary Multi Point inspection, look online for coupons before you go, check to see if they have the low price guarantee of tires (get some quotes beforehand, I recommend the Pirelli Cinturato P7), look for battery coupons also. They will try to upsell you on everything but you don't have to have them do it.

Good luck on the trip, if you have problems, there are Ford dealers almost everywhere.

George C
 
Change the oil and battery and see how it runs. Air up the tires and spare, check all fluid levels and fill it with premium gas. Make sure the air conditioner blows cold. If you are go so far take a few tools and money and go on your 1000 mile shakedown run. By the time you get home you will have a pretty good idea what it may need to make it a great car. Do not pass up a 1000 mile road trip in your Thunderbird.
 
Hopefully you can find a good, trustworthy mechanic to go through it , thoroughly, before you head out. Good luck!
 
Would not hesitate to drive from AL to CA in my 04 that I have driven for 3 yrs. 131 k miles. If only I had a lady companion. :(
 
Just drove my 04 from Orlando to Los Angeles in four days. Unfortunately, like some of the other comments, I had to do it with the hardtop on (although I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth moving since I never use it). Trip went great, only issue was the gas gauge acted up for two hours after I let the tank get low. Had it serviced and checked out before the trip. Got new valve cover gaskets, plugs and coils. Also had the transmission and rear differential fluids changed and the refrigerant recharged. Already had new tires and spare (see previous post). It was a great trip. Used an Anker Bluetooth charger ($14 Amazon) and had Waze and audiobooks the whole way.
 
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