New Owner...lots to learn

[Hot Rod Betty]

Hello All....I am the proud new owner of a 2004 red ragtop, about to take possession in about an hour. This looks to be in great shape, w 55,000 mi. I have been researching them, and reading the forums. I have wanted one since the day they came out. I am now in a position to have a fun car, as well as one for the winter. I am super excited...much to the dismay of my hubby. After reading about them, even tho they're, IMHO, beautiful cars, there seems to be a lot of problems keeping them running. I hope I haven't made a mistake...I'm just "a girl" with a pretty car, never worked on one, and my hubby is no mechanic. I hope to learn from this forum, so if I should start having problems, I don't get reemed by a mechanic, working on a car with an ignorant owner. Coils seem to be a big issue, I asked about those before I purchased, he said one was replaced, but no way of knowing until it happens if any more are bad? They also had replaced the power steering, new tires, (thought it had a wierd sound when it was running, so had them check, A/C unit, they agreed to replace. Anyway anxious to pick up and cross my fingers, this is a good purchase. Looking forward to learning more from you all, thanks for reading! 🙂

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[wah64apache]

Hello All....I am the proud new owner of a 2004 red ragtop, about to take possession in about an hour. This looks to be in great shape, w 55,000 mi. I have been researching them, and reading the forums. I have wanted one since the day they came out. I am now in a position to have a fun car, as well as one for the winter. I am super excited...much to the dismay of my hubby. After reading about them, even tho they're, IMHO, beautiful cars, there seems to be a lot of problems keeping them running. I hope I haven't made a mistake...I'm just "a girl" with a pretty car, never worked on one, and my hubby is no mechanic. I hope to learn from this forum, so if I should start having problems, I don't get reemed by a mechanic, working on a car with an ignorant owner. Coils seem to be a big issue, I asked about those before I purchased, he said one was replaced, but no way of knowing until it happens if any more are bad? They also had replaced the power steering, new tires, (thought it had a wierd sound when it was running, so had them check, A/C unit, they agreed to replace. Anyway anxious to pick up and cross my fingers, this is a good purchase. Looking forward to learning more from you all, thanks for reading! 🙂

Good luck Betty. I have an '04 with 82k. The biggest pain has been the cooling system for me. I live in Phoenix. Have replaced all the plastic bits at the front of the engine. Two radiator hoses and a number of the clamps. Also one of the coils.
I do all my own work. I sourced the paper Ford shop manuals (maintenance and electrical wire diagrams) off eBay. I use RockAuto.com for most of my parts as their website is simple to use and they have a lot of parts at good prices for the new t-birds. Ebay and Amazon too.
Don't, under any circumstances go to Ford dealers, their prices will put you in the poorhouse.
Find the local T-bird owners who live near you and get some recommendations for folks they use. You can post and ask, based on your location, if there are any members nearby or you can search the members list.
Learn where all the fluids are checked around the engine. Change your engine oil and filter. Keep your tires properly inflated. Drive it and enjoy. Read your owner's manual.
Ok, off my soapbox now. Again, good luck with your new car.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention the T-Bird is my wife's car. My car is an '04 Jag XK8 and it is a far bigger maintenance headache than the T-Bird. lol, cheers, Frank

 

[Hot Rod Betty]

Thanks for responding Frank, I am in Oregon, so I will do some research locally. Took it out yesterday. ..FUN. We are having unseasonably warm weather this week, 82 today...yay. However, this will be a " summer only" car here in Oregon 😉
So, a stupid question, I'm sure, but, when you started having radiator issues, etc..what starts to happen? Will I know when something is going out, without driving and causing more serious problems?
I'm not sure how many coils have been replaced, but again, what are the signs? I understand most people have replaced them all at some point. At what mileage did u start to see most of your problems? Thanks Again!

 

[wah64apache]

Thanks for responding Frank, I am in Oregon, so I will do some research locally. Took it out yesterday. ..FUN. We are having unseasonably warm weather this week, 82 today...yay. However, this will be a " summer only" car here in Oregon 😉
So, a stupid question, I'm sure, but, when you started having radiator issues, etc..what starts to happen? Will I know when something is going out, without driving and causing more serious problems?
I'm not sure how many coils have been replaced, but again, what are the signs? I understand most people have replaced them all at some point. At what mileage did u start to see most of your problems? Thanks Again!

Hi, I'm of the opinion that the only stupid questions are those not asked.
The temp gauge on the bird, once warmed up, sits level pointing to the left. It reacts quickly to loss of fluid (my problem) rising quickly if you are not at speed and outside air temp is high. Once it gets close to the red zone the computer notifies you with a sound similar to the seat belt not fastened sound. After that it takes the engine into an emergency status by limiting your power and speed. By now you best be at the side of the road. You will have to be asleep at the wheel to cause serious damage. That was the worst case that happened to me. I pulled off the busy road, engine off, opened the hood, found the radiator hose off its connection point. Got a couple wash/wax towels out of the trunk and carefully removed the cooling system expansion/reservoir cap. There was very little fluid remaining.
Nothing to do then except call for tools, 50/50 radiator coolant, some different type of radiator clamps and an OBD code reader/eraser. The OBD code must be erased once the failure is repaired or the computer will not release the "emergency mode" it had put the engine in when it lost its coolant. When my wife arrived with my truck and the items I reattached the rad hose with 2 stout clamps and tightened them down. Filled both fill points, the cooling system reservoir/expansion tank cap and the cap residing on the thermostat housing with 50/50 rad coolant (front center of engine under the flat engine cover. It took over 2 gallons in a 3 gallon system. I suspect the system has a valve that is electrically closed by the computer when the temp rises to a specified temp thus giving the driver a short safety period to get the engine shut down. I will research it and let you know.
Once that was completed, I hooked up the code reader, called it up and erased it. I wasn't too far from home but decided to complete the "heater bleeding procedure" that's required after something happens and coolant is lost. I did that, then drove home carefully. Next day I changed the oil and filter (It was almost due anyway and I'm familiar with oil over temp and what it can cause), replaced the clamps with bigger, stronger ones, checked and filled both fluid ports again, bled it again and called it good. I bleed the system regularly due to the issues I have had. I suspect the reason for the bleed procedure is hydraulic lock that can occur in liquid systems under certain conditions.
I have ordered a new hose off of RockAuto.com and will change it at the next service interval.
Cheers, Frank

 

[Hot Rod Betty]

WowFrank, that a lot of info, and waay over my head. I can assure you I don't have the correct tools 🙂 I do have one specific question..
Brought it out for the second day..everything's seems to be working fine, except when I turn on the air, I get coolair coming from the drivers side, but hot air coming from the passenger side. They supposedly put in a new compressor for the air cond unit. What could be the problem? I have to assume they put coolant in when they fixed it. I may stop by the dealership tomorrow, but would like a heads up. Thanks for al the help 🙂

 

[wah64apache]

WowFrank, that a lot of info, and waay over my head. I can assure you I don't have the correct tools 🙂 I do have one specific question..
Brought it out for the second day..everything's seems to be working fine, except when I turn on the air, I get coolair coming from the drivers side, but hot air coming from the passenger side. They supposedly put in a new compressor for the air cond unit. What could be the problem? I have to assume they put coolant in when they fixed it. I may stop by the dealership tomorrow, but would like a heads up. Thanks for al the help 🙂

Betty, remember one of the first things you should do is read the owner's manual. I suspect the temp control for the passenger side is set at a warmer temp than the drivers side. Check that first.
Also, if one of the coils goes bad the car will not idle smoothly nor will it accelerate smooth and quick. I also suspect you will get a fault light but I need to check that.
Cheers, Frank

 

[PhilD]

Betty, remember one of the first things you should do is read the owner's manual. I suspect the temp control for the passenger side is set at a warmer temp than the drivers side. Check that first.
Also, if one of the coils goes bad the car will not idle smoothly nor will it accelerate smooth and quick. I also suspect you will get a fault light but I need to check that.
Cheers, Frank

If one of the coils go it does not mean you will get a check engine light as the failure has to be above 15% of the setting the system requires but you will find acceleration is a bit rough and a pop pop sound form the exhaust, you will know it when it does it.

As Frank stated the TBird has heating controls for either side so the driver and passenger can enjoy different settings to find the heat control for that side and turn it down, the display will show the temp setting in the display.

Also check the battery, its in the trunk with the spare tire, its actually a bad pace for it as there is little ventilation and they can leak after time, mine did this, replaced it, cleaned the bay area up and just resprayed as needed with black paint.

 

[wah64apache]

Phil is correct Betty, you may not get a warning light. That's what confused me as I didn't get one when my coil on 1 cylinder went bad. As he said, you will know the engine isn't running smooth like it should.
The info on the AC is in the owners manual along with a lot of other good info to know. As Phil said, the battery is in the trunk on the right side under a cover. They are not cheap either. I would recommend you take a look at it to see if it is a sealed or has caps to add Distilled water.
If caps, pull them up and look down to see the level of the battery fluid. It is corrosive and the fumes explosive, so don't do it with a cigarette in your hand. If you use a flashlight, turn it on away from the battery then take a look. The 6 battery entry points are basically a plastic cylinder with cuts up the side to show the height of the fluid. You should never allow battery fluid to fall below the top of the plates lower in the battery. The cell will sulfate and die rapidly. Always use Distilled water to fill the battery. Otherwise the minerals in the water will cause sulfation on the plates and pre-mature failure. A spare turkey baister is a good way to service a battery, just leave it with the bottle of distilled water or your food may look and taste funny. Good idea to wear rubber kitchen gloves the first time you do it. Battery acid is not friendly to paint, clothes, carpet or skin. With a little caution this is a simple job that, if you don't have a sealed battery (no caps, just a smooth top with a "telltale 1/4" window that glows green for good, red for low charge) checking it once a month will keep it alive far longer.
Also, we now have solid state battery minders (battery tender Jr.) they are about 4x3x2 inches that cost less than $30 dollars and have a quick disconnect feature that allows you to quickly connect/disconnect them. They keep the battery at full charge and go into a non-charge state until needed. My battery's last 3-5 years here in the heat of AZ with them. If you would like more info on them, let me know. I'll send you the eBay store I get them from. I buy them in bulk since I am also a motorcycle nut that has most of the bikes I have ridden and raced since the mid 60's. Cheers, Frank

 

[Hot Rod Betty]

Thanks all for the info. I will def check my battery.
Update on the air conditioning system. I wanted to make a blonde joke about knowing there was 2 temp controls, one for each passenger...I'm not THAT blonde! ( I can say that, bcuz I am blonde 😉
Anyway...took it in, def a problem, that had to do something to the hvac system, also replaced my back brakes, new air cond compresser too... (all no chg, because I just bought it from them, the dealer, and I happen to know the manager. Guess he wants a happy customer to return 🙂 (small town and all, thank goodness for me)
Soooo...now I'm ready to start enjoying this car!! Thanks again for all the info 🙂