So, my wife is wanting me to sell my car...

[hungrymonkey]

89 GT 5.0 vert T5. Bone stock with the exception of replacement exhaust. 110,000 miles.


a couple of years ago I got the bug for a fox body. I eventually found my car at a decent price and jumped on it. At the time I was working more than my wife, so I drove it almost exclusively. Well lately she has been working more than me. Which means that she has had to drive it more.

That being said. I now realize how dumb it is, to buy a 20 year old convertible in a region that has 9 months of rain per year. (that is the "nice" translation of what my wife is saying)


Well I have several problems going on, and I was hoping for some guidance on where to start, and what to buy to fix the problems. I will start with my wifes complaints.

#1. It leaks!
The very top of the windshield, where the top seats to the frame. It will dump water through at free way speeds. I do not know if this is from the top not making tight enough contact with it. The seal appears to be intact and in good condition.

Is there any way to adjust the top to seat with better contact?

#2. The windows have huge gaps in them.

2" gaps where they rock forward inside the door. Both the front and rear windows do not follow the track. What is needed to fix this?

#3. The seat belts suck, and "its going to kill me"

Any fixes for convertible shoulder belts? They do not retract every time, and I doubt they would lock up in an accident.

#4. The engine stalls all the time.

This originally started to happen as I down shifted to slow down, then pushed in the clutch. It does appear to be weather related. It stopped doing this during the summer, but now its bad again.
Its actually stalling with it just idling.

I ran the codes a month ago and came up with nothing. I did some routine maint. on the car (oil, fuel filter, air filter, plugs, cap/rotor)

In the morning, I will have some time to retrieve the codes. I do not know if I would consider this a wondering idle issue. It is intermittent and will sometimes run fine, then other times it will die at every stop sign. It occurs exclusively as I am coming to a stop or slowing down. Although lately its been at start up and idling.




anyways, thanks in advance for any replies. I do have some issues that bug me about the car. But I hit on those later.

 

[hungrymonkey]

oh, another thing to add about #4. My alternator has been running with a low output. It idles at 11 volts and will go up with higher RPM's. I have been meaning to swap out for a higher output alternator since this past spring. Since I suspected that was the problem. But when It became warm out, the problem stopped happening as often and I forgot.

 

[mikepotts]

sell the wife, use the money to fix the car... enjoy!


j/k
#2 you need new window regulators.

#3 they WILL lock up. the return springs are probably just getting weak form age, the locking device is not related to the spring.

#4 try cleaning the IAC.

 

[lancec2c30]

I had A 5.0 Vert for about a month, It rained twice.....


I now have a 92 coupe.

That's all the input I have. Lol.

 

[hungrymonkey]

I had A 5.0 Vert for about a month, It rained twice.....


I now have a 92 coupe.

That's all the input I have. Lol.

I bought it in the summer, and was ready to sell it by mid winter.

Its always so damn moist inside the car, when it gets cold out. I will have to scrape the ice from the inside of the windshield.



So new window regulators will fix the window tracking issue. I will start pricing them. Thanks!

I will also search cleaning the IAC.

 

[2 Foxes]

I live in Oregon also , We might be close enough I could give you a hand .

 

[hungrymonkey]

I am down by Eugene. There are a bunch of portland stangnet people.

 

[Repostyle]

Portland vert owner here... covered and parked through the winter... no drive through car washes. As far as the top sealing on the windshield frame, I took mine and got a new top and weather stipping installed and they told me my latches were broken. Although they worked, they didn't pull the roof down tight enough to make a good seal. I'm currently shopping for new ones, but at 175.00 each side it's kinda hard. My pass. side window does the same rocking forward and back that your talking about and it's the guide bushings... not the regulators.

 

[hungrymonkey]

My latches are a bit suspect. They secure the top, but I am not sure as to what extent.

I have a feeling that the tops material has shrank a bit. It is very easy to latch and secure when it is warm out. But as soon as the sun goes down, it is a 45 minute fight to get it to latch.

What does a top with installation run? Kind of crazy that 15% of my cars value is the latches...

 

[metalman85]

#4. The engine stalls all the time.

This originally started to happen as I down shifted to slow down, then pushed in the clutch. It does appear to be weather related. It stopped doing this during the summer, but now its bad again.
Its actually stalling with it just idling.

I ran the codes a month ago and came up with nothing. I did some routine maint. on the car (oil, fuel filter, air filter, plugs, cap/rotor)

In the morning, I will have some time to retrieve the codes. I do not know if I would consider this a wondering idle issue. It is intermittent and will sometimes run fine, then other times it will die at every stop sign. It occurs exclusively as I am coming to a stop or slowing down. Although lately its been at start up and idling.




anyways, thanks in advance for any replies. I do have some issues that bug me about the car. But I hit on those later.

could be EGR. usually EGR will cause stalling issues due to it sticking open when coming to a stop.. take it off and clean it out. it lives a pretty sh1tty life.. gets clogged up with carbon.. try the IAC but if that doesnt cure the symptoms its most likely the EGR

 

[hungrymonkey]

Thanks, I will take a look at the EGR when I get a chance.

My kids refused to take a nap today, so I was not able to get outside and screw around with it.

On the plus side, if my wife does win with the car debacle. I will refuse to buy anything that is not awd and naturallly aspirated...

 

[lancec2c30]

I'm not sure how much prices have changed since the top was installed on my Vert. But the receipt that came with the car showed it was over $1,000 with tax and all. That was about 5 years ago.

 

[Repostyle]

I'm not sure how much prices have changed since the top was installed on my Vert. But the receipt that came with the car showed it was over $1,000 with tax and all. That was about 5 years ago.

Most shops told me anywhere from 1000-1800 for a new top and install. I had a hook up on installation @300 and an ebay two piece top with glass rear window for around 350 plus weather strip, total was around 800. That was about 2 years ago.

 

[Repostyle]

By the way, this is why I replaced mine

When I bought the car

I had the same problem, even with all those "relief" areas, when it was cold it would stop about 10" shy of the windshield.

Now

 

[hungrymonkey]

I have heard nothing but bad about trying to replace the top as a diy. Anyone try?

 

[Grn92LX]

Clean the IAC motor with brake cleaner to fix the stalling.

 

[dgollem]

+1 on window guide bushings. Not expensive, 5.0 resto has them. Once you find the bolt on the bottom of the door that holds the guide rod in place they are not horrible to change. If the windows are tinted use something to protect the tint (I used a file folder) while you wrestle the guide out or you can scratch up the tint. Why don't you buy your wife her own car?

 

[Repostyle]

I have heard nothing but bad about trying to replace the top as a diy. Anyone try?

I've heard it can be done, but if you mess it up, you have to buy another new top. A buddy of mine did his wifes vw rabbit one piece top in a day with another friend. But I don't know if it's worth risking double the money for the possible savings. And since it's your wifes dd she'd be really mad if she had to go to work without a roof

If I were to try it, I would do it with a blue tarp or something that won't stretch to use as a template before I started cutting my new top.

 

[885.0conv]

I did mine last christmas with my wife helping me it took us about 6 hours over two days (the first time I have done this). It's was not easy but at the same time it was not difficult just have to be patent. I learned that after my wife and I got into a very "heated debate". I got mine off of ebay for around 300 and the people selling it sent an install guide and answered all my questions when I called them. I had to replaced mine after some kids ripped it open to steal my $40.00 cd player. It probably doesn't look as good as a professional job but it saved me about 1000 so I was okay with it. Here in Arizona most of the time I drive with the top down anyways

 

[hungrymonkey]

Why don't you buy your wife her own car?

My hours have been reduced at work. Plus they have not been very stable (9 hours one week, 40 the next...)

Carrying another car note is not in my near future. As soon as we pay off our kid hauler, its going to be an option.