86 Mystery Mods Progress!

Slobin3d

Active Member
Aug 29, 2011
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I just picked up an 86 5.0. 5 speed with some obvious mods. It's a quick car, I had a 95 5.0 with work done, and it was quick, this one by far is quicker.

I can't tell exactly what's been done, what I do know is, I was told it has gt40 heads, has an HO intake on it, headers and cold air, it has a spool and possibly gears, but cant say for sure.

The engine wiring is a mess, fans been put on a switch, looks like intake temp sensor is sitting in the valley pan, all kinds of butt and splice connectors. Looks like the smog stuff is still there, but several vaccum lines have been capped, some on top of the intake, not.

Car scoots, but idle is really lumpy when cold, and hovers at 1400 when warm, gas gauge seems to work in reverse, speedo doesn't work. And it sometime acts like it's starving for fuel under heavy acceleration in first or second
 
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Wow, that sounds like a mess, workable but still a mess.
First thing to do is check for codes, be warned, there is likely going to be a list. Take some pics of the engine, give us a tour of the whole car for that matter.
 
Pictures of the engine bay, shall we have a contest to see who can find the most things wrong?
 

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Other than alot of spiced wires and a strange capped vacuum line, it's just dirty unloved. I do noticed a strange block with what looks like three wires on the passenger inner fender.
Look at the front of the heads under the ac or alt to see if there are 3 or 4 vertical bars on the heads, that indicates gt40 heads.
Is the charcoal canister there and hooked up?
It's located on the passenger side frame rail below the air box, btw that air box don't look correct.
 
It has a cold air intake. What are those plugged vacuum lines? Are the 2 on top of the intake needing to be plugged in?

As fast as the charcoal canister, I'm not sure, seeing as the air pump is still there I'd guess it is, but I'll have to check in the daylight
 
That line coming from under the front of your intake is supposed to run towards the passenger side and hookup to a purge solenoid then to the canister
On your vacumm tree, there is a hose that has a metal tube stuck in it and runs down towards the header, where does that one end up at?
Oh, and you have a loose bolt on your throadel cable bracket.
We need to get you a vacuum diagram. Go here:
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/mustangFoxFordVacuumDiagram.jpg
That will help some, I will see if I can find some pics to better help you, put your mechanic gloves on, we gots some work to do.
 
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No kidding, I assume the PO did some back yard customising, pulling the sensor to confuse the computer to add more fuel, messing with the emissions to get more power.

I'll try to get better pictures of the under hood today too
 
I see a mass air meter, and a vac line still present on the BAP sensor on the firewall.

If the MAF conversion was completed and there is a MAF computer in the car, then pull the vac line off the BAP, and cap it, and leave the BAP port open.
 
what is that tube running out from under the intake and over the distributor

That's one of the original VAC lines for the explorer that the intake came off. The charcoal canister vac line usually connects here. There are a lot of extra lines on the explorer intakes so most get capped. Looks like the PO used an old brake caliper bolt to plug that line up.
 
More pics, looks like the canister is gone, as well the smog pump. Looks like 3 bars on the heads, is that what I'm looking for?

Hate to sound like a complete noob, just my first fox. I have had and currently have a 65 and a 73/2 that's in the middle of resto/rebuild but they are seriously less complicated. Lol
 

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The fox really isn't that much more complicated. If you can work through an early wiring diagram, you can get through this.
 
The fox really isn't that much more complicated. If you can work through an early wiring diagram, you can get through this.
Wiring doesn't bother me, I just really hate hack jobs, lol. Especially when there are mods I am unfamiliar with, just don't know what I can repair or not without messing with the modified components. Lol.

I'm going to go check codes in few and report back.
 
Likely a explorer engine transplant
Find a plasic line that should come from under the firewall at the passenger frame rail in the engine compartment and passes by the shock tower, that is the fuel tank vent and needs to hooked up to a charcoal canistrr with the related solenoid and stuff, can be had new so no problems there.
 
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