North American Turbocoupe Organization

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How reliable are these cars, should i expect to be out of a car 10 months out of the year (like a certain lebaron i'ev owned) if kept relatively stock? or should i invest in a beater to drive.

and i'ev heard about these cars getting 30 mpg (!)
any truth to this?

Sorry for the n00b questions
Been daily driving my second-hand 88 (168,000 miles) for over a year with only one problem - the TFI died. Likewise my daughter's second-hand 87 auto had the same problem, in just over a year of ownership.

IMO, reliability is going to depend mostly on how you treat it; if you beat on it a lot, just like anything else it's gonna break more often. On the other hand it you dive it nicely for the most part you're probably going to get decent reliability. It'll also depend on the shape of the car to begin with, i.e. how it's been treated by it's past owners.

As for the gas mileage, I've personally seen 28mpg freeway, and I seen others report over 30.

My 3¢ worth, HTH.
I sure can't get 30 mpg, but I sure can't do the speed limit. I've had my car for about 6 months, and no problems at all. Starts every morning, gets me where I want to get to. I guess it depends on previous history.
Ive had my TC for about 14 months now, and well, Ill list the major things done to the car.

1. Replaced all rear brake parts, it was the fault of the previous owner, he drove them down til it was metal on metal, then put bolts through the lines to block them. He then drove it til the front brakes were nearly destroyed.

2. Replaced the radiator. It was leaky. Nothing serious, just swapped it with the one from my Fairmont. Seemed identical except the Fairmont radiator has the trans cooler.

3. Replaced the clutch. Normal wear item. It was already pretty worn, the previous owner said it was two years old, but Im guessing he liked to smoke it up.

4. Tires.

I think thats it. Everything there had to be replaced as a result of the car being neglected and beat by its previous owner.

And the mileage thing is true. I can easily manage 30 highway, if not more. I made just over 29mpg on a 30 mile drive with my dad in the passenger seat and a 460 in the trunk. Thats probably close to 4500lbs, in a 4 cylinder car.

And recently I made just under 28mpg on a 200 mile or so drive with maybe 50 miles of city driving. With 2 passengers, a baby, and a small bit of luggage. Between 70-80mph on the freeway. After 80 the mpg dropped about 5mpg maybe because it goes to open loop after 3000rpm. Around town the mpg is much more dependent on the conditions and how much youre into the gas.

So yeah, these are pretty much perfect cars for driving as far as Ive experienced. Its been reliable, economical, and its got plenty of power. Its by no means "fast", its a 15 second car, but its plenty of pep, especially for an 80s 4 banger.
i really dont plan on thrashing the car. i'ev done a tune up (motorcraft cap,rotor)napa "premium" wires, autolite 764 plugs .030 gap. mobile 1 5w 30, and fram filter. i'm on a rather fixed income as of late (new baby, new bigger home, lower income). i have $800 in the car, and probably wouldnt mind put a few more into it if its going to be a reliable ride. the car sat for at least 5 years, and after draining the tank and tune up and oil change (remembering to prime the oil system) it started right up and with a minimal amount of smoke on start up. the car as in a climate controlled garage the whole time. right now the oil is leaking onto the cat. converter ( good feeling its the valve cover) no slippage in the clutch. i dont mind spending money to put it right, but i also learned with my lebaron that throwing money at a car doesnt make it reliable.....
I also forgot to mention the timing belt breaking... but thats also a normal wear item that Im sure hadnt been replaced in a long time.

Also, hope that Fram filter dont crap out on you. You talking air or oil filter?
The engines in our cars are designed to use 10W 30 oil. 5 is too thin in my opinion. The oil on the converter may be from the tailshaft seal in the transmission, give that a check. That seal is just a 5 minute job as long as the bushing isn't destroyed inside.

The tuneup you did should be fine, I always vouch for the NAPA wires. As far as reliability goes, as long as you are keeping up with everything you should be fine. That doesn't exactly mean opening the hood every time you stop for gas, but it doesn't hurt to stay on top of things. Reset the computer and give it a lengthy drive to see if any codes show up. Tidy up the engine bay, change the transmission and differential fluids, etc etc. I also like to check the spark plugs and do a compression test at every oil change. Before I do the oil change I usually run a can of Sea Foam (half in the gas, half through the vacuum system) through the engine beforehand.
fram oil filter, always had good luck with them. not a good idea on these? as for the 5w 30 its all that was in stock at the time. and the t-5 tranny uses mecron dexron II ? or regular motor oil? or should i use B&M trick shift. and with the sea foam, does it really work? i did put a bottle of Lucas injector cleaner and upper cylinder lube in it. i'll probably do another oil change in 500 - 1000 miles just to get the rest of that old oil out, i'll change to 10w 30 then
Fram oil filters suck! Go with a Purolator, same price. Check this out...........
http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html

Get some 10w30. The Mercon Dextron II is what I use in my T5. Yes the Seafoam really works! Don't put it in the oil, just do the fuel system and vacuum hose procedure. It's detailed here........
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=534376

I took my '86 off the road for a couple of months and changed the clutch, replaced a cracked exhaust manifold, relocated and replaced the TFI, valve cover gasket, some sensors and basically fixed and replaced anything that was worn out. Do the same, stay on top of it and it should give you tons of trouble free miles!
I've owned 2 TC's - had 1 for about the last 10 years. Both were daily drivers. The first lasted until it met a rather large deer. Its only problem was a nasty code 42 for about 6 mos. Even when it had that it still started and drove well. If it weren't for the black smoke on the snow and a CEL you'd never know it had a problem. Fixed it then met the deer. My current one has been a daily driver since about 2000. No problems with that one either, other than my own stupidity and fixing previous owner mistakes. Never broke down, plenty of power when the go pedal is pushed, and 30+ mpg staying out of boost. I love these cars and how reliable they can be Smile
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