how depressing! anyone help?

Bought my first T-Bird a couple weeks ago. Interior was shot, but it seemed to run well. 1985 4 cyl turbo - $450.

The guy who sold it to me put 47 miles on it in 2 years, so the car pretty much sat in his garage for 2 years. I brought it home, and it sat in my driveway for 2 weeks until I could scrap the cash together for plates and insurance.(long story. junked 2 new cars in 1 year and I was broke)

Anyway, took it out for a drive. Ran great when cold. Once it got warm however, it started to miss. Especially when accelerating. And it missed real bad. Talk about a rough ride. Engine totally looses drive then it kicks in again. The idle jumps around when warm, between 700 RPM at 1 stop sign, and 2500 RPM at the next stop sign 1 block away. Couple of mins after this starts, the car dies. When warm, I have to put the gas to the rug and crank it. It starts, dies, starts, dies, etc... It finally starts, all flooded, and continues with the above problems.

I've tried an oil change and a new exhaust. The cat was totally clogged, and exhaust was pouring out of it. New exhaust did nothing.

I've never heard of an engine running great cold, and I mean perfect, and not running at all when hot.

I love my T-bird. Anyone please help with ideas on what is wrong? Since it sat for 2 years, I'm gonna try a tune-up : PLugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, rotor, and cap. I hope this may fix the problem.

I could use ANY advice, ideas, or a solution would be great. Thanx in advance.

When cars sit for a long time, gaskets rot. Have you checked in the engine compartment for oil leaks? How many miles are on the car already? Is there smoke in the exhaust? If so what color is it? White, grey, black or blue?

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Current:87 LX with broken motor mount, dead digital dashboard, leaky fuel injectors, broken flywheel, blown heater core, missing tail light, 3 different brands of tires and 2 Sony Xplode Twelves with a 600 watt amp.
Near Future: 87 Turbocoupe
Distant Future: 3" down pipe, water injection, T3 turbo upgrade to 20 psi

Welcome aboard. [Image: smile.gif] Best place on the planet for maintaining a Turbo Coupe. Also go ahead and become a member since you'll save many times over the investment by advice you'll get here.

You didn't mention the Check Engine Light (CEL) coming on, confirm? Maybe also start with draining the tank and starting with some fresher gas. When you do the tune-up also check all hoses/lines for any cracks and leaks.

See also our First-Things-First page: http://www.turbotbird.com/FAQPage/FAQpage2.html#Just Bought TC

And also first mods: http://www.turbotbird.com/techinfo/Mods/Mods01.htm

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NATO Member
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1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe (Ms. Mybaby) // 1991 Geo Metro fxi (Mr. Nogo) // 2002 Ford GT40 (I wish...)

[This message has been edited by Birdman78758 (edited 06-21-2002).]

Ummm, my 85 doesn't have a check engine light. There's 120k on the car. The only time there's smoke in the exhaust is when I have to flood it to start it, in which case it's black. I've already ran out the gas in it, filled it with premium, and a bottle of fuel injector cleaner. Although I haven't even got to use 1/4 of this tank yet.

The only leak I've been able to find is a pin hole in the oil pan. Still have oil pressure, and oil level is fine. A little JB Weld will fix that right up.

After paying as much for the exhaust as I did for the car, I'm getting a bit worried.

I may have to bite the bullet, take it to a mechanic, and say, "find the problem" and hand over a fist of bills. I only pray that my valves aren't the problem.

Well, if it comes down to it, I could always just park it until I can afford the 5.0 to drop in. Already has a T5 and performance clutch.

I love this car, although I've only had it for a week. Seeing as how my first car that I junked was a 91 Geo Metro 3 Cyl. A whopping 50HP! This car is 3x that. And my friend is dying to pit his T-Bird SC against my turbo coupe.

Do the tuneup. Use ONLY the stock Motorcraft replacement plug wire. You can find the P/N in the Part Number Forum. I recommend the copper Autolite 764 plugs at .032" My preference is Ford or NAPA on the cap and rotor. Timing should be set to 10* with the sprout disconnected. Also clean the IAC. That's the long cylinder like thing on the back of the throttle body. Take it off. 2 small bolts facing the fire wall and clean all the carbon out of it spray carb or brake cleaner.

After the tuneup, warm up the car and pull the codes from the EEC. See the related articles in the Technical Articles section linked off the home page (see above) If you car doesn't have a check engine light, consider getting a $35-40 code scanner that is EEC IV compatable, available from most parts stores. Being able to pull the codes is a must diagnostic tool for these cars.

The codes may help pinpoint any failing sensors.

The tuneup probably won't cure the whole problem, but is necessary to get it out of th epicture. Do the above and let us know the results. I'd also suggest you see some of the articles in the FAQs and the Technical Articles. See the one on Cam Timing in the T/As and check your to make sure the cam belt hasn't jumped teeth. also see the one on Idle/TPS adjustment.

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NATO Member. it's not a vice, it's an obsession
"The nice thing about each new day is nobody ever used it before" Barnaby Jones
88 TC X 2, 86 SVO, mods list at
http://www.turbotbird.com/showroom/pd_88tc.htm

"I may have to bite the bullet, take it to a mechanic, and say, "find the problem" and hand over a fist of bills. I only pray that my valves aren't the problem."

That's why we are here, so you don't have to do things like that. If you can twist a wrench, we can probably help you with most of your maintenace and trouble shooting issues.
There are people here that started with not a lot of experience and have since done engine swaps and converted auto trans car to 5 spd.
There are not many mechanics that know much about these cars and none that have the collective knowledge available from the participants on this board.

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NATO Member. it's not a vice, it's an obsession
"The nice thing about each new day is nobody ever used it before" Barnaby Jones
88 TC X 2, 86 SVO, mods list at
http://www.turbotbird.com/showroom/pd_88tc.htm

Pete's right - do the tune-up and check the codes. You might get lucky and the problem turns out to be a bad ECT or something else cheap and easy. My 88 ran perfect until one day it just bit the dust. Low on power and "hunting" idle. Turns out it had a bad fuel pressure regulator and TPS - $55 later it was better then ever! Lots of knowledge on this board! Good luck and welcome!

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1988 TC 5 spd K & N, Bleeder. Next up - 3" downpipe to 2.5" duals

What about the TFI? They are known to cause problems when hot, no? Mine has a bit of that problem, misses sometimes, and only really when warm. I have all new motorcraft ignition parts, same thing before and after.

[This message has been edited by Matt S (edited 06-22-2002).]

Thanx everyone. I'm going out tonite to take a look at everything and do the tune-up. I'll try everyone's advice and keep you updated.