Three Questions

First off, there is steam coming out of the heater vents. This started this morning. its getting worse and worse, i can hear gurgeling behind the dash. Heater core? If so how hard is it to change?

Second, the car bucks when i let off the gas at low rpm, its pretty bad when it happens, happens in all gears. Its not constant but about half the time, any ideas?

Third, one wheel peel.. WTF, dads car had a posi rear end in it i though. What cars came with it, Whats the easiest way to convert?

Other than that the car is great, have done about 500 miles in it so far.

Definitely heater core. You have to pull the dash out to get to it. I did my sons on about 4 hrs being careful. There is a procedure in the tech section.

The one wheel peel. All turbo coupes have trac-loc rear end. If yours ain't locking, then the clutches are probably worn out and the torque isn't transfering properly. Only fix is to replace clutch discs in rearend.

Originally posted by zbird:
Only fix is to replace clutch discs in rearend.

There is an option B... get rid of that 7.5" rear and upgrade to the 8.8" rear found in the '87-'88 TC's. That's the route I took. You can then upgrade to rear discs if you so choose. I decided to stay with the original drums though. It's almost a direct bolt-in most of the time.

This is an '86, right?

Originally posted by 6 Fingered Man:
Second, the car bucks when i let off the gas at low rpm

Does it have a front mount Intercooler? If so, that's most likely the reason why it's bucking when you let off the gas. That stopped happening to me when I installed the Blow-off Valve.

Three answers to your questions

1) Its heater core Time!!
Yikes! Its heater core time!! (Did I mention its heater core time)

2)Vaccum, BPV, or piping leak

3) Your car has a 7.5 rear and isnt posi. Get a 8.8 87-88 TC rear. Easy swap

Welcome to our world!! LMAO!

my car has a 7.5 with a trac loc..........
as far as i know all had a trac loc.

and whats wrong with the 7.5?

my mustang has it and handles the 5.0 250 somemthin horse power with hard launches no problem. i think the knock on the 7.5 is a little overdone. its plenty for a 4cyl with a turbo imo.

^^^^^ Chris is right.... TC 7.5 is a posi. I also agree the 7.5 has an underserved bad rap. Will it handle a blown 351 or a NA 460 with slicks and a 5000 RPM clutch drop launch? Probably not for long. Will it handle a warmed over 2.3T? Sure, unless you constantly beat the total crap out of the car, and even then it will likely last a long time. Plus, it is lighter than an 8.8.

Changing out the worn clutches in a 7.5 or 8.8 isnt too bad a job. IMO, biggest PITA is getting the S sprng in and out. That and the 3 days it takes to get rid of the hypoid gear lube smell off your body. Wear clothes you can throw out after the job is done.

Are you sure all 7.5's were posi. My 86 TC car wasnt posi.

All TC's got Traction Lok diffs as standard equipment.

They were definitely all Trac-Lok as others have said. I like the 8.8" swap because, (A) - it's typically a simple procedure, (B) - you have the option to fairly easily convert to rear discs if desired, © - it gives you the option to easily switch to 3.55's or 3:73's (depending on what kind of TC it came out of) at the same time, and (D) - it's possible to do all this with minimal expense.

Other than that, I have no personal issue with the 7.5" rear. There's nothing inherently wrong with it or anything.

#1) Yep, heater core, but no one else mentioned how it completely and totally sucks to change. And if you have a crackless dash, prepare to have a cracked dash. If you change yours without putting cracks in your dash, then go buy a lottery ticket the same day before the magic wears off.

#2)The front mount intercooler causes the bucking sensation (trailer hitching) in my car too. I installed a blow off valve that almost completely cured it, but I still get it occasionally if I'm barely in the boost and let off the gas quickly. If you look into blow off valves, be sure it's a two way, and the self adjusting stuff rocks!

#3)I've always dealt with the 87-88 birds so I don't have useful info on your car like the other fellas, but I can tell you it takes about an hour or so to drop the rearend from an 88 while laying on the ground and the car on jackstands, so it's not that bad of a job if you want to swap them out.

Good luck to ya!