wierd problems

JStickley

Registered User
ok.. i just aquired yet another tbird.. i sold the one i had before about a year and a half ago and this is really the first post i have posted since then.. but im back (i just cant get away from these cars hahahaha) anywho.. this car has some wierd problems.. to start with.. it wont start witch the previous owner (another tbird owner) belives its the cam sensor.. where would that be located.. another problem.. it wont crank unless the brake is depressed.. tommorrow im going to check to see if there is any spark to kinda narrow it down.. i just hope the motor isnt blown cuz god itll be a all day project to just do a compression check on this car.. as yall know.. hahaha.. anywho.. if yall have any idea's then please let me know.. thanks

Jesse
 
The car is not supposed to crank unless the brake pedal is pushed. My 90 is like that.

If you crank the engine and the shift light stays on (Orange with up arrow) it is most likely your crank position sensor. If this is the case, and the old sensor is physically damaged, you should replace the crank balancer and bolt. Ford's price is reasonable.
This is located in behind the plastic timing cover. It reads three pulses per crank rev. Clearance is critical and should be set with the proper Ford tool. The cam sensor is a common problem. It is located above the water pump and sticks out on an angle. The housing (black) may have the "Non-adjustable" sticker on it still. To change it, remove the two bolts holding the cover on and replace it. Be carefull, it is possible to get these 180° out of alignment in which case, it may start momentairly, then stall again. It could also be the D.I.S. module on the pass side, right on top. This is your ignition module. It could also be a faulty coil pack.
Does the fuel pump start then stop when you turn the key on? If you don't hear is buzz for a sec, then check the fuse and or relay. If this is okay, check the inertia switch. This shuts off the pump in an accident. Peel up the drivers side trunk carpeting and look in the quarter panel. You will see a black box, it's pretty small. There is a round spot in it. Try pushing the button down. If it clicks, thats a good thing as you wll now most likely have a running fuel pump. If none of that works, it could be the pump itself, which is inside the tank. You can also check the wires at the pump.
 
ok...

ok the fuel pump comes on.. that is fine.. and the brake pedal thing is a little strange.. never saw that on any other car i have owned and this is the 4th tbird i have owned and god only knows what number ford this is. anywho.. ill check the crank sensor tommorrow and look at the placement on the cam sensor.. how hard is it to replace the cam sensor.. about how long should it take me.. and ive read the how to on the crank sensor..


thanks for the info.. and if ya have anymore please feel free to tell..

Jesse
 
Just go to the tech forum, and in the search box, type in cam sensor. You will find all you need to know. I can't help you there, I've never had a cam sensor apart.
 
ok.. update.. i got the battery charged.. and its crankin strong.
i had a extra coil pack from the last tbird i had that was good and tried it that didnt work.. (i didnt think ti would anyway)... the upshift light does stay on.. but it stayed on in every tbird i have had.. so that really doesnt concern me.. but what does concern me is ITS STILL NOT STARTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

suggestions please!

thanks
Jesse

:)
 
the upshift light does stay on.. but it stayed on in every tbird i have had.. so that really doesnt concern me.. but what does concern me is ITS STILL NOT STARTING!
Dude.. Its now time that it DID concern you. Upshift light stays on when cranking... and you state that it won't start... its your crank sensor. You asked, we answered.
 
ok.. so just grab a crank sensor and throw it in there? i had to do one in my last tbird but that wasnt becuase it went bad.. it was becuase well.. its a long story.. but anywho it had to be replaced... but.. i just remove the covers around the dampener.. and then remove the sensor? its been a while but i think thats basically it..

jesse
 
J- Is your bird a standard, or an auto?

With the shift light it sounds like a standard, unless the auto's had it too. If it's an auto, the design of the starting circuitry looks for a sensor that is connected to the brake pedal to have the correct input (that the brake is on) before it starts. If it's a standard, then the starter circuitry looks for the clutch to be pressed. It does this for safety measures, so that if the car was left in gear for some strange reason that you won't go tearing through the garage wall when you start the car.

Now if the Auto's had a shift light as well as the Standards (not sure, I've only ever had standard T-birds), I agree on checking the tech section, and checking the cam and crank sensors. I believe that the shift light is based on engine RPM's.

Good luck!:D
 
well i still think its odd that you have to press the brake in to start the car.. every tbird i have owned wasnt like that.. well the 5 spd sc i used to have you had to press the clutch in but that was a given.

but to press the brake in a auto car is a bit strange to me.. its definatly the first car that i have owned like that.. and the shift light in the cluster to operate on a auto is another puzzling thing.. but ima replace the crank sensor.. witch theres somthing that is telling me that that isnt the problem.. but ima go from there and see what happends.
 
The brake pedal needing to be pressed to turn the engine over is a safety item. This prevents kids sitting in the passenger side from starting the engine while the driver may be away from the car. Later years were changed so that you had to have the brake pedal pushed down so that you could take the shifter out of park.

The shift light does indeed exist on the auto cars. If you read the owners manual, it tells you it is there because a S/C engine makes heat so quickly, it can overheat the coolant in the heads before it circulates back to the rad.
When you kick the gas down, your car should pull 1st, 2nd, Drive...then at about 140km/hr, the light will come on and an audible tone will sound. At this point you should back the gas off halfway, and allow the tranny to drop into O.D. At this point, you may push the gas pedal down far enough to get about 8psi boost. Any more than that and you will end up back in drive with a screaming engine, a light and a buzzer again. Remember, speeds and driving habits like this belong on the race track and not in the city streets!
 
sorry man.. im not into the whole metric system.. so 140km means really nothing to me.. but.. that upshift light and overheating are 2 totally different subjects and why ford would have the shiftlight in the car just becuase it could overheat faster is beyond me.. makes no since.. but o well hahah.. thanks anywho :)
 
140km = 85 mph. I know the shift light sounds crazy for coolant overheating, but it's right in the owners manual!
 
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