Typical failure expected time/mileage

DoubleSC

Registered User
Hi everyone,

I've got a stock '89 SC with 60K miles that's I've had in storage for around 15 years. It's been regularly started and warmed up/occasionally been driven lightly during that time. When I finally started using it regularly late last year, everything worked fine with the exception of the A/C and radio.

In the last few months, the power steering pressure line's been replaced (and now it's leaking from the cooler return line!), the water pump and the front stabalizer bushings went bad. While the water pump was being serviced, I decided to replace all the engine cooling hoses, and radiator. To date, I'd probably spent over $1500 in repairs.

From what I've read, I'd guess replacing the head gaskets would be required (around 100K miles?), but any ideas as to what else would typically be expected to be replaced (and when/mileage)?

I'm considering replacing this with a newer car, but really enjoy driving the T-bird. It's just now I'd like to have something that's realiable for another 50~100K miles, and not in the shop every month or two.

Thanks,
DSC
 
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One car I had over 154000 miles on it with no head gasket problems and my other car has 124000 with no head gasket problems. My blue 93 only had 76000 on it when the head gasket blew. It depends on how you drive it. Drive it hard and expect to start replacing parts. Hoses, belts and rubber bushings harden with age so expect to replace those items. Just take care of the small stuff when it happens and don't get discouraged. There is a ton of help on here.

Chief
 
That has been in storage for a while .. most of the car's life.

And in Santa Cruz of all places .. just over the hill.

Depends how well it was maintained and its condition before putting it into storage.

Maintaining your cooling system is critical to the life of these engines.

- Dan
 
Thanks Chief & Dan - that's encouraging. I don't think I drive it that hard (at least most of the time), so maybe it'll do OK for the head gaskets.

As for how it was maintained prior to storage, I'm not sure about during it's original ownership period. I'm the second owner, bought it with around 30K miles from Ford (lease return), and put on another 20K (mostly leisure/highway) miles in the following 3 years, while performing all the regular periodic maintainance myself as indicated by the Ford shop manuals. Aside from regular maintainance, it was trouble-free.

It was stored it in an indoor climate stabilized (basically, just insulated) place (Dan - it was across the hill from you then as well, but the other hill - towards Livermore/Tracy)).

Anyway, right now it's frustrating because it seems every few weeks something else gives out. What I'm hoping to do is get an idea of the more common failure times/mileages, and maybe just change everything at once now, and save a few trips back/forth from the repair shop here.

Thanks,

DSC
 
I think you need to be realistic with this. You should either love it and be prepared to do whatever is needed or accept that the car is out of it's expected reliability range. I love my car and, for the most part, i like to work on it. If it were my girlfriends car it woulda been gone the day after i bought it. Her car is a tool and mine is a toy. If you decide its worth it to keep it, you came to the right place. However, there is no way to predict failures.
 
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I an tell you this....

These cars do not like to sit for long periods of time.....

Keep checking the ABS pump motor for leaking brake fluid.....

The seal between the motor and pump usually fails when the car sits idle for a long time....
 
With it stock as it is instead of changing something that hasn't broke yet, Change the issue that causes that part to fail.

Suggest taking it to an exhaust shop and have that 90 degree bend before the cat swapped out with a different down pipe and forget about the HG issue with a stock SC.

No bend, no heat, no getting back to the head to seperate it from the block.
 
Wel if you replace belts and hoses. Youre off to a good start. Swap out antifreeeze. Id say youll need to do basicaly what youd eneed to do with any car being stored for long periods of time. Seems you are the type to take care of your car so it should last you a long time
 
With it stock as it is instead of changing something that hasn't broke yet, Change the issue that causes that part to fail.

Suggest taking it to an exhaust shop and have that 90 degree bend before the cat swapped out with a different down pipe and forget about the HG issue with a stock SC.

No bend, no heat, no getting back to the head to seperate it from the block.

I agree. The HG issue is most likely aggrevated by the crappy exhaust system. I gutted the bend of the downpipe and cats and it hasn't blown the hg's yet with the usual bolt ons and a new 94 blower (it just won't start:eek:). lol.
 
With it stock as it is instead of changing something that hasn't broke yet, Change the issue that causes that part to fail.

Suggest taking it to an exhaust shop and have that 90 degree bend before the cat swapped out with a different down pipe and forget about the HG issue with a stock SC.

No bend, no heat, no getting back to the head to seperate it from the block.

On a stock SC this isn't as important as replacing the resonator and especially the stock exhaust connector right behind the resonator. That connection is probably the worst restriction in the entire exhaust system.

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I've done HGs on all 3 of my SCs... only 1 of them actually NEEDED it.. in this case, if it aint broke I'd advise you don't fix it.

You will NOT have a problem if you don't drive it hard. For that matter, you won't have a problem even if you do. I've got almost 300,000 on my DD. In my 20+ years of ownership, I've found that as long as you perform regular maintenance, these cars are durable. :cool:
 
Factory exhaust is adequate for a stock car, driven normally. People who modify or drive their SC's hard usually find head gasket problems much sooner than ones that are left alone and driven carefully. Head gaskets can and do fail, but like many things, 90% of it is in care and maintenance. Keep your cooling system serviced to the point of over-doing it. That's the best thing you can do for a stock SC.

JD
 
The main reason for blown head gaskets is detonation.. plain and simple. These motors even is stock trim will detonate, even with part throttle acceleration.

Take steps to reduce detonation will increase the longevity of the heads gaskets. Too much exhaust back pressure will cause detonation, having a lousy PCV valve that allows oil into the intake track causes detonation, running lousy gas or too low of octane, running OD on the blower to increase boost, especially in the 89-93's because the stock drive on the blower can come close to maxing out the injectors.

Anywho, you get the idea.

Fraser
 
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