Found a $300 in decent shape but not running...

sizemoremk

Registered User
I have located a 93 SC for $300 bucks with "engine electrical problems" that I hope to get running and give my brother pretty cheap... They were going to send it to the salvage yard :eek: and it was pretty straight SC but needs a paint job. The interior is definatly conditionable! Red with black leather interior... I think with a good cleanign and leather conditioner it will look sharp!

The problem is the "engine electrical problem;" any good ideas where to start quickly?

I could possibly swap a componant or two with my running SC, but what can I screw up doing that and what will not hurt to swap out? I mean can I fry a DIS if there is another problem?

I guess I will check for spark first and go from there....
I got a code scanner, so maybe that will help!

They will tow it to the house tomorrow, wish me luck!
 
Good Find - Good Luck.

Let us know what gives when you get it and check it out.

Mark
'93 SC
 
check

check to make sure the crankbolt is there-mighta come out or sheared-is the upshift light on while cranking? does the car have spark, and if so, fuel pressure? check for fuel at the rail-does the pump run when you turn the key? rather than swapping, try this stuff first-good luck, mike
 
Thanks for the ideas to look for....

The first time I looked at it, it sounded like the fuel pump came on, and I cycled the key on/off a few times, but it wouldn't start. This time the battery was dead...

I did check the oil, there was sufficient oil in it, and the catch can looked reasonably clean, and had coolant.

The guage showed 89K miles, so I hope that is accurate!

I did notice some paperwork in it, and it looks like 2 women had purchased it at 2 different times, but my guess was it was for her kid, cuz there was wiring in there for aftermarket amps.

It was at a title pawn place, and they had repoed it. They had to tow it in.
It is actually a car shop/title pawn/car lot/bait and tackle/laundry-mat :D

The first time a month ago when I checked it out, one of the mechanics said he thought it needed a fuel pump. But this time 3 different people told me it was some electrical enine problem. I find out tomorrow! If it is fuel pump, at least I'll know what to fix, even though it will be a PITA, but if it is electrical it may take me a while to find it....

I just remembered that the mechanic said one of the guys cranked it up with ether, I had forgotten he said that. The compression isn't high enough to run on ether without spark is it? I'm not sure who to believe at this point...

Thanks guys!
 
Got it at the house now!

I can hear the fuel pump churning, but it seems erratic....

Sometime fuel will spurt out, sometimes it won't.... more often won't

I tired turning the key on, key off several times, but not starting yet. I was able to get it to fire with some ether though.

I wonder if a fuel filter would do any good....

I do have an electrical problem though. I have a battery light! I ripped out a few wires left open when an alarm and/or stereo equipment was removed.

I still have a draw on the battery though??? I ripped out all the extra wiring I could find tat was hooked directly to the battery. I put my amp meter between the battery and the "-" cable, and I get a 1.7 amp draw!

Seems like that would almost cause a fire???

Something seems strange about this SC though. I thought all SC had the same brake system. This one is a 93 and it has a completely different master cylinder deal non it. The wheels aren't the SC wheels I am used to, but have tbirds in the center caps... They are 16 inch wheels.

The engine is a SC engine, the rear bumper is a SC bumper, but it has a fiberglass aftermarket hood. It also has the widnow washer fluid filler in the front of the radiator. Is this normal, or do I have some kind of SC swapover? I thouhgt the 89-93s where about the same????

Thanks guys!
 
sizemoremk said:
Got it at the house now!

I can hear the fuel pump churning, but it seems erratic....

Sometime fuel will spurt out, sometimes it won't.... more often won't

I tired turning the key on, key off several times, but not starting yet. I was able to get it to fire with some ether though.

I wonder if a fuel filter would do any good....

I do have an electrical problem though. I have a battery light! I ripped out a few wires left open when an alarm and/or stereo equipment was removed.

I still have a draw on the battery though??? I ripped out all the extra wiring I could find tat was hooked directly to the battery. I put my amp meter between the battery and the "-" cable, and I get a 1.7 amp draw!

Seems like that would almost cause a fire???

Something seems strange about this SC though. I thought all SC had the same brake system. This one is a 93 and it has a completely different master cylinder deal non it. The wheels aren't the SC wheels I am used to, but have tbirds in the center caps... They are 16 inch wheels.

The engine is a SC engine, the rear bumper is a SC bumper, but it has a fiberglass aftermarket hood. It also has the widnow washer fluid filler in the front of the radiator. Is this normal, or do I have some kind of SC swapover? I thouhgt the 89-93s where about the same????

Thanks guys!
The 1993s have a different braking system than that of the previous years. Because of that, the windshield washer tank is by the driver side headlight. The wheels were also changed in 1993 to being all directional, right and left are different so they all face the correct direction. The center caps also have the T-Bird emblem in them and they are 16" wheels.

As for a current draw....many things use power even when the car is off, and if a power line or wires have been setup for an amp the power line receives power all the time, it runs from the battery ;). 1.7 amps isn't a LOT either, and if you hooked it up from the + to the - your going to get something, you're connecting the terminals together ;).

Yeah. lots of things are different on the 1993s as opposed to the 92s and older. Not lots, but some differences. I have a 93 if you have anything you need compared. check my car domain page for hte engine pic to see the window washer tank and stuff too, it's normal :)

Don't worry....you didn't get an SC swapover. You could always check the VIN if you want to be sure though ;)

Nick
 
I figured 1.7 amps would drain the battery pretty quick!

I had about a .5 amp draw in my 73 f100 that ended up being a bad voltage regulator and it drained the battery in less than a day....

But I do have an update.

I knew I was getting little or no fuel, so i sent the ole lady to autizone to try out a fuel filter whilst she was out at wal-mart.

But then I noticed that in the guage cluster, alll the guages were stuck in one place. So I thought AH HA! The half a tank was really an empty tank. Threw in some gas from the lawn mower can, and WHALA! She fired up. :)

The problem was then erratic idle... There was also erratic clanking noise that I could not tell if it was comming form the SC or the engine itself! Thoguht Oh boy! a dropped valve or something :eek: it seemed to go away when raising rpm, and clanked when out of the throttle...

I then noticed when I shut her down that it sounded like "applause" comming from the SC for several seconds. I used the stethescope to narrow it down and think that's what it was, but it also sounded like it could be the exhaust from outside of the vehicle? Could it have been both? It really sounded likeit was comming from the SC top with the steth though....

I then removed the SC belt and she fired up with erratic idle, but no clanking or anything. There was still the applause noise from the SC after engine shutdown, even after removing the belt

I am thinking cam? or crank? sensor or MAF sensor???
Or possibly just sealing the SC tubes...

The car did seem to have a lope to it, or maybe a clogged cat or something??? But it may have just been the erratic idle?

On to the dash cluster...
Is there a single fuse for the dash cluster??? The only guage that my wife seen work was the boost guage, i assume it is the only mechanical guage. The other guages were as follows: the oil and temp were stuck just under the 3/4 mark, and the tach and mph were all the way down. I suspect the odometer is also stuck.. or stopped... it is on 69999, for some reason I have a suspision that it is stuck. My other bird odometer has stuck twice and I just wigged a paper clip on the numbers until they started spinning again...

On the supercharger, how can I tell if there is a problem with it while still on the car? i didn't check it's fluid yet, but I assume that if it is already "clanking" it is probably too late to just add a little fluid...
 
sizemoremk said:
On the supercharger, how can I tell if there is a problem with it while still on the car? i didn't check it's fluid yet, but I assume that if it is already "clanking" it is probably too late to just add a little fluid...

Rotate the supercharger pulley back and forth with the belt off. If you get that clacking and much play at all then the charger is probbily dead. Make sure there is oil in the superchager, front allen/hex bolt on front of superchager.
 
RichM said:
Rotate the supercharger pulley back and forth with the belt off. If you get that clacking and much play at all then the charger is probbily dead. Make sure there is oil in the superchager, front allen/hex bolt on front of superchager.


OHHHH MANNNN!!!

It did have a little play, but I didn't seem to get clacking, do you mean really give it a spin, or just rotate it and check for any binding, or noise when I sowly rotate it? I really don't know what it is suppose to feel like...

When you say dead SC... DO you mean rebuildable by me dead, or have to send it off to get rebuilt dead??? The snout is rebuildable via the kit offerd her correct? Does the rotor part have rebuildable parts available?

The interesting part is the "applause sound" when I shut the engine down...

Thanks!
 
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Sounds like you have a vacuum leak in one of the tubes or else a leaking diaphram in your Idle control valve. Both common problems and both will cause erratic idle and that sound you hear.

There is a fuse for the guage cluster, check the fuse box.

1.7a is a lot of draw. Could be any light on like underhood, trunk, glovebox, or console lights. I'd remove all traces of previous stereo wiring not only from the battery but from the radio as well.
 
Thanks, where is the idle control valve and is there a way to test it. Also is this a part that I can swap between my good SC and this one for testing? Is that something I can mess up?

Then stereo is comming out tonight, and I will remove all extra wiring from there for sure.

Thanks!
 
It attaches to the side of the throttlebody with two 8mm bolts. You can try your good one easily to verify the problem. Replacements are expensive from Ford, but any 3.8 at the junkyard will have one on the cheap.
 
Check the center console door pin. I had a '92 and when the center console door was closed it didn't push the switch far enough in to disengauge. Thus, the light inside the box was staying on causing the draw.

You probably know already, but, pull one thing do the check. Then pull the next thing, run check again till you find the draw.

Good luck.

Mark
'93 SC
 
The SC gods are smiling on me :D

I have located the major problem!

The lower SC tube was LOOSE!

Threw some high temp RTV on ther and tighened her up. Runs like a top!
So I put the SC belt back on and now, NO CLACKING or CLANIK
ING!! I do need to add some SC fluid, and its about time to check my good SC also.

The AC even blew cold in this thing!

Ther were also no codes that I could tell either... Is a 111 normal, the printout i seen said 11 was system pass, but the book with my code reader said 11 or 111?

The worst thing now is the bad oil leak on the passenger side valve cover.
I wonder how big a PITA it will be? anyone done that?

There is still an applause sound, I thought it was comming from the SC, but now I think it was comming from the driver side valve cover... i guess it sounds more like a clock ticking, but it is only when i shut down the engine. The valve covers sound smooth with the stethescope while running...
It actually ticked like that when I barely tapped it to "bump it over" This doesn't sound like an problem with the valve train does it? I've never heard of them ticking for several seconds after shuitdown...

The guages seem better now, cept the gas guage, it is now reading a full tank... I hope it isn't the sender in the tank...

Got the fuel filter changed out, and added some gumout to clean the injectors.....

I did notice that some dumba$$ has put several higher valued fuses in there than should have been. There was a darn 75 amp fuse in there for the instrument panel I believce it was...So I put the correct fuses in and they aint popped...yet.

Still have to check for the draw... in my ole truck I could just pull fuses til I found the draw... but this is abit more complicated...

Is the fuel pump suppose to pump with the key off??? I'm not sure, but I would almost swear that the key was off while changing the filter, and out of the blue it started pumping gas while the filter was off???

I still have to work on the power window, the inside door handle.

It's comming right along!

Thanks guys!
 
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