89 not starting , some help would be great

megahyperion

Registered User
OK I just posted a thread about some performance stuff for my 89 super coupe.

but I am having some trouble getting it running.

I just installed the new starter and got that knocked out of the way and the guy I bought it from said it needed a fuel pump.

I havent checked fuel pressure yet but after getting the gas tank half way out (pain in ***) I checked to see if there was any fuel flow at all, and sure enough the pump is working but I dont know how great, or bad.

The car doesnt even stumble or anything when trying to start, I sprayed in some carb cleaner while cranking and got some nice stumbles which lets me know the ignition system is working and possibly the ECU, I dont know how the ECU is setup on these cars but on most the ignition and fuel are all tied together, which means if no fuel-then no spark either.

Now like I said I dont know the fuel pressure but there is pressure, with the fuel pump working (even if it is weak and old) I think I should still get some nice stumbles out of it but I am not.

So know I am kinda stuck, I only checked the fuel at the fuel filter, I havent checked at engine because I cant get the connectors off.

other then that anyone have any ideas to throw out?

any help is apreciated and thanks in advance :)
 
Well I did some searching and found that the arrow was staying on in the instrument cluster.

So I guess this meant something with the CAS, I read through the three posiible things
1. harmonic balancer bolt has sheared off and allowed the HB to walk forwards enough to break the signal to the sensor gap
2. Crank sensor has gone bad (this happend to me)
3. loose or broken wiring btwn the sensor and the EEC.

and started checking wiring, all wiring looked good, then while smoking a cig ( i know bad for health blah blah blah) I noticed the belts where moved slightly forward, I look down and sure enough its even worse at the HB, feel inside and no bolt :(

So I guess I can just replace the bolt cause it will break :confused:

So if this is true is it 100% it will break or just 50% ?

Also how long till it will break again?

I dont wanna dish out the bux on a new HB
 
You will have to replace the harmonic balancer and get a new 98 Mustang crank bolt and washer. This would be a good time to replace the timing gear set and tensioner. If the balancer is broke on the crank you can use a two jaw puller to pull on the crank timing chain gear to pull what is remaining of the balancer off.

There are Ford parts dealers on the net that sell at a discount. I have had good luck with www.fordpartsnetwork.com


The link goes to the balancer for a 89 SC.

Good luck
Jerry
 
This car isnt worth that much to fix, I am looking for the easy way out even if it means custom fabricating some stuff up.

The other cars I own consist of 4 1st gen rx7's so I am used to fabricating parts that are either too expensive to replace or just poor quality.

For example a common part to go bad on an rx7 is the ignitors, these list for $550 a piece, now if someone where to hop on rx7club.com and said they just bought some new from the dealer I think everyone would be laughing their butts off.

I understand I may have to replace the HB weather I want to or not because it could be damaged, if it comes to that I think I will be junkyard hunting before I dish out the ungodly rediculous price both OEM and Aftermarkeft are charging on the HB.

I have to ask arent you guys a little upset about the price and profit the oem and aftermarket distributors are making on the HB for the SC ?

On top of that I cant see what FORD didnt do a recall on the unit :confused:

After reading through a bunch of posts it seems that people are actually recomending an HB upgrade to people who dont even have any problems with theirs, thats usally a pretty bad sign.

I dont want anyone to think im flaming but this just gets under my skin.

A part that shouldnt ever ever ever break is breaking on what appears to be 8/10 SC's and then the price for a replacement is literally stupid, the cause for breakage im still lost on.

I never even heard of anything like this until I searched this forum.
I honestly think if I where to go to any mechanic shop and say I think my bolt on my harmonic balancer is broken at the head they would look at me like I was stupid because its just something that normally doesnt and should ever happen.
Even all the rebuild manuals I have ever read never said to replace the HB bolt, or ever worry about it (on non SC'c)

Also if I am reading correctly it seems the bolt is a 14mm head ???
I dont know if thats normal to you guys but my little 1.1 liter wankel has a 19mm bolt on its HB.

So sorry for the rant,

But my biggest question is how long will the new bolt last ?

I plan to grab that mustang bolt but im going to buy 2 of them and take them to suburban bolt supply (huge building full of nothing but bolts) and tell them to find the strongest bolt that matches it (I dont care if its made out of titanium,irudium, hell cryptonite will work for me) then stress test them both.
Ill use the stronger of the 2.

BUT....... how long will it last?


thanks
 
my origial lasted around 208k miles i think the rubber gets old and causes vibes and breaks the bolt and breaks hb too
 
I plan to grab that mustang bolt but im going to buy 2 of them and take them to suburban bolt supply (huge building full of nothing but bolts) and tell them to find the strongest bolt that matches it (I dont care if its made out of titanium,irudium, hell cryptonite will work for me) then stress test them both.
Ill use the stronger of the 2.

I would be very carefull .. on using other than a stock graded bolt here ...there 4 sides to stress [load] on a bolt ... that it can break from ...and the harder the bolt the less give ..it has under some stress loads ...I've replaced the HB 3 times now ..orginal one ...with a used one [not the route to go] and now a new OEM ..and have come up with a few reasons why they fail...1 age 2 weight flys off pulley ...mounted to the HB..I have 3 pulleys.. that used to have weights on them ...and third motor mounts ...if you have ever spun a bicycle rim and tire... between your arms.. and tryed to turn it on it's axle ..you feel the counter acting torque [force] ...now imagine the rotating mass of the HB bouncing up and down on bad motor mounts ..slow tearing it's self apart...you need new balancer.with new bolt...key and front seal ....dave
 
The bolt doesn't do anything really. The harmonic balancer is a press fit and keyed? The bolt only has one job, and that is to keep it from walking forward off the crank. If you think $165-$200 is too much for a Ford balancer then this is just the begining. I would say 90% of the car is regular T-Bird stuff. The other 10% you will pay a premium for. There was a hefty premium for the SC over a regular T-bird when new and that carries forth on the replacement parts that are SC specific.

Performance costs money there is no way around that.


Jerry
 
The bolt doesn't do anything really. The harmonic balancer is a press fit and keyed? The bolt only has one job, and that is to keep it from walking forward off the crank

on a BHJ balancer ..being a solid one piece design . for the most part ..I would say this is true ..but on a OEM ..a 2 peice design with the outer ring floating on rubber
it can twist ...and the vibration sent through the crank .. could be enough to back the bolt out... if it is to harden ..cause the bolt will not sing to the same vibration as the crank ...man an oem ford balancer is over 650 bucks
canadain ...dave
 
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