Ford Mustang (2004 and earlier)

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Comments

  • angelzangelz Member Posts: 3
    thanks guys!

    wonderful feedback. thank you!

    oh - what about that darn theft light? any ideas?

    angel
  • crossbreed411crossbreed411 Member Posts: 7
    loren,

    i own a 94 v6 mustang and am also a mechanic. the head gasket problem that you were talking about is mainly on the 94 and 95 model but some up to 99 still have the issue. from what i have seen, however, the problem seems to surface only when the car reaches high mileage, with a small amount of exceptions. ford had extended a warranty on the head gaskets to 100,000 miles in order to take care of ppl who had the problem. one thing to do if you buy a automatic of a year before 99, have the tranny flushed and refilled with "mercon V" Automatic tranny fluid becuase if it hasnt been done then the fluid that is in it isnt real good and will give you a vibration when going up hills in 3rd or 4th gear around 1000 - 2000 rpm, the fluid change fixes the problem. overall i am happy with my car, i use it as a commmuter car, ive had it for 6 months and have had no problems, it gets 22 mpg everywhere. good luck and if u have any more questions feel free to IM me on aim (mr nick502) lata
    -nick
  • luxrus79luxrus79 Member Posts: 1
    Hi, all. I'm a rookie and don't have much experience with cutomizing rides. Anyways, I just got a 2002 Mustang GT 5speed with very low miles and want to turn that thing into a beast. For starters I'm thinking about hooking it up with the K&N injection/air intake kit, Flowmaster exhaust and a supercharger. How many more hp can I gain just from that equipment and what are the possible drawbacks? Which brands should I stick to? What else could I do to it? Appreciate any advice!
  • crossbreed411crossbreed411 Member Posts: 7
    i like your ideas for the better airflow (k&n and the exhaust) that will work well with the supercharger <i also applaud that idea. my suggestions to start would be upgrading the clutch, aluminum drive shaft porting the upper and lower intakes, headers, high flow catalic converters, roller cams with more duration and higher lift, eventually: port and polish the heads, if ur pushn a lot of boost: forged pistons and crank. for now however, one of the guys i work with has a 2002 gt equipped with a vortech supercharger and a full free flowing exhaust and the thing is f'n quick and sounds great, so what u have for ideas is a great start. he also has a stalker body kit that acctually looks good (i usually hate body kits on mustangs camero's and the like) so if ur going to want to do that id look at their stuff as well as steeda and saleen. good luck and have fun with it
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might not gain any horsepower at all if you take a "shotgun" approach without careful research.

    Countless other people have walked this road before you and you should consult with them and hear what problems they ran into.

    My personal experience has been that there is this common misconception that the part you are bolting on contains a certain amount of horsepower, and that if you bolt on more of these parts, you keeping adding the horsepower.

    But it's not like that. A muffler claiming 20 HP and a cold air intake claiming 15 and an air filter claiming 12 don't give you 47! Sometimes they cancel each other out, sometimes they take away horsepower, sometimes they change things you never even touched. And sometimes their claims are simply not true at all.

    Here's one guys' experience on a 4Runner, which isn't a Mustang of course but it gives you an idea of what you might run into:

    http://www.gadgetonline.com/airinduction.htm#K&amp;N Fuel Injection Performance Kit

    I think you should map out a very careful plan and consult experts in this area if you want a "beast" of a car. If you just start grabbing stuff out of catalogs you could end up really disappointed with the results, and many people have.
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    Have fun with the customizing. The people at Stangnet may have some advice as to what worked and what did not. And I bet some good advice here too, like the previous post. Hope you will still meet the smog checks marks OK, and don't kill gas mileage, unless you are rich. I love the sound of the stock system. Ford dialed in a perfect balance there. It is possible to get too much of a droning sound for long trips, so be careful and ask others here and elsewhere just how sweet the sound is, as well as, added performance. You can also get advice from people involved in local Mustang clubs. Will this be for track racing,drag racing, or just bragging rights? There are some handling improvements you can add. Have fun - wish I had the bucks to play with a GT! Actually, I am still thinking of someday getting a 1998, or a 2000-04 car used. Saves a bundle off the new Stang prices and avoids the big first hits on depreciation. You have a good plan there!

    Loren
  • dan1dan1 Member Posts: 76
    Luxrus79 you may also want to try IMBOC's web site they are mostly Bullitt owners as am I but if you are thinking about it someone there has done it. I just ordered the first mods for my Bullitt, BBK underdrive pulleys, cold air intake and a Mach 1 chin spoiler. Gears would have been my first choice but so far the prices I have been quoted are to high. Have fun but do your research!
  • billsweersbillsweers Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I just bought an 05 Mustang for my wife. Same problem with the gas fill up. The tube looks too small to me. I have an appointment on Monday the 21st with the dealership. I will let you know what they say. I am glad you posted your problem so that I know it is not just me. It is a pain to try to fill up. Shuts off every gallon or so and dumps gas all over. We only have 1,200 miles on it but it has been a pain from day one at the pump. We love the car so far other than that. Our mileage has been about 25 mpg.
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    Gas neck problems??? Other cars have had this fate, and for the life of me, I can not understand how they can spend billions in engineering depts. and screw up something so simple. Too small a hole? Perhaps they thought it was to be a diesel car ;-)) Gas mileage should improve over time. The 25MPG for the automatic is not so good considering gas prices these days. The 28MPG is not too bad for the stick. Ford needs to catch up to GM in V6 gas mileage. The overall package of a Stang though still looks pretty fair. Discounts are on the way, no doubt. My guess is that $2k rebates within 6 months.
    I saw an '04 GT for $21, but I bet they would take $20k for it. I think it is 5K off, but I have heard of 6K off on some models, as people want the latest tool. I can see that with such a large change in the model that a discount should be expected. I can also appreciate some the good things about the previous design. Most things are better, but I do prefer a speedometer and tach that is not obstructed by the steering wheel, and I prefer the rounded look of the old dash. Also like small as possible, as I see slightly larger cars each change. The changes to handling is a good thing. I like that little window for the backseat area. The backend looks good and the side view perhaps better. I am sort of a fan of the original make-over in 1994, though the latest is cool in some ways, and just bigger, sorta like '69, which is OK as long as the next step is not '70's fatter size. And please no mid-70's Pinto design :-( Let us know how long it takes for Ford to fix this problem of the gas neck. Should be interesting to see if they are on the ball. And for you it is dang important. Better luck to ya! - Loren
  • ncar_24fanncar_24fan Member Posts: 1
    Greetings fellow mustang fans,
    I am thinking about buying my first mustang and I'm leaning towards either a 2000 or 2001 mustang with the3.8 v6. Ive heard that there is a problem with the head gasket and was wondering if anyone could tell me if either of these two models had been affected by this problem. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
  • crossbreed411crossbreed411 Member Posts: 7
    luxrus79,
    mr shiftright is correct about those bolt on things that claim to give certain amounts of hp. but i do know someone that has a gt with a supercharger and exhaust on it but not much else and it runs real good and real fast, just dont go too nuts with boost, i am highly upset that my last post only showed up with one line, i had a bunch of future mods you could do to your gt that included things such as valve train, upper and lowerintakes, headers, port and plish the head and so on, i dont feel like typing it out again but since you are the host mr shiftright could you tell me why 90% of my message didnt make it?
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    Look here
    http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reviews.aspx?modelid=9645&trimid=-1&src=VIP&tab=4&sub=0
    I am pretty sure the head gasket problems are pre- '99.
    2000 and 2001 may not have this problem. Anyway, you can go to the link and look at a clickable problems list, and see what if anything looks like a significant problem to ya.
    Loren
  • lizdlizd Member Posts: 3
    can anybody help by telling me if the standard stereo in a 2003-04 mustang v6 (hire car no less) can play burnt cds? I'm pretty sure they dont play mp3s but do they play WAV format files?

    anyone know of a way around playing mp3s on the stereo??
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    well, first... the cd's you burn from mp3's are not in .wav format.. but the stereo does play cd's burnt to be audio cd's...

    to get the radio to play mp3's is called.. buy a new radio that has that feature.. it's built into the stereo.. nothing u could do about it unless you're an audio engineer that works with car stereo's at Sony, Pioneer, etc

    it's probably more cost effective for u to spend the $100 bucks than to go to school to be a stereo engineer
  • lizdlizd Member Posts: 3
    hi there,

    i should have been more specific... i am hiring a car in the US (I am from australia) and i have been converting my Mp3 files to .wav files...

    on my computer they seem to be appearing as "audio" files but just wondering if anyone has ever played a .wav file in the stereo..

    that is good news on the burnt cd's too!!!

    thanks for your help!
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    you def will not be able to play .wav files in the mustang stereo... that kind of files could only be played on the computer.. it'll only play audio cd files... to double check what kind of files those are... put into the computer, a music cd you bought from the store and check what the extension is on those files.. and those are the only ones that play on the mustang stereo.. have fun in the US!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Gee sorry about that. I haven't a clue unless maybe you were trying to edit using the back button. That'll bite you. Very weird otherwise.

    I'd boost about 4 psi with the SC (Mustang freaks probably know the exact psi, but I bet optimimum compromise is something like that) , should be plenty and still safe. SC generates a lot of heat so you're going to need to watch your cylinder pressures and temperatures or it's kaboom-time.
  • joan733joan733 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Red convertible base mustang. It's a really fun car. Gas mileage is decent, and power is average. The sound system is very nice, and the looks can't be beat. I've posted a few detailed pictures here: http://www.carpictures.com/vehicles/?mfid=05CHE220417176
  • crossbreed411crossbreed411 Member Posts: 7
    yes, the supercharger does generate a bunch of heat, an aftercooler would be a good investment to help in an effort against heat. in a roots type blower, it sits under the supercharger in between it and the intake, and i believe i have seen a vortech aftercooler for their centrifical set up
  • lizdlizd Member Posts: 3
    hey there, thank you so much for that!! glad i posted to this site.... better to know in advance so i can sort out the tunes and not be stuck with none at all!!!

    THANKS again!!

    Liz.
  • fatsicle2fatsicle2 Member Posts: 1
    I've had mine for 3 weeks and have been having the same problem. I'm lucky to get 1/2 a gallon before it disables. Sometimes I find some lucky position and it pumps straight through, but lately I've been trying every angle i can think of and it still won't work.

    have you had any luck getting around this?
    thanks
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    This discussion is about Mustangs 2004 and earlier. You should post your question in the Ford Mustang (2005+): Problems & Solutions where your model year and problems are being discussed.
  • dstl1dstl1 Member Posts: 5
    First off...how much power do you want to make? Your car right now is making 260 horsepower to the flywheel. Alot of people would consider that a beast already. A K&N intake is a fun, cheap and easy mod to do. Also a quick way to free up some power is to let the car breath out better. With Flowmaster, you either love the sound or you hate it. You can go with a new midpipe...as the stock one is VERY restrictive then a whole new catback or have some new mufflers welded in. Now as for a supercharger....it all depends on what type, how much boost you run, etc. Thing is you normally or only safe running about 9 psi or less with stock internals in your engine. There's so many options! If you wanna ask some specifics, feel free and I'll answer what I can. Good luck with the new ride.
  • alan208alan208 Member Posts: 1
    Does anybody know how much i could sell a 83 Gt Turbo Mustang for?
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    Check out the Used Cars page on Edmunds.com. Or you can go directly to the Used Car Appraiser for Fords - select the link 'Vehicles manufatured before 1990' and it will walk you through the steps.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    $4700 for a 83 mustang? wow..
  • john_324john_324 Member Posts: 974
    I was thinking the same thing. Maybe for the 5.0 V8, but for an '80s turbo 4...I had no idea. :surprise:
  • gumby45gumby45 Member Posts: 2
    I bought a 2002 Mustang GT convertible and it didn't come with a boot for when the top is down. I bought one on Ebay that fits 2000 to 2005. problem is the 2002 has snaps to hold the boot down and the boot I bought doesn't have snaps. Long story short ...boot lifts off during driving. Any fix for this?
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    Duct tape? :P

    Any reason why you couldn't simply add snaps to the cover you bought?
  • gumby45gumby45 Member Posts: 2
    I thought about that but I'm not too sure how to affix the things to the boot. I'm guessing this boot is some kind of plastic. I even wonder if velco might work.
  • m1miatam1miata Member Posts: 4,551
    The soft top cover may be something you will not be using all that much after doing the routine a few times. If you do not wish to add snaps to that cover, just keep it for when you are showing the car. I hope you got a roll bar for the car. Save thy head!

    Loren
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    Not sure just how well the adhesive backing for the velcro strips would adhere to the plastic boot. Something to think about.

    Take the car with the boot by an upholstery shop. I'm sure they could install snaps for you pretty reasonably.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    That is such a common problem with stuff on ebay. I bought some hub caps on ebay for my expedition - they looked just like new Ford caps, exactly, but they kept falling off. When I compared them with the ones the dealer sold for about 3x more money, I could see why. The quality of the clip on the inside was about 12x better, and the Ford product would stay on the car. Sometimes, you do get what you pay for.......
  • lateralglateralg Member Posts: 929
    "you're going to need to watch your cylinder pressures and temperatures or it's kaboom-time"

    And how would this be done?
  • houstonman4houstonman4 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 V-6 Premium Mustang Convertible with ABS and 2,500 miles. When I drive, I get a ticking noise coming from 2 of my wheels. The noise is dependant upon speed. The faster the speed the ticking noise frequency increases. I have raised the wheels off the ground to see if I can locate the source, and I have rotated the wheels to see if I can make the noise. I can see nothing that would make the ticking noise and I have not been able to create it when the wheel is off the gound. Has anyone had this problem, too?
  • djstangdjstang Member Posts: 5
    My 2000 GT Convert has a tan top and there are a few stubborn black marks on it. Car is stored for the winter (I'm in snow country) and have a car cover on it in the summer, so top is in good shape and paint looks like new. Has anyone tried the 303 or Mother's top cleaners? Comments?
  • cankercanker Member Posts: 10
    Look over the tires real well. You may have just ran over a nail or something and your hearing it tick everytime it contacts the pavement.
  • rolson1rolson1 Member Posts: 25
    The hole in the roof became more popular in as a vent, in Europe, when the side wing window was done away with. Can you say cigarette smoke? I knew you could! Started out as canvas or steel...when you opened them you could see the SUN...hence sunroofs. Now in the us if those roofs got dented you could cut glass to fit them (yep, no such thing anymore as the glass must be tempered or safety) When you look thru glass you can see the MOON!! hence...moonroof

    Just like Kleenex..Fridge(adair).....the moonroof/sunroof has slipped into the American Lexicon of speech :shades:
  • mbyersmbyers Member Posts: 1
    I have a 96 ragtop with 69000 miles. Roof seems to be in good condition as well as the rubber window weather strips, but it leaks severely, pouring in over the rear speakers and splashing on the rear seat. The drip is at the hinge. Any ideas for a remedy? thanks, mbyers
  • debvilledebville Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 convertible that I bought in December. As the weather is getting warmer I have been able to put the top down. I noticed that the boot didn't lay right and although it was snapped down, pushed back under the ridge and the flap was down behind the back seat, it still had bumps and bulges. I am scheduled to take it for the 5,000 mile service and was going to show this to the service department. Well, wouldn't you know the boot flew off on the freeway and I was unable to retrieve it.... has this happened to anyone else?
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    u must've gotten a great deal on your stang in the middle of winter for a leftover convertible....

    i've heard about boots flying off from time to time.. so i'm not surprised.. I bought my 99 used and it came with a boot which I have yet to use even once... it just doesn't seem to snap in correctly...
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Yes, it happens all the time. I don't use the boots on either of mine for that reason, and would only use them for show.,
  • vc5573vc5573 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 Ford Mustang Convertible and the passenger side power window doesn't work. What is strange is that from the drivers side button, the window doesn't work at all. But from the passenger side button, you can get the window to go down but not back up. All the other windows work fine, including the smaller power windows in the back. Is this a computer issue that can be fixed with a resetting of it, or is this something bigger than that. Thanks for your help!
  • lateralglateralg Member Posts: 929
    Happened on my '01 and my friend's 02.

    I'm not comfortable driving without the boot. I like the protection from UV and dust & grit on the headlining.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Sounds like a couple of bad buttons to me. May be the regulator or motor too, but not the Body Control Module, and you'd better hope it's not. That puppy is expensive, if this car has one.....
  • debvilledebville Member Posts: 3
    So how did you resolve this? A replacement from Ford would just fit the same and it could happen again. I too am not comfortable driving without it. This is my baby and I want to make sure it lasts! I have waited a long time for my convertible. :)
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I drive both of my convertibles bootless with confidence! Never been a problem.
  • fdthirdfdthird Member Posts: 352
    I must agree with nvbanker, I drive my 00 convert mostly bootless.

    What I did get :blush: that I like is a soft toneau cover from Ford. It is always folded in my trunk (try doing that with the factory boot which is even now on a shelf in my garage) and goes on easily. What I had to do was open the trunk and replace the screws that hold on the black molding around the well area with screws/snaps. Then to put the toneau on, you open the trunk, snap down the back end, fit the sides under the molding (this is the way the boot on my 88 went on) and then slide two sold pieces under the seat. Looks good, stores easily in the car and covers the back seat.
  • john_324john_324 Member Posts: 974
    I've always liked the looks of that tonneau cover (too bad I don't have a convertible), and seems to have the added benefit of keeping junk out of the back seats as well. Kinda like a Mustang version of that '62 Thunderbird "sports roadster" package! ;)
  • stangin4lifestangin4life Member Posts: 5
    I AM A BUYER SEARCHING FOR MY FIRST MUSTANG PURCHASE....I AM LOOKIN TO PURCHASE A MUSTANG BETWEEN THE YEARS OF '02-'04....MY MAIN DILEMMA IS DECIDING BETWEEN A V6 MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE OR A V8 COUPE.....BOTH WILL BE IN DARK SHADOW GRAY COLOR....PLEASE TELL ME WHICH YOU WOULD CHOOSE AND A LIST OF PRO'S N CON'S EXPLAINING WHY.....THANK YOU
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