The Unofficial "Ask a Stupid Question" Thread

That drain gets clogged by insects a lot. Here, anyway.
 
What temperature does our transmission sensor actually measure? In the pan, before the torque converter, after the torque converter,...?

Pan temperature could be misleading, no? (Reading lower than fluid going through the transmission?)
 
Yes, but it drains thru an aluminum case, with heat-generating steel components. It reaches an average. Aluminum isn't as good a heatsink as copper, but it works.The fluid IS the coolant for the trans. The tc, when unlocked, adds a ton of heat. The 2-3, 3-4, and 4-3 all add a bunch of heat, and the less the jmod, the more the heating.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6, is that torque you’re using to log temps?
I’ve not been able to get trans temp, did you have to do anything special?
 
Kidd-7 said:
1997ThunderbirdLXV6, is that torque you’re using to log temps?
I’ve not been able to get trans temp, did you have to do anything special?
Click to expand...

It's the OBD Fusion app, and YES, I did have to do something special.

Well, it was very confusing when I first got the app, because the numbers didn't make any sense at all. Then I realized what was happening. The app translated Celsius into Fahrenheit, and then it translated Fahrenheit into Fahrenheit again.

I had to go into the settings and remove that command; then I finally got the real numbers.

Before all that, I think I first had to add transmission fluid temperature from a list into my active PIDs, but I don't entirely remember.

I had to pay for the app, but I did not pay for any add-ons.


Here is the PID definition:

Screenshot_20240612_084107.jpgScreenshot_20240612_084115.jpg
 
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Kidd-7 said:
Torque does not have an option for trans temp, your info above may help me set it up. Thanks.
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I played with torque today, I have the paid version. I found out how to add manufacturer specific PIDs and probably got a dozen more data points including trans temp. A cooler moved up on my priority list. I know trans work is inevitable at this point, but I’d like to make this one last as long as I can.
 
A cooler is the best thing you can do to extend the life of one besides a jmod. A rebuild, with one piece teflon seals, Kolene steels and raybestos plates, in factory number and thickness, and it will last forever. If you hoon your car, use the blue plate special raybestos plates. They handle the heat better.
 
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Has anyone done a sub box in the spare tire well in one of these cars? I wanted to do an enclosure in the driver side behind the rear wheel, and battery on the opposite side. Didn't think I could get golf clubs in the car if I do. Thinking sub near the back and battery up front of the well if I can get enough sq ft for a box.

Trying to get weight as far back as possible, but still look professional-ish. Thoughts?
 
Zep5.0 said:
Has anyone done a sub box in the spare tire well in one of these cars? I wanted to do an enclosure in the driver side behind the rear wheel, and battery on the opposite side. Didn't think I could get golf clubs in the car if I do. Thinking sub near the back and battery up front of the well if I can get enough sq ft for a box.

Trying to get weight as far back as possible, but still look professional-ish. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

@racecougar's setup comes to mind.
 
It's awfully small for a box, and the metal adds overtones. You want a box to be acoustically dead, like particleboard or glued sonotube. My current jbl subs only beed 1.5 cu ft, so they
re a possibility.
 
Grog6 said:
It's awfully small for a box, and the metal adds overtones. You want a box to be acoustically dead, like particleboard or glued sonotube. My current jbl subs only beed 1.5 cu ft, so they
re a possibility.
Click to expand...
Thats what I was thinking. It's close to big enough, but maybe not. I'd build a full box to fit in the well.
 
Has anyone ever washed their seat covers in the washing machine?

I hand washed my driver seat covers two years ago right after buying the car. I'm just worried the washer wouldn't be gentle enough (?).
 
Depends on the kind of washing machine you have. If it has an impeller, just put your seat covers in a big pillowcase or something to keep it together. I would suggest you avoid trying if your machine has an agitator.

Let it air dry.
 
theterminator93 said:
Depends on the kind of washing machine you have. If it has an impeller, just put your seat covers in a big pillowcase or something to keep it together. I would suggest you avoid trying if your machine has an agitator.
Click to expand...

It's a front-load type.

And there's nothing wrong per se with just hand-washing them. It's just time consuming.

When I did it two years ago, the water literally turned black, which I suppose is understandable if they had never been washed since 1996.

theterminator93 said:
Let it air dry.
Click to expand...

Definitely! These actually dry very quickly in the summer heat.
 
I have a stupid question which might be more of an opinion than definitive rule. I have a '95 Thunderbird and after reading the advice of quite a few people here I have abandoned any thought of rebuilding my original engine and will instead find a '99-'00 4.6 out of a Grand Marquis.

So, since I want to make this car as much a throwback to the old muscle cars vibe as is feasible, I want to paint the motor the same way that an old Ford performance motor would have been painted in '69-'70. That means whatever official Ford blue engine paint, but which parts should be painted blue and which parts should be left alone? Valve covers, heads, intake, block, timing chains cover, water pump? Back then did it matter if the motor was a big block or a small block?
 
rampagingsloth said:
I have a stupid question which might be more of an opinion than definitive rule. I have a '95 Thunderbird and after reading the advice of quite a few people here I have abandoned any thought of rebuilding my original engine and will instead find a '99-'00 4.6 out of a Grand Marquis.

So, since I want to make this car as much a throwback to the old muscle cars vibe as is feasible, I want to paint the motor the same way that an old Ford performance motor would have been painted in '69-'70. That means whatever official Ford blue engine paint, but which parts should be painted blue and which parts should be left alone? Valve covers, heads, intake, block, timing chains cover, water pump? Back then did it matter if the motor was a big block or a small block?
Click to expand...

It depended on the spec of the engine, a 69 302 2V with cast iron intake and stamped steel valve covers would be 100% blue, while a Boss 302 with the aluminum intake and either chrome or aluminum valve covers would leave those bare/shiny. Same goes for a 428cj in a Torino Cobra vs a standard 428 in a country squire station wagon.

Ford(and all manufacturers) painted the entire assembled long block including intake manifold water pump, harmonic balancer bolt heads and sometimes even exhaust manifolds etc in the corporate color in one shot. Accessories like pulleys, the carb, distributor, air cleaner(though the housing/lid was most often blue too on Fords) chromed or cast valve covers and aluminum intakes would be added after the long block was sprayed.

Make sure you get the color correct too, there are several shades of Ford blue and 69-70 would be the darkest one
 
XR7-4.6 said:
It depended on the spec of the engine, a 69 302 2V with cast iron intake and stamped steel valve covers would be 100% blue, while a Boss 302 with the aluminum intake and either chrome or aluminum valve covers would leave those bare/shiny. Same goes for a 428cj in a Torino Cobra vs a standard 428 in a country squire station wagon.

Ford(and all manufacturers) painted the entire assembled long block including intake manifold water pump, harmonic balancer bolt heads and sometimes even exhaust manifolds etc in the corporate color. Accessories like pulleys, the carb, air cleaner(though the housing/lid was most often blue too on Fords) chromed or cast valve covers and aluminum intakes would be added after the long block was sprayed.

Make sure you get the color correct too, there are several shades of Ford blue and 69-70 would be the darkest one
Click to expand...
On all my old Ford motors I use Duplicolor DE 1606 Ford Dark Blue. Bout as close as your gonna get. That's the factory shade of the 69 mustang 250 I've got in my 77 Maverick and the 69 mustang 302 I have in my 55 Ford Fairlane...
 
I like the throwback paint idea, keep us up to date with pictures.
My stupid question: why the Grand Marquis engine?
 
Kidd-7 said:
I like the throwback paint idea, keep us up to date with pictures.
My stupid question: why the Grand Marquis engine?
Click to expand...

I'm a ways away from starting the engine phase of making this Thunderbird the muscle car it wants to be when it grows up. So far it's been mostly suspension and exhaust upgrades which are already an improvement in terms of me enjoying driving this car. Next will be the whole Mustang hub/brake/wheel swap.

Apparently the '94-'95 engines are the worst of the bunch (of course, that's what I own, hahaaha), makes sense, they were the first ones. The blocks are the weakest and not worth building compared to later versions, and the heads have slight design flaws that were fixed in the following years, specifically the valve guides and the intake runners(?) and also I think less threads (revolutions) for the spark plugs. The Grand Marquis is considered the best source for a less worn version of the engine (newer than '97) that wasn't probably run into the ground (other models being widely used as taxis, limos and cop cars with many more miles on them) so it might be possible to not even need to bore it out. And I also specifically want to stick with a Romeo engine like what's already in there vs. a Windsor or some year of engine with too many updated/different external changes. The first weak link to address seems to be the connecting rods (vs. getting a forged crank) and apparently Coyote connecting rods are practically the same, weight-wise, while being much stronger, though if I did that I think I'd get them balanced with the engine anyways.
 
The gran marquis and towncars are less likely to have been pounded on. No mustangs or police cars, or taxis. You have to watch after ~2001, some of the tensioners are plastic, and they suck. Clean the ones from your 95, and keep them. Use them with the new engine. Get the new sliders for the tensioners, the one piece crank gear,The stamped trigger wheel, and the right pulley for your water pump, or your steering pump and a compressor won't line up. There's a short pump and a long pump, and a unique pulley for each, for our cars. Since you have a 95, it will match an Explorer PI motor. There's one bolt different in them, and it's into the water jacket, so you have to reuse your front cover. Only for an explorer motor, but it's aluminum block and 80 lbs lighter. 80 lbs off the front wheels is a feelable difference.
 
I’ve been thinking the Explorer motor when I go to tackle this project myself. I was wondering about the preference of the gran marquis. Thanks.
 
Explorer is the lighter aluminum WAP block so I wouldn’t rule that out
 
I would go for the Explorer motor if specifically looking for a motor to build. As far as boring it out, I will say I have torn down numerous 4.6s with mileage anywhere from 80k to 500k, and other than damage from something physically failing like a broken piston, dropped valve, etc, I have never seen any cylinder wear on any of them, so if the plan is to rebuild it anyway, I wouldn’t even worry about mileage or whether it was beat on, if it runs and doesn’t make horrible noises, it should be fine.
 
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