The Unofficial "Ask a Stupid Question" Thread

Jae 'Bird said:
This is gonna be a really stupid question, but, can the inner tie rods be replaced? I can't find the procedure in the Haynes manual. without looking into it I purchased both inner and out tie rods when I was on Rockauto because they were super affordable and it would only increase shipping by $1.86 so I figured hey why not, my steering is pretty loose and it needs to be done. But its not obvious if it is replaceable. I know I need the special tool but I can rent that for free from Part Source.
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You know, I've actually got the same question, lol.

I've taken off the boot, and that's about as far as I got. I'm not sure how it comes off beyond that. I see that there's a lock ring, but I don't think that's part of the inner arm as the new inner arm doesn't have that bit.
 
I found that some of the aftermarket inner tierod ends have a dowel pin that gets tapped in after install. Some like the OE Motorcraft don't have it, so Loctite is probably a good idea on them.

Here is one that has it, guess some have two.
1747504936015.png

Also TRW inner tire rods are on clearance at RA for $9.16... Good price for the OEM part, I recently paid 30 something for a Motorcraft
 
I always locktite even with the pin.
For removal turn the rack so there’s just enough of the nut showing as to not stress the rack itself, then crank on it to break it loose.
Once broken loose pop the ball joint from the spindle and pull both inner and outer off, then you can measure for reassembly. Reuse the bellows, aftermarket ones suck.
 
Kenz said:
I found that some of the aftermarket inner tierod ends have a dowel pin that gets tapped in after install. Some like the OE Motorcraft don't have it, so Loctite is probably a good idea on them.

Here is one that has it, guess some have two.
View attachment 12002

Also TRW inner tire rods are on clearance at RA for $9.16... Good price for the OEM part, I recently paid 30 something for a Motorcraft
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I got mevotech ones and they seem to be quite good, they have the pins as well but I still plan to use locktite so there is no chance I lose my steering.
 
Will vinegar eat away at the windshield sprayer plumbing? Asking about the hard lines, I had a couple leaks and we use some home made washer fluid that’s a mix of vinegar soap and water.
 
Kidd-7 said:
Will vinegar eat away at the windshield sprayer plumbing? Asking about the hard lines, I had a couple leaks and we use some home made washer fluid that’s a mix of vinegar soap and water.
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I cant say for sure but my initial thought is that its probably not great to have acidic fluid running through the system (not a criticism just an observation) of course windshield washer fluid is mostly alcohol which is very slightly acidic, but vinegar despite being a weak acid is more corrosive than alcohol. Although to say it caused the leak would be a fallacy as there are too many variables (age, condition, etc.) to pin it on that alone. but it might have contributed
 
The contribution is my concern as well. It is 29 years old, she’s been in the NC sun for ~ the last 6 of those years, so probably not a single root cause.
 
Kidd-7 said:
The contribution is my concern as well. It is 29 years old, she’s been in the NC sun for ~ the last 6 of those years, so probably not a single root cause.
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I would recommend if its in the budget to just use regular windshield washer fluid, every vehicle I have ever come across that has used exclusively it has never had a problem, even going between hot summers and super cold winters, although full time hot weather and sun is probably harder on it than our conditions but still, I also think washer fluid maybe has some properties that help condition seals and rubber and corrosion inhibitors for hardline so fwiw I would use it once you seal the leaks
 
Kidd-7 said:
Will vinegar eat away at the windshield sprayer plumbing? Asking about the hard lines, I had a couple leaks and we use some home made washer fluid that’s a mix of vinegar soap and water.
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IDK about vinegar, I would assume diluted it wouldn't be too damaging on the rubber.

Don't use anything with ammonia. I have a general-purpose cleaner I use for almost everything, it's water/ammonia/fabuloso cleaner. I used it as wiper fluid in my old Navigator for a while, it worked great. But unfortunately it ate through one of the rubber lines going to the rear wiper sprayer.

Since then, I have just been using wiper fluid
 
MadMikeyL said:
It just unscrews out of the rack. Just get a big pair of channel locks or vice grip or adjustable wrench and it spins right off, then the new one spins back on.
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Good to know, thank you!

I'll be taking off the old ones here soon then.

And the torque spec? Or does it really matter so long as it's nice and tight?
 
Ww fluid is methanol, which is hard on plastics. I've had good results using model aircraft fuel line.
 
Another leak, looks like possibly from the level sensor in the coolant overflow tank. Very slight as the level is still correct, but moisture going down under the battery and on there front bumper cover.
I’d there a gasket I can replace on that sensor?
 
Do our cars have any such thing as a steering angle sensor. Or alternatively, is there an electronic signal as to what gear the transmission is in?

Reason I ask: I love my cornering lights; they're great help in dark neighborhoods at night. But I'd like for them to stay on longer. Currently they turn off immediately when the turn signal cancels.

Most modern cars equipped with cornering lights turn them on automatically past a certain steering angle, even without turn signal. If that's not possible, I was thinking they could just be on automatically when the car is in 1st gear.
 
There is no steering angle sensor. It might be possible to wire it up based on when the trans is in first gear by tapping into the wires for the low/reverse solenoid, but I would be wary of that causing issues with the solenoid. Plus that would be weird every time you stop at a light, both cornering lights come on, then go out once you start moving, and it wouldn’t help you outside of parking lots because a tight turn that doesn’t require a full stop will leave you still in 2nd gear.

I think the better way to accomplish what you want is to have them turned on by the turn signal switch still, but wire them through a delay timer, so that they turn on as soon as the turn signal is activated, but stay on for 10 or 15 seconds or whatever after the turn signal goes off. Something like this would work well.
 
There is a sensor on the steering for rate of change, that's part of the evo system, out it outputs pulses. You'd have to count pulses to get turn angle. Mikey is right about using a delay; that's what the fox body tbirds do. (80's)
The trans solenoids get grounded to turn on. (most stuff does, NPN transistors are cheaper.
 
A lot of the things you want to do are monitored by the eec; If you can find one of the Infocenters Big Scott and Winston made 20+ years ago, It can be programmed for gear output and such, and has a beautiful blue 2 line display.
 
I got a corded power sweep toro leafblower for cheap at an estate sale. How bad of an idea is it to use it on the engine bay?
 
Vicinity said:
I got a corded power sweep toro leafblower for cheap at an estate sale. How bad of an idea is it to use it on the engine bay?
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I use mine underhood all the time, especially this season with all of the shit blowing around. You can’t possibly hurt anything underhood with wind
 
Do yall think an amber bulb in the rear turn signal would look bad? I wanna get an led upgrade and the only one I know that will not hypeblink is an amber one
 
Jae 'Bird said:
Do yall think an amber bulb in the rear turn signal would look bad? I wanna get an led upgrade and the only one I know that will not hypeblink is an amber one
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It would still look red-ish, but not be as bright. Tried it.

Simply replace your flasher relay with an LED-friendly unit. They're inexpensive. Problem solved.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
It would still look red-ish, but not be as bright. Tried it.

Simply replace your flasher relay with an LED-friendly unit. They're inexpensive. Problem solved.
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oh, ok, couple questions then, what relay would I need and where in the car is it?
 
Jae 'Bird said:
oh, ok, couple questions then, what relay would I need and where in the car is it?
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See here:
Derphound01

Thread 'Replacing the Infamous Flasher Relay'

My turn signals recently stopped working and all signs pointed to a bad relay. As many of you know, the "Electronic Indicator Flasher" relay on these cars is not exactly where the FSM says it is.

Flasher Relay Diagram.jpg

Flasher Relay FSM.jpg

Searching the old forum found me no photos of anything that looked like a flasher relay near the fuse panel, so I pulled the kick panel to get a better view.

Here are two photos showing the location of the relay along with what it looks like. Do note that I have a 1995 LX. Other years or models may vary.

Flasher Relay Location.jpg

OE Flasher Relay.jpg

I decided to replace it with the EP34 relay...
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Not sure if this applies to your model year, but somewhere under the dash it'll be. Follow the sound.

I don't remember which relay, but any Autozone should be able to look that up.

I think I paid $12 for mine.
 
Kidd-7 said:
Another leak, looks like possibly from the level sensor in the coolant overflow tank. Very slight as the level is still correct, but moisture going down under the battery and on there front bumper cover.
I’d there a gasket I can replace on that sensor?
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I replaced both the tank and the sensor as they were falling apart. I went to the junk yard and found both in good condition. As for the sensor, there is no gasket. I tried that and it did not help. You can get the return line from the tank to the radiator at the parts store. I would suggest simple clamps on both ends of the return line, but not necessary with the right tubing. The last person may have replaced the tubing with one that is not the right size. This cooling system is supposed to be a closed system and should not leak. If it does, track it down and fix it. :P
 
@White Lincoln
I think the car referenced was a V8 though (?).

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the V8s all have a fully pressurized coolant system, meaning the tank itself is also pressurized.

On the V6s, there's a pressure release cap on top of the radiator which allows coolant to go into the overflow tank.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
@White Lincoln
I think the car referenced was a V8 though (?).

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the V8s all have a fully pressurized coolant system, meaning the tank itself is also pressurized.

On the V6s, there's a pressure release cap on top of the radiator which allows coolant to go into the overflow tank.
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Like my Town Car, the V8 uses a screw on pressure cap at the reservoir. The V6 is not pressurized, but is a closed system. Meaning, and correct me if if I am wrong, but when the engine is hot, the expanding fluid goes to the reservoir, and when it cools, it goes back to the radiator. Hence, no fluid is lost. There is some evaporation after time due to weather conditions, but otherwise, you should not have have any fluid loss. For example, if you have a head gasket leak, the fluid is being burned off through the leaking head / cylinder, so the reservoir will lose fluid. Otherwise, no leaks, no loss.

A pressure cap on the radiator, to my knowledge is used to release the pressure when the car is overheating or if you need to work on the cooling system when the engine is hot and need to release the pressure built up when fluids heat up (engine coolant). Otherwise, you uncap the radiator cap slowly to release the pressure, when the engine is hot. An easier way to release the pressure instead of turning the rad cap and less mess from rad fluid overflowing all down the rad... That's my guess and I am sticking to if tor now. :P
 
:unsure:

I think we're in the realm of definitions/terminology. I see what you're saying.

Not being an automotive professional, just by looking at the V6 system, I would not consider it a "closed system", because it releases fluid into the tank which is open to the atmosphere. The cap on the tank is just loosely seated to avoid spillage during cornering, keep dust out, etc., but air can freely enter/exit the tank through a vent hole below the cap. This also explains a small amount of evaporation over time, as well as spillage from the cap or from the sensor if fluid was filled too high.

White Lincoln said:
A pressure cap on the radiator, to my knowledge is used to release the pressure when the car is overheating or if you need to work on the cooling system
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No, the pressure cap sets the coolant pressure for normal operation, usually around 16 psi, quasi hard-coded into the design of the cap. In other words, the cap is active long before any kind of overheating would take place.

The cap has two seals: one lower seal, spring-loaded to the specified pressure, one permanent upper seal to the housing of the radiator. The hose to the tank is between those two seals.
When the cooling systems reaches the specified pressure, coolant gets released from the lower seal into the hose to the tank.
Then there's a return valve in the middle of that lower seal, allowing the radiator to suck coolant back in when pressure drops.
 
White Lincoln said:
when the engine is hot, the expanding fluid goes to the reservoir
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Water expands with an increase in temperature - creating pressure. When the pressure exceeds the cap rating it expels fluid - the 4.6 will flow outside the resivoir and the 3.8 to an over flow tank.

Cooling water condenses; creating a vacuum inside the radiator - this allows atmospheric pressure in the over flow resivoir to push coolant back into the radiator.

White Lincoln said:
you uncap the radiator cap slowly to release the pressure
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Never open the radiator when hot. When the cooling system pressure is relieved too quickly, the water instantly boils to steam and expands 1731 times its original size. I know many people who have been burned seriously by radiator spew.
 
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