The Unofficial "Ask a Stupid Question" Thread

The mark VIII (and any DOHC) alternator is thinner
 
Generalee0527 said:
Yes! The Excursion was not lighting the left rear and when in service bay it worked fine. As they were backing it out and stopped I noticed the right was lit and left was not. They were like well I'll be damned. They were suprised but immediately went to the mfs.
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Played with it over the weekend, began troubleshooting in a failed state. It wasn’t until I touched the socket that it started working. Hmmm. Then couldn’t get it to fail again. I replaced the bulb with a spare I had.
No problem back and forth to work today.
 
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Our alternators are "3G "type, for my 4.6 cars anyway. What is the mark alt called?
 
XR7-4.6 said:
The subframe isn’t a brace…. As intended. But if it’s solidly mounted on metal bushings is effectively a solidly part of the unibody structure, whether it benefits it substantially or not. I will firmly say though given its steel is literally twice the thickness of the unibody stampings it’s probably doing more than adding a few twigs between the LCA mounts.

There’s still the question of what I asked though; what problem would it solve? Beyond the challenge of maintaining composure from engine torque the IRS is far less critical when it comes to maintaining geometry than the front suspension and aa far as I’m concerned if you’ve got stiff bushings, good shocks and springs and an Addco back there any piece of brace you’re adding back there is ballast at best.




That’s not true, well designed subframe connectors undoubtedly work, however I find *bolt in* connectors(which given these cars fuel tank are inherently stuck with) inherently compromised and a net zero or negative in vehicle performance for the weight and irritation they add.
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As to your question of what it will solve, I would THINK that it might add to the overall structural rigidity of the whole car specifically the rear end, aiding in the twisting forces the car sees going over bumps and such.

I see why you don’t like bolted in braces, but let’s say with today’s adhesives and epoxies would you think that adding some adhesive in conjunction with the bolts would se the braces actually do something now that they aren’t just held in place by the bolts only??
 
Grog6 said:
Our alternators are "3G "type, for my 4.6 cars anyway. What is the mark alt called?
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If it has a black plastic cover on back it is 4G. It is not same as 3G as the brushes and regulator are made different. Here is a lengthy list of which is which and where to find them.

How to Identify Your Ford 3G, 4G & 6G Series Alternator

How to identify key differences in Ford 3G, 4G and 6G Series alternators. Large Case High Output upgrade paths from your stock small case alternator.
alternatorparts.com
 
On the 94+, are the front end-links (sway bar links) really the ones with the bend in them?

Just want to make sure since I know that there's also a version of these that are lacking the bend.

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Two questions:

1. Does clearing DTCs with a scan adapter and smartphone app also clear KAM (Keep Alive Memory)? According to the app, it "may".

2. What is the spec for inner diameter and type of hose used for the connection between the radiator and overflow bottle on the '97 3.8? I'm having droplet leaks where it connects to the radiator. I think the mouth of the hose was a bit stretched/worn. I cut off about half an inch; it sits more securely now, but that bit shorter a hose makes it stretch tighter along its length. Bottom line, I'd like to replace it.

CDsDontBurn said:
On the 94+, are the front end-links (sway bar links) really the ones with the bend in them?

Just want to make sure since I know that there's also a version of these that are lacking the bend.
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Mine have a bend if that helps.

VideoCapture_20260326-174830.jpg
 
Mine didn't factory new, and I've changed them twice with straight ones.

Joe
 
The OEM TRW endlinks did not have a bend (or a zerk fitting, IIRC).

Back in the day it was the Moog design which was the most common with the bend, along with zerks.
 
Cool.

I'll be ordering a set. P.O. replaced them before I took ownership of Gold Bird but I have a persistent clunking in my front end.

Delphi and the Mevotech are on my list. For a $1 difference between the two though, it's a little hard for me to decide on which.
 
I have closeout TRWs on mine that are straight, bought them in 2018 and they’re toast.
IMG_8586.jpeg

Next will probably be Delphi or mevotech
 
I'd try the Delphis personally at this point, after my MS UCAs on the Mark were shot after a year.
 
Yes, yes. I know running the fuel low is bad. But that's not my stupid question. My stupid question is:

How much fuel is left in the tank when the light turns on

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EDIT: Typo
 
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CDsDontBurn said:
Yes, yes. I know running the fuel low is bad. But that's not my stupid question. My stupid question is:

How much fuel is left in the tank when the light turns on

View attachment 17508

EDIT: Typo
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Put a small tank of gas in a plastic bag, seal it and put it in the trunk. Go for a drive and find out😆
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Two questions:

1. Does clearing DTCs with a scan adapter and smartphone app also clear KAM (Keep Alive Memory)? According to the app, it "may".
Using a scantool to clear codes does not clear the Entire KAM.
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To clear KAM, remove fuse 15 under the hood, and try to start the car. Memory is clear. Put fuse back in.
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
2. What is the spec for inner diameter and type of hose used for the connection between the radiator and overflow bottle on the '97 3.8? I'm having droplet leaks where it connects to the radiator. I think the mouth of the hose was a bit stretched/worn. I cut off about half an inch; it sits more securely now, but that bit shorter a hose makes it stretch tighter along its length. Bottom line, I'd like to replace it.
iirc, it's 3/8" coolant hose.
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If you want to know FOR SURE how much gas you have at ANY POINT on the gage, drive it to that mark, AND FILL THE TANK! 18 Gallons - how much you put in is gallons at mark. or light.

 
Grog6 said:
To clear KAM, remove fuse 15 under the hood, and try to start the car. Memory is clear. Put fuse back in.
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So I keep reading on the internet that after clearing KAM, drivability may be slightly compromised while the PCM re-learns this and that.

Funny thing, my impression is the opposite: after clearing KAM (which I have only done by disconnecting the battery for a while), the car feels its best! Whatever it "learns" thereafter doesn't appear to improve anything.
 
Does anyone know where I can find an LED 7373 bulb? There’s one site JKL components that has them, but I’m not paying $35 a bulb. Everything else I see is standard incandescent.
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1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
So I keep reading on the internet that after clearing KAM, drivability may be slightly compromised while the PCM re-learns this and that.

Funny thing, my impression is the opposite: after clearing KAM (which I have only done by disconnecting the battery for a while), the car feels its best! Whatever it "learns" thereafter doesn't appear to improve anything.
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When KAM is cleared the PCM will relearn the misfire signature of the engine during CFSO under normal driving conditions (so it knows which misfire code to throw if one is detected), and begin to store data on abnormally rich or lean STFTs over time and record a correction factor as LTFT in the adaptive fueling strategy. Aside from that, it runs all the standard emissions driveline tests (EGR, HO2S, EVAP etc.) and changes the monitor cycle flag to complete when done. There's probably more it does but these are the main things I can think of.
 
If you've made changes, I lets it learn the new stuff.Unless cleared, it limits how much of a change it will make. Clearing it starts over from scratch.
Changing plugs/wires, cleaning maf or fixing emissions, all need a reset, as do any tune changes.
 
I thought I would share this being the kinda guy that likes tools that make my life simpler (plus the guy has a Cougar!)

 
Kidd-7 said:
Why does 1 wheel stud have yellow paint on it?
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Not sure, but back in the day on TSTSNBN the theory was to line the wheel lug hole closest to the valve stem with the yellow stud to avoid vibration.

Joe
 
Rodeo Joe said:
Not sure, but back in the day on TSTSNBN the theory was to line the wheel lug hole closest to the valve stem with the yellow stud to avoid vibration.

Joe
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Wow that’s a deep cut! I remember finding that thread… my exact reaction matched but predated the meme

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Personally I think the paint is simply an inspection mark… “ yep there’s 5 lugs, send it down the line”
 
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