4.6L question

I had one of these also. same year and everything. I made plenty of donations with mine.

"Scott Van Nest" wrote in news:OGBaf.4765$AC.1167@dukeread10:

So the cruise doesnt work, eh? ;) Actually, no it's NOT like a mustang, it's a touring or road car.

Do they have maint records?

What to expect:

Check out the front suspension, plan on doing lower ball joints if they havent been done already. Check the uppers and all the strut/stabilizer bushings. Check out the under-chassis around rear suspension, and the CV boots.

With some preventive maint... there's no reason it wont get you at least

50,000 miles or even more, before it starts being a repair hassle.

Does it have IRS?

Carl

The Cougar received the IRS in '89........

Not when I was 21 and running back and forth between Dallas and OKC to see the fiancé. Now at 30, I wish I had another brand new one. for the cruise control.

Wow, that is one lucky T-Bird owner. I had a 1996 T-Bird that I kept for 3 years and these were the problems I had with it:

The O2 sensor went out driving home after taking possession of the vehicle from the dealership. I should have known then that my car was probably a lemon. The computer had to be replaced at 200 miles and again at around

30,000 miles because replacing the O2 sensor didn't clear the check engine light. At the 30,000 mark, the computer was the suspected culprit for bad shifting after reprogramming it three times didn't fix the problem of going into overdrive at 25 to 30 MPH in city traffic. Making matters worse, the intake manifold blew at 30,000 miles on the trip home from the dealership after having the computer replaced.

The factory tires didn't even make it to 10,000 miles before they needed replacing (although this isn't a mechanical issue).

Transmission had to have major service at around 5,000 and 20,000 miles in addition to the reprogramming to try to make this car shift better. At

66,000 miles, the transmission needed replacing.

The power windows and power door locks had to be replaced twice under warranty.

I went through 3 high output alternators and 6 batteries in the three years I owned that POS T-Bird. There was a constant squeak from under the hood that the dealership could not get rid of and the interior started to come apart. At least the Ford dealership made things right by giving me a great deal on an F-150 extended cab, which I have since traded in on a non-ford vehicle due to gas mileage issues.

If you buy that car, all I can say is good luck! I know there were some satisfied ford t-bird owners out there, but on the same token, there had to be a reason that Ford quit making them!

Carl, Any used car purchase is a gamble and advice from folks that can't physically inspect the car will be sketchy at best.

Generically, I know there was a problem with mid '90s Ford automatic transmissions WRT quality control across the board. Those tended to die before 20K miles.

The only 4.6L item of concern I've heard of relates to the cam chain tensioner blocks wearing out due to infrequent oil changes and/or incorrect oil filter. Crown Vics are used exclusively by my local PD. Maintenance is good and many of the older ones have over 200K miles of small town driving.

Have a non-partisan mechanic check out the car.

bradtx

Thanks, Brad, Cobra boy, and all the others who responded. I decided to pass on the car in favor of something with lower miles.

Carl