Restoring my '83 Mustang GLX: chapter 2

Found out some fascinating things from a few great mechanics that I want to share.

Whenever you change the alternator, change the regulator too.

When you remove the battery cables wrong, the arc can damage the alternator, so always remove the negative first; the same applies when putting the cables back on, with the positive first and the negative on last. There will be no spark.

The battery is a surge protector. If you must check to see if your alternator is working, you can be ok to quickly remove a cable to see if the engine still runs, but for half a second. There is still no guarantee that it is perfectly safe to do so. It can put out alternating current I hear, and it can fry your various electric devices in the car.

To find out if your catalytic converter is damaged, take a hold of the exhaust pipe and shake fairly vigorously and listen for rattling around. If it is quiet, it is very likely ok.

It isn't ok to direct wire around the sensors of your radiator electric fan, because the engine can actually run too cool and put out more emissions. In California the smog tech can actually fail you by the visual even if you pass the emissions test. (I now have to locate the two switches on mine and replace them. Any help would be appreciated)

voice from the past

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voice from the past
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Maybe... just maybe.... oyou are one of those people who shouldn't be working on a car :)

Most newer alternators come with built in regulators, not I understand your 83 does not.... but why change what's not broken? OEM parts are far superior to most inexpensive aftermarket parts...

Thank you Mr. Battery Expert.... although on newer cars you can fry the computer by removing the cables wrong or even at all when it is running... If you must check to see if your alternator is working look at the guage, or better yet take it to a parts store where they will hook it up for free and test it! Alternating current from a DC system eh?

Do you do this after you've driven it around? THat would be hot.... Maybe if its glowing red or smells like sulfer it is bad... if it rattles, you might have other loose parts! That's about as bad as saying to see if there is any metal shavings in the motor, fill it up with water and see if anything floats out the valve cover..... no shit, someone did that to get out some gasket and wondered why his motor wouldnt run anymore :)

The radiator fan motor is controlled by a relay, a radiator fan switch mounted in the motor, and on some fords an integrated switch mounted on the firewall.

You are one of those people that I just cry for the car because they must live with you.... that poor poor thing.... Like the man who asked me what the difference between antifreeze and winshield de-icer was :) He was seriously going to put the deicer in his mtoor because it was cheaper.... Do your car a favor, sell it and take the bus from now on, never to work on a car again....

--stang_racin

Reply to
Doug Turner

Why? Do you bull your way in without the intelligence of advice?

Where in the hell do you get that from? I suppose trial and error has made quite a wrecking yard of your backyard...

Mine has one on the wall; if you don't have one there, you probably can't replace it.

Again, this information has come from local leading mechanics.

Is this why you failed in reading at school?

Been there, done that.

Yeah, that's what they say.

So why do you ask?

My brand new car in 1975 had the first catalytic converter, and never stopped smelling like sulfer. It was overpowering really. Brand new.

Loose parts in the converter? Sounds bad to me.

I'll keep looking for it because I want to have it in as designed.

Are you really so insecure that you have to present yourself such a god of car repair? It's people like you who stand in the way of people learning, because you try to make simple information the currency for your little dictatorship, instead of spreading around common knowledge. It's the kind of stupidity that you show that would intimidate someone from much needed information; and if you possess any amount of information it is wasted on you.

Like the man who asked

I'm sure everyone in the room can see what an ass you want to be. You will reach the lower levels of your status on your own, with no directions from me.

Does anyone here understand where he gets any of his BS from, where it comes from and how it would apply to someone who seeks to do a perfect job with intelligence and seeking intelligence? This guy knows he would probably get beaten up acting like that in person.

voice from the past

Reply to
voice from the past

Ahh, never mind the occasional know-it-all hardasses. Every group has a few. Some of them act like that in real life too. They just don't realize that everyone thinks they're a complete idiot and only keep them around for entertainment value.

When I first started this, I thought since the oil dipstick and power steering fluid cap on my first car, an '83 GLX convertible (3.8 auto), were both yellow, that you checked the oil from the dipstick and, if needed, added it to the power steering fluid pump. Obviously I know now that this isn't the thing to do, but at the time I had no idea.

I pulled the heads on that very same car after paying for two junkyard engines to be installed only to have them be pieces of shit. I had plenty of parts laying around so I decided I needed to learn to do it myself. On the front street, working with mini-maglites and a very very short list of tools, into the wee hours of the night, I swapped the heads. Took a few days, lots of trial and error, but when I was done, the car ran. No better than it had before, but it ran.

Now I'm no stranger to swapping engines, transmissions, rear ends... I'm not afraid to rip the heads off of anything. I'm still learning as well... plenty of things I've never done, but everyone starts somewhere.

Even the know-it-all hardasses made their mistakes and started out not knowing a damn thing about cars. It's the guys who can't admit it that I stay far away from, because these are the guys most often wrong.

JS

Reply to
JS

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