TheDarkSide

I have a friend who owns two SN95s. A '99 and '02 GT. The '02 is a twin turbo'ed monster. But to the point! The '99 is having an odd problem. She bought it used from a dealership in another state and since then has been finding little things here and there. A new gas tank and then a new fuel filter system. Since the removal of that fuel filter the car has been having odd electrical problems.. abs light coming on but the abs working fine. Temp light but the car is running cool. Anyone have any ideas about this?

Also, the heater in the car never worked until her husband discovered the hoses weren't connected. So they connected the hoses and the next time she drove the car the hoses exploded and shot coolant everywhere. Now the attachment that comes from the manifold seems to be half the length it should be and she is wonderign if maybe the size is the issue. That maybe they're unable to get a good clamping hold. Anyone got any ideas?

Finally, anyone got a stock SN95 GT manifold they might be willing to part with?

Any help would be appreciated!

houtex

The lights coming on sound like either a short in the instrument cluster, or a bad computer. I could come up with other, light specific reasons, but those are the likeliest. Why it happened in conjunction with the fuel filter... probably just coincidence. There's nothing remotely related to that except... well, the computer, but fairly remotely. Although there is another possible... with the fuel filter replaced, the pump isn't working as hard, so maybe there's a surge of power... no, that's silly.

If you were to want to test it, though, put the other filter back in and see what happens. I bet nothing.

I don't supposed you've had the codes pulled from the computers have you?

One other thing: Corroded terminals on the computers and/or instrument cluster, and other connections. Disconnect them and spray them with contact cleaner. Inspect them, repair if needed (which on some... I know. It'll suck.) Regoop the non-contact areas with dielectric grease, and reconnect.

Same idea with battery terminals and *all* grounding straps.

More I think of it... don't suppose the car was drowned, do ya? I hope not...

--

There is probably a very good reason the heater hoses weren't connected: the heater core is trash. the pressures build up in the inlet hose, and poof. Hoses don't let go unless they're not clamped right, or aren't made of good material, or they are dry rotted/old, or are pressured into exploding.

Only one real way to find out: Pull the heater core.

Hope that helps in some way.

TheDarkSide

Thnks Houtex. I already told her to have her husband get into it, because he does know a lot about Mustangs, but this has us all perplexed. The car will kill a battery if it is not run everyday. Alternator was checked: perfect. Battery checked: perfect. There is definitely an issue somewhere and I suspected it was the ECU. All terminals have been checked as well as all fuel filter/pump connections.

As for the hoses exploding I surmised it was the core and explained that it would need to be replaced. But it also has a faulty connector on the manifold. what should look like a one inch metal tube off of the manifold is only half an inch.. so the hoses aren't getting a good overlap and a just as bad clamp hold. Her poor SN95 was abused by the previous owner and after a few years its all starting to expose itself.

Thanks for the reply! And if anyone else has any ideas, please, feel free to tell me how dumb I am for overlooking something... I'd appreciate it.

cntchds

The fact that it will kill a battery that quick means that you have a ground issue. What you should do is check for drain while the battery is off with a voltmeter. Then if there is a drain, pull fuses until it drops. When it does drop you will see where the drain is. I'm betting it's a bad ground somewhere. Good luck.

harristotle

I am going to have to try that myself! I was having issues with my battery staying charger. Thought the problem was solved with new battery and new wire leads... well it's better, but still drains. I'll give this a try when I get back from break!

TheDarkSide

Hey Pete, thanks for chiming in! I asked her if her husband accidently caused a bad ground when changing things and she said no.. but I'm super skeptical and have a feeling I'm right. Your input only reenforces what I was thinking. I'll smack some sense into them!

cntchds

There are a ton of grounds around the car, so it may have nothing to do with whatever he did.

Once you figure out if something is leeching power while the car is off, check out its ground. They say bad things happen in threes, so it isn't that surprising that things go out all at once.

TheDarkSide

To add to this saga the fans won't turn on. Does anyone have a relay diagram for the 99-02 Stang? Preferably the 99 year. It is a GT. Trying to find wiring diagrams and ssuch.