So I'm looking under my car today and I don't know what this part is. Its in the back, under the spare tire well. From the outside it looks like a black cover with some openings, and there are some pipes and wires going into it. Its directly under the spare tire well and i believe there is a grommet where the wire enters the car near the spare tire area.

I was going to guess the fuel pump, but that is inside the tank, right?

 

If you had a picture we might be able to figure it out.

 

I don't have any pics just yet, I just got the car. But if you look at the back of the 2005-08 Mustang you can see it under the bumper, right next to the muffler. I'm not sure if the GT has it.

I feel kinda dumb not knowing what it is because i do know a lot about cars. This, however, is my first Ford product so they probably do things differently than the 'General.

 

That's the Flux-Capacitor.




It's just a protective housing. I forget what's in there.

 

The GT's have it also. Don't know what it's for either.

 

emissions control crap.

 

Auto or manual?

 

auto. trans

 

is this it?

http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=591

 

Yep..that's it! Must be the Vapor Canister then? That's a wierd place for it.

On another similar "what is this?" note - there's a plastic access panel on the passenger side kick panel. What's back there that needs servicing? I unsnapped it and saw some wires and something else coverd by some insulation.

 

There's a fuse panel in there

 

Ohhhh.....ok.

 

What Torch Vert is calling a fuse pannel is actually the Smart junction box. Think of it as a copmuter that controls just about every feature inside the car plus the exteroir lighting. For example when you turn on your headlights in older cars yout are completing the circuit for the lights. In the newer Ford cars with a SJB you are just Completing a low voltage ground that signals the SJB to tunr on the headlights. As a matter of fact if you disconnect the headlight switch from the harness your headlights will come on. Also you can't just add factory items to the car beacuse of this. For example if you had a V6 and wanted to add fog lights to it you couldn't just go out and buy the factory wiring, relay, and fuse and they work, because the SJB is not programmed for that feature so it would never turn it on. If you had a dealer that knew what they were doing then they could program it and it would work.

 

Its interesting how much of our cars they're putting into the hands of a computer these days. AND, how that dates me as "old" because I remember the day when every option on a car was another circuit, simple electronics - including the engine!