2009 mustang GT
9/24/18, 12:45 AM
#1
2009 mustang GT
So I just picked up a 2009 mustang GT for what seemed like a killer deal for my area. I found the car on Craigslist listed for 5k. Naturally I was interested but skeptical at the same time. This was real early last Tuesday (maybe 4-6am) but I decided id get ahold of the lot to see what the deal was with this car. They said they had mistakenly sent it off to auction but were in the process of bringing it back to the lot. So I waited all day for it to get back and ended up driving 45 minutes to go look at it. I get up there and see it’s not 100% perfect but there was definitely potential to bring it back to where it should be. So Tuesday evening while I’m up there, I’m test driving it, checking it up and down and everything seems to check out, but then something caught me off guard. I started to slow down a little bit and check a little more throughly. I started to notice a slight burning smell coming from the engine bay. Not only that but I noticed a decent tick coming from the top of the engine. At this point I had already signed some of the paperwork to get the financing in motion for this car, but when I went to check it out again is when I noticed the tick and the smell. I came to the conclusion that I wasn’t taking the car home. I had asked them to have the car lot mechanic give it a look over before I proceed with anything else because I wasn’t about to spend money on something that’s a total loss. Wednesday morning I get a call from the lot saying they threw it up on the rack and wasn’t able to determine anything was faulty, and begged me to come look at the car one more time. So I agreed, but i wasn’t going without my mechanic. So my mechanic and I head back up there with his crazy snap on diagnostics scanner, a stethoscope, and a few other things. He looked the car up and down, ran it through all the test cycles his snap on tool has, and listened to every part of the motor he could. His conclusion to everything after about an hour of test driving and looking the car from top to bottom was that 1, the valve cover gaskets were bad, and 2, the tick was coming from the injectors (which I thought was absolutely obsurd) but he ended up talking me into getting the car but also talking the dealership down even more. Now the car isn’t perfect by any means. It has dings here and there, passenger window switch on the driver door is messed up, the ac clicks when I turn the key on, and it’s missing the fog lights. But the car runs and drives amazing, has a clean title and 5 speed manual shifts that so smooth. But the car is a little higher on miles. Just under 163k. So when it was all said and done I was financed for $4,200. I think I got a good deal. I see a lot of potential with this car. I’m curious as to what people think about the car based off of how i got it. I also have more questions for people more familiar with the 3 valve motor. Any and all input is welcomed!
9/24/18, 08:59 PM
#2
Legacy TMS Member
Man, that is a *block* of text... o.0
1 - Valve cover gaskets are cheap, not a huge to acquire, or replace. They do happen, and not just on Mustangs. Just a thing, they just need to be done here and there. Not necessarily commonly, but not 'holy carp car's goin' to the crusher' problem.
2 - The tick of injectors is in fact a thing. Metal slamming high speed into metal to keep fuel from squirting after being open will do that. Kinda a bit unhappy you thought your trusted mechanic you *brought with you* was being absurd about that, almost a 'why did you bother him with this' if you're going to say such a thing. Don't ever tell him this. Ever. And hope he's not on here, ok? Ok.
3 - Window switch is cheap and easy. The panel it's in either pops up off the door panel, or the whole pod pops out from the door panel, then it's a simple swap, done. Get thee one the *Ford/Mototcraft* one, don't mess around on this one.
4 - AC clicking is one of four blend door motors in the dash, and are *relatively* easy to replace and fairly not-all-that expensive to acquire. Well, three of them are 'easy', that fourth one needs a little interesting bit of tools to get that one screw out. Oh, and the figuring out of just. which. one. is fun.
Oh, and again, *Ford/Motorcraft*. Don't mess around.
Now as to the mileage... Lil' diatribe here:
163K is just gettin' started, if the car has been otherwise well taken care of. Awesome has 165K+, and is 3 model years older than yours. I've put in a clutch (a one day job for someone who does it and has all the tools and a lift, very straight forward job... a lot longer for me what needed more tools than he had and less know how than he knew, but the satisfaction after doing it, I'll do it again in a weekend, no problem next time), before that, done my own suspension except this weekend's upper control arm for the axle (putting in all Poly bushings will mean that the bushings are going to last probably my lifetime now, at the small expense of a little more NVH from the road, but worth because *handling*, man) and that's pretty much it. Oh, the spark plugs, yeah done those twice now. Well, the standard sometimes a battery sometimes an alternator... but mostly that's been figured out, bigger CCA battery and the lifetime replacement alternator, which is no big deal. Excepting oil changes, filters, tires, brakes, which you gotta do anyway, a well taken care of Mustang GT of early S197 era is a pretty dang good car, ya ask me, and I am very hopeful and somewhat expectant I'll get 300K outta this car before I have to do an engine. Wish me luck on that guys! So far, she seems happy, and I'm tryin' to keep 'er that way!
Your will have one piece spark plugs, and that's good stuff, so you don't have to worry with that problem. :yay:
I think you probably did ok on the deal. You had a mechanic look at it top to bottom. He's given her what sounds like an overall very clean bill of health. This is really good. I would assume he looked underneath and ensured rust issues aren't. You're probably going to need a couple of things here and there, like them valve cover gaskets, but let me tell you one thing for sure: You will *never* want for parts for that car. That is a big reason why I have Awesome, beyond just wanting her as a car. She's an investment in longevity. Suspension, brakes, axle, transmission, engine, accessories, interior, sheet metal, etc, ad nauseum, there will always, *always* be parts and those fairly cheap and plentiful and readily available. It'll be a rare day when she's not road worthy. It'll have to be a *gigantic* issue to take her off the streets.
So as long as you have the same thought process I do regarding mine, then I think you'll be just fine with it, and you can have it for a long long time, as long as you keep it up top to bottom. And don't get road salt under it. That might compromise things, y'know... I don't have to worry about that in Houston area much. Heh.
And as to what I think about the '05-09 Mustang GTs, well... Take a guess.
'Nuff ramblin'. Anything further you wanna ask, you know where to come to.
And welcome aboard!
1 - Valve cover gaskets are cheap, not a huge to acquire, or replace. They do happen, and not just on Mustangs. Just a thing, they just need to be done here and there. Not necessarily commonly, but not 'holy carp car's goin' to the crusher' problem.
2 - The tick of injectors is in fact a thing. Metal slamming high speed into metal to keep fuel from squirting after being open will do that. Kinda a bit unhappy you thought your trusted mechanic you *brought with you* was being absurd about that, almost a 'why did you bother him with this' if you're going to say such a thing. Don't ever tell him this. Ever. And hope he's not on here, ok? Ok.
3 - Window switch is cheap and easy. The panel it's in either pops up off the door panel, or the whole pod pops out from the door panel, then it's a simple swap, done. Get thee one the *Ford/Mototcraft* one, don't mess around on this one.
4 - AC clicking is one of four blend door motors in the dash, and are *relatively* easy to replace and fairly not-all-that expensive to acquire. Well, three of them are 'easy', that fourth one needs a little interesting bit of tools to get that one screw out. Oh, and the figuring out of just. which. one. is fun.
Oh, and again, *Ford/Motorcraft*. Don't mess around.Now as to the mileage... Lil' diatribe here:
163K is just gettin' started, if the car has been otherwise well taken care of. Awesome has 165K+, and is 3 model years older than yours. I've put in a clutch (a one day job for someone who does it and has all the tools and a lift, very straight forward job... a lot longer for me what needed more tools than he had and less know how than he knew, but the satisfaction after doing it, I'll do it again in a weekend, no problem next time), before that, done my own suspension except this weekend's upper control arm for the axle (putting in all Poly bushings will mean that the bushings are going to last probably my lifetime now, at the small expense of a little more NVH from the road, but worth because *handling*, man) and that's pretty much it. Oh, the spark plugs, yeah done those twice now. Well, the standard sometimes a battery sometimes an alternator... but mostly that's been figured out, bigger CCA battery and the lifetime replacement alternator, which is no big deal. Excepting oil changes, filters, tires, brakes, which you gotta do anyway, a well taken care of Mustang GT of early S197 era is a pretty dang good car, ya ask me, and I am very hopeful and somewhat expectant I'll get 300K outta this car before I have to do an engine. Wish me luck on that guys! So far, she seems happy, and I'm tryin' to keep 'er that way!
Your will have one piece spark plugs, and that's good stuff, so you don't have to worry with that problem. :yay:
I think you probably did ok on the deal. You had a mechanic look at it top to bottom. He's given her what sounds like an overall very clean bill of health. This is really good. I would assume he looked underneath and ensured rust issues aren't. You're probably going to need a couple of things here and there, like them valve cover gaskets, but let me tell you one thing for sure: You will *never* want for parts for that car. That is a big reason why I have Awesome, beyond just wanting her as a car. She's an investment in longevity. Suspension, brakes, axle, transmission, engine, accessories, interior, sheet metal, etc, ad nauseum, there will always, *always* be parts and those fairly cheap and plentiful and readily available. It'll be a rare day when she's not road worthy. It'll have to be a *gigantic* issue to take her off the streets.
So as long as you have the same thought process I do regarding mine, then I think you'll be just fine with it, and you can have it for a long long time, as long as you keep it up top to bottom. And don't get road salt under it. That might compromise things, y'know... I don't have to worry about that in Houston area much. Heh.
And as to what I think about the '05-09 Mustang GTs, well... Take a guess.
'Nuff ramblin'. Anything further you wanna ask, you know where to come to.
And welcome aboard!
9/24/18, 11:31 PM
#3
Thanks for the input, I’ve always been a huge mustang guy and I love these cars. This 09 is also much more comfortable than any of my other ones without a doubt. As far as thinking what my mechanic said was obsurd, let me clarify a little better, it wasn’t that I thought he was wrong or dumb for giving me that diagnostic, but it was more of a surprise because I had never heard of such a thing, and I had already assumed that it was a lifter. That aside, I’ve already ordered the window switch, which ran me around $55. Still need to look into the AC. Honestly though, I’m already looking into rebuild kits. i personally can’t speak on how the car was driven before I had obtained it. Supposedly the car was traded in by an older couple to get a newer mustang. I’d really like to mildly build the car, but I’m a tad skeptical due to the higher mileage. I’d say probably the biggest mods I’d do to the car is a set of cams, with some bolt ones and a tune. Other than that I’ll probably lower it with some new wheels and call it good but I want to make sure I have a good starting platform as far as engine and transmission goes.
9/25/18, 01:01 AM
#4
Legacy TMS Member
The engine is well known and should fairly easily get to 300K if it was already taken care of. Even now, modding it a little shouldn't hurt it. Cams shouldn't hurt it, I'd think, if you're not force inducting it or runnin' nitrous, right? Just a CAI, cams, exhaust and tune? If that's 'all', you shouldn't have to worry...
The TR3650 transmission is stout. It'll take plenty of power... to a point, mind. Has issues with the shifter being notchy or maybe a little reluctant to go into some gears due to the three rail internals and the remote shifter, but there's internal stops so you won't over reach the shifter mechanism. And it may or may not benefit from Mobil 1 ATF I've just recently discovered, so if you have problems with the thing not goin' into first at a stop or such, maybe try swappin' the fluid out. If you go uppin' horsepower/torque too much, though, you may want to change out the input shaft to the 26 spline instead of the 10 spline, which will also need the clutch disc to match. A mild engine build probably won't need it, but a strong build would. Maybe upgrade to a stage 2 clutch to handle the extra powah.
How far low you gonna go? What's the plan, if you have one? What wheels ya lookin' at?
The TR3650 transmission is stout. It'll take plenty of power... to a point, mind. Has issues with the shifter being notchy or maybe a little reluctant to go into some gears due to the three rail internals and the remote shifter, but there's internal stops so you won't over reach the shifter mechanism. And it may or may not benefit from Mobil 1 ATF I've just recently discovered, so if you have problems with the thing not goin' into first at a stop or such, maybe try swappin' the fluid out. If you go uppin' horsepower/torque too much, though, you may want to change out the input shaft to the 26 spline instead of the 10 spline, which will also need the clutch disc to match. A mild engine build probably won't need it, but a strong build would. Maybe upgrade to a stage 2 clutch to handle the extra powah.
How far low you gonna go? What's the plan, if you have one? What wheels ya lookin' at?
9/26/18, 02:20 PM
#5
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Mitch, my friend "houtex" has already given you a lot of good info., so I'll just opine a little. At 4200 bucks, you got a deal cheap enough to fix the few things that need attention. And the good thing is you can do some mods, and still not have a ton of money in the car. I bought an '06 GT w/89K miles to renew my "shade tree" mechanical ability, and to get out of the brides hair. After doing the brakes, belt, plugs, fluids, etc., with 97K miles the car has just ran along great for the nearly 2 years I've owned it. These little cars have a proven reliability, and as my friend said will run seemingly forever. Congratulations on the deal, and enjoy building it the way you want.
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houtex (9/27/18)
9/26/18, 04:26 PM
#6
Thanks everyone. I’m starting to think the car may have been run a little harder than originally thought, I know the injector tick has been identified but it seems to have more of a “tick” than just the injectors. So far what I’ve noticed is that when accelerating in either first or reverse, the car has a pretty loud tick coming from underneath the car(maybe even a slight rattle?). I also hear it at lower rpms. One of the sounds I’m hearing also tends to become a little more frequent as the Rpms climb. I haven’t noticed any changes in the driving of the car, as it’s still smooth as can be. I haven’t even put my foot into it at all because the sounds have had me a little uneasy. Also, if anyone knows where I can get some of the screws that hold the fog lights into the grill, I’d really appreciate some insight on that, because my local ford dealership is no help, and I’ve checked almost every junk yard in my area. Once I get this stuff figured out I’ll start modding. I’m looking into full exhaust. I’ve never had long tubes. Are they worth the $400-$600 price tag? Im going H pipe for sure, I’m not a huge fan of the X pipe sound, but with the h pipe I’ll more than likely get it with high flow cats. Does anyone have any good exhaust brand recommendations? I’ll be sure to look into all suggestions. I’ll also get A cold air intake for sure with the 62mm throttle body, I’ll probably upgrade to the Ford Racing intake manifold as well. As far as cams go I’ve been heavily favoring the FRPP hot rod cams. I was also looking into tuners but the two main ones I’m stuck between is the Sct x4 and the Bama tuner. I hear a lot of crap about Bama but I also hear good things. The SCT would be cool if I didn’t have to pay for every tune. The car is going to be my daily so it’ll probably just stay an NA car with bolt ons. I’ve also been debating on changing the gears out. I personally think the 3.73’s would probably fit my drive style a little better than the 4.10’s but I’m open to opinions on either one because I’ve never driven a car with the 4.10’s.
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wanted33 (9/28/18)
9/27/18, 11:26 AM
#7
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Mitch, I don't know much about tuners, so I'll leave that to those that do. As far as Long Tube headers they are like anything else, you get what you pay for. Some of the better exhaust systems, and mufflers are Borla, and Corsa (that are a bit more raspy), and the Ford Performance mufflers (that are re-tuned Borla's). I have the FPRR 500 mufflers on my '06, and I really like them. They sound more like the old muscle cars paired with an H-pipe. Check with some of our forum vendors like American Muscle, and CJ Pony Parts, etc. Ford the screws, body, and exterior parts I suggest some of the larger Ford dealer's that sell parts online, Fairway Ford, Hennessy Ford, etc. I bought from both of those on Ebay. They have a ton of parts in their Ebay stores, and have good customer service. And if I was changing rear gears for a DD I would go with the 3.73's. The 4.10's will get you off the line quickly, but at cruising speeds along with in-town driving the engine will be running at higher rpm's. Of course with higher rpm's comes lower mpg's. As cams go I like the ****** Thumpers, but the FPRR's are a close second choice.
9/27/18, 01:20 PM
#8
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. . . the sounds have had me a little uneasy. . . . where I can get some of the screws that hold the fog lights into the grill, . . . . . I’m looking into full exhaust. I’ve never had long tubes. Are they worth the $400-$600 price tag? Im going H pipe for sure, . . . . . I’ll also get A cold air intake for sure with the 62mm throttle body, I’ll probably upgrade to the Ford Racing intake manifold as well. . . . . I was also looking into tuners but the two main ones I’m stuck between is the Sct x4 and the Bama tuner. . . . . I personally think the 3.73’s would probably fit my drive style a little better than the 4.10’s but I’m open to opinions on either one because I’ve never driven a car with the 4.10’s.
those sounds would make me a little uneasy too, but the easiest way to find out if something is going to break, is to go ahead and get on it, and see if something breaks
Long tube headers are going to cost more like $1,000-2,000 including a catted mid-pipe, plus installation. These cars already have H-pipes from the factory; if you are talking about cat-delete H-pipe, be aware that the EPA is cracking down on that kind of thing. I'd suggest you try some new mufflers first and see if you like the sound, there are loads of them available, you might find some cheap on your local craig's list.
Aftermarket intake is always one of the first mods; bigger throttle body is a waste of time and money; on the intake, pay attention to where it draws the air from, you want a true cold air intake, not a hot-air-from-under-the-hood intake. Ford racing manifold is mainly a high RPM improvement; generally not what you want for normal street use.
Bama sells tuners made by SCT, with their tunes installed; the tuner itself is the same. I have seen a lot of negative feedback on Bama lately, but the Bama tunes that I have seem to be fine; though they are a few years old. From my internet studies, it seems "Lito" is one of the best remote tuners; you can use the SCT tuner with his tunes, but yes you will need to pay him for the tune(s). If you have a local dyno tuner that could be a good option, but make sure they know what they are doing with Mustangs.
I have 3.73 rear gears in my car, and i would not want any shorter gearing; I know for sure I would not like 4.10's . . . I think 3.55 is perfect for these cars, assuming you drive on the street and don't want to be shifting like a madman all the time.
9/27/18, 02:22 PM
#9
That’s some useful info. I’m glad you guys were for the 3.73 gears. To me they just made the most sense (if I were to change from stock) and now I’m confident that that would be the right choice.
As for the cams, I know the Hot rod cams don’t require any other installation parts or upgrades to get in the car. Do the ***** thumper cams require more than just springs and such? I was thinking maybe I replace the springs regardless since I’m sitting around 163k miles.
as far as exhaust goes, I’ve taken notice of the crack down on emissions which i get but I’m in an area where emissions aren’t that big of a deal because my area is so small but I was hoping for something with high flow cats anyways. Do you guys have any experience with high flow cats vs stock cats? I’d like a little more sound out of my exhaust but I don’t want to go catless because I’m not trying to be obnoxiously loud, but I want to be a bit louder than what the stock cats allow. I was also leaning towards Kooks headers and mid-pipe. Pretty pricey but I see pretty good reviews for be most part. Maybe even a Pro-chamber? I don’t know a lot about those yet.
I’ve also been pretty curious about rebuild kits. I haven’t been able to really find a whole lot about them yet. Do they even have aftermarket heads for these? At some point I’m going to rebuild the motor, or get a remanufactured motor at some point in time, but as far as remanufactured goes, I hear jasper and Remanns engines are total crap. Their warranty is also crap from what I understand.
As for the cams, I know the Hot rod cams don’t require any other installation parts or upgrades to get in the car. Do the ***** thumper cams require more than just springs and such? I was thinking maybe I replace the springs regardless since I’m sitting around 163k miles.
as far as exhaust goes, I’ve taken notice of the crack down on emissions which i get but I’m in an area where emissions aren’t that big of a deal because my area is so small but I was hoping for something with high flow cats anyways. Do you guys have any experience with high flow cats vs stock cats? I’d like a little more sound out of my exhaust but I don’t want to go catless because I’m not trying to be obnoxiously loud, but I want to be a bit louder than what the stock cats allow. I was also leaning towards Kooks headers and mid-pipe. Pretty pricey but I see pretty good reviews for be most part. Maybe even a Pro-chamber? I don’t know a lot about those yet.
I’ve also been pretty curious about rebuild kits. I haven’t been able to really find a whole lot about them yet. Do they even have aftermarket heads for these? At some point I’m going to rebuild the motor, or get a remanufactured motor at some point in time, but as far as remanufactured goes, I hear jasper and Remanns engines are total crap. Their warranty is also crap from what I understand.
9/28/18, 11:41 AM
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That’s some useful info. I’m glad you guys were for the 3.73 gears. To me they just made the most sense (if I were to change from stock) and now I’m confident that that would be the right choice.
As for the cams, I know the Hot rod cams don’t require any other installation parts or upgrades to get in the car. Do the ***** thumper cams require more than just springs and such? I was thinking maybe I replace the springs regardless since I’m sitting around 163k miles.
as far as exhaust goes, I’ve taken notice of the crack down on emissions which i get but I’m in an area where emissions aren’t that big of a deal because my area is so small but I was hoping for something with high flow cats anyways. Do you guys have any experience with high flow cats vs stock cats? I’d like a little more sound out of my exhaust but I don’t want to go catless because I’m not trying to be obnoxiously loud, but I want to be a bit louder than what the stock cats allow. I was also leaning towards Kooks headers and mid-pipe. Pretty pricey but I see pretty good reviews for be most part. Maybe even a Pro-chamber? I don’t know a lot about those yet.
I’ve also been pretty curious about rebuild kits. I haven’t been able to really find a whole lot about them yet. Do they even have aftermarket heads for these? At some point I’m going to rebuild the motor, or get a remanufactured motor at some point in time, but as far as remanufactured goes, I hear jasper and Remanns engines are total crap. Their warranty is also crap from what I understand.
As for the cams, I know the Hot rod cams don’t require any other installation parts or upgrades to get in the car. Do the ***** thumper cams require more than just springs and such? I was thinking maybe I replace the springs regardless since I’m sitting around 163k miles.
as far as exhaust goes, I’ve taken notice of the crack down on emissions which i get but I’m in an area where emissions aren’t that big of a deal because my area is so small but I was hoping for something with high flow cats anyways. Do you guys have any experience with high flow cats vs stock cats? I’d like a little more sound out of my exhaust but I don’t want to go catless because I’m not trying to be obnoxiously loud, but I want to be a bit louder than what the stock cats allow. I was also leaning towards Kooks headers and mid-pipe. Pretty pricey but I see pretty good reviews for be most part. Maybe even a Pro-chamber? I don’t know a lot about those yet.
I’ve also been pretty curious about rebuild kits. I haven’t been able to really find a whole lot about them yet. Do they even have aftermarket heads for these? At some point I’m going to rebuild the motor, or get a remanufactured motor at some point in time, but as far as remanufactured goes, I hear jasper and Remanns engines are total crap. Their warranty is also crap from what I understand.
6/6/20, 09:56 AM
#11
Stayed up late last night to read and re read, think you missed your calling, you should be writing self help books or working with the gang from roadkill, as a Mechanic I have lived those jobs and loved reading your trials and tribulations ith those moments of successes. Congrats on getting her back on the road for summer, I think I get Sally back in to three weeks.
6/7/20, 07:25 AM
#13
THE RED FLASH ------Moderator
Also belated welcome to TMS 
6/8/20, 08:15 AM
#14
Aw, Thanks, just been watching looking and listening, but as Sally is now in Semi retirement and will only be allowed to play outside till Oct-Nov. I was planning to do the lifters this winter as she has a slight tick but me thinks after reading this I will go a little bit further and do the chains as well, I want her all perfect for her route 66 tour. She has been in the body shop getting a make over since Late December and they have promised paint by the weeks end, then put her back together.
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m05fastbackGT (6/8/20)
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