"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
07/28/2015 at 22:00 • Filed to: None
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"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
07/28/2015 at 22:00 • Filed to: None | 2
| 8 |
Yesterday, I was in a bit of a pickle with my Saturn-that-wants-to-be-a-racecar. I had stripped out the interior, and now it seemed that it wasn’t going to start. And naturally it did that when I wanted to get the P71 infront of the garage so I could start tearing some stuff apart.
When I got home from work today, I tried it again, and it still wouldn’t go. Whatever, I can hear the fuel pump working, that says to me the issue is either the starter or the ignition switch itself. A little while later, my dad came by and helped me try to pop start it...the car is nosed into my driveway, so we did it in reverse. I pushed, he dumped the clutch, and it fired right up.
I’ll tell you guys, that little piece of shit runs GREAT. No smoke, idles great, doesn’t make any weird noises. 270k miles, and it runs better than the Civic I just got rid of.
Anyway, I stuffed it out behind the house and started working on the Crown Vic, but it was like 90 degrees out, so I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to do. Here’s what looks like progress for today:
Lots of things work really well on this car, but the gauge cluster isn’t one of them. The digital odometer is dead, the idiot lights rarely work, and even the shift selector indicator wasn’t working. I ordered a new indicator, which was $25 from Quirk Ford. I wanted to order it from Tasca, but it was $7 more...I like the Tascas and all, but not for a 25% premium. Anyway, I’m sending the cluster out tomorrow to a guy who offers a repair service on eBay since I can’t register the car until I get a VIN check done, and I can’t get a VIN check without an odometer reading. Good times!
I also did this, just for shits and giggles. The grill was looking a little faded, so I hit it with some Rustoleum primer, and then some Rustoleum satin black. Looks a lot better now, way better in fact than the paint on any other part of the car. Ah well.
I’m really looking forward to getting that car registered and driving it every day. It’s so damn big and loud, it’s fantastic, though I do plan to quiet it down a little bit. Which reminds me, any of you guys have any experience with resonator exhaust tips? I’m thinking about swapping out the mufflers, but I want to change out the tips anyway, and I figure I could go with resonator tips and maybe tone down the sound just a little bit that way.
jkm7680
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
07/28/2015 at 22:17 |
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The stock exhaust has a nice rumble to it, so that wouldn’t be the end of the world if you switched back.
I love the sound that the 4.6 makes under acceleration of all types. The high stall torque converter makes that great noise that goes so nicely with the sound of a V8.
Justin Hughes
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
07/29/2015 at 00:17 |
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My P71 came with a pair of Flowmaster mufflers on the otherwise stock exhaust. I absolutely loved the sounds it made.
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That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
> Justin Hughes
07/29/2015 at 05:55 |
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This one appears to have a full custom exhaust...no cats, X pipe, probably Flowmasters. It's pretty loud. I personally don't mind, it sounds great, but I leave for work fairly early and don't want my neighbors to completely hate me, haha.
MM54
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
07/29/2015 at 19:05 |
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That first picture looks familiar...
Last summer I replaced all of the bulbs in the dash (except one) and HVAC control, and removed and polished the cluster lens which was really badly crazed. To top it off, I cleaned all the hard plastic on the trim piece which runs along the dash with a magic eraser. It looked almost as good as new when I got it all back together - far better than the rest of the car.
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That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
> MM54
07/29/2015 at 19:20 |
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I’ll definitely say one thing for the car so far, it’s super easy to work on. The long trim pieces pulled off by hand, then two sockets took the whole dash apart. My radiator cooling fan just showed up today, so I’ll start on that tomorrow. Which reminds me, this car must have a monster radiator, because I’ve got no cooling fan and it’s been 90 every day I’ve had it. The thing will just sit there and idle, happy as a pig in shit, and not come up past halfway on the temp gauge
Was yours an original cruise control car? I’ve heard on 05+ cars, you can swap in the cruise control steering wheel (which mine already has) and get your computer flashed to add cruise, which is definitely something I’d like to do despite my 6 mile drive to work.
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MM54
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
07/29/2015 at 19:29 |
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I was blown away how easily the whole dash comes apart when I did that work on it, and most of the car is that way (there are a few things that are horrible, such as ‘02 and earlier rear shocks). My radiator is full of coolant that is the color of old oil (isn’t oily though) and the gap between the condenser and radiator is 35%... stuff... and even sitting in traffic today in 90+ weather the electric fan barely ran, and the temps were stable. Trans cooler is pretty standard stuff, but the P71 also has the benefit of a oil cooler and power steering cooler, which are, well, cool.
As far as I know, it’s always had cruise control. Before they went to throttle-by-wire in 2005 it had a servo module like in every ford with cruise, and I don’t imagine the wiring would be there without. My ‘03 didn’t have cruise but I didn’t have it long enough to ever look in to it. My current (2002) p71 has it (as you’ve seen) but it didn’t work for a long time - I spent a lot of time and a decent bit of money to get it working, and prompty remembered that I really don’t like cruise control and haven’t used it other than the day after I fixed it.
So to answer your question - I think on the ‘05 and up cars it’s just a flash at the dealer away from working. If you have the buttons (and don’t know for sure that it didn’t have cruise before) and it doesn’t work, it may be worth cleaning out the contacts under the big plastic rockers - all of mine needed it. The covers are pretty easy to remove. I don’t know the full diagnostic system for the ‘05 and up. Do you have a cruise light on the dash?
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That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
> MM54
07/29/2015 at 20:27 |
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Ha, that's pretty funny about your cruise. I've been there...spend a bunch of time fixing something or installing something, and then never using it. When I got my Civic, I spent an hour or two soldering wiring harnesses to swap my radio from my truck into the Civic and vice versa because the truck had a nice Sony digital media player head unit...then whenever I drove the Civic I just listened to FM radio.
Most of the lights on my dash haven’t been working, so I actually don’t know. I tried the buttons, nothing turned on or did anything. The previous owner said that it didn’t have cruise to begin with, but apparently they all had the wiring for it...so with the drive by wire, you just hook the connector up and you’re a flash away from cruise, which is kinda cool.
I’ve got the thing apart, so I’ll absolutely do the contacts before I stuff it back together when the cluster comes back. Then at some point I’ll bring it to Tasca Ford and have them flash the computer for me and see what happens.
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MM54
> That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
07/29/2015 at 20:37 |
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Cool - sounds like a plan.
Speak of abandoned plans, I have a ported plenum and new transmission filter laying somewhere that have been gathering dust for over a year...