Things that infuriate me about my Mustang

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 02/22/2016 at 21:45 • Filed to: mustang

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To say Ford made some questionable design decisions with the S197 Mustang is an understatement. Here are some ‘WTF’-inducing things I’ve found in a month of ownership and repair.

The door handle rods are a threaded rod that is CLAMPED in place by a soft plastic fitting which inevitably slips and causes floppy loose external door handles. Re-aligning the pushrod only temporarily fixes the problem.

Plastic. Thermostat. Housing.

Running hot coolant through the throttle body for “de icing”. All it does it heat up your intake charge. Was removed in 2006 because Ford realized they were idiots

Everything about the radiator assembly. Sure! Let’s just TANGLE the lower mounts in A/C hardlines to make getting the radiator in and out as difficult as possible! Oh, also a trans cooler. Put one of those in there with 1/2" of clearance to get a comically small ratcheting wrench in.

Exhaust harmonics make the whole car shake at 1600rpm. Ford obviously knew about this because they haphazardly welded a couple pounds of weight onto the MUFFLER in order to “fix” it. It didn’t work.

Taking off the axleback requires partially removing the midpipe because the slip fitting faces rearwards, and the exhaust hangars face frontwards, each preventing you from removing the other. Brilliant.

Why the hell does the V6 have a one-piece driveshaft and the V8 a two-piece?

Stunningly poorly designed brackets for the hydraulics that operate the convertible top. The whole assembly is held together by one bolt with no loctite and only a quarter inch of threads. Failure of this makes the hydraulic cylinder smash into and damage the seatbelt mechanism.

Exceptionally poor shaping of some of the door panel pieces. They don’t even come close to fitting snug in their place

Coin holder right above a 12v socket. It’s a known issue that change can fall out of the coin holder and land in the socket, which is oriented so that you can’t tell if something is in it without a mirror. Mine had a penny and a dime stuck in it when I got the car.

That’s all I can think of right now. Even after going through it with a fine-toothed comb and putting in a new engine I never had so many “WTF why did they do this?” moments with the Civic. I haven’t worked on the Miata enough to comment.

RacinBob > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 21:59

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Thankyou for writing this. It all comes down to not caring enough about taking the time to get it right. I hope this gets sent to Ford’s CEO, and I hope they are a better company today... Plastic thermostat housings. Come on........But then again, maybe they were copying BMW........

Urambo Tauro > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:00

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Just try to check the transmission fluid...

Chariotoflove > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:20

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So you're saying you like the car then.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:21

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That’s quite the list there

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Urambo Tauro 02/22/2016 at 22:21

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Or take off the oil filter!

His Stigness > RacinBob 02/22/2016 at 22:21

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Haha what an idiot. Whenever there is a rubber gasket or o-ring, you do not need to add ANOTHER GASKET! RTV is a gasket, that’s why he called it “gasket maker.” If you’ve already got a gasket, why would you add another one???

It wouldn’t be so bad if idiots like this didn’t take their idiocy with them to German cars.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Chariotoflove 02/22/2016 at 22:21

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no ragrets

C62030 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:22

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Good ol’ quality American engineering! *Sits down, opens beer*

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 02/22/2016 at 22:22

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Is it weird that I still like the damn thing even after all that crap?

Chasaboo > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:27

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The fact that Miss New Jersey recently died driving a Mustang has me pretty peeved as well.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > C62030 02/22/2016 at 22:30

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This car perfectly embodies our foreign policy.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Chasaboo 02/22/2016 at 22:31

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Oh, damn, really?

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:32

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Kinda weird. I probably wouldn’t deal with all of that

C62030 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:40

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Sometimes I think there are a lot of car companies with posters in the design office that say “If it ain’t broke, break it.”

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:41

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Hey, if Ford will make an entire intake manifold out of plastic (think 4.6), then what’s gonna stop them from doing it on a t-stat housing?

Also, I feel that stupid coolant through the throttle body bullshit. C4 has that as well.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 22:52

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Plastic thermostat sounds like classic BMW, the heated intake is probably Ford complicating something unnecessary.

RacinBob > C62030 02/22/2016 at 23:23

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The office of VAVE goals slogan. If it ain’t broke, cost reduce it. Remember, we own the cost reductions, the customer owns the costs....... BONUS!!!!!

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage 02/22/2016 at 23:24

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*looks pointedly at the Buick 3800 Series I and II* Yeah, plastic intake manifold. Who would do a thing like that? *looks back at his Ford 4.0* yeah... huh.

 > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage 02/22/2016 at 23:30

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Plastic manifold which was surprisingly durable after they fixed the plastic coolant crossover that cracked and spewed coolant all over the engine. Just about all new cars use a plastic intake though.

 > C62030 02/22/2016 at 23:31

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Still 100 times better than German engineering. Every try replacing an alternator on an E38?

greenagain > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/22/2016 at 23:34

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Sounds like you’d find working on a Miata would be a dream come true. They’re super simple, logical (in most ways), and so easy. I once managed to replace my dash board in my Miata in just over half a day.

RacinBob > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage 02/22/2016 at 23:35

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By the way, I am not against plastic. Plastics are excellent materials.

I am against plastic done badly as a cost reduction when if ford bothered to add one more bolt or a better joining system, it would have lasted forever, but hey, there wasn’t time in the schedule or manpower so what the hey.....

RacinBob > RacinBob 02/22/2016 at 23:36

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Honda uses plenty of plastics. Done right. That’s my point........

d15b > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 00:07

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lol!

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 00:11

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Ford has been doing plastic thermostat housings since the 90's.

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage 02/23/2016 at 03:15

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Well every car manufacturer uses plastic intake manifolds. I actually work for a major supplier of plastic intake manifolds and air ducts. I work on Audi projects, but there are Mercedes, BMW, GM, PSA, FCA, everyone.

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 03:21

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I always wondered how american manufacturers could build such cool cars as the Mustang and the Camaro and sell them for the price of a Clio with some options. I understood when I saw them in real life.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > greenagain 02/23/2016 at 06:55

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Only work I’ve really done to the Miata is fiddling with some interior bits and replacing the exhaust. For what that’s worth, it was all pretty simple. It does seem like there’s a silly amount of crap you have to unbolt just to get the valve cover off, though.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 07:04

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Heated intake manifold is something to do with fuel cooling and icing up problems if memory serves me right. Definitely happened more with carbed cars where the fuel enters the airflow before the manifold and cools it enough to form ice.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > RacinBob 02/23/2016 at 07:28

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This.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 02/23/2016 at 07:30

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That’s cool. I guess I phrased wrong. I have no problem with plastic (not exactly my favorite thing either though), but, when its done right, there’s no problem.

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage >  02/23/2016 at 07:31

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Yeah, fair point. Like I said, I guess I phrased wrong. I have no problem with plastic, so long as it’s done correctly.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 02/23/2016 at 08:37

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That’s fords official reason, I believe. But obviously it proved unnecessary since it was only around for one model year.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 09:29

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The coolant lines through the throttle body is nothing new. Ford’s been doing that since at least the mid ‘80s. It was initially for emissions and to help with cooling the EGR system gases according to Ford. It was used on the base 302 and HO versions, but the 93 Cobra motors have no provision for it and they did just fine without. The 4.6 3v has no EGR system at all.

I didn’t have to touch my mid pipe to remove the axle back setup on my GT when I did the first exhaust (I’ve since upgraded the mid pipe and went with a NEW axle back).

The 12v charging socket is SUPPOSED to have a removable cover.

The V6 driveshaft will not hold up to the V8s torque. MANY companies manufactured a one piece driveshaft for the V8. Almost all of them had vibration issues, especially with the auto. No bueno for bracket racing.

Someone on the Allfordmustangs forum found a way to thread those door rods for a bit instead of a clamp. Inexpensive fix. I’ll find it. Haven’t had issue with my handles yet thankfully.

The A/C lines are routed in a fashion where engineers forgot that things do in fact break and someone is gonna have to get in there. For what it’s worth, I wish my 2 Fox chassis cars had come with a nice separate trans cooler like the S197 does. The integrated one is simply not enough. Had to add a monster sized one to the Cougar after the engine/trans mods I did.

I got nothing concerning the convertible top. I’m a hardtop man.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 09:48

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That either means it was unnecessary or the extra cost of parts was deemed to outweigh the benefit...

In this instance I'd go for unnecessary, but you do have to be careful with cheaply produced cars (coming from someone with a great deal of interest in the products of BL)

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 02/23/2016 at 10:27

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Yeah, but it’s interesting how after one year of this in the S197 they go “eh, nah.”

Huh. Maybe the dual exhaust on the GT is different arrangement than the single exhaust on the V6? I see no way to get that slip fitting or the exhaust hangers off without the midpipe sliding forward three inches.

Yeah, and it does, but if it’s left open for any reason HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CHANGE! Which obviously happens often, given the sheer number of people who have this problem. Why not just put the change holer in a different location? Or the 12v socket? Then a stupid cover wouldn’t be needed!

My problem is that the V6 doesn’t have a two piece. I’ve read a lot about the tendency of the single-piece driveshaft in the V6 cars to go out of balance.

I might look for that. Would be nice. I considered getting a couple of nuts and using them to clamp it down, but I’m not sure where to find some like that.

Yuuuup. This is true.

I wish I had a hardtop :(

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 11:00

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My problem is that the V6 doesn’t have a two piece. I’ve read a lot about the tendency of the single-piece driveshaft in the V6 cars to go out of balance.

Not only that, but the speed limiter is on the V6 for good reason A quick Google search will show videos of the V6 driveshaft grenading in vehicles with the speed limiter removed. The problem compounds itself with a rear axle ratio change from say the stock 3.31's to something like 3.73s or 4.10s and it can happen at a lower speed. No bueno if you’re a road/drag racer.

My friend with the supercharged 2006 V6 hardtop has done extensive suspension mods and an upgraded driveshaft was one of the FIRST things he did to the car. I’ll ask him which one he went with. He’s had zero issues as far as I know.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > RacinBob 02/23/2016 at 11:05

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Best reliability modification one can do to a 4.0 equipped S197.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > His Stigness 02/23/2016 at 11:07

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You can use just a little bit on the gasket to help keep it in place during installation. Like on an old school 302 thermostat housing where the gasket is in the vertical position on install and moves around REAL easily.

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 11:19

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His Stigness > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 02/23/2016 at 12:05

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Yeah you can use a little, but not rtv. They make a type of gasket glue which is mainly used for paper gaskets, but can be used to keep any type of gasket in place. But I’ve neverr had to use it on o-rings or any type of rubber gasket because if it’s engineered properly they have little tabs that keep the gasket in place. I suspect since the metal housing in this video is aftermarket they left those out. It’s been a while since I’ve done a thermo housing a Mustang, but I don’t remember having a problem with the gaskets staying in place.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! 02/23/2016 at 12:13

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Isn’t it something like 96mph the driveshaft had a tendency to un-exist?

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 12:17

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Speed limiter is at 112 in stock applications. Most videos I saw it happened a little above that with stock gears and the speed limiter removed. 96 could very well be possible with swapped rear end gears or another issue with the shaft.

wiffleballtony > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 14:25

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I too own an S197, I’ve had mine for around 5 years now. Haven’t had any complaints, swapping the axle back wasn’t that big of a deal, it wasn’t super easy though.

wiffleballtony > C62030 02/23/2016 at 14:28

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I believe the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, you ain’t trying"

C62030 >  02/23/2016 at 15:55

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The thing with German cars is that yes, most of them are excellently engineered with a spirit of precision and quality and they work very nicely. Just not for very long.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > wiffleballtony 02/23/2016 at 16:23

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Yeah, looks like you have to unbolt the mounts themselves. Looks like I’ll be buying a wrench set for that. Is yours a 4.0 or 4.6?

wiffleballtony > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 16:26

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5.0L

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > wiffleballtony 02/23/2016 at 16:29

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Oh, a facelifted S197? Those are significantly different, IIRC, from my pre-facelift one.

wiffleballtony > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 16:34

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Yeah, mines a first face lifted 2012 S197. Not the sad trombone 2010 though.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > wiffleballtony 02/23/2016 at 16:44

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What happened in 2010? I recall reading something about them being weird but never looked into it ‘cuz I don’t have one.

wiffleballtony > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/23/2016 at 16:50

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It combined the old engines with the new face lift. In 2011 both the new 5.0 and 3.6 debuted making the 2010 the bastard of the group.

bryan40oop > wiffleballtony 02/23/2016 at 17:47

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I laugh at people with those. I work with one guy that has a 2010 gt. And a former co-worker bought her son a 2010 roush stage 1, the ultimate poser car.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > wiffleballtony 02/23/2016 at 18:43

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Man, I’d love a 3.6. Those things are badass little V6s. And I’m pretty sure the 5.0 gets better fuel economy than my 4.0 V6 :(

wiffleballtony > bryan40oop 02/23/2016 at 18:49

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Oh jeez, that’s the stupidest ever.