Back on the road - IT'S ALIVE

[B3NN3TT]

You're looking at the proud new owner of a Ford Racing Torsen limited-slip differential. This is now the most expensive part I've ever bought for this car. And if everything arrives intact, a HUGE thumbs up will go out to Southwest Ford in Texas, who had the lowest price I could find anywhere, and VERY reasonable shipping.

Delivery should come next week, and I'll be out of town. So the date is set for the drivetrain upgrade - February 29 through March 1, at my dad's house in Portsmouth.

I'll be installing the Torsen differential, SVT clutch, Fidanza flywheel, and Weapon-R y-pipe. I also have to replace a brake caliper, since one of mine has a broken bleeder screw, and I'll probably need to bleed those after replacing the clutch.

Anyways, I'm pretty excited, and more than a little intimidated by it all. I'll take plenty of pictures of the carnage :)

This thread will serve as my progress report, or sorts. Stay tuned for updates...

[JAMallott]

<--Jealous.

[MagicHallucinations]

Sweet Andy.....can't wait to see the progress pics:)

[LinkMan]

Congrats on the torque biasing diff find! :thumbsup: Good luck on the install too.

If you need a hand, not a knowledgeable hand, but someone to hold tools, let me know. I could help out on Saturday if you need it, it's only two hours away :)

[nadthomas]

Ditto. If you need hand let me know. I have never dropped the subframe and pulled just the transmission, but I have at least pulled the entire drivetrain out the top before.

[B3NN3TT]

The plan is to start the teardown on Friday evening, and do most of the work on Saturday. So depending on how Friday goes, some of you might be getting a phone call :rofl:

[CincyZetec]

Mod Meet!! :)

[Pyro81]

Hell, i'd drive down and give a hand. I'd rather do this then get together at that gaming place. All i do is walk around or sit on my ass at that place. I'm not into games as much as i used to be...

[Madcat]

Plus that night everyone can come over and drink at my place(well minus Andy) Im assuming he will be staying at his dads in Portsmoth.

Perfect, I like the idea.

Help Andy during the day, come drink/watch the UFC fight at night at my place. Sounds lovely!!

I cant wait to see pics!

[streetracer8605]

Nice list you got andy, i'd offer a hand but i've been tied up in TN lately. If I'm back up in Ohio around that time I'll see how everything is going.

[Asymmetric]

I'll try to make it up there to help ya out but being tax season and all, its going to be tough to get a weekend off~

[wadespencer99]

Andy, I've dropped the trans out the bottom a couple times. I can't make it out to Ohio, but I'll PM you my phone number in case you don't still have it. Feel free to call if you need anything at all!

Good luck man!

[B3NN3TT]

Lookit what came in the mail...

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n188/bennett9000/Cougar/mime-attachment.jpg

Goodbye tax return; hello 2-wheel burnouts :)

[wadespencer99]

Mmmmm....beautiful :)

[nadthomas]

:banana:

[B3NN3TT]

A little more parts porn:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n188/bennett9000/Cougar/DSC00044.jpg

[JAMallott]

If someone breaks into your house tonight, and all that is gone, then just so you know, it wasn't me. But, if it IS me, I'll be kind and leave the $10 I owe you on your kitchen table :)

[nadthomas]

How's it going Andy?

[Tygerr]

It's a nice day to be working on the car. :)

[B3NN3TT]

Hey, guys - halfway done. Will be finishing it NEXT weekend. I forgot to buy differential bearings, so it's totally my fault.

GOt a lot of work done, and took a lot of pictures. Heading out to the SPACE convention now, and roller derby at 5, so I'll post more later.

[nadthomas]

Oh no, we suck again!

Sound kind of like my engine swap, I expected the clutch to be fine since it has less then 30k on it, but it wasn't so I had to week a week on parts to finish the job. Glad to hear otherwise that it is going well.

[B3NN3TT]

Yeah, my stock clutch and flywheel were in EXCELLENT shape, especially for the amount of hard mileage on it.


The differential was LIQUEFIED. There were no spider gears left on one end of it. I took photos, but I left my camera in the garage; so I'll post those next weekend.

Transmission removal is a NASTY, NASTY business. We had to unhook and remove so many things, I'm not sure how we'll ever get it put back together correctly.

So here's what transpired:

The old transmission was pulled, and the old ring gear was installed on the new Torsen differential. I popped open my junkyard donor transmission, and it was in even better shape than my original one (which, besides the differential, wasn't too shabby itself). So we're using the donor and the Torsen. All that's left now is to have the new bearings pressed onto the Torsen and put the tranny back together, then it can go back in the car.

In the meantime, I replaced the water pump (the old one had been weeping a little for years), and the thermostat (which had never been replaced as long as I've owned the car). I broke the ECTS when we were pulling the trans, so that got replaced too. Installed the Weapon-R Y-pipe (the old one came off surprisingly easily). Installed the Fidanza flywheel and SVT clutch disc and pressure plate.

This coming Saturday, we'll do the Diff, install the slave cylinder, and install the transmission, and replace the driver's side axle boot (it got a pinhole when I was installing it last summer). And that should be that.

REALLY want my car back.

[Tygerr]

Sounds like things are going well. I hear ya on wanting your car back. I would go NUTS not driving my car, even if it's to the gas station and back.

[wadespencer99]

Glad to hear it went fairly well, Andy. How hard was it to install the new diff?

[B3NN3TT]

Glad to hear it went fairly well, Andy. How hard was it to install the new diff?

Well, it just drops in, really. It's not an issue whatsoever. The only tricky part is having the bearings pressed onto it, and the speedo gear pressed onto it. So I need to find a shop to do that for me. But once those are in place, it just falls into place, and you close it up. Nothing to it.

[streetracer8605]

hey andy, if you need any help this weekend feel free to give me a call. as far as i know i should be free, and your not too far from me. i pm'ed you my cell.

[B3NN3TT]

Well, it's ALMOST done. We made a lot of progress tonight; the transaxle is bolted up, the subframe is bolted up, the motor mounts are bolted up.

We still need to install the axles and suspension, and re-connect the steering shaft. Fill the transaxle with fluid. Top off the brake/clutch fluid and coolant. Then we'll need to bleed the clutch (although it appears to have gravity-bled pretty well).

SO CLOSE!

I'll post all my pictures in a couple of days, after it's running again.

[B3NN3TT]

OK, I got a few pics.

Stock clutch (not bad at all):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3236/2334586904_3b590a1a45.jpg


Stock flywheel (again, nice):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2185/2333759017_7e6fd04d97.jpg


Stock differential (oops):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2108/2334585002_4565bd3cdb.jpg


The magnet inside the tranny case:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2175/2334584224_855a7d3e6e.jpg


There; isn't that better?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2334587886_04789f3daa.jpg
I got a few more. But those pretty much summed it all up.

[Madcat]

Andy, OMG how was that thing even driveable. I cant believe it didnt drop the drivetrain right there at a stop light lol.

Glad too see things are working out well though!

[Tygerr]

Wow. That's a lot of metal shavings.

[nadthomas]

Good work Andy.

[B3NN3TT]

It's alive!!

I drove it back to Columbus this afternoon, and it's mostly OK.

The transaxle replacement is FLAWLESS. There is ZERO drivetrain noise, and the clutch is perfect. No bleeding was needed.

The CEL has tripped, and I think it has something to do with the new coolant temp sensor I installed. The high-speed cooling fans are running almost all the time, but the gauge reads normal, and there is no intense heat or boiling of coolant. So I think I got a bum sensor.

There is an AWFUL clatter in the driver's side suspension. I don't know what broke, but something is REALLY unhappy out there. I'm ordering new strut mounts and bearings, to see if that quiets it down. If not, I might drop a junkyard strut in there, to check that out.

And there is a little exhaust leak, I think. Or maybe this new Y-pipe just flows that much better, and makes more noise. Time will tell.

But by the time I get out of my break-in period for the new clutch, it should be back to 100%.

[nadthomas]

Sweet. Glad to hear its back on the road.

[wadespencer99]

Congrats!

[Tygerr]

Sounds good!

[Madcat]

Its alive!!! YAY!

[LinkMan]

Good show Andy! :thumbsup:

[B3NN3TT]

On closer inspection,t eh strut mount is indeed COMPLETE TOAST, in technical terms. :rofl:

So I might just do a junkyard run, until which time I replace all four with new struts, mounts, and all that.

Anybody have a set of spring compressors?

[JAMallott]

Anybody have a set of spring compressors?

I have some. And I have your $10. :)

[B3NN3TT]

Sweet! I think I'm just going to go to Pick n Pull and grab a stock front strut with a mount and bearing, and go with that for now. I'll swap my Roush spring onto it.

At least it will be quiet until I can get a whole new set.

Maybe we can meet up sometime this week. Let me know what you have goin on.

[JAMallott]

I have exams this week, but will be done tomorrow night. Then I just work until noon most days. We could meet up for lunch again at Polaris on thursday maybe if you're free.

[B3NN3TT]

I have exams this week, but will be done tomorrow night. Then I just work until noon most days. We could meet up for lunch again at Polaris on thursday maybe if you're free.

Sounds like a plan.

Anybody else be in the area on Thursday, wanna meet up 'round lunch-time?

[nadthomas]

Bah, I will tied up all day at the Microsoft's "Hero" event at the convention center on Thursday.

I have spring compressors as well Andy, you are always welcome to use it, or pretty much any of my tools for that matter just let me know.

[marinofan]

hijack

whats the Hero event, is it open to public, and how much?

/hijack

[Tygerr]

The strut mount is what what the spring sits on between the car and the spring... correct? Hopefully I'll be replacing the suspension soon enough in the cougar. I know I've read they should be replaced.

[B3NN3TT]

The strut mount is what what the spring sits on between the car and the spring... correct? Hopefully I'll be replacing the suspension soon enough in the cougar. I know I've read they should be replaced.

The top of the spring/strut assembly has a big rubber insulator bolted to the top of it, that sits inside the strut tower and holds everything quietly in place. That's what I'm going to be replacing here, very soon.

[Lunar Limelight]

We were at pick N pull today. Theres a 99. (nothing is left) but the suspension was there (I think). Its black and way in the back.

[LinkMan]

Anybody else be in the area on Thursday, wanna meet up 'round lunch-time?

I'm still in the area. Working another contract at JPMC. You guys pick a time and a place. I'd like to meet up with you, but I've got some Thursday evening plans that depending on the timing may not let me have much of a lunch hour that day.

[Tygerr]

The top of the spring/strut assembly has a big rubber insulator bolted to the top of it, that sits inside the strut tower and holds everything quietly in place. That's what I'm going to be replacing here, very soon.

Ok. That's what I was visualizing. I can't ever recall seeing a picture of one, just wanted to make sure. :)

[B3NN3TT]

BAT has some pictures in their catalog.

British American Transfer (http://www.batinc.net)

So I can get them from NAPA for $67 today... or I can get them from Bill J for $44, shipped from Las Vegas. Or I can get a junkyard piece for about 3 bucks.

Decisions, decisions...

[LinkMan]

Bill J. for $44. :)

[Tygerr]

That's for all 4 I hope?

Ahhh... ok. I see them. Are they supposed to stick up by like 3/4 inch from the metal? I'm thinking not. Looking at bat's page, they're 30 a piece from the front, and 35 for the rears. This craps expensive. :(

[B3NN3TT]

Yep. That price I quoted is for ONE (although the front includes the bearing)

[fordrule]

congrats andy. good job on the swap. hopefully the suspension mounts work out for you

[B3NN3TT]

Fixed the suspension noise today. I still have NO IDEA what was causing it.

I went to Pick n Pull and got an all new strut and mount assembly. I took my old one off, and took it apart, and realized the strut and mount I got from a Mystique were different. Not incompatible, but just DIFFERENT. I didn't want to throw on one odd strut assembly, so I put my old one all back together again, and put it back in - and everything seated perfectly.

So whatever the problem was, it was in the assembly of the front suspension. Regardless, it's all correct now, and everything's tight and quiet again. I'm at 350 miles on the new clutch.

There seems to be a small leak in the seal on the transaxle case. I've yet to really get a close look at where it's coming from, or how severe it may be. I'll check that when I do an oil change. Hopefully it will go away (ha ha), but I don't know. I think that if I must, I can re-seal it without removing the transaxle. But hopefully it won't come to that. Fingers crossed!

[Tygerr]

Hopefully it will go away (ha ha), but I don't know.

Oh If you knew how many times I've thought this in my life. ;)

Good to hear the suspension is fixed, and for dirt cheap too! Hopefully you'll find that leak. Seems like transmissions are prone to leaking this time of year. :rofl:

[fordrule]

what did u use to reseal the trans case? i have a leak also that was attributed to using the wrong sealant

[B3NN3TT]

what did u use to reseal the trans case? i have a leak also that was attributed to using the wrong sealant

I used the Ultra-black RTV, as suggested in the CEG how-to.

[B3NN3TT]

So today, I guess it decided it didn't really need to bug me with the CEL anymore. So that's one MORE thing to check off the list. The only nagging issue now is the little leak from the transaxle case seal. Time will tell.

2 more days till the clutch is broken in. I'm driving it a LITTLE harder now, but I still haven't opened it up yet.