Well, Christmas is almost here and the weatherman is predicting 4-6" of snow between tomorrow and Friday!
After successfully registering the Scorpio, I was able to drive it around for a couple of days before having any issues :(
Apparently the 22 year old radiator has decided to quit. I saw some antifreeze underneath the car on Friday. I opened the hood and look closer and realized that the radiator was leaking on the passenger side where the plastic tank meats the radiator core. I am debating on whether to buy a new one now, or just swap out the other 22 year old radiator out of the blue Scorpio that is still in good order.
I will keep you posted.
Again, Merry Christmas to all, and safe travels if you have to make a trip this holiday!
Darren
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Officially Registered in Kansas!
Today was a good day. I got the Scorpio officially registered in Kansas. It also got its first extended test drive. It went fairly well. The brakes are in good shape, very little shimmy, the tires need to be replaced. They are the wrong size and have a good deal of vibration. The alternator belt is either loose or bad, it makes a loud noise when the car is running. Other than those items it was a successfull test drive.
Later
Darren
Later
Darren
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
I again apologize for the lack of posts on this blog of late. Work has been very busy and family is right behind that.
I did get the speedometer issue resolved! Turns out I was doing damage to the circuit board and didn't even know it. When I was removing the motor from the circuit board I was not realizing that the motor assembly is actually soldered to it and by removing it I was destroying the contacts that the motor used to operate.
I did have a spare good speedometer that just needed the odometer gear replaced. This time I took the assembly to my father in law and together we got the gear replaced and set the odometer to the correct mileage.
I will hopefully post more often, probably after christmas. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving and a great holiday season!
Darren
I did get the speedometer issue resolved! Turns out I was doing damage to the circuit board and didn't even know it. When I was removing the motor from the circuit board I was not realizing that the motor assembly is actually soldered to it and by removing it I was destroying the contacts that the motor used to operate.
I did have a spare good speedometer that just needed the odometer gear replaced. This time I took the assembly to my father in law and together we got the gear replaced and set the odometer to the correct mileage.
I will hopefully post more often, probably after christmas. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving and a great holiday season!
Darren
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Speedometer Woes
After the trials and tribulations of the cooling system I thought I would take on something a little easier, aka the vehicle speed sensor (VSS). After I had installed instrument cluster I hadn't taken it for a test drive. When I finally did last week the speedometer was not working. In my experience most of the time the speedometer isn't working is a result of a failed VSS. My solution was to swap out the known good VSS out of the parts car and take it for a drive. Did this on Wednesday and still no dice. I removed the cluster and swapped in a speedometer that I knew was working in the other car. Took another test drive and it worked fine.
I proceeded to take the cluster apart so I could look at the speedometer more closely. I didn't really see anything wrong with it, but the needle seemed a little sticky when I first moved it. After more inspection I decided to just install the speedometer unit and go for another test drive. This time the speedometer worked. I was hoping the problem was solved. Unfortunately the odometer wasn't working. Crap! The repair procedure for the odometer is fairly straight forward, replace the little nylon gear in the mechanism that 99% of the time has deteriorated.
You can see the missing tooth. This picture was from my first attempt at repair. The gear in the current cluster was missing some teeth and the bigger odometer gear crumbled in my hand.
In the one attempt I have made at repairing an odometer I was unsuccessfull in getting it to work after I replaced the gear.
Friday night I started work on the odometer. Everything started out good, I was very careful and took my time in dissassembling the odometer. The trouble began when I tried to re-install the small motor onto the circuit board. There are three small contacts that the motor pushes into. One of the contacts was bent. When I "gently" straightened it, the solder holding it to the circuit board broke. At this point I was in trouble. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to try to hold it in place while I re-soldered it to the board. I needed three hands, a bright light, and more skill. After a couple of failed attempts I decided that the best approach was to get the contact into the motor, and then mount the motor and solder it that way. This worked much better, but after re-installing and going for a test drive the odometer is still non-functional. I turned the motor by hand and the odometer will advance, so I believe that the fault is in the connection between the motor and the circuit board. My solution is to take this to my father in law who is an electrical instructer at a nearby power plant and a much better solderer than me. Wish me luck!
Have a great day!
I proceeded to take the cluster apart so I could look at the speedometer more closely. I didn't really see anything wrong with it, but the needle seemed a little sticky when I first moved it. After more inspection I decided to just install the speedometer unit and go for another test drive. This time the speedometer worked. I was hoping the problem was solved. Unfortunately the odometer wasn't working. Crap! The repair procedure for the odometer is fairly straight forward, replace the little nylon gear in the mechanism that 99% of the time has deteriorated.
You can see the missing tooth. This picture was from my first attempt at repair. The gear in the current cluster was missing some teeth and the bigger odometer gear crumbled in my hand.
In the one attempt I have made at repairing an odometer I was unsuccessfull in getting it to work after I replaced the gear.
Friday night I started work on the odometer. Everything started out good, I was very careful and took my time in dissassembling the odometer. The trouble began when I tried to re-install the small motor onto the circuit board. There are three small contacts that the motor pushes into. One of the contacts was bent. When I "gently" straightened it, the solder holding it to the circuit board broke. At this point I was in trouble. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to try to hold it in place while I re-soldered it to the board. I needed three hands, a bright light, and more skill. After a couple of failed attempts I decided that the best approach was to get the contact into the motor, and then mount the motor and solder it that way. This worked much better, but after re-installing and going for a test drive the odometer is still non-functional. I turned the motor by hand and the odometer will advance, so I believe that the fault is in the connection between the motor and the circuit board. My solution is to take this to my father in law who is an electrical instructer at a nearby power plant and a much better solderer than me. Wish me luck!
Have a great day!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
OMG!!!!!
First time in a week that I have been able to work the Scorpio. On my to do list is to wrap up the inspection / testing of the cooling system. I had already drained and filled the radiator, installed a new thermostat, inspected and tested the clutch fan, and swapped out the coolant temp gauge sending unit. The only thing left was to verify the operation of the electric fan in front of the radiator.
On the Scorpio there are two fans in operation. The clutch fan driven by belts, and an electric fan in front of the radiator which is controlled by a thermostat in the radiator. On this early model Scorpio the fan actually has two speeds. On later models they did away with the low speed and just had an on/off switch.
Testing should have been simple. Jumper the thermostat switch so that the fan will come on. I did that 1st thing this morning and no dice. I then got out my handy dandy shop manual and electric and vacuum troubleshooting guide to diagnose the issue.
Problem #1: Even though the shop manual is for the 88 model year, it already had the switch to a single speed fan in the literature.
Problem #2: The electrical and vacuum troubleshooting manual shows correct wiring schematics but has no troubleshooting steps for the fan. It simply states refer to shop manual for diagnosis. Great.
I spent most of the morning going through the steps trying to diagnose why the fan wouldn't come on. At first I thought it was a relay issue. Found out I was testing it incorrectly. I had at one point or another disconnected and reconnected every part of the circuit for the cooling fan to operate. The best I could come up with, was a bad connection between the relay and the thermostat switch. At the end of the day I decided to test again in the fuse / relay box. I tested between fuse #8 and the fan relay for continuity and it was fine. I made a leap of logic that since the shop manual only tested for continuity for the troubleshooting maybe I should check for voltage also. This is where I found my problem. The wiring diagram shows that fuse #11 has power all of the time for the fan to work, but fuse #8 which is for the coil side of the relay only has power when the "car is in the run" position. When I turned the key to run and tested fuse #8, no power.
At this point I am starting to wonder if there was problem in the wiring for fuse #8 and what in the heck was I going to do about it. Almost as an after thought I decided to start the car and test for voltage again.
You guessed it, 12v at fuse #8 when "the car is running". I guess the manual was a little vague about this and I made an assumption that when the key was in the "run" position the fan would turn on if told to do so.
Nope,
I jumpered the switch and started the car. The electric fan came right on. Wow what a long day for a small payoff :) Anyway, the fan was a bit loud, so i will take it apart and lube it up, but it should be good to go!
Next up, speed sensor.
Later,
Darren
On the Scorpio there are two fans in operation. The clutch fan driven by belts, and an electric fan in front of the radiator which is controlled by a thermostat in the radiator. On this early model Scorpio the fan actually has two speeds. On later models they did away with the low speed and just had an on/off switch.
Testing should have been simple. Jumper the thermostat switch so that the fan will come on. I did that 1st thing this morning and no dice. I then got out my handy dandy shop manual and electric and vacuum troubleshooting guide to diagnose the issue.
Problem #1: Even though the shop manual is for the 88 model year, it already had the switch to a single speed fan in the literature.
Problem #2: The electrical and vacuum troubleshooting manual shows correct wiring schematics but has no troubleshooting steps for the fan. It simply states refer to shop manual for diagnosis. Great.
I spent most of the morning going through the steps trying to diagnose why the fan wouldn't come on. At first I thought it was a relay issue. Found out I was testing it incorrectly. I had at one point or another disconnected and reconnected every part of the circuit for the cooling fan to operate. The best I could come up with, was a bad connection between the relay and the thermostat switch. At the end of the day I decided to test again in the fuse / relay box. I tested between fuse #8 and the fan relay for continuity and it was fine. I made a leap of logic that since the shop manual only tested for continuity for the troubleshooting maybe I should check for voltage also. This is where I found my problem. The wiring diagram shows that fuse #11 has power all of the time for the fan to work, but fuse #8 which is for the coil side of the relay only has power when the "car is in the run" position. When I turned the key to run and tested fuse #8, no power.
At this point I am starting to wonder if there was problem in the wiring for fuse #8 and what in the heck was I going to do about it. Almost as an after thought I decided to start the car and test for voltage again.
You guessed it, 12v at fuse #8 when "the car is running". I guess the manual was a little vague about this and I made an assumption that when the key was in the "run" position the fan would turn on if told to do so.
Nope,
I jumpered the switch and started the car. The electric fan came right on. Wow what a long day for a small payoff :) Anyway, the fan was a bit loud, so i will take it apart and lube it up, but it should be good to go!
Next up, speed sensor.
Later,
Darren
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Where has October Gone!
I can't believe that 1/2 of this month is gone. Next week we will be celebrating our two Daughters birthday's. Both McKenzie & Abbie have the same birthdate, just 6 years apart. McKenzie will be eleven, and Abbie will be five.
I haven't had much time to spend on the Scorp of late, but I did get a few things done this morning. I removed the Fuel Mileage computer from the parts car and installed it into the Black Scorp. I now have the new dash installed along with the cluster bezel and vent bezel. Sorry no pictures right now. The Black Scorp being an early model, didn't have the fuel computer as standard equipment, but the wiring harness is there, so it is just a plug and play install.
I also got the rear view mirror re-attached to the glass. I used some good foam mounting tape, I guess using the glue products to re-attach the mirror can lead to cracking the glass.
Next on the list is installing the rear map light, and then off to the DMV to get the car registered in Kansas.
I may end up working a double today, my night manager has been sick the past couple of days. Hopefully not.
All I know is tomorrow my wife and I are headed down to Norman Oklahoma to see a concert. U2 and opening for them are the Black Eyed Peas. Should be an awesome time!
Later,
Darren
I haven't had much time to spend on the Scorp of late, but I did get a few things done this morning. I removed the Fuel Mileage computer from the parts car and installed it into the Black Scorp. I now have the new dash installed along with the cluster bezel and vent bezel. Sorry no pictures right now. The Black Scorp being an early model, didn't have the fuel computer as standard equipment, but the wiring harness is there, so it is just a plug and play install.
I also got the rear view mirror re-attached to the glass. I used some good foam mounting tape, I guess using the glue products to re-attach the mirror can lead to cracking the glass.
Next on the list is installing the rear map light, and then off to the DMV to get the car registered in Kansas.
I may end up working a double today, my night manager has been sick the past couple of days. Hopefully not.
All I know is tomorrow my wife and I are headed down to Norman Oklahoma to see a concert. U2 and opening for them are the Black Eyed Peas. Should be an awesome time!
Later,
Darren
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sorry, been to busy to post lately
Man, work has been kicking my butt lately! I have found time to get some things done on the Scorpio. I will detail what I have done along with pictures where possible.
#1: I think I have resurrected the moonroof. It was DOA when I got the car. The seal around the glass is dry rotted and the motor couldn't move the track mechanism at all. I took out the glass and cleaned out the area as best I could.
With the glass out I was able to get the moonroof motor to break loose the mechanism and get the track to move a little. At this point I started applying a dupont product to the track.
The track mechanism is a flexible cable system that kind of looks like pipe cleaner material. I soaked both sides, a lot, and gradually the track loosened up. I applied more of the lubricant as more of the track was exposed. The liquid would turn brown instantly so I started using my shop vac to suck up the excess until the liquid stayed clear. I used the entire can of lubricant and I now have an operational moonroof. I hope this continues to work as replacement moonroof tracks for the Scorpio would be impossible to find.
I took the moonroof out of my donor Scorpio, which is in much better shape and the one I replaced.
#2 Dash replacement: The original dash is in horrible shape. Taking it out is kind of a pain. Here is a picture of the two dashes.
#3: Instrument cluster repair: The original cluster had several issues. A lot of bulbs burned out, the tach didn't work, the temp and fuel gauge were erractic. Basically typical for a Scorpio of this age. The cluster out of my donor car was in much better shape. The main issue was that I needed the speedometer out of the black scorpio to stay, but replace everything else. The letters on the speedometer of the black scorpio were flaking off, probably from extended stays in the heat. The solution was a third speedometer that I had acquired last spring. It had a good face, but the mechanism was faulty. I carefully peeled the face off of it and prepped the good speedometer for the "face transplant" Picture below.
I used elmers glue and some clamps to attach the face to the speedometer. I figured the glue would dry clear so any light from behind wouldn't show the glue. So far, so good.
#4 Install driver's side door panel:
I took the donor out of the blue scorpio and moved it to the black scorpio. The first picture is half way through the project, didn't think to take a picture at the beginning.
Finished product:
#5: Replacement of front speakers: I purchased a set of Blaupunkt 5 1/4 component speakers to replace the front 20 year old paper cone speakers that were in the Scorpio. I only received the woofers and after a conversation with the seller, I got a partial refund. Anyway I got the speakers installed today. I also purchased a set of 3 1/2 inch Soundstream 2 way speakers to replace the dash speakers. They should be here shortly. Here are a few pictures. They sound great.
I used 3/4 inch adhesive door trim insulation to adapt the larger size speaker to the door. The 5 1/4 almost fit perfect and the insulation makes sure they are snug to the door.
I will update after I get the 3 1/2 speakers and I will update on my long range goals.
Darren
#1: I think I have resurrected the moonroof. It was DOA when I got the car. The seal around the glass is dry rotted and the motor couldn't move the track mechanism at all. I took out the glass and cleaned out the area as best I could.
With the glass out I was able to get the moonroof motor to break loose the mechanism and get the track to move a little. At this point I started applying a dupont product to the track.
The track mechanism is a flexible cable system that kind of looks like pipe cleaner material. I soaked both sides, a lot, and gradually the track loosened up. I applied more of the lubricant as more of the track was exposed. The liquid would turn brown instantly so I started using my shop vac to suck up the excess until the liquid stayed clear. I used the entire can of lubricant and I now have an operational moonroof. I hope this continues to work as replacement moonroof tracks for the Scorpio would be impossible to find.
I took the moonroof out of my donor Scorpio, which is in much better shape and the one I replaced.
#2 Dash replacement: The original dash is in horrible shape. Taking it out is kind of a pain. Here is a picture of the two dashes.
#3: Instrument cluster repair: The original cluster had several issues. A lot of bulbs burned out, the tach didn't work, the temp and fuel gauge were erractic. Basically typical for a Scorpio of this age. The cluster out of my donor car was in much better shape. The main issue was that I needed the speedometer out of the black scorpio to stay, but replace everything else. The letters on the speedometer of the black scorpio were flaking off, probably from extended stays in the heat. The solution was a third speedometer that I had acquired last spring. It had a good face, but the mechanism was faulty. I carefully peeled the face off of it and prepped the good speedometer for the "face transplant" Picture below.
I used elmers glue and some clamps to attach the face to the speedometer. I figured the glue would dry clear so any light from behind wouldn't show the glue. So far, so good.
#4 Install driver's side door panel:
I took the donor out of the blue scorpio and moved it to the black scorpio. The first picture is half way through the project, didn't think to take a picture at the beginning.
Finished product:
#5: Replacement of front speakers: I purchased a set of Blaupunkt 5 1/4 component speakers to replace the front 20 year old paper cone speakers that were in the Scorpio. I only received the woofers and after a conversation with the seller, I got a partial refund. Anyway I got the speakers installed today. I also purchased a set of 3 1/2 inch Soundstream 2 way speakers to replace the dash speakers. They should be here shortly. Here are a few pictures. They sound great.
I used 3/4 inch adhesive door trim insulation to adapt the larger size speaker to the door. The 5 1/4 almost fit perfect and the insulation makes sure they are snug to the door.
I will update after I get the 3 1/2 speakers and I will update on my long range goals.
Darren
Monday, September 7, 2009
Success!
Waiting for me in the mail on Saturday was the title for the Scorpio! After a two month process I officially own it!
With that issue solved, I can proceed with repairs and updates. I plan on getting it registered here in Kansas by the end of this month.
I started the repair work on the cluster today, I will take pictures and post them soon.
Later,
Darren
With that issue solved, I can proceed with repairs and updates. I plan on getting it registered here in Kansas by the end of this month.
I started the repair work on the cluster today, I will take pictures and post them soon.
Later,
Darren
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Removed the really cracked dash last night
I got some free time on Tuesday night, so I spent it working on the Scorpio. My objective was to remove the horribly cracked dash out of the Scorp and get the instrument cluster removed so I can R&R it.
Here is a picture of the dash, it is trashed:
I've never seen this before, but apparently someone used "Great Stuff" foam sealant to attach the instrument cluster bezel to the dash. Needless to say it was a one way approach. I had to destroy the bezel to get it unattached. Luckily I have a spare :)
Next up, replace dash speakers, fix the instrument cluster, take another look at those darn dash motor vents. I swear I am going to find a way to fix them.
Later,
Darren
Monday, August 31, 2009
Couldn't Resist
So we got back from my In-laws house yesterday afternoon and I had some free time. I couldn't resist the opportunity to get some maintanence done on the Scorpio.
One of the first things on my list was to check the cooling system for fitness and to replace the temp sending unit. (I had already performed a drain and fill to get rid of old antifreeze and any sediment build up)
The sending units are notorious for going bad with age and this one was no different. I had already purchased a sending unit for the other Scorpio and I had a new thermostat waiting to be installed. I had noticed that the bypass hose from the thermostat housing to the coolant bottle always had coolant flowing through it. I figured either the thermostat was gone or just weak.
In order to get to the thermostat and the temp sending unit I needed to take apart the throttle body assembly so it seemed like a good time to clean it up also. These are also known to cause driveablitity issues when dirty and coched up with carbon build up. This Scorpio had idling issues. It started right up but never has idled very smooth.
Unfortunately I didn't think about taking any before and after pictures, I have to get better about that.
The whole process took about two hours. This included removing the temp sending unit from my spare Scorpio since it had the "good" sending unit installed in it. After I got it all put back together I topped off the coolant tank and started her up.
She started right up and had a much improved idle. I let the car warm up enough to have the thermostat cycle to make sure it was going to work correctly. The temp gauge worked reading in between the "n" & "o" in the normal range. I will call it a success!
Next up is to R & R the instrument cluster. The tachometer is non-funcitonal, a lot of lights out, and the gas gauge is erratic. In addition to these items the entire cluster face is flaking off. I assume from exposure to sun or heat. I have two spare clusters so I plan on replacing both the tach and the temp/gas cluster and pull the face off of the speedometer and re-attach a "good" face to it. I think it will look fine.
I promise to take pictures next time.
Later,
Darren
One of the first things on my list was to check the cooling system for fitness and to replace the temp sending unit. (I had already performed a drain and fill to get rid of old antifreeze and any sediment build up)
The sending units are notorious for going bad with age and this one was no different. I had already purchased a sending unit for the other Scorpio and I had a new thermostat waiting to be installed. I had noticed that the bypass hose from the thermostat housing to the coolant bottle always had coolant flowing through it. I figured either the thermostat was gone or just weak.
In order to get to the thermostat and the temp sending unit I needed to take apart the throttle body assembly so it seemed like a good time to clean it up also. These are also known to cause driveablitity issues when dirty and coched up with carbon build up. This Scorpio had idling issues. It started right up but never has idled very smooth.
Unfortunately I didn't think about taking any before and after pictures, I have to get better about that.
The whole process took about two hours. This included removing the temp sending unit from my spare Scorpio since it had the "good" sending unit installed in it. After I got it all put back together I topped off the coolant tank and started her up.
She started right up and had a much improved idle. I let the car warm up enough to have the thermostat cycle to make sure it was going to work correctly. The temp gauge worked reading in between the "n" & "o" in the normal range. I will call it a success!
Next up is to R & R the instrument cluster. The tachometer is non-funcitonal, a lot of lights out, and the gas gauge is erratic. In addition to these items the entire cluster face is flaking off. I assume from exposure to sun or heat. I have two spare clusters so I plan on replacing both the tach and the temp/gas cluster and pull the face off of the speedometer and re-attach a "good" face to it. I think it will look fine.
I promise to take pictures next time.
Later,
Darren
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Progress
A couple of good things happened this week! I went ahead and replaced the rear transmission mount on the Scorpio. I will post pics soon, the old mount was totally trashed and in two pieces. The bad vibration I felt in the car is totally gone. I believe the car is able to drive without tearing up the driveline. Next up is to R & R the instrument cluster and check the cooling system out. I already drained and refilled the radiator, but I think the thermostat is either stuck open or gone.
*Edit* Here is a pic of the old and new transmission mount:
The other good thing that happened this week is I received some info back on the Title process for the car. I got a receipt from the Texas Dept. of Transportation showing I had applied for the bonded title. I had applied for the "suretey bond" with a title company in Texas. After I signed the paperwork and sent it back they applied for the title for me. This is great because I thought I was waiting for them to just send me the bond and then I would have to apply for it. I hope this will shorten the time for me to get the title.
Keep your fingers crossed!
Later,
Darren
*Edit* Here is a pic of the old and new transmission mount:
The other good thing that happened this week is I received some info back on the Title process for the car. I got a receipt from the Texas Dept. of Transportation showing I had applied for the bonded title. I had applied for the "suretey bond" with a title company in Texas. After I signed the paperwork and sent it back they applied for the title for me. This is great because I thought I was waiting for them to just send me the bond and then I would have to apply for it. I hope this will shorten the time for me to get the title.
Keep your fingers crossed!
Later,
Darren
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Not much going on
Been a slow week. Sent paperwork back to title company, ordered a rear transmission mount from OPMD. Hopefully I will get everything this week so I can finalize the title here in Kansas and to get the car moving!
Later,
Later,
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Quick Update
I got the paperwork back today for the bonded title. I just need to sign and return and I should get the bond back shortly. On the restoration front I got a rear transmission mount ordered tonight. That is the only thing really keeping the car from being driveable. I will update again when I get more news on the title. I am really looking forward to actually doing work on the car! That will be the fun part.
Later,
Darren
Later,
Darren
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!
The first issue I have to deal with on my "new" Scorpio is getting the title situation cleared up. When I picked up the car from Texas, the owner didn't have a title for it. The car was given to him by a neighbor and the neighbor had lost the title. After some research and a couple of helpful conversations with some folks from the Texas Department of Transportation, I have started the process of filing for a "Bonded" Title. Basically kind of like title insurance, but it protects the State of Texas in case a previous owner or leinholder shows up looking for the vehicle after they issue me a title. The vehicle only has 75k on it. The plates that were on the car were last stickered in 1993. The last activity the State of Texas has on the car is 1997. So basically I think it has set for a decade in someones driveway or barn.
I sent a package to a bond company last week complete with a check for the appropriate fees to get the process rolling. I am hopeful that I can file with the State of Texas in the next week or two and get the title issue straightened up.
After I get the title in my posession there are few things I need to do to get it driveable to our DMV for inspection and get it tagged here in Kansas.
1) Replace rear transmission mount. The mount is totally collapsed and the transmission tailshaft is sitting on the crossmember.
2) Replace the "Guibo" a rubber donut looking thing that goes between the transmission and the driveshaft. Its purpose is to dampen any vibration that goes through the driveline.
3) Check all brake and tail lights.
4) Replace hood latch assembly.
That is about it!
When I got the car it wasn't running. The previous owner thought it might be a fuel pump. I used a fuel pressure gauge and verified it had fuel, but there was no spark. I pulled the codes on the vehicle and it showed that the ignition pickup sensor had failed. I swapped the distributor out of my "parts" car and the Scorpio started almost on the first turn of the key.
I will post an update when I get news back from the bond company.
Darren
I sent a package to a bond company last week complete with a check for the appropriate fees to get the process rolling. I am hopeful that I can file with the State of Texas in the next week or two and get the title issue straightened up.
After I get the title in my posession there are few things I need to do to get it driveable to our DMV for inspection and get it tagged here in Kansas.
1) Replace rear transmission mount. The mount is totally collapsed and the transmission tailshaft is sitting on the crossmember.
2) Replace the "Guibo" a rubber donut looking thing that goes between the transmission and the driveshaft. Its purpose is to dampen any vibration that goes through the driveline.
3) Check all brake and tail lights.
4) Replace hood latch assembly.
That is about it!
When I got the car it wasn't running. The previous owner thought it might be a fuel pump. I used a fuel pressure gauge and verified it had fuel, but there was no spark. I pulled the codes on the vehicle and it showed that the ignition pickup sensor had failed. I swapped the distributor out of my "parts" car and the Scorpio started almost on the first turn of the key.
I will post an update when I get news back from the bond company.
Darren
Thursday, August 6, 2009
History continued
So, have you ever had your wife say, you can't get it unless it is free? That was the state of our conversation about me getting another Merkur Scorpio, or Xr4ti. Which I was fine with, because I really had no business investing money in a third vehicle that I would only be using for play. Fast forward to Summer of 2008. I belong to a couple of Merkur user groups online, the only way I could feed my addiction. One day very nice gentleman by the name of Paul posts on Merkurclub.com that he has owned a Scorpio for just under 20 years and is wanting to get rid of it. He lives in Minnesota, but if someone wanted it, he would give it to them for free. My wife couldn't believe it. The next thing you know we are planning a trip to Minnesota. Here is a picture of the Scorpio after we got her back home.
Beautiful car, love the color. The problem? Rust, lots of rust. In the doors, in the frame, in the wheel wells, just about everywhere.
At first I was very hopefull that the rust could be dealt with. After time and a lot of examination it became apparent I could spend way more money / time, and get far less enjoyment out of the car than I needed to justify the vehicle in the first place.
So it stayed in my garage. The leather is nice, somedays I would just go sit in the car and think of what could be, if I had an unlimited budget.
Time goes by, I keep in touch with the Merkur guys, I miss out on the annual pilgrimage to Carslisle PA. for the All Ford Nationals where an annual gathering of Merkurs takes place each year. I am resigned to the fact that this Scorpio is probably not going to see the road again. The 2nd week of June I come across a post on Merkurclub.com about a guy in Texas who has an 88
Scorpio that was given to him by his neighbor and he doesn't want it. He at first is trying to sell it, but there is little interest in a vehicle that won't start and has a lost title. After a couple of days he puts it out there that if someone wanted it, they could come and get it for free.
Happy 40th birthday Darren, you just got another Scorpio!
This is an "early" 1988 model, which means it is actually an 1987 model year, but was held over and imported for the 1988 model year. It has a few oddities that the later cars didn't have.
Example: Cloth interior. 95% of the vehicles had leather interiors. This okay by me, because the leather had issues with it falling apart with age. The cloth interior in this car looks remarkle for its age
Example: Rear "air" option. All of the Scorpios had floor rear air vents, only the early ones had a vent control for it.
Example: Deleted fuel computer option. This isn't much to brag about, they just didn't include a fuel trip computer. It is worthy of note, because only a few "lucky" cars had this "non-option".
Beyond that, it is just a nice black 1988 Merkur Scorpio with 75000 miles on the odometer, paint is sun damaged, but NO RUST. I repeat, NO RUST. This vehicle is a lot farther ahead as far as a starting point for restoration.
Well, its late and I need to get to bed.
Later,
Darren
Beautiful car, love the color. The problem? Rust, lots of rust. In the doors, in the frame, in the wheel wells, just about everywhere.
At first I was very hopefull that the rust could be dealt with. After time and a lot of examination it became apparent I could spend way more money / time, and get far less enjoyment out of the car than I needed to justify the vehicle in the first place.
So it stayed in my garage. The leather is nice, somedays I would just go sit in the car and think of what could be, if I had an unlimited budget.
Time goes by, I keep in touch with the Merkur guys, I miss out on the annual pilgrimage to Carslisle PA. for the All Ford Nationals where an annual gathering of Merkurs takes place each year. I am resigned to the fact that this Scorpio is probably not going to see the road again. The 2nd week of June I come across a post on Merkurclub.com about a guy in Texas who has an 88
Scorpio that was given to him by his neighbor and he doesn't want it. He at first is trying to sell it, but there is little interest in a vehicle that won't start and has a lost title. After a couple of days he puts it out there that if someone wanted it, they could come and get it for free.
Happy 40th birthday Darren, you just got another Scorpio!
This is an "early" 1988 model, which means it is actually an 1987 model year, but was held over and imported for the 1988 model year. It has a few oddities that the later cars didn't have.
Example: Cloth interior. 95% of the vehicles had leather interiors. This okay by me, because the leather had issues with it falling apart with age. The cloth interior in this car looks remarkle for its age
Example: Rear "air" option. All of the Scorpios had floor rear air vents, only the early ones had a vent control for it.
Example: Deleted fuel computer option. This isn't much to brag about, they just didn't include a fuel trip computer. It is worthy of note, because only a few "lucky" cars had this "non-option".
Beyond that, it is just a nice black 1988 Merkur Scorpio with 75000 miles on the odometer, paint is sun damaged, but NO RUST. I repeat, NO RUST. This vehicle is a lot farther ahead as far as a starting point for restoration.
Well, its late and I need to get to bed.
Later,
Darren
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
In the winter of 2004 a lot of things happened. I got a new car, a 2003 Focus ZX5 SVT (CD Silver) It is a 6 speed manual, moonroof, 6 disc changer, it is a blast to drive. I still have it today.
I also was offered and accepted a job back in Kansas. It was great living in Illinois, the job I had there was awesome, but things were right for us to move back home. In April of 2004 we made the move.
We also were surprised to find out that we would be expecting an addition to our family. Little Abbie would join our family the fall of 2004.
One thing I didn't expect about my focus, were the similiarities it had to both our Scorpio and the XR4ti. The European styling was evident in the design of the car and it drove so nice. This stayed with me and started a process of thinking about getting another Merkur sometime in the future.
Go to go,
Darren
I also was offered and accepted a job back in Kansas. It was great living in Illinois, the job I had there was awesome, but things were right for us to move back home. In April of 2004 we made the move.
We also were surprised to find out that we would be expecting an addition to our family. Little Abbie would join our family the fall of 2004.
One thing I didn't expect about my focus, were the similiarities it had to both our Scorpio and the XR4ti. The European styling was evident in the design of the car and it drove so nice. This stayed with me and started a process of thinking about getting another Merkur sometime in the future.
Go to go,
Darren
Sunday, August 2, 2009
1st Time with a blog
First of all, this is totally new for me. I don't usually expound to an audience, so forgive me if this is kind of dull, or mundane.
About me: Just turned 40 in July, have been happily married for 12 years. I have three great kids, two daughters, and one son. We live in the midwest and I work in the bowling business.
The purpose of this blog is hopefully to follow the restoration of a 1988 Merkur Scorpio. For those of you who do not know what this car is, checkout merkurclub.com, or google it. Wikipedia has a good entry about it also.
My history with the Merkur brand goes back to 1995. I was dating my future wife, working at a local grocery store and bowling as much as possible. College had been great, but a Bachelor's degree in Earth Science had not paid off yet, so I was still looking for a career. In the next couple of months life would change as life does. The owner of the local bowling center was looking to expand and he asked me if I would be willing to manage a center if he bought another one. I met with him a couple of times and in the end I was on board. He purchased an 8-lane center in a small town and the next thing I was moving in. I asked my girlfriend to go with me, which she did, but she was still in college so we needed to find a more "reliable" car for her to drive.
I had kind of watched a car that was on a local car lot for at least a year without ever stopping by to drive it. It was an 1989 Merkur Scorpio. A four door sedan, power everything, leather interior, this one was kind of a champagne color, with a light tan interior. It had 72,000 miles on it and was in perfect condition. Originally the lot was asking $8000 for the car. It sold for 28,000 new, so this was probably a fair price. In the year that I had kind of watched it, the price kept dropping. My girlfriend and I made a decision to take a closer look at the car and fell in love with it. To make a long story short, we traded in her beat up little chevy, and got the Scorpio for $4000.
Our 1989 Champagne Merkur Scorpio
We moved and she started driving it back and forth to school. We kept the car for over six years. It had various quirks that kept me busy with it, but it was for the most part reliable. In the end we parted with it because we had moved to Chicago, I was now working for a large bowling company, and the salt started eating the car to pieces. It had 155,000 miles on it and we now had two kids. I didn't have a garage to work on the car and Chicago winters are brutal. I had owned the two door sibling of the Scorpio, an XR4TI during our time in Chicago, but traded it in for a mini-van for the wife.
Our 1989 Black Merkur XR4TI
So after driving the car for another six months or so we decided I needed something more reliable, so we traded it in for a Sebring convertible. I know, I know, not reliable, and not practical. It was fun, unfortunately it was a Chrysler and it had all of the problem that they tend to have. The junkie transmission being the most notable.
I need to go for now. I will finish this up soon
About me: Just turned 40 in July, have been happily married for 12 years. I have three great kids, two daughters, and one son. We live in the midwest and I work in the bowling business.
The purpose of this blog is hopefully to follow the restoration of a 1988 Merkur Scorpio. For those of you who do not know what this car is, checkout merkurclub.com, or google it. Wikipedia has a good entry about it also.
My history with the Merkur brand goes back to 1995. I was dating my future wife, working at a local grocery store and bowling as much as possible. College had been great, but a Bachelor's degree in Earth Science had not paid off yet, so I was still looking for a career. In the next couple of months life would change as life does. The owner of the local bowling center was looking to expand and he asked me if I would be willing to manage a center if he bought another one. I met with him a couple of times and in the end I was on board. He purchased an 8-lane center in a small town and the next thing I was moving in. I asked my girlfriend to go with me, which she did, but she was still in college so we needed to find a more "reliable" car for her to drive.
I had kind of watched a car that was on a local car lot for at least a year without ever stopping by to drive it. It was an 1989 Merkur Scorpio. A four door sedan, power everything, leather interior, this one was kind of a champagne color, with a light tan interior. It had 72,000 miles on it and was in perfect condition. Originally the lot was asking $8000 for the car. It sold for 28,000 new, so this was probably a fair price. In the year that I had kind of watched it, the price kept dropping. My girlfriend and I made a decision to take a closer look at the car and fell in love with it. To make a long story short, we traded in her beat up little chevy, and got the Scorpio for $4000.
Our 1989 Champagne Merkur Scorpio
We moved and she started driving it back and forth to school. We kept the car for over six years. It had various quirks that kept me busy with it, but it was for the most part reliable. In the end we parted with it because we had moved to Chicago, I was now working for a large bowling company, and the salt started eating the car to pieces. It had 155,000 miles on it and we now had two kids. I didn't have a garage to work on the car and Chicago winters are brutal. I had owned the two door sibling of the Scorpio, an XR4TI during our time in Chicago, but traded it in for a mini-van for the wife.
Our 1989 Black Merkur XR4TI
So after driving the car for another six months or so we decided I needed something more reliable, so we traded it in for a Sebring convertible. I know, I know, not reliable, and not practical. It was fun, unfortunately it was a Chrysler and it had all of the problem that they tend to have. The junkie transmission being the most notable.
I need to go for now. I will finish this up soon
Darren
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