Monday, September 6, 2010
Some work accomplished today!
I made some time this morning and got the heat shield installed this morning. I forgot to install this before getting the rest of the exhaust installed when doing the transmission work. I also switched out the windshield wiper arms this evening. The early 88 arms weren't designed correctly and they actually rubbed on the underneath of the hood. They redesigned the arms in the later cars. I popped the arms off of my rusty late 88 model year Scorpio and installed them on the early 88 Scorpio. Worked like a charm!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wow, I can't believe how much time has past!
First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of updates. There was a couple of months when I was out of time and financing to work on the car. I have gotten some things done so I will detail them now.
1) I got the transmission back in the car!
2) I installed a transmission cooler in the front bumper.
3) I fixed the steering column issue. The assembly at the firewall had failed and I was able to replace the parts thanks to merkurmidwest.com. The steering wheel is solid now!
4) Thanks to my father in law we were able to replace the bad u-joint in the drive shaft. This was a huge pain in the rear. Special thanks to rockforddriveline.com
The car drives now, which is awesome. I am hopefull on the transmission. I haven't seen any leaks so I think I did a good job replacing the front seal. I don't think I will do this job again without a better way to get the transmission out of the vehicle.
Things I need to do next:
1) Replace front end bushings. (Thanks to Phil @ opmd.com)
2) Replace Shocks & Struts.
3) Replace front and rear brakes / turn rotors.
4) Repair and Replace a/c system of car.
5) Purchase the correct size tire for the car.
I am also convinced that I will be replacing the cloth interior with the leather out of the blue Scorpio. The driver side seat needs some help, but the rest is in good shape. The cloth is in really good shape, but I just don't like how you sit in the car. The leather is much better!
1) I got the transmission back in the car!
2) I installed a transmission cooler in the front bumper.
3) I fixed the steering column issue. The assembly at the firewall had failed and I was able to replace the parts thanks to merkurmidwest.com. The steering wheel is solid now!
4) Thanks to my father in law we were able to replace the bad u-joint in the drive shaft. This was a huge pain in the rear. Special thanks to rockforddriveline.com
The car drives now, which is awesome. I am hopefull on the transmission. I haven't seen any leaks so I think I did a good job replacing the front seal. I don't think I will do this job again without a better way to get the transmission out of the vehicle.
Things I need to do next:
1) Replace front end bushings. (Thanks to Phil @ opmd.com)
2) Replace Shocks & Struts.
3) Replace front and rear brakes / turn rotors.
4) Repair and Replace a/c system of car.
5) Purchase the correct size tire for the car.
I am also convinced that I will be replacing the cloth interior with the leather out of the blue Scorpio. The driver side seat needs some help, but the rest is in good shape. The cloth is in really good shape, but I just don't like how you sit in the car. The leather is much better!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Got to work today on the car!
Well, I found a few hours this morning to work on the car. The weather was nice for a change :) so I made some time.
My plan is to get everything off of the car in order to remove the transmission. Then I can replace the front seal on the transmission. I removed the heat shield, no problem, and then proceeded to remove the drive shaft. I was curious to see what kind of shape it was in. This is a two piece drive shaft with two u-joints, and a center support bearing. The front of the drive shaft uses a rubber donut looking thing called a "guibo". This takes the place of another u-joint and is supposed to dampen any vibrations transmitted through the driveline.
Inspection of the driveshaft revealed that the u-joint farthest to the back had developed a notch in it. If left unchecked it can create a bad vibration in the driveline. The guibo was whole, but had cracks developing in the seams between the bolt holes
My repair list just keeps getting bigger. The u-joints in this driveshaft aren't really designed to be replaced. They are staked into the holder instead of using snap rings. I can purchase replacement u-joints that are designed for this type of drive shaft. I have also found a source for the center support bearing. Since I have the driveshaft out of the car I might go ahead and service the whole thing.
My chances of driving the car to the big Merkur car show in Pennsylvania this June are looking doubtful. The cost of the trip is not cheap, and I will have to be darn sure the car is roadworthy before I jump in and take a 1000 mile trip in it.
Have a good weekend.
Darren
My plan is to get everything off of the car in order to remove the transmission. Then I can replace the front seal on the transmission. I removed the heat shield, no problem, and then proceeded to remove the drive shaft. I was curious to see what kind of shape it was in. This is a two piece drive shaft with two u-joints, and a center support bearing. The front of the drive shaft uses a rubber donut looking thing called a "guibo". This takes the place of another u-joint and is supposed to dampen any vibrations transmitted through the driveline.
Inspection of the driveshaft revealed that the u-joint farthest to the back had developed a notch in it. If left unchecked it can create a bad vibration in the driveline. The guibo was whole, but had cracks developing in the seams between the bolt holes
My repair list just keeps getting bigger. The u-joints in this driveshaft aren't really designed to be replaced. They are staked into the holder instead of using snap rings. I can purchase replacement u-joints that are designed for this type of drive shaft. I have also found a source for the center support bearing. Since I have the driveshaft out of the car I might go ahead and service the whole thing.
My chances of driving the car to the big Merkur car show in Pennsylvania this June are looking doubtful. The cost of the trip is not cheap, and I will have to be darn sure the car is roadworthy before I jump in and take a 1000 mile trip in it.
Have a good weekend.
Darren
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Weather is starting to help out a little.
Well, it is time to get moving on the Scorpio again. Weather has turned warmer and I have a little time to devote to the car. I have been aquiring parts so I can get going on some of the major repairs. I have an adapter for my floor jack to help get the transmission out of the car. I have aquired some other parts, most importantly a new radiator. Here is a picture of the parts I have so far:
When I get started I will post up more pictures.
Have a great day,
Darren
When I get started I will post up more pictures.
Have a great day,
Darren
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Where is the warm weather?
I promise that I haven't forgotten about the transmission. It is just this cold weather has put a hold on most of my projects on the car. I also have been way too busy at work. I am also the assistant coach for a High School bowling team in the area and that has kept me busy also.
As soon as it warms up a little I will get back to work and post what I get done.
Later,
Darren
As soon as it warms up a little I will get back to work and post what I get done.
Later,
Darren
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Where did the weekend go?
Seems like all I did this weekend was work and sleep. I have made a decision on what to do with the transmission issue.
I am going to attempt to remove the transmission on my own. If I am successfull I will then determine where the leak is. Hopefully I will be able to replace the front seal myself. If not it will be off to the transmission shop for the work. Since I have to take a lot of crap off of the car just to get the transmission out, I plan on also replacing the O2 sensor, replacing the guibo, and also repair the exhaust system.
When I get enough guts up to start this project I will be sure to post pictures.
We have pinewood derby this week so I will post a few pics of that and any pictures of the car as I take it apart.
Have a good night,
Darren
I am going to attempt to remove the transmission on my own. If I am successfull I will then determine where the leak is. Hopefully I will be able to replace the front seal myself. If not it will be off to the transmission shop for the work. Since I have to take a lot of crap off of the car just to get the transmission out, I plan on also replacing the O2 sensor, replacing the guibo, and also repair the exhaust system.
When I get enough guts up to start this project I will be sure to post pictures.
We have pinewood derby this week so I will post a few pics of that and any pictures of the car as I take it apart.
Have a good night,
Darren
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Happy New Year!
The holiday season was good to me. I got some goodies for the Scorpio and I have a lot of plans to work on the Scorpio.
Crossing my fingers I think the radiator might be okay. It turns out the leak I saw was coming from a loose hose clamp on the top radiator hose. I tightened it up and so far so good.
The bad news is the front seal on the transmission is definitely leaking. This transmission is notorious for this and now I have to debate on whether to just replace the seal, or take out the transmission and rebuild it. It is working fine, so that makes the decision a little harder. I will keep you posted when I figure it out.
I will post an update later this weekend when I get some work done on the car.
Later,
Darren
Crossing my fingers I think the radiator might be okay. It turns out the leak I saw was coming from a loose hose clamp on the top radiator hose. I tightened it up and so far so good.
The bad news is the front seal on the transmission is definitely leaking. This transmission is notorious for this and now I have to debate on whether to just replace the seal, or take out the transmission and rebuild it. It is working fine, so that makes the decision a little harder. I will keep you posted when I figure it out.
I will post an update later this weekend when I get some work done on the car.
Later,
Darren
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