Well, had a little bit of good news, and then had it all erased with some really bad news. Had my neighbor come over and helped me get the transmission attached to the motor. That was the good news.
The bad news is I finally heard back from another person about the chips I observed on the two gears in the transmission. The chip on the reverse idler gear which is on a corner isn't a big deal. The chip in the middle of first gear is a big deal. Apparently it won't take much to break off more of the gear and then shell the transmission. I'm fairly bummed, not sure what to do now. Waiting to here back from Jeff, but the options aren't good. Major disassembly, more money I probably shouldn't spend on this thing. Not going to be driving the Scorpio to Carlisle for sure now. Crap.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
May 5th, 2013
Post Mortem for the weekend.
Made sure transmission case was clear of the nasty looking fluid and filled it with the Ford stuff.
Started on what I thought was going to be an easy job. Remove automatic transmission harness and replace it with the manual transmission harness. Several hours later, stereo and changer removed, dash removed. Wires traced to all four corner's of the car. I think I can competently say that there is a variation is wiring from the automatic Scorpio to the manual Scorpio.
Jeff Herson sent me a picture of what we thought should be under the hood:
Observe the nice 8 pin wiring harness that runs right behind the MAP sensor. This car is an 89 factory equipped T9 Scorpio. This is the harness that runs down to the transmission and has the speed sensor, reverse, and I can't remember what the other connector is for.
Here is the same picture, but of my 88 Scorpio, automatic.
After looking through all three sources of information, Shop Manual, Electrical & Vacuum troubleshooting, and the actual wiring diagram, I am fairly certain the 8 pin wiring harness connector does not exist on the automatic transmission Scorpio. There is a 9-pin harness behind the radio (why I took the whole dash apart) that has the relevant wires for the transmission. At this point I decided to combine the two harnesses I had. Take the connectors from the automatic harness and use them on the manual transmission harness. The resulting harness is very long, but I think I can make it work.
At this point I was ready to attach the T9 to the engine. I wrestled the transmission onto my floor jack, got it into relative position and attempted to align the input shaft with the clutch etc.
No matter how I tried, the top of the transmission catches the tunnel before I can get the transmission high enough for the input shaft to enter the clutch. I messed around with it for an hour or more. I am going to get another floor jack tomorrow. With the addition floor jack, I am going to loosen the motor mounts, using the foor jack to support motor and hopefully get the motor to tilt back far enough for me to align the transmission and bolt them together. What a mess. It will probably be late tomorrow night or Tuesday before I can work on it again. Time is running short.
Made sure transmission case was clear of the nasty looking fluid and filled it with the Ford stuff.
Started on what I thought was going to be an easy job. Remove automatic transmission harness and replace it with the manual transmission harness. Several hours later, stereo and changer removed, dash removed. Wires traced to all four corner's of the car. I think I can competently say that there is a variation is wiring from the automatic Scorpio to the manual Scorpio.
Jeff Herson sent me a picture of what we thought should be under the hood:
Observe the nice 8 pin wiring harness that runs right behind the MAP sensor. This car is an 89 factory equipped T9 Scorpio. This is the harness that runs down to the transmission and has the speed sensor, reverse, and I can't remember what the other connector is for.
Here is the same picture, but of my 88 Scorpio, automatic.
After looking through all three sources of information, Shop Manual, Electrical & Vacuum troubleshooting, and the actual wiring diagram, I am fairly certain the 8 pin wiring harness connector does not exist on the automatic transmission Scorpio. There is a 9-pin harness behind the radio (why I took the whole dash apart) that has the relevant wires for the transmission. At this point I decided to combine the two harnesses I had. Take the connectors from the automatic harness and use them on the manual transmission harness. The resulting harness is very long, but I think I can make it work.
At this point I was ready to attach the T9 to the engine. I wrestled the transmission onto my floor jack, got it into relative position and attempted to align the input shaft with the clutch etc.
No matter how I tried, the top of the transmission catches the tunnel before I can get the transmission high enough for the input shaft to enter the clutch. I messed around with it for an hour or more. I am going to get another floor jack tomorrow. With the addition floor jack, I am going to loosen the motor mounts, using the foor jack to support motor and hopefully get the motor to tilt back far enough for me to align the transmission and bolt them together. What a mess. It will probably be late tomorrow night or Tuesday before I can work on it again. Time is running short.
May 4th, 2013
Nothing dramatic this morning, only had an hour to work on it. Made sure the transmission was cleaned out and filled it with liquid gold, aka Ford Fully Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid. 1.25L
All ready for install
All ready for install
May 3rd, 2013
Well, I had a couple of Oh Sh*t moments tonight. the first one was when I took the top cover off to fill the transmission with fluid. This is what I found inside it.
I talked to Jeff and after he asked a few people, we hope it is a combination of ATF and gear lube. It looks non-friendly to my untrained eyes. Jeff recommended brake cleaner as a solvent and clean the stuff out of the case. I used 1 3/4 cans this evening. It looks much better. I drained it all out and am letting it sit overnight to dry out. I will check it again in the morning and clean again if necessary.
The second moment of the night was when I discovered a couple of chips on two gears. One is the on the reverse idle gear and the other one is on the input gear at the front of the transmission rail.
I assume (and hope) that an occasional nick is common and it won't effect the operation of the transmission. I am a little more worried about the liquid that came out of the transmission than anything else right now.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better
I talked to Jeff and after he asked a few people, we hope it is a combination of ATF and gear lube. It looks non-friendly to my untrained eyes. Jeff recommended brake cleaner as a solvent and clean the stuff out of the case. I used 1 3/4 cans this evening. It looks much better. I drained it all out and am letting it sit overnight to dry out. I will check it again in the morning and clean again if necessary.
The second moment of the night was when I discovered a couple of chips on two gears. One is the on the reverse idle gear and the other one is on the input gear at the front of the transmission rail.
I assume (and hope) that an occasional nick is common and it won't effect the operation of the transmission. I am a little more worried about the liquid that came out of the transmission than anything else right now.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better
May 2nd, 2013
Got the clutch fork boot today from the UK. Looks like it is going to work. I have included some pictures of the original one alongside the replacement. Not exactly the same shape on top, but the same dimensions on the bottom, so I think it will work fine.
May 1st, 2013
Clutch fork bushing/space issue solved. Made a trip to the Ace Hardware store and found a couple of options for replacement.
I used the one that was on the left. It was a little shorter than the original, but it had the correct I.D. and the pin is just tapped into the case, so I was able to adjust for the 1/32" shortness.
More progress, shifter is finally out. That was a pain!
I had to take both front seats loose so I could remove a couple of screws that were holding the console in. No fun at all.
Got the pedal box removed last night. Not too hard, but did take some time.
The one hiccup I did have, is that I discovered the clutch quadrant had broken at the tab that holds the return spring and the spring was MIA. The incredible Jeff Herson already has a new kit on the way.
I am just waiting on the clutch fork boot to show up from the UK, and with that and the quadrant, I may have this all back together by Sunday! Fingers Crossed
I used the one that was on the left. It was a little shorter than the original, but it had the correct I.D. and the pin is just tapped into the case, so I was able to adjust for the 1/32" shortness.
More progress, shifter is finally out. That was a pain!
I had to take both front seats loose so I could remove a couple of screws that were holding the console in. No fun at all.
Got the pedal box removed last night. Not too hard, but did take some time.
The one hiccup I did have, is that I discovered the clutch quadrant had broken at the tab that holds the return spring and the spring was MIA. The incredible Jeff Herson already has a new kit on the way.
I am just waiting on the clutch fork boot to show up from the UK, and with that and the quadrant, I may have this all back together by Sunday! Fingers Crossed
April 28th, 2013
Made progress over the weekend, and had one set back.
Progress: Took the flywheel to a machine shop to resurface it. Always a good idea, the flywheel was slightly warped. Looks much better now.
Installed the pilot bearing and the flywheel on Saturday.
Installed the clutch and pressure plate today.
I have to say, I like this much better than working on the A4LD.
The one setback of the weekend. The Clutch fork pivot bushing gave up the ghost when I removed the clutch fork.
Should have this attached on the shaft.
I pulled the piece out. I am hopeful I can find a suitable bushing to replace the one that failed.
Progress: Took the flywheel to a machine shop to resurface it. Always a good idea, the flywheel was slightly warped. Looks much better now.
Installed the pilot bearing and the flywheel on Saturday.
Installed the clutch and pressure plate today.
I have to say, I like this much better than working on the A4LD.
The one setback of the weekend. The Clutch fork pivot bushing gave up the ghost when I removed the clutch fork.
Should have this attached on the shaft.
I pulled the piece out. I am hopeful I can find a suitable bushing to replace the one that failed.
April 22nd, 2013
More progress on Sunday, got the flex-plate removed, replaced the rear main seal, started to remove the shifter assembly. One small snag, the clutch fork boot doesn't look like it will be usable. It has seen better days and it is missing the clip to keep it in the bell. Hopefully have it resolved by later this week. I also am planning on getting the flywheel resurfaced. Just to make sure there are no issues with install.
Rear main seal, new and old:
View of the new seal installed, I hadn't had a chance to clean up the rear of the engine yet. I think I have a leak coming from the Distributor.
Rear main seal, new and old:
View of the new seal installed, I hadn't had a chance to clean up the rear of the engine yet. I think I have a leak coming from the Distributor.
April 20th, 2013
The A4LD is out! 
What a pain in the a**!
I'm about halfway done. Still need to remove old flywheel, replace rear seal, install clutch in the T-9. Fill up with liquid gold, aka Ford Fully Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid. Install pedals, install clutch cable, Install new flywheel, pilot bearing, transmission, driveshaft, heat shield, exhaust. Then FUNTIME!!!!
What a pain in the a**!
I'm about halfway done. Still need to remove old flywheel, replace rear seal, install clutch in the T-9. Fill up with liquid gold, aka Ford Fully Synthetic Manual Transmission Fluid. Install pedals, install clutch cable, Install new flywheel, pilot bearing, transmission, driveshaft, heat shield, exhaust. Then FUNTIME!!!!
April 15th, 2013
Made some progress yesterday on the swap. Got the exhaust removed, driveshaft removed, transmission drained. Hopefully I will find an hour or so tonight to remove the coolant lines and maybe the starter. Sorry no pictures, nothing dramatic yet. Definitely helped that I have removed the transmission before
April 11th, 2013
OH YEAH!!!!!
Jeff Herson came by today and dropped of this beautiful piece of equipment. The Scorpio is going from auto to awesome! (5-speed)
Not pictured, new clutch and accessories
Jeff Herson came by today and dropped of this beautiful piece of equipment. The Scorpio is going from auto to awesome! (5-speed)
Not pictured, new clutch and accessories
March 24th, 2013
Well, I am going to be embarking on an unexpected, but awesome project.
I am going to transform my Scorpio from this,
To this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No, not the leather interior, I am already working on that, but it will be a 5-SPEED!!!!!!!
After 24 years the A4LD is giving up the ghost, I have tried to baby it, but it is now time for a rebuild. After investigating various options, from buying a re-manufactured one from an online vendor, I particularly liked this one: http://www.transmissioncenter.org/a4ld.htm or having a local shop do a rebuild for me (I am sure there is a good shop in town, but the couple of businesses I talked to were so rude, and assumed I knew nothing).
Enter Mr. Jeff Herson. I contacted him about getting a rebuilt A4LD. He was more than happy to get an estimate put together. I believe he works with a local shop or person and they rebuild them from available core's that Jeff has.
During our conversation Jeff throws out that he has a T-9, complete with all the trimmings, drive shaft, pedal box, etc. The only thing missing is the clutch cable. I made a call to BAT and they have one in stock, so I am going to go for it! Jeff is heading this way in a couple weeks, and I am in no hurry, so this is going to be awesome! For about the same money as rebuilding the auto, I will have the fun of a 5-speed.
A huge shout out goes to Jeff! I am very excited
I am going to transform my Scorpio from this,
To this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No, not the leather interior, I am already working on that, but it will be a 5-SPEED!!!!!!!
After 24 years the A4LD is giving up the ghost, I have tried to baby it, but it is now time for a rebuild. After investigating various options, from buying a re-manufactured one from an online vendor, I particularly liked this one: http://www.transmissioncenter.org/a4ld.htm or having a local shop do a rebuild for me (I am sure there is a good shop in town, but the couple of businesses I talked to were so rude, and assumed I knew nothing).
Enter Mr. Jeff Herson. I contacted him about getting a rebuilt A4LD. He was more than happy to get an estimate put together. I believe he works with a local shop or person and they rebuild them from available core's that Jeff has.
During our conversation Jeff throws out that he has a T-9, complete with all the trimmings, drive shaft, pedal box, etc. The only thing missing is the clutch cable. I made a call to BAT and they have one in stock, so I am going to go for it! Jeff is heading this way in a couple weeks, and I am in no hurry, so this is going to be awesome! For about the same money as rebuilding the auto, I will have the fun of a 5-speed.
A huge shout out goes to Jeff! I am very excited
March 23rd, 2013
Some progress, some set backs. I am trying to diagnose a slow start issue. It appears to be fuel related. Fuel pressure is slow to build at the fuel rail. I am going to take the fuel rail and injectors out this weekend and see what I can see. On a positive note I got a new exhaust system for the Scorpio today
I hope I can get it installed this weekend. It will be nice not to have all of the exhaust sounds
I hope I can get it installed this weekend. It will be nice not to have all of the exhaust sounds
November 5th, 2012
Been busy working on the Scorpio, but nothing fun. Just maintenance and troubleshooting annoying issues.
- Fixed the rear window defrost grid ( I thought) had several small breaks from the previous owner and his window tint fetish. I got a kit from www.frostfighter.com. I now have continuity through the grid, but still no heat. I can measure 12 volts on the two tabs, so I am a little confused as to why I am not getting any heat.
- Trying to diagnose a slow starting car. This started about a month ago. It cranks, but doesn't catch for a good 5-7 seconds. I think I narrowed it down to a failing TPS. I don't have a new one on hand, but the original one measured a lower resistance than the one I had off of the parts car. After replacing it, the car did want to start quicker. I may still need a new one, but it appears the original TPS was telling the ECU that the throttle was cracked open a little, and maybe this was causing it to call for more fuel into the engine at start up
- Still trying to diagnose a stumble in the engine when the car is cold. I have had this problem for a long time. I have replaced spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Now yesterday with the swapped TPS it seemed a little better. This morning will be a definitive test.
- Installed the CV Half Shaft Bolt retaining clips that keep them from working loose. Somehow when I installed a new CV Half Shaft a year ago last summer I didn't re-use the ones I had. Of course I threw them away. Thanks to Jeff Herson at www.merkurmidwest.com I got a new set of them and got it fixed.
Again, nothing fun, just some maintenance. Even though the summer is over, I am still hopeful I can get the a/c system working in time for some efficient defrost for the winter.
- Fixed the rear window defrost grid ( I thought) had several small breaks from the previous owner and his window tint fetish. I got a kit from www.frostfighter.com. I now have continuity through the grid, but still no heat. I can measure 12 volts on the two tabs, so I am a little confused as to why I am not getting any heat.
- Trying to diagnose a slow starting car. This started about a month ago. It cranks, but doesn't catch for a good 5-7 seconds. I think I narrowed it down to a failing TPS. I don't have a new one on hand, but the original one measured a lower resistance than the one I had off of the parts car. After replacing it, the car did want to start quicker. I may still need a new one, but it appears the original TPS was telling the ECU that the throttle was cracked open a little, and maybe this was causing it to call for more fuel into the engine at start up
- Still trying to diagnose a stumble in the engine when the car is cold. I have had this problem for a long time. I have replaced spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Now yesterday with the swapped TPS it seemed a little better. This morning will be a definitive test.
- Installed the CV Half Shaft Bolt retaining clips that keep them from working loose. Somehow when I installed a new CV Half Shaft a year ago last summer I didn't re-use the ones I had. Of course I threw them away. Thanks to Jeff Herson at www.merkurmidwest.com I got a new set of them and got it fixed.
Again, nothing fun, just some maintenance. Even though the summer is over, I am still hopeful I can get the a/c system working in time for some efficient defrost for the winter.
October 21st, 2012
It has been a very busy couple of weeks. I finally found some time and stripped out most of the parts off of the Blue Scorpio. I am hopeful I can get it out of the garage and off to the scrap yard by next weekend.
Had a some major maintenance: replaced the fuel pump. A big thanks to Jeff Herson for a "new" used pump for the job. Definitely a learning experience. Sorry, no pictures of interest.
Minor maintenance: had the air distribution motor on the climate control system crap out. Not sure what happened, but it is dead. I will look into it later, but luckily I was able to replace it with the one out of the parts car.
Replaced the EGR posiiton sensor. It decided it was time to fail also. Car ran "okay" just seemed a little off. My "early" 88 doesn't have a check engine light, so I didn't know anything was really wrong till I pulled codes. I got a (34) right away. Replaced the sensor, and it went away.
That is about it for now.
Had a some major maintenance: replaced the fuel pump. A big thanks to Jeff Herson for a "new" used pump for the job. Definitely a learning experience. Sorry, no pictures of interest.
Minor maintenance: had the air distribution motor on the climate control system crap out. Not sure what happened, but it is dead. I will look into it later, but luckily I was able to replace it with the one out of the parts car.
Replaced the EGR posiiton sensor. It decided it was time to fail also. Car ran "okay" just seemed a little off. My "early" 88 doesn't have a check engine light, so I didn't know anything was really wrong till I pulled codes. I got a (34) right away. Replaced the sensor, and it went away.
That is about it for now.
September 27th, 2012
Here is a little update. I am waiting for my a/c expert (father in law) to be available. He has the equipment, so I have been working on other projects. I decided to fix the HORRIBLE battery tray eyesore in the car.
Here is the before picture:
SEVERAL hours into the project:
I used a spot weld cutter bit I got from Harbor freight. It did okay, but man I drilled a lot of holes in that metal!
All cleaned up with a lot of holes going into the vehicle cabin. I wasn't aware of this until it was pointed out to me
Some magic filler stuff:
Clean up except for adding the plastic metal stuff
All cleaned up:
New Tray:
Battery and the original hold down hardware installed. I did clean up the hardware a little:
I am still planning on re-designing how that mess connects at the battery, but this will have to do for now.
Other things I have done, but haven't had time to post about: Fixed a little bit of rust on the passenger side wheel well, also am mostly done stripping the blue Scorpio down in my garage. Looks like a car puked in my garage. Parts everewhere!
One last obstacle to me getting some more work done:
Yes, we bought another money pit, er, I mean boat, er, family entertainment device:
Here is the before picture:
SEVERAL hours into the project:
I used a spot weld cutter bit I got from Harbor freight. It did okay, but man I drilled a lot of holes in that metal!
All cleaned up with a lot of holes going into the vehicle cabin. I wasn't aware of this until it was pointed out to me
Some magic filler stuff:
Clean up except for adding the plastic metal stuff
All cleaned up:
New Tray:
Battery and the original hold down hardware installed. I did clean up the hardware a little:
I am still planning on re-designing how that mess connects at the battery, but this will have to do for now.
Other things I have done, but haven't had time to post about: Fixed a little bit of rust on the passenger side wheel well, also am mostly done stripping the blue Scorpio down in my garage. Looks like a car puked in my garage. Parts everewhere!
One last obstacle to me getting some more work done:
Yes, we bought another money pit, er, I mean boat, er, family entertainment device:
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