Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

All of us have had problems come up with our cars at one point or another. Some are simple fixes that we either know exactly what's wrong and can repair. Some are so obvious but we somehow miss them entirely. Some problems you can never seem to find an answer to and others are fixed without you knowing how you fixed them.
So what is the dumbest thing that has gone on your car to make you wonder why, how, or when?

As for me, I fall in "Simple solution that made me feel like a moron."
My car ran horribly; backfiring, sputtering, and at times not going over 35 mph. After weeks to months of searching, scanning for codes, etc., I finally cleaned the maf sensor. Now the thing is faster than it's ever been and all my problems are solved. Now I feel extremely stupid for not looking at this earlier.

I selected "I alwasys know whats wrong". The car is 17 years old and over 200,000 miles everything needs relpaced.  :hick: But that is why I like my car. It gives me something to do. Fix it.

Same here(sorta)... Wife kep complaining her Grand Marquis would barely run at times, naturaly the POS would never do it when I drove it(and I drove it quite a bit). Well after replacing the iginition sw, the manual lever sensor for the AODE, changing the tranny fluid(needed that anyway), I cleaned the MAF and fixed it... Bad part is the MAF was dirty 4 years ago and caused it to be really lazy, but never just refused to go over 30 mph(interminently) like it did this time. :mad: 

Guess the moral is... Clean the fuggin' MAF every year or so...

mine falls under the "Simple solution that made me feel like a moron."

i bought my TC, and was driving it home, and it would just start a NASTY bucking fit, and then about 5 minutes later, it would stop, and run beautifully (for what it was at the time), i get it home, get all the tune up parts, clean out the throttle body and VAM, set the timing, and everything possible, go to drive it again, and the  chugged and bucked

so im reading on NATO about some similar issues, and i see "check the ECT" engine coolant temp sensor, i did just a quick visual, made sure the wires wernt messed up, then popped my radiator cap off...my radiator was only halfway full!

i spend a good half hour filling and cycling the coolant system, and guess what, it runs without a problem now

I voted "I always know the problem" for two reasons:

1) I've never had a major problem with any of these cars (one of the reasons I like 'em) and

2) I'm an award-winning ASE-certified master tech, with GM ASEP training and a very strong electronics background. It's my job to always know what's wrong :D

Blowing my own horn aside, I've been relatively lucky - I've never had some of the problems others have had - even got my TPS right on the first time I installed it (by sheer fluke, of course). Didn't even have to adjust it :D

Now, mechanical and electrical work I've got down pat, but just don't try to ask me to do bodywork...

Mine goes for feeling like a moron!!! I was leaving school, and I went threw town rather than the highway. Well I was sititng at a redlight and the car dies. It just cranks and cranks and cranks but wont turn over. So some very nice guy sees my problem and helps me push it out of the middle of the intersection. I figured it was one of the followers and towed it the 15 mi. home (at $2.50 a mile btw) and started rippin it all apart. TB, lines to the turbo, valve cover (basically everything to get the valve cover off) and open it up and it was perfect. no problems at all. Well I had "MARTIN0660" come over to hlep me and we were doign all kinds of little stuff and we jsut so happened to lift the distributer cap and the rotor was in pieces everythwere. So yeah, I felt pretty stupid b/ it was a cheap little part and I had all that other stuff ripped apart... well, live and learn I guess :hick:

Frank M

Yeah still not idea why my black car is running so bad. I will figure it out sooner or later. Still havent pulled out the o2 sensors. I think that is next.

I am really bad when it comes to electrical problems.  If its mechanical, I can fix it, no problem.  Back when I first got the car I was taken for 250 or so for a mechanic to diagnose and replace the fuel pressure regulator and fuel pump relay when my car woundnt start intermittently.  Turned out to be moisture building up between the inertia switch and the body of the car.  Any time there was a large temperature change in a short amound of time (like a fall evening), it would short the switch and cut off the fuel pump.  When I figured that one out, and the fact that it didnt cost me a dime to fix... :mad:
Now that Ive owned the car for 5 years, I have gotten to know its quirks.  It rarely breaks down but when it does I usually get it pretty quickly.