Bitter

A plain black plastic cover. To be honest, I never really noticed there was a cover there before you asked. It's held on by 3 tabs (now 2 on mine).

rcazwillis

Oh man, did you break one trying to see what was there?

Bitter

Yeah, but that's okay. I was curious. It still holds fine.

2005Stang

That's also a place for the trunk release button the wasn't installed on the 2005, you can buy a kit that will put one there.

IvanRad

change all fluids , if the car is in good running shape test all electronics. Give the engine a good couple of washes. watch for leaks and where they come from. My car at almost 61k miles is running like a champ just have to flush my transmission. consider sparks and wires if any idling problem is occurring. Might want to check out the throttle body i cleaned mine and it was gunky and dirty. All parts are actually pretty cheap if you shop online and around the forums.

rcazwillis

So, what I thought to be the axle bearing ended up being a bigger deal. The pin in the carrier that holds the axles in place, preventing the c-clips from coming out had a lot of play in the carrier. This was the clunking sound. I found a replacement rearend and swapped it out. Ouch. $400. Found one in DFW. The car is now quite. Problem solved. Now on to the clunk in the front suspension.

rcazwillis

That could be an interesting project. May have to check into it.

2005Stang

Actually wasn't hard at all. The instructions had what wires to hook it to and what ground wire to slice into!

tx_zstang

Congrats on our purchase!
If you are looking for an inexpensive fix to the driveshaft and the car is an automatic, I have a stock one for sale. Not sure where in Texas you are, but I'm near Austin.

These engines and cars are very reliable if taken care of properly.
Sounds like the e-brake cable is broken, which is a common problem.

As mentioned, the thermostat housing is a high-failure item on these cars.

rcazwillis

Thanks. The driveline noise and vibration was all diff. Replaced the entire assembly with junk yard part. All good now.