OlGeezer

Hello all.

I just picked up my second Mustang. It is a 1999 GT Convertible with a 5 speed manual transmission. My previous Mustang was a 1968 coupe, six cylinder with a 3 speed manual transmission that I owned in 1969. O.K., maybe a 40 year gap is a little excessive, but I'm finally back.

I am just getting familiar with the car, but I have some questions/concerns which I would like to address. The car has 74.1k miles on it. The PO claims he changed oil every 3k with Mobil 1 but he has no service records for anything else. My gear head friend tells me to assume nothing else has been done and to be prepared to address everything by the time it reaches 75k. By "everything", he is referring to engine oil, transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake fluid, engine coolant, spark plugs, spark plug wires and all filters. He said that would be a good start. That's fine. I'm onboard with that. However, right now, I have a couple of questions that I'm not sure should wait 0.9k miles.

First of all, I do know that convertibles are not as quiet as coupes. That being said, from the day I picked it up, there has been a gear-type noise coming from the rear. It could be coming from the left rear. Is this normal or should I check out the differential? The rear wheels don't have wheel bearings, do they? Sorry for that question. I'm not a mechanic and the only mechanical experience I've had the past 10 years is with BMW motorcycles.

Another question is shifting. This is the first manual transmission I've had since 1979. I knew it would take some getting used to, but getting a smooth shift, particularly in the lower gears is still difficult. I know my Beemer runs rough (surges) when it's out of tune, but that is due to valves being out of adjustment and/or the throttle bodies being out of sync. I don't think those two issues come into play with my Mustang. So, my question is, is it normal to be a little jerky, particularly for a novice shifter?

Is there a retractable replacement for the fixed antenna?

Finally, and this is a very minor one, but it seems like the distance from the top of the tires to the top of the wheel well is large. The tires are 245/45 ZR 17 which I think are the prescribed tires for the car. However, there is 4-1/2" between the top of the tire and the bottom of the wheel well. See photo below.

Thank you,

smitty2919

i dont know about the shifting and gear noise....but as far as the ride height, that looks stock. if you ask me Ford had a major fail on that aspect. they all look like SUV's stock. first think i would say people do is lower it, but to do that right is a whole other ball game consisting of lowering springs to give you a drop of your choice.

if you go past a certain point, you need to look into caster/camber plates to straighten the front wheels back out after lowering.

i suggest doing alot of searching and reading on anything you might have a question about. then ask questions, that way ppl will be more willing to help if you have SOME idea what your talking about.

goodluck

WannaBeGearHead

If I were you I would change the oil. I think you should do that right after buying a used car. Doing what your friends said is a good idea.

It sounds like you just need more practice shifting. Anytime you let the clutch out to fast or not giving enough gas, that will cause the car to jerk and not feel smooth. Just practice on letting the clutch out a little slower or give it more gas. I think you'll be ok

I don't know about a retractable antenna but I know they have shorty antennas which look TONS better than the toy car antenna that is currently on the car.

And that gap you are seeing is just how they are stock. There is a large gap and that is why so many people buy lowering springs.

I'm not sure about the rear end noise. Enjoy your "new" car, hope this helps a little.

72MachOne99GT

Sorry I ignored the sound problem, I'm not good at diagnosing problems on my own car when I can hear them in person, let alone going off of anothers description online.

Congrats on the pick up though, looks like it's in pretty good condition visually from the picture you presented us.

GTRACER88

Your car might have New rear end gears in them. What rpm are you at 60?

pinto18

Your rearend noise might be your rear end gears. i know mine sorta whined at low rpm's while cruizing. I changed to 4.10s and the sounds gone now. i believe that as long as you have fluid in there you should be fine

OlGeezer

Thanks for your reply.

Regarding the transmission fluid, should I just put in what is recommended? The reason I asked is that I had the same experience with my Beemer. Prior to 2005, they were notorious for being tough shifting and offering a loud "clunk" at the completion. I went with synthetic transmission fluid and it was a thousand percent better.

Is there a synthetic transmission fluid for cars and, if so, is that what you are recommending?

Thanks again,

WannaBeGearHead

I think the Royal Purple transmission fluid that Americanmuscle sells is what you should get.

JC316

I would give it a full tune up, like your friend said. As for the rear end, it could be a wheel bearing (Yes they have wheel bearings on the rear), could be low on fluid in the rear end, could be the brakes dragging, could be nothing.

OlGeezer

1,800 in 5th
2,600 in 4th