craig71springsport

Found a 1992 LX hatch, had some questions.

1. There is a rear end hum, owner says it's from the 3.73's he put in. I know better, that usually means a worn out rear...or misalignment. Is it possible for new gears to make a hum?

2. There is a whistle coming from the engine, says it's from either the MAF or throttle body, both are aftermarket. Can this happen?

3. The bumper on the driver's side is cracked and there's rust behind the driver's side front wheel, looks like it was bottomed out. Can this cause serious problems structurally, or should I not worry and just fix the surface rust?

4. There are two wires cut going to what looks like a whailer for the alarm under the hood(sorry, used to older cars, will be the first "newer" mustang I'll ever own.) He said he cut them because the alarm would randomly arm due to the key chain clicker needing batteries? This does not sound right to me. He says all you need to do is hit a small red button under the steering wheel and it stops it. Should I be worried about this?

Thanks for your help guys!

tinman

The rust behind that front wheel sounds like the most serious thing to me.
Look carefully, is it surface rust or is rust eating metal/
If it's rust eating metal I'd pass on it.
Yes rear end gears can whine or make noise due to being installed wrong.......

Duncan_GT

Yes, especially if its a BBK throttle body.

If its a big megaphone-looking alarm, rip it out. They're ugly and make the engine bay look trashy, IMO.

Dj_Seph

Hey, I like my megaphone-looking alarm though mine is hidden away.lol

craig71springsport

So I'll be alright with those wires snipped? I do believe it's going to the megaphone.

Duncan_GT

You should be. Unless your alarm randomly shorts out and starts going off, I don't see why there would be a problem. You shouldn't have any issues since there isn't any power going to it.

Maxwelhse

I wouldn't worry about the alarm either... If it runs right and drives out good, then those wires need not concern you.

My car *had* an alarm (I'm assuming the original owner had it installed in '91, and then removed it before he sold it since they were expensive back in the day) so I had a world of butt connectors, flying splices, wire extensions, and just general crap under my dash. I decided the simplest thing to do was to install a NEW alarm, but correctly (says I). Mine is all soldered into the factory harness, with my own quick disconnect plugs, all color colded wires, and is right as rain now. Plus I get the sweetness of keyless entry and blinky lights via remote in crowded parking lots.

Something cheesy like alarm wires are nothing to panic over, especially considering the age of these cars now-a-days. They're going to have some quirks.

All that said, I'm with Tinman. The rust is the nastiest thing in that list. If I were you, I'd tell the seller than you want to put it up on a lift and check it out before you buy it. That's what I do with all my cars (even my $600 '93 Escort). Most shops will charge you about $75 for a professional "inspection" on the lift... Money well invested as far as I'm concerned...

...I do confess that with the "Thunder 'scort" I just brought my own jack and stands along.

What kind of coin is the seller looking for? If he wants top bucks, you might consider walking.... but if it's a fair deal with those concerns, then you can invest some sweat to make it sweet!!!