2005 GT advice
05-13-2010, 05:16 PM
#11
Water Leak
It's no joke, there is a TSB. Commonly happens on the passenger foot well. It's a nightmare, and if it's bad, it can short out your SJB, a common plague with the s197 model.
Otherwise, that's not a bad price, though keep in mind that 2011's are hitting the lots soon and prices will drop all over, and you might even get better pick up's or deals. Has this car been modded before? A lot of owners will take the time to return the car to stock and sell the parts separately. Gives you an idea of what they used the car for.
It's no joke, there is a TSB. Commonly happens on the passenger foot well. It's a nightmare, and if it's bad, it can short out your SJB, a common plague with the s197 model.
Otherwise, that's not a bad price, though keep in mind that 2011's are hitting the lots soon and prices will drop all over, and you might even get better pick up's or deals. Has this car been modded before? A lot of owners will take the time to return the car to stock and sell the parts separately. Gives you an idea of what they used the car for.
05-13-2010, 05:43 PM
#12
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 2,211
Thanks for that info Goldenpony. I will check. Still curious as to how you check straight line tracking, shock testing? Also, I am really not interested in upgrading the gauges if I can get someone on eBay to fix what is broken for me. Any further thoughts will only help me so please keep them coming.
Thank you.
Thank you.
on a straight level section of road, let go of the steering wheel. car should "track" straight ahead. a slight pull to either side is acceptable, but it should go perfectly straight.
if it pulls hard to one side, or you cannot even completely remove your hands...it's indicative of a bad alignment, bad tires, bad struts. basically needs to be checked out and fixed by a mechanic
Shock Test:if it pulls hard to one side, or you cannot even completely remove your hands...it's indicative of a bad alignment, bad tires, bad struts. basically needs to be checked out and fixed by a mechanic
get the body rocking up/down several times and then let go.
by the second bounce the car should be stopping. it should be completely stopped by the 3rd bounce.
not really a deal killer, but the front struts are exactly cheap to replace at a shop. even if the shocks/struts are good, you might want to replace them anyways with 75,000 miles. make the car drive like a whole new animal
by the second bounce the car should be stopping. it should be completely stopped by the 3rd bounce.
not really a deal killer, but the front struts are exactly cheap to replace at a shop. even if the shocks/struts are good, you might want to replace them anyways with 75,000 miles. make the car drive like a whole new animal
as for that gauge...you really would be better off IMO just grabbing another cluster. especially if the price of another one is similar to that of the repair job. the car will be undriveable for however long it takes them to repair it.
05-13-2010, 06:23 PM
#13
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 166
What are the most common things to fail on these cars that way I can ask if they have been replaced or reapired? I took a look at the TSB info and there are a lot but I am sure every make and model has its share. I am more worried about known issues with expensive parts.
05-13-2010, 06:27 PM
#14
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2010
Location: CA
Posts: 6
You guys are wesome. Thank you so much Tylus for the explanation. I use to own a mustang gt when I was much younger but never joined any forum (don't know if there were any around). This has been great help. I plan to gather all the information that comes to me on this thread between now and Saturday and take it with me when I look at the car. Any more suggesitons or recommendations can keep on coming.
Still wondering what are the most common issues/defects with these cars?
Still wondering what are the most common issues/defects with these cars?
05-13-2010, 08:49 PM
#15
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 2,211
really, the biggest 2 complaints are these.
1. Spark plugs. do a search and you'll see what I mean. the 4.6 3v and the 5.4 3v like to grab and keep the sparkplugs. It requires a $100 tool if the plug breaks. Not really a major deal, but people like to get bent out of shape.
2. Water Leak. Somewhere by the window/cowl water likes to leak into the passenger side floorboard. This causes rust and can short out the main fuse panel for the car. There is a Ford TSB out for this to resolve it. Run a hose all over that area for a few minutes. Then open the door and feel the carpeting. If wet = leak.
can't think of anything else that I would classify as a "common" defect. just the normal used car stuff.
1. Spark plugs. do a search and you'll see what I mean. the 4.6 3v and the 5.4 3v like to grab and keep the sparkplugs. It requires a $100 tool if the plug breaks. Not really a major deal, but people like to get bent out of shape.
2. Water Leak. Somewhere by the window/cowl water likes to leak into the passenger side floorboard. This causes rust and can short out the main fuse panel for the car. There is a Ford TSB out for this to resolve it. Run a hose all over that area for a few minutes. Then open the door and feel the carpeting. If wet = leak.
can't think of anything else that I would classify as a "common" defect. just the normal used car stuff.
05-13-2010, 09:43 PM
#16
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: VA
Posts: 453
Miguel,
I have an early 05 model GT with the 5 speed and it just turned 78,000 last night. Tylus hit the nail on the head with the 2 biggest complaints being "the water leak" and the spark plugs. To me, the only deal breaker between the two would be the water leak and it would be the first thing I checked. My spark plugs came out fine at 75,000 miles using Aerokroil and patience, but they are still an issue for a lot of people. A bad scenario with the spark plugs would be having the car out of commision while you are waiting on the removal tool or having a shop extract the broken plugs. While I wouldn't consider it to be a deal breaker that the spark plugs haven't been replaced it's still something to be taken into consideration. Some other little common annoyances I've had with my car are the rattling seperator plate on the transmission (just started last week), the driver's side mirror rattle/squeek, the tach not wanting to work right for a few minutes when it's cold outside, and of course the POS Shaker 500 went all "Office Space" on a couple of my CDs and now refuses to eject the good ones or accept any new ones (the radio still works). Other than those things it's been great. A lot of people seem to have dead battery problems which usually go away when that Shaker 500/1000 gets replaced. You can find solutions to most of these problems right here on this forum. Listen to what these guys are telling you to inspect and if it all checks out, the drivetrain is in good shape, and there's no water leak then I say jump on it and be prepared for modding to take over your life and your bank account, lol.
I have an early 05 model GT with the 5 speed and it just turned 78,000 last night. Tylus hit the nail on the head with the 2 biggest complaints being "the water leak" and the spark plugs. To me, the only deal breaker between the two would be the water leak and it would be the first thing I checked. My spark plugs came out fine at 75,000 miles using Aerokroil and patience, but they are still an issue for a lot of people. A bad scenario with the spark plugs would be having the car out of commision while you are waiting on the removal tool or having a shop extract the broken plugs. While I wouldn't consider it to be a deal breaker that the spark plugs haven't been replaced it's still something to be taken into consideration. Some other little common annoyances I've had with my car are the rattling seperator plate on the transmission (just started last week), the driver's side mirror rattle/squeek, the tach not wanting to work right for a few minutes when it's cold outside, and of course the POS Shaker 500 went all "Office Space" on a couple of my CDs and now refuses to eject the good ones or accept any new ones (the radio still works). Other than those things it's been great. A lot of people seem to have dead battery problems which usually go away when that Shaker 500/1000 gets replaced. You can find solutions to most of these problems right here on this forum. Listen to what these guys are telling you to inspect and if it all checks out, the drivetrain is in good shape, and there's no water leak then I say jump on it and be prepared for modding to take over your life and your bank account, lol.
05-14-2010, 09:20 AM
#17
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 3,666
I own a 2005 and I haven't experienced any issues with the water leak or spark plugs (knock on wood). However, I did experience my emergency break freezing to my caliper during a winter ice storm here in GA. I had to wait until the next day when it was above freezing and thawed out. My car spent the night at the office parking lot along with my co-workers car, that had a flat tire. lol
One more thing, my clutch makes a rattling sound sometimes when sitting in neutral at stop light or stop sign. It happens on occassion.
One more thing, my clutch makes a rattling sound sometimes when sitting in neutral at stop light or stop sign. It happens on occassion.
Last edited by kevinmalec; 05-14-2010 at 12:52 PM.
05-14-2010, 01:19 PM
#18
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: VA
Posts: 453
I own a 2005 and I haven't experienced any issues with the water leak or spark plugs (knock on wood). However, I did experience my emergency break freezing to my caliper during a winter ice storm here in GA. I had to wait until the next day when it was above freezing and thawed out. My car spent the night at the office parking lot along with my co-workers car, that had a flat tire. lol
One more thing, my clutch makes a rattling sound sometimes when sitting in neutral at stop light or stop sign. It happens on occassion.
One more thing, my clutch makes a rattling sound sometimes when sitting in neutral at stop light or stop sign. It happens on occassion.
05-14-2010, 03:14 PM
#20
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 3,666
Oh yeah I forgot about the parking brake issue. I had the parking brake freeze twice last year in my driveway but only when temps fell below 25 degrees after raining during the day. Both times I heated it up with a heat gun and was rolling within 10 minutes. Now I just don't use the parking break when its freezing outside.