Am I Getting Shafted?!
08-02-2006, 02:11 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3
Am I Getting Shafted?!
Hello. I'm a long-time vintage Mustang owner who recently purchased a 1985 LX (4v) for my son (12) to start working on. It's in generally great shape, except for the wiring (my weakness). The car has been converted from a 4 cyl. to a 5.0L. It runs well, but in the two weeks or so that I've had it, I've had all kinds of electrical problems. The car is in a local shop right now, but I can't help but feel I'm getting ripped off. I'd love some input from you all.
My son and I were driving it in a parking lot Saturday when it lost power. I poked around under the hood, making sure it had fuel (it does) and looking for any obvious problems. I emailed the previous owner who suggested it was either: the ignition control box, the coil, or the magnetic pickup. He'd done enough modification to all of the above (hard wiring where there should have been clips, aftermarket brackets, etc.) that I just called AAA and had it towed to a local shop. They confirmed that the ignition control box was bad, but noted that they had noticed that the control box and the coil were excessively hot, even though the car wasn't running. The theorized that the control box would burn out again, even if they replaced it with a new one. The manager suggested replacing the coil and ignition control box with an HEI distributor, which he says includes all three elements into one device. He said the benefit was a single power supply, directly from the ignition, which would likely keep things cooler and less likely to burn out.
I went ahead with just the new ignition control box, because of price. When I went to pick up the car, it started right up and then died immediately, just like it did when my son was driving it. A technician came out and put a voltage meter on the ignition control box and pronounced it dead. I went ahead and gave the manager authorization to order an HEI distributor. He said it would be a couple days because it had to be ordered. Here's my question: Is $650 for diagnosing the problem, removing the extaneous parts (the ignition control box and the coil) and installing an HEI distrbutor seem out of line? (He said he won't have to charge me for the new ignition control box that went bad because he could return it to his parts house.) It seems very steep to me, but then I don't know much about these "newer" Mustangs, and am a bit out of my element on electrical issues. Any help willl be greatly appreciated.
My son and I were driving it in a parking lot Saturday when it lost power. I poked around under the hood, making sure it had fuel (it does) and looking for any obvious problems. I emailed the previous owner who suggested it was either: the ignition control box, the coil, or the magnetic pickup. He'd done enough modification to all of the above (hard wiring where there should have been clips, aftermarket brackets, etc.) that I just called AAA and had it towed to a local shop. They confirmed that the ignition control box was bad, but noted that they had noticed that the control box and the coil were excessively hot, even though the car wasn't running. The theorized that the control box would burn out again, even if they replaced it with a new one. The manager suggested replacing the coil and ignition control box with an HEI distributor, which he says includes all three elements into one device. He said the benefit was a single power supply, directly from the ignition, which would likely keep things cooler and less likely to burn out.
I went ahead with just the new ignition control box, because of price. When I went to pick up the car, it started right up and then died immediately, just like it did when my son was driving it. A technician came out and put a voltage meter on the ignition control box and pronounced it dead. I went ahead and gave the manager authorization to order an HEI distributor. He said it would be a couple days because it had to be ordered. Here's my question: Is $650 for diagnosing the problem, removing the extaneous parts (the ignition control box and the coil) and installing an HEI distrbutor seem out of line? (He said he won't have to charge me for the new ignition control box that went bad because he could return it to his parts house.) It seems very steep to me, but then I don't know much about these "newer" Mustangs, and am a bit out of my element on electrical issues. Any help willl be greatly appreciated.
08-02-2006, 02:19 PM
#2
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 913
RE: Am I Getting Shafted?!
hmm... well, congratulations on finding a nice '85 for your son. I'm 16 and just bought an '85 GT and i love the thing. Anyway, i don't think the price seems that out of line for the work they have to do. I haven't had any work on electrical stuff though, so i don't know for sure.
08-02-2006, 02:25 PM
#5
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 913
RE: Am I Getting Shafted?!
ORIGINAL: Nadelle
look, obviusly you dont wanna fix anything, so just sell the 85 and go find another mustang with no problems.
look, obviusly you dont wanna fix anything, so just sell the 85 and go find another mustang with no problems.
08-02-2006, 03:06 PM
#6
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 397
RE: Am I Getting Shafted?!
ORIGINAL: 1985stang
dude, a 21 year old car is gonna have some problems. as long as they can be fixed, it'll be cheaper than hasling with a totally different car.
ORIGINAL: Nadelle
look, obviusly you dont wanna fix anything, so just sell the 85 and go find another mustang with no problems.
look, obviusly you dont wanna fix anything, so just sell the 85 and go find another mustang with no problems.
I will have to agree with Nadelle. It's a swap who knows what kind of job the previous owner did. Of what it sounds like he they did a poor job on the electrical. That only going to lead to other problems. Only he (the previous owner) knows what they did to that car. I would have to agree to sell it and get another 85 thats a real 5.0. That way all you have to worry about is upgrading it. You might even find a good deal on a 87-93 model. Unless your into the 85-86 model which is cool too. Good luck!
08-02-2006, 03:18 PM
#7
5th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Central New York
Posts: 3,850
RE: Am I Getting Shafted?!
I have a few comments on this:
1) Buying that for your son in honorable and he should be proud of you as a father.
2) If the car is a stock 5.0L 302 then a basic ignition setup should suffice, otherwise go with MSD.
3) I think that price is pretty steep, (not sure how much parts were) but that is a fairly simple diagnosis, and the ignition systems in the 5.0 are very basic. (HEI Distributor on Summit Racing is $180 )
4) I would have the car brought home and order a complete MSD ignition kit that includes coil, ignition box, distributor,rotor, etc., this way you are starting fresh with a unhacked ignition system and MSD provides very good detailed instructions and tech support.
5) There has to be a misconnection or short or bad ground for the coil to be hot when the car is off.
6) Do a search for "electrical issues" or "coil" or "ignition module" and you'll find some threads on this guaranteed.
Good Luck and Don't sell the car because this may be a simple problem and all good things take time and patience and money.
1) Buying that for your son in honorable and he should be proud of you as a father.
2) If the car is a stock 5.0L 302 then a basic ignition setup should suffice, otherwise go with MSD.
3) I think that price is pretty steep, (not sure how much parts were) but that is a fairly simple diagnosis, and the ignition systems in the 5.0 are very basic. (HEI Distributor on Summit Racing is $180 )
4) I would have the car brought home and order a complete MSD ignition kit that includes coil, ignition box, distributor,rotor, etc., this way you are starting fresh with a unhacked ignition system and MSD provides very good detailed instructions and tech support.
5) There has to be a misconnection or short or bad ground for the coil to be hot when the car is off.
6) Do a search for "electrical issues" or "coil" or "ignition module" and you'll find some threads on this guaranteed.
Good Luck and Don't sell the car because this may be a simple problem and all good things take time and patience and money.
08-02-2006, 03:33 PM
#9
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 913
RE: Am I Getting Shafted?!
ORIGINAL: Chuy1988
I will have to agree with Nadelle. It's a swap who knows what kind of job the previous owner did. Of what it sounds like he they did a poor job on the electrical. That only going to lead to other problems. Only he (the previous owner) knows what they did to that car. I would have to agree to sell it and get another 85 thats a real 5.0. That way all you have to worry about is upgrading it. You might even find a good deal on a 87-93 model. Unless your into the 85-86 model which is cool too. Good luck!
ORIGINAL: 1985stang
dude, a 21 year old car is gonna have some problems. as long as they can be fixed, it'll be cheaper than hasling with a totally different car.
ORIGINAL: Nadelle
look, obviusly you dont wanna fix anything, so just sell the 85 and go find another mustang with no problems.
look, obviusly you dont wanna fix anything, so just sell the 85 and go find another mustang with no problems.
I will have to agree with Nadelle. It's a swap who knows what kind of job the previous owner did. Of what it sounds like he they did a poor job on the electrical. That only going to lead to other problems. Only he (the previous owner) knows what they did to that car. I would have to agree to sell it and get another 85 thats a real 5.0. That way all you have to worry about is upgrading it. You might even find a good deal on a 87-93 model. Unless your into the 85-86 model which is cool too. Good luck!
08-02-2006, 03:37 PM
#10
5th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Central New York
Posts: 3,850
RE: Am I Getting Shafted?!
It is one the most common and easiest swaps to fo similar to the Chevy 305 to 350 swap, 302 is one the easiest motors to work on and learn about, besides your son is 12 that means he has at least 3 years until he can drive it legally. Theres time to iron out the details.