drazaH

995 Cobra 5.0
-BBK Long Tube Headers
-BBK H Pipe
-Flowmaster Dual Mufflers
-BBK Cold Air Intake
-Unknown Red Springs & White Shocks (Eibach Springs & Tockiko Shocks?)(Also lowered about an inch)



Question 1: Has BBK Longtube headers, and the metal coil hose that screws into the holy on the passanger side of the headers from the EGR Valve keeps unscrewing over time on its own. Would i be safe if i just JB Welded it on?

Question 2: After inspecting the issue above, I noticed the previous owner (before my dad owned it) seemed to plug a vacuum line that is supposed to be on the EGR Valve with a screw so it looks intentional, What would be the reason for this? It is the vacuum line that connects to the little stem that sticks out the top of the EGR Valve.

Question 3: The shifting seems VERY clunky compared to any stick ive driven. Is this just a mustang thing? The clutch pedal is VERY stiff and takes a decent amount of pressure to press it down. And the actual gear shifting seems very clunky and I can smoothly shift from one gear to the next without it hanging up on slighty. Feels almost i have to go from gear > neutral > gear rather than a smooth shift straight from gear to gear (Like my s10 is)

Question 4: I have an Autometer Phantom Air/Fuel Ratio Gauge (narrowband) in the B-Pillar under my Vac Gauge. YES I know these narrowband AFR Gauges are just a light show but i still would like to get this working than have it not be working at all. It has 3 wires. Purple, Black, and Red. I have no manual but im guessing....

Black = Ground
Red = Power
Purple = Signal Wire

Where can i run the red wire to get power (Believe its 12v) And where do i run this purple wire to, Its not long at all and seems like it needs to be spliced under the dash somewhere?

Question 5: What are some mods/upgrades I can do to the 5.0 to make it get better gas mileage? This is my daily driver and i drive about 50 miles per day for work and such, and right now im getting about 20mpg.

jthorn9

1.) Do not use jb weld, you want to remove that incase something ever happens to the headers, egr, or intake. Use some basic thread sealant which can be broken by wrench if removal is needed.

2.) Obviously if the car is running 100% fine then that line isn't needed. The EGR and intake area has 2 or 3 (can't remember exactly how many at the moment) vacuum lines that run to a main harness and into the fender well. You can unplug it and reconnect it if you wish but I don't think any of those lines are 100% necessary, I may be wrong, but over the years I always had issues with mine coming off, and one totally dry rotted with no ill effects.

3.) Sounds like either a worn shifter or your common factory POS Ford shifter. Also sounds like a factory clutch, damn things are a pain to throw out. Go aftermarket for both.

4.) First of all are the gauges actually connected to the fuel system? If not, good luck finding the right components to do so. If it is, then is it electrical or mechanical gauge, both have different wiring. Then once you figure that out, then you need to find out which wires tap into what. But as stated, black is ground (run to ground), red is hot (need to tap into a constant 12 v line, the a/c adaptor plug is good for this), and purple is likely some kind of remote signal turn on but lord only knows what wire they want tapped. Makes no sense to me why it would need a constant power line and then a signal turn on line.

5.) For better gas you have to follow the traditional methods. Tuning (unfortunately your options here are limited to expensive tuning software), exhaust (increases engine efficiency and mpg), intake (same as exhaust), pullies (reduces external engine loads), restrictive driving (keeping your foot off the gas), properly inflated tires, and proper tune ups and maintenance.

Maxwelhse

I've had too mush whiskey for an actually reply at this time, so I will just tell you how I am "feeling"...

Wow...! That car is gorgeous and is it for sale?

It's not fair to post those kind of pictures and THEN ask for help!

(so I don't get yelled at, and since the 5.0 section seems a bit slow these days, I'm going to do my best anyhow)

1 - JB weld is almost never the right answer when it comes to stuff like that. I've seen it do some amazing things, but I wouldn't put it on anything threaded. Try some loc-tite RED. On my '91, it's of sufficient thread size to tolerate removal under the force of RED later. I'm assume your Cobra is similar.

2 - To defeat the EGR in a sissy way. The complete deletion can be found under many google results of "thermactor removal".. Not sure how your SN computer will deal with it though.. Again, on my '91, it could care less.

3 - You're talking my language now!!! (I've owned 3 stick S-10s)... "Clunky" isn't how I would describe the actual shifting... Generally speaking, the shifting itself should be "smooth-ish", but the clutch does require more effort than a hydraulic system. My mom could drive my S-10 or TJ comfortably, but I don't think she'd put up with my 5.0 for very long. Cable clutches require a bit of effort. It's also possible that someone upgraded the clutch at some point to a "stiffer" unit. So... all that said.. which is it? Stiff clutch or "clunky" shifting?

5 - A colder thermostat (180F), DELETING *ALL* EGR function, deleting cats, deleting AIR pump, exchanging mechanical fan for electric, and free flowing exhaust + shorty headers has my '91 turning in 24 mpg hwy @ 65 mph with 2.73 gears. I think your Cobra has 3.27s (someone else please correct me...), which shouldn't make THAT big of a difference.

---somewhat seriously---

If you're tired of your problems with that car, let me know! BEAUTIFUL!!!

edit: Jthorn beat me, but it sounds like we're of like minds... other than you selling me your car for a song!!!

edit 2: Oops... Don't SNs run E-fans from Ford?

drazaH

Thank you, I figured JB Weld might be too much, Ill take your advice and just use some type of thread sealant. Im gonna take the boot off the shifter tomorrow to see if its really a short-throw shifter (this is what i was told)

Also, for the AFR Gauge, what do you mean by AC Adapter plug, and where would this be located.



Keep the suggestions coming!!

drazaH

Thank you sir for the help! And YES, all my cars are ALWAYS for sale if the right price comes around!

I forgot to mention, but the previous owner (Again, the person whom my dad bought it off of) told us that he put in a "Racing Clutch & Short throw shifter" He also mention something along the lines of a "Stage 2 or Stage 3 Clutch" whatever that means, Can anyone explain this?

As for the shifting, by clunky im only talking about the shifter itself. It doesnt smoothly go from one gear to the next, it just feels like it hangs up when going through neutral to the next gear rather then fluidly going from one gear straight into the next (like my s10)

I was already looking into the 180* thermo, But as for the EGR Valve, do you RECOMMEND me just delete this all together? As i said the one line is already capped with a screw, and the metal hose from the EGR Valve is the one that unscrews on its own from the headers so if recommended, taking the EGR Valve out completely would fix that issue as im assuming I would just cap this hole in the headers?

drazaH

Oh, and Yes it already has an e-fan.

Maxwelhse

I'll give you $3k for it and fly to NJ to pick it up.. Deal?

Stage 2, 3, 187, etc, are all pretty much just marketing nomenclature used by clutch manufacturers to describe the "aggressiveness" of their clutches. The fact that the previous owner mentioned it probably means (if he was honest) that the clutch is stiffer than factory. As far as the feeling of the shift goes, a short throw shifter will require more effort than a stock shifter, but it should still be more-or-less smooth (depending on manufacturer). I'm with you... Pull the boot and see what is inside. If its some junk piece, that might be your problem. If you see 'MGW" somewhere on it, something else is wrong. In direct comparision between my 5.0 and S-10 (with the nearly exact same transmission... both T-5s) I would say the 'stang requires a more "deliberate' shift. Maybe tighter is more accurate? I dunno exactly how to say it, but an S-10 T-5 vs. a 5.0 T-5 are not the same animal. The T-5 in my 'Stanf feels more "exacting"... I can and have powershifted my 5.0 like a MAN (Seriously... I amazed myself) w/o issue... If you don't have the confidence to do the same, something may be up... Pull the boot and get back to us!

Preface: There is not "correctly" about this.. You'll be taking something off of your car that Ford intended due to the EPA's sissy hand...

If your SN computer responds the way my '91 computer did (meaning that it had no idea that I had done anything), then hell yes I absolutely recommend ditching all that garbage. If nothing else my car lost about 10lbs off of the nose by deleting the AIR/Thermactor/EGR system. Again, google for your year and see what you find.. I know the SN computers are more picky, but I don't know in exactly what ways. We used to have some awesome resources for SN-95 'stangs around (AdderMK2????) but it seems the years have dried them up... Google thine answer..

As far as headers go... My offroad H-pipe, hilariously, had a port for the EGR tube to tie into.. I ran a 5/8-11 bolt into that pipe with some sealer on it and never looked back!

drazaH

After reading how you described the shifting between the two ill try to clarify a tad better on my situation. Yes it does feel a lot more accurate/stiff in the shifting as in my s10, the shifter wobbles like a dead fish but in my cobra its very stiff through all gears, Its not "hard" per say to shift into the gear, but it feels as no matter how much force i try to use to get it from 1 gear to the next smoothly it always seems to just hang up when passing through neutral into the next gear. The clutch pedal also takes a lot of force to press it down, but that's probably the after market clutch?

Oh, and ill have to pass on the 3k

Maxwelhse

Sounds like you may have a crappy short through shifter, and POSSIBLY a gummy clutch cable.... the odds are better that you just have a stiffer clutch that you're just not used to. That said, replacement cables are cheap and easy to install if you think that might be your problem. Considering you have long tube headers, it's possible that its routing is less than desirable. Check the driver's side header to see if the cable it laying on it. If so, that might be a good portion of your problem.

For reference, my clutch is stock (at least I believe it is) and I have a new cable, billet quadrant, and firewall adjuster. It's STILL noticeably different than anything I've driven with a hydraulic setup.

$3k is too low? With all of those problems? C'mon man.. How about $3k + a rusty '93 Escort in excellent mechanical condition?

drazaH

Thanks for the info, And you are prob correct... I just gotta get used to it, but will still do another once over today while working on it. Oh and ill only accept that offer if the escort has red rims and 10000w subwoofers