Miscellaneous questions....

[Electricat]

After several hundred dollars and many hours, I have finally worked out all major issues known issues with my SHO! Only big project left is the rear suspension. But there are several minor things to work out, or check for potential problems, so I have some questions to help me do it:

1. Is the MFS on the SHO the same as the one on the regular Taurus? (After driving around with the wipers and washer going at random moments, I have decided that MF doesn't stand for "multi-function" !

2. Is there a method to test the MFS using only resistance testing? (I would like to check a junkyard unit before I buy it).

3. I seem to have an oil leak coming from behind the oil cooler. How is the cooler attached and sealed to the block?

4. At WOT, my ATX shifts 1-2 @ 6500rpm, and 2-3 @ 6000rpm. Are these the normal shift points?

5. I would like to make my own aluminum subframe bushings and subframe connectors. I built SFC's for the '95 Mustang I had before the SHO, and loved the difference they made! I have access to a lathe, so making the bushings would be no problem. I don't thing the prices that people sell these items at are unreasonable, it's just that I can do it myself for much less. The question is...does anyone have dimensions/plans for these items, free or for a small fee?

6. With an aftermarket head unit, will the remote buttons for the radio still function?

Thanks in advance for help with any of these questions!

 

[autobahnsho]

1- Yes.
2- Yes. You'd have to pull it off the car, and put a meter on the correct pins. What the correct pins are, I have no clue.

6- Only if the aftermarket unit has the option to wire a volume/seek control in. Most don't. But then you can re-wire the remote buttons for something cool. (Like grenade launcher.. )

I don't know about the rest of your ???'s..

 

[HopefulSHO]

On my ATX, it seems to shift from 1st to 2nd around 6700 and then from 2nd to 3rd around 6300..still not quite getting all out of the Yamahammer that I wish it would. Might take it in to see if the linkages and whatnot are correct.

As far as the oil heat exchanger goes, I'm *assuming* that it is screwed onto the block and sealed w/ a gasket. I don't have my Chiltons here (not that it would probably help..) so I can't verify that.

 

[SHOZ123]

It is easy to clean your old switch. This is all that is wrong with it.

Remove the end cap and spray with a contact cleaner. The grease in there will be hard and black. There is a small 3 contact copper piece that will come out. Lightly sand it's bulbous ends to get a new shiny surface to them. Hose the entire switch down with WD 40 and work all the actions. Blow dry with air, use some petroleum grease to lightly **** the wiper contacts and reassemble. Then test per the document I sent.

 

[MichaelH]

Paul is correct. For even more info on cleaning the MFS, go here:
http://www.shotimes.com/php-bin/mod...e=article&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0&sid=120

As for the tranny, mine shifts @7,400 (governed) at each point. I did add a Superchip, but I'm pretty sure it shifted at the max before the chip. Maybe someone else has a comment on that. In any case, you're losing a lot of the power and thrills when it shifts so low.

 

[masho95]

You said you worked out your major issues, so I would assume you found your oil pressure problem? What did you find?

 

[Electricat]

You said you worked out your major issues, so I would assume you found your oil pressure problem? What did you find?

The source of the problem was a clogged pickup! The entire bottom of the pickup was plugged with burnt oil gunk, it was drawing oil only around a small part of the sides of the pickup. I did go ahead and replace the rod bearings (some copper showing, nothing too bad) while I had it apart, which I imagine helped the pressure a bit, but I am confident that the main problem was the blockage of the pickup. Pressure is now at 12psi at hot idle, and very good throughout the rpm band, MUCH better than it was before!

About cleaning the old MFS....I tried that a while back, and didn't get it back together right, which damaged the contacts in the "button" part pretty bad...OOPS!! I got one at the JY today, and will do the cleaning procedure on it before I put it in. Thanks for the info!

Thanks for all the help, you guys are awesome!!

 

[Axianator]

Concerning your ATX, Electricat, it sounds as though it's shifting about where it should be under the stock EEC program.

FYI, the shift points on the Gen 2 ATX are governed by vehicle speed and not RPM (as is popularly believed). The factory 1-2 WOT shift point is set for 42mph, which usually occurs at an RPM of around 6500-6700. The factory WOT 2-3 shift is set for 70mph and usually comes on at about 6100-6300 rpms. Note that changes in tire and wheel sizes, discrepancies due to a faulty VSS, etc. can affect the speed that is reported back to the EEC and, in turn, alter the speed and RPM at which the tranny will shift.

FWIW, Superchips and other chip makers often bump these table values higher to acheive a higher WOT shift point in certain gears, but this is often done at the expensive of tranny and accessory life. I am curious about Michael's Superchip setup, however, since I've have yet to see a Gen 2 ATX Superchip program with a 1-2 WOT shift point higher than 44.5mph.

Congrats on getting the rest of the bugs worked out. Feels good, doesn't it?