Need Advice Just Bought Sho

[joshsquiresmi]

Hello everyone and thanks in advance for your help, as this is my first post and first SHO.

I just recently purchased a 1993 ATX 3.2 DOHC Yamaha engine Sho. The vehicle has 151,*** miles on it and a newly replaced remanufactured transmission from Ford. I do know what has been done to this vehicle as far as maintenance. I was planning on doing a full 60k replacement according to Sho Phoenix, even if the stuff is not bad. Other then the 60k things, what should I check out and possibly replace. I do not want to take any chances of this vehicle having any problems once it's on the road. I would rather "waste" money putting in new parts and have complete confidence that I will not be stranded on the side of the road.

I have already replaced the exhaust flexpipe, and full suspension in the front, along with sway bar links in the rear. I also do need to replace both mufflers, as the outer core is begining to rust out, but they do not leak.

One thing I am looking for is a diagram of the electrical wiring of the brakes. My brake lights do not work. The bulbs have been replaced. I have put a test light on the plug that plugs into the plug of the brake pedal, and it has no power. There are 2 wires that run off of that plug, I need to find out where they go, so I can find the short, or can I hard wire it somehow? I do have the chilton repair manual for the vehicle, but I cannot find a wiring diagram for the brakes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sperold]

Don't be discouraged, but you are probably going to be stranded on the side of the road at some point,no matter how much money you throw at it in the first place. Get AAA and a cell phone.
Drive it, keep an eye on things, and deal with them as they develop.
Do all you can yourself, get your advice and contacts from this forum. Resist the urge to take it to a Ford dealership as they have not seen one in years.
One rule to remember is, your next problem has something to do with the last thing that was changed.

 

[joshsquiresmi]

yea ford doesn't know shit about these vehicles...I have already found that out...lol...I did purchase the repair manual for this vehicle though.

 

[sperold]

You are on the right track.
Make sure your water pump is not leaking (and that is fairly hard to do) as that causes problems with your Crank Position Sensor (CPS).
Find out all the details on the new transmission (if it was an upgrade from Ford) and get old posts from this forum on the Automatic, as yours is the first year of them. There are things you can do to them to make them more like the 94 - 95 and it involves the computer that controls it.
Stop by RockAuto and Shosource and buy your parts ahead of time on sale or clear-out, things like rad hoses, belts, starters, alternators, sub frame bushings, water pumps, thermostats...

 

[joshsquiresmi]

ok thanks a lot....I planned on changing the water pump and everything even though it's not "leaking"

 

[joesho_gb]

As a newer SHO owner myself, a few things I have checked and done
1) Pull the plug wires and look in the spark plug wells. Checks for any fluids in there. If there is oil, then you should replace your valve cover / spark plug gaskets
2) Get a Security Torx set. Pull the Mass Air Flow sensor (MAF) and blast the resistor in there with an electrical contact cleaner.
3) Learn the car. Read around, learn how to pull codes and what they mean. This will keep you sane for a while, and help drastically when trying to troubleshoot a problem. Check to see what the butterfly's are, and how they can be checked.
4) DON'T PULL THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT! And replace it if it burns out. if this light burns out, it will run the motor in "Fail Safe mode". Cuts performance down, uses more gas, and makes it run horrible.
5) SHO stands for a few things, my personal favorite is "Shit Happens Often". Sperold is correct when he/she said to make sure to have a cell phone, and some road side assistance.
I can honestly say, though, that the engine is a tank. It got me from Minnesota back to Green Bay on 5 cylinders, a broken vacuum secondary controller, leaking oil due to bad spark plug gaskets, having brakes on only 3 wheels, no rear sway bar links, and the CEL pulled making the motor run in Fail Safe mode. (Just an FYI - Bought the car like this.)
Spent my time under the hood (and still am lol), I've got 189k on the motor and trans. Starts the first time. Shifts like a champ.

Sounds like a lot of wrench time has already been put into this car, which is good. If you run into problems, first search the forums. if you can't find your answer, post. There are a TON of people here that know way more than I do, and area always willing to offer advice.

Welcome to the SHO. And enjoy!

 

[SHObill]

Where in MI are you?
Are you doing all the work on your SHO yourself?

 

[Flash Gordon]

It seems that maintenance has been covered already, so I will go straight to the brake lights. Try turning the flashers on and off several times, then with them firmly off, see if the brake lights work. I used to see this on the gen 1 and gen 2. If that is the problem, replace the multifunction switch. It can be disassembled and repaired (did it on my own gen 2), but it is not that expensive.

James

 

[joshsquiresmi]

I am on the Michigan/Ohio border.....I pesonally am not doing the work, but I have a friend who is a good mechanic who is doing all the work at my house.

 

[joshsquiresmi]

It seems that maintenance has been covered already, so I will go straight to the brake lights. Try turning the flashers on and off several times, then with them firmly off, see if the brake lights work. I used to see this on the gen 1 and gen 2. If that is the problem, replace the multifunction switch. It can be disassembled and repaired (did it on my own gen 2), but it is not that expensive.

James

Ok I will check that out today as well. I also found out about this:

The 93-95 ATX SHOs were included in the 05S28 Speed Control Disconnect fiasco ...er recall.

The SCDS, mounted on the bottom of the SHO's master cylinder, fails internally and allows the brake fluid to enter the electrical circuit of the switch. Depending on how the fluid flows, it can either short to ground completely (which blows the fuse) or partially. If it shorts partially, the heavy current can cause the connector to smoke or in extreme cases, cause a fire whcih may lead to loss of the vehcile and anything surrounding it.

Apparent side effects of blowing the fuse include no brake lights, no cruise, and an inability to shift the ATX out of PARK.

This same switch failure on the F150/Expedition has resulted in numerous vehicle fires with collateral damage.

If you are an owner of a 93-95 ATX, call your Ford dealer and schedule the free recall service. If your SCDS is working normally, they will install an additional harness that contains a fuse link to protect the vehicle in the event the switch fails with a short circuit. If the switch's connector shows visible signs of fluid leakage, they will also replace the switch.



After talking to the Mod who posted it, he told me how to check to see if that is what is causing my problem. I appreciate all the help and advice!

 

[joshsquiresmi]

ok I figured out the problem for my brakes. it was a recall in the Speed Control that was causing my fuse to blow and brake lights not to work. I unplugged it, inserted a fuse and the brakes worked fine. I already dropped it off at the dealership to get the recall fixed.

Thanks everyone!