plannin on a trip

[zblackbeast]

So, me and a buddy are makin a trip out to Connecticut next week and I've got a few questions to ask you all..

First off, I'm doing the obvious care. I'm replacing the spark plugs, air filter, oil, going to replace my toasted maf and make sure my tires are propertly inflated. Now I'm also going to be replacing the ball joints and if I get them in time the struts from Jason. Is there anything else you all can think of I can do to help maximize gas millage as well as make sure she's gonna run like a ***** ape for the 3k round trip?

Now for a wtf moment on my part... my cigar lighter has not worked since I did my interior swap and I cannot for the LIFE of me remember where that long ass plug goes into the body wiring harness. I NEED to get that sucker fixed or were kinda sol... if I can't find that plug any ideas on where to get power from so its only hot with ignition? ( I have some thoughts but id like some of you to suggest and see if I was going the right direction).

That's the only real thing I can think of right now.. Any other suggestions,ideas,flame are completely welcome.

 

[trainguy1989]

Zip Ties......That is all......

P.S. The connector for the main wiring harness should come through the carpet under the center console. When you put the black carpet in did the connector get tucked somewhere?

 

[zblackbeast]

I think I did.. which side does it come from?? Drivers or passangers?

 

[trainguy1989]

I think I did.. which side does it come from?? Drivers or passangers?

I don't recall. I will have to look.

 

[zblackbeast]

Thanks man

 

[zblackbeast]

Say I can't find this plug.. where should I draw power? Radio power?

 

[NEp8ntballer]

the center console power plug is on the passenger side iirc. I'll check my other console when I get home to confirm. Where it goes to from then I don't know. However, unless your car is set up differently from mine the 12V/cig lighter is hot whether or not the key is in the on position. Depending on what you plan on hooking up to it you might end up drawing more amps than the radio is supposed to and pop the fuse.

 

[zblackbeast]

Mostly just phone chargers prolly.. ill use my droid if i need a GPS..

Ive got about 2 foot of wiring from the back to the lighter itself.. i just loose where it goes under the seats.. ill look later.. thanks!

 

[NEp8ntballer]

it doesn't go under the seats it connects forward under the main dash area on the driver's side. lmk if I need to pull mine to snap some pics for you

 

[itwonder]

Keep maintenance on the light side before a long trip. Major maintenance increases the chances of having an unanticipated problem. It's best to do maintenance and then put several hundred miles on before heading out on a long trip.

 

[zblackbeast]

Well.. my ball joints are shot.. I would not feel safe taking this on a long trip unless they were replaced anyway so I'm kinda between a rock and a hard place.. I would have loved to had that stuff replaced a month ago but I work 2 jobs so time is limited, and the person I'm getting parts from is also waiting for parts themselves from shosource.. I'm very confident in my ability to correctly replace these parts as I have done it several times in the past..

As of last night I replaced the ran codes, replaced the maf, changed the oil, changed the plugs and found/repaired my electrical issue.. the positive lead on the starter is quite loose so I see a new solenoid in my future...

 

[turbo79]

Well.. my ball joints are shot.. I would not feel safe taking this on a long trip unless they were replaced anyway so I'm kinda between a rock and a hard place.. I would have loved to had that stuff replaced a month ago but I work 2 jobs so time is limited, and the person I'm getting parts from is also waiting for parts themselves from shosource.. I'm very confident in my ability to correctly replace these parts as I have done it several times in the past.

I may get corrected, but I don't think that itwonder would include ball joints, even though they would be considered major maintenance. I sure wouldn't think twice about repalcing ball joints on a Taurus from that era and then just taking off. But, that's just me. Ball joints are pretty straight forward, and if you get them in place properly, and use a torque wrench for all fasteners they will work as advertised. I do recommend that you use new OEM spec bolts for the attaching points, though, particularly where they attach to the steering knuckle. Lot of strain there...

 

[zblackbeast]

I just replaced them last yeah.but the *** holes hear killed the right one so I need to replace them again..

 

[itwonder]

I may get corrected, but I don't think that itwonder would include ball joints, even though they would be considered major maintenance. I sure wouldn't think twice about repalcing ball joints on a Taurus from that era and then just taking off. But, that's just me. Ball joints are pretty straight forward, and if you get them in place properly, and use a torque wrench for all fasteners they will work as advertised. I do recommend that you use new OEM spec bolts for the attaching points, though, particularly where they attach to the steering knuckle. Lot of strain there...

I concur turbo. I definitely agree there are exceptions for safety related maintenance, and ball joints are straightforward.

 

[NEp8ntballer]

with a rust belt SHO you may want to look into getting a couple spare front strut rods in case the ones you have are pretty rusty under the bushings or you break one when you do the ball joints.

 

[zblackbeast]

They're only 4 years old and the cups were welded by the po.. mechanicly this sho is very tight.. I have all records done to it since 1996 including its 60k at 94000 and the clutch at 97000 etc.. the body is just rotting away..

 

[NEp8ntballer]

I know what you mean. This is what happened to my front strut rods when I did my balljoints:



one is pre getting the rusty parts off, the other is post getting the rusty parts off and the one on the far right is the rust free one I got from SHO Source

 

[zblackbeast]

Seriously.. where the **** do these wires come from? I've got three connections that are at the end of this wiring. One ********* on with.5 prongs in a shape like this |:.:| a grey two prong and a tiny black two prong..

 

[LJRuddy]

The cig lighter should only be a 2 wire plug... IIRC, there will be a separate connector for the little light bulb which will have only 1 wire. These 2 connectors should be wrapped together.

 

[sdpatt]

After the suspension work, you must have the alignment checked. The greatest failure probability on a long trip, with steady highway speeds, is with the tires. As you stated before, check the air pressure, but also examine them for punctures from nails or other metallic objects. You might be surprised what junk you find embedded in a tire tread before it works its way through the steel belts.