Ford Mustang Forums banner

New (to me ) Mustang

2K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  MirageII 
#1 ·
I just bought a 2005 Mustang Convertible, last owner had it for 9 years and maintained it pretty well. It has 152K miles but runs really well.

It is a V6 with automatic transmission and I think it is pretty quick for what it is. I previously had a 89 LX 5.0 and a 2002 GT (both 5-speed). Anyway, I am getting older and that one is fast enough for us. Only thing I wish it had is the full gauge cluster and the aluminum accents on the steering wheel and shifter.....maybe I will change that later on with some used stuff. For now I am just going through the car, doing my own initial maintenance and a thorough detail.

I am sure I will have some questions later on.
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#2 ·
Congrats on your purchase! These v6's are strong engines and last a long time. There are a few common things that do go wrong, but they are easy to resolve. Most common is the thermostat housing, as it is plastic and tends to crack and leak. The throttle body tends to get oil sludge built up inside it (due to the egr exhaust coming into the intake manifold), and over time, it can cause the throttle body to bind. Cleaning it solves and issues. That's really about it, that's the biggies.

As far as maintenance items, in addition to oil, oil filter, air filter, and spark plugs, I would recommend you change the transmission fluid and filter, but do NOT do a flush. There is no dipstick, so the fluid has to be added from underneath, and filled to proper level; not hard to do, but most people get a shop to do it just because you have to fill from underneath the car. Ideally, the fluid would have been changed at least twice before you got it, but it may not have been. It is the one thing that I would be concerned with that many miles.

Good luck, don't be shy about posting questions or comments.
 
#3 ·
The thermostat housing was replaced two years ago. The transmission fluid and fuel filter is definitely on my To Do list as there is no documentation that that was ever done, though the transmission shifts perfectly.

I was debating if I do it myself or get the dealer do it with the flush machine. Just wondering, why do you recommend against the flush.....wouldn't that be a more complete fluid exchange?

I guess if there is one thing I don't like about that engine it is that you always get a little white sludge at the bottom of the oil filler cap. Probably do to the raised filler tube. As soon as you drive for an extended period it goes away, it was the same on my GT 4.6L. At first it alarmed me but never caused any issues.

Thanks for your advise!
 
#4 ·
A trans fluid flush can dislodge small particles and cause transmission problems, when you didn't have any before. Many people have experienced this. So, just get a fluid and filter change, with no flush!

In the winter time, there can be moisture in the engine, that due to the cold, can condense and cause a little white or yellow gunk to show up. The crankcase ventilation system should take care of that. See what happens when the weather gets warmer, into the 50's.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the tip on the transmission flush......makes sense to me. I think I just change it (filter once, fluid twice) myself using Mercon V, that should take care of it.

Like I said, I am not worried about the tiny amount of white sludge as it disappears after some Interstate driving and my 02 GT did the same thing.
 
#6 ·
Some maintenance done!

Today I started doing some (probably overdue) maintenance on my car.

Changed the transmission filter and fluid. I actually changed the fluid twice, using 11 Qts, so I have most of the old stuff out. Surprisingly the pan was clean inside and there was very little junk on the magnet.......messy job though.

I also fixed my coolant leak, the temperature sending unit o-ring was bad, the thermostat housing was replaced two years ago by the previous owner. Next was the fuel filter which looked like it was the original one and an engine oil/filter change.

Tomorrow its spark plugs, front pads, get the rotors turned, and clean the throttle body. I also acquired a mint steering wheel and a grille with fog lights, those go on this weekend as well.

Slowly getting there!
 
#7 ·
Congrats on the purchase, and welcome to the 2005 V6 Vert club! Sounds like you've got a good jump on the maintenance issues. One thing to keep in mind is the thermostat housing. The plastic ones are very prone to failure. Some people have replaced them only to have them fail within 30k miles. There is an all aluminum one available on Amazon that can give you piece of mind. My original plastic one was cracked and leaking since the day I bought the car so I took the plunge and bought the aluminum one. It's a little pricey, but well worth it. I've been using it for ablout 2 years (about 25k miles), as , and have no complaints. Better yet, no leaks!

Hope this helps. And again, congrats on the new ride!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top