Off to a rough start with 2016 GT

[Adamone92]

While these eBay headlight assemblies look good, they do a sub-par job actually generating a decent light pattern with brand new Philips D3S 4300K bulbs. The passenger side light pattern has a bright vertical stripe about 1/4 the way across the pattern and both the driver and passenger sides have a dull, washed out beam that does a poor job lighting the road.

I may have to revert to OEM ones, if I can find a decently priced passenger side one. I don't feel comfortable using these eBay specials at night out where I live in the boonies.

https://www.sturtevantauto.com/used-car-parts/part-types/headlights

Try these guys? They seem to be in the Wisconsin area and sell parts from their junkyard.

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[Johnny Rockit]

After all the time and money invested, why put yourself and your family in a dangerous situation by skinflinting on the lighting? Just a thought.

 

[Canuckican]

After all the time and money invested, why put yourself and your family in a dangerous situation by skinflinting on the lighting? Just a thought.

Agreed. I have not taken any shortcuts getting this former POS up to snuff and won't with this either. All other fixes have been done using OEM parts, most of them new. However, I am not going to fork out $2K for two new OEM headlights or $400 each for used ones with broken mounting tabs and scuffed/cracked lenses. I have a few leads on some suitable replacements.

I stick to driving the F150 out here in the boonies at night. There are way too many deer running around like maniacs now. So far our tally is 8 hits, two cars totalled, two taken out of commission for a few weeks. the others with various levels of damage. Our three day old F150 with 230 miles was hit on the side by a large buck causing $6K in damage. Plus a few close calls on my motorcycle including one where I just clipped a does tail with my left knee when she slipped and fell on the asphalt. It sucks when the cornfields are only 10 feet from the highway! And the deer and wild turkeys on the snowmobile trails, geez.

In the meantime, I have four new Continental DWS 06 Plus tires and new TPMS sensors here now ready to be installed. The four crappy, mismatched tires on there now are a real handful. I plan on a nice smoky burnout on the old tires first to say goodbye. I did this on my yellow 2016 GT too.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

I would use maybe painters tape on the lower rear quarters to have an easier time of removing the burned rubber bits. Just a thought

 

[Call_Me_Bruce]

Agreed. I have not taken any shortcuts getting this former POS up to snuff and won't with this either. All other fixes have been done using OEM parts, most of them new. However, I am not going to fork out $2K for two new OEM headlights or $400 each for used ones with broken mounting tabs and scuffed/cracked lenses. I have a few leads on some suitable replacements.

I stick to driving the F150 out here in the boonies at night. There are way too many deer running around like maniacs now. So far our tally is 8 hits, two cars totalled, two taken out of commission for a few weeks. the others with various levels of damage. Our three day old F150 with 230 miles was hit on the side by a large buck causing $6K in damage. Plus a few close calls on my motorcycle including one where I just clipped a does tail with my left knee when she slipped and fell on the asphalt. It sucks when the cornfields are only 10 feet from the highway! And the deer and wild turkeys on the snowmobile trails, geez.

In the meantime, I have four new Continental DWS 06 Plus tires and new TPMS sensors here now ready to be installed. The four crappy, mismatched tires on there now are a real handful. I plan on a nice smoky burnout on the old tires first to say goodbye. I did this on my yellow 2016 GT too.

Sept of 2019 I hit a deer with my 2018 Toyota Avalon, it did $10,976 worth of damage. I was going under 35 and I drove the car home. Does not take much to get a big repair bill from a deer strike. Good luck in your quest for suitable headlight replacements.

 

[Canuckican]

After having driven my 2015 F150 quite a lot over the past few weeks, it really brings home just how awful the 9 speaker stereo is in the Mustang. The F150 sound system is by no means fancy. It has the stock head unit, a Kicker 46CXA360.4T amplifier and Alpine SPE-6000 / Alpine S-S65C speakers. But it really does the trick for me!

I have already replaced 8 of the 9 speakers in the Mustang due to them all being damaged. I now have these speakers:

Front door mid-range: Kicker KSC270
Lower front door and A-pillar: Focal RSE-165
Rear deck: Infinity Reference REF607FSL

The factory head unit does not have nav and I wish it did, but I am getting by okay with Android Auto and Google Maps. I've looked into getting something like the Dynavin 9 for $800 which comes with GPS and 45 watts per channel but I am a bit apprehensive about doing this. Another option is to get something like the Rockford Fosgate DSR1 digital signal processor and an amplifier but trying to figure out how to connect the DSR1 and an 8 channel amp sounds like a trip. Not to mention the cost of an 8 channel amp. I don't foresee getting a subwoofer.A lot of the bridging/crossover wiring talk goes right over my head.

My color blindness definitely makes installing things like this a bit more of a challenge. Thankfully I had my youngest daughter on hand when I installed everything in the F150 so she could QA the connections I made. I only made two color-based mistakes so to me that was really a win.

Dynavin 9 or DSR1 plus amplifier? Again, not looking for audiophile quality, just a good sounding basic setup. Might have to rock-paper-scissors my kids for this one.

 

[Hoofer]

After having driven my 2015 F150 quite a lot over the past few weeks, it really brings home just how awful the 9 speaker stereo is in the Mustang. The F150 sound system is by no means fancy. It has the stock head unit, a Kicker 46CXA360.4T amplifier and Alpine SPE-6000 / Alpine S-S65C speakers. But it really does the trick for me!

I have already replaced 8 of the 9 speakers in the Mustang due to them all being damaged. I now have these speakers:

Front door mid-range: Kicker KSC270
Lower front door and A-pillar: Focal RSE-165
Rear deck: Infinity Reference REF607FSL

The factory head unit does not have nav and I wish it did, but I am getting by okay with Android Auto and Google Maps. I've looked into getting something like the Dynavin 9 for $800 which comes with GPS and 45 watts per channel but I am a bit apprehensive about doing this. Another option is to get something like the Rockford Fosgate DSR1 digital signal processor and an amplifier but trying to figure out how to connect the DSR1 and an 8 channel amp sounds like a trip. Not to mention the cost of an 8 channel amp. I don't foresee getting a subwoofer.A lot of the bridging/crossover wiring talk goes right over my head.

My color blindness definitely makes installing things like this a bit more of a challenge. Thankfully I had my youngest daughter on hand when I installed everything in the F150 so she could QA the connections I made. I only made two color-based mistakes so to me that was really a win.

Dynavin 9 or DSR1 plus amplifier? Again, not looking for audiophile quality, just a good sounding basic setup. Might have to rock-paper-scissors my kids for this one.

Give Crutchfield a try. They have a good selection and some knowledgable people.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-vfMMQ...VpcPP8Mp0O1OaAWUYLZz_b92-iw7EmhEaAsUxEALw_wcB

 

[Canuckican]

Give Crutchfield a try. They have a good selection and some knowledgable people.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-vfMMQ...VpcPP8Mp0O1OaAWUYLZz_b92-iw7EmhEaAsUxEALw_wcB

Agreed. That's where I got the speakers I just put in the Mustang, and the amp and speakers for the F150, and a Kenwood head unit for my one daughter's Mazda 6, plus two sets of speakers for another daughter's Fusion.

 

[Canuckican]

Oliver started making some low groaning noises that varied with engine RPM and were worse when the car was up to operating temperature. It sounded like a pulley starting to go bad so I took a chance and replaced the belt tensioner, idler pulley, and both belts. The AC stretch belt put up a bit of a fight going on but nothing too bad. The zip tie method worked well for me. The noise seems to have gone away post-replacement. Hopefully that's all it was. I suppose next up would be checking the alternator and AC compressor. Not a fan of having to replace those. Time will tell.

 

[Canuckican]

Give Crutchfield a try. They have a good selection and some knowledgable people.

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-vfMMQ...VpcPP8Mp0O1OaAWUYLZz_b92-iw7EmhEaAsUxEALw_wcB

Crutchfield suggested I try the 6 channel AudioControl ACX-600.6 amplifier and the Rockford Fosgate DSR1 to go along with the 8 speakers I have already upgraded. Six channels is enough because I am not using the center speaker and the mid-range/tweeter combo in each door only take one channel each so 6 channel is enough. I think this sounds like a good springtime project.

I was really hoping to end up with built-in navigation when I was done but replacing the 8 inch OEM head unit with a nav head unit plus the AudioControl amp plus the DSR1 is too rich for my blood. I will make do with Google Maps and Android Auto. Not exactly a major sacrifice. I'm keeping my eyes open on various sites just in case some goodies I am interested in come up for sale.

 

[Canuckican]

I was able to replace the mismatched tires that came on this car when I bought it. It had very worn out Federal Super Steel 595, 255/45/ZR18s on the rear and "new" 235/50/18 Dunlop Conquest Sport A/S tires on the front. I replaced them with 235/50/R18 Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus tires and also installed new TPMS sensors at the same time. I had the previous version of this Continental tire on my other 2016 GT and liked them.

Now like everything else on this car, that can't be all there is to it. I left the two worn out tires at the tire installer for recycling but took the two Dunlop tires that now have about 2K miles on them with me in hopes of selling them and recouping a bit of money. Sounded like a good plan to me. So at lunchtime yesterday I went out to the garage to get some good pictures of the two tires, measure the tread depth etc (11/32) so I could post them on FB Marketplace. That's when I noticed something funky on what would have been the inside facing part of the tire. There are a bunch of gouges that in a few spots go nearly all the way through the sidewall! There is no damage to the wheel or any scuffs on the sidewall, just these gouges. I've never had this car drive up any kind of ramp etc. I don't know if damage like this can happen when a tire is being removed from a wheel. Or maybe it happened when the car was being loaded on or unloaded from the small car carrier that was used to deliver the car to me. Otherwise, no clue. It did hold air pressure. I certainly can't sell this one. I just feel fortunate it's no longer in use. At least I still have one left I can try to sell.

 

[Canuckican]

Oliver started making some low groaning noises that varied with engine RPM and were worse when the car was up to operating temperature. It sounded like a pulley starting to go bad so I took a chance and replaced the belt tensioner, idler pulley, and both belts. The AC stretch belt put up a bit of a fight going on but nothing too bad. The zip tie method worked well for me. The noise seems to have gone away post-replacement. Hopefully that's all it was. I suppose next up would be checking the alternator and AC compressor. Not a fan of having to replace those. Time will tell.

Nope, I was just out for a long drive and the noise is still there. It's more of a whirring noise, not a squeal. Not like an engine bearing, more like an accessory bearing. It appears after the car is fully up to operating temperature and varies by engine RPM, not vehicle speed, gear, etc. It's not running hot, is charging fine, AC works well, no visible coolant leaks or smell. I'll just monitor it for now and see if it progresses. I'm not about to pull the water pump or alternator or AC compressor until I know for certain.

 

[Canuckican]

Lovely, on my way to an early morning dentist appointment to start my week and up pops the CEL. Usually I have a code reader with me (not surprising given this car's propensity to be a PITA), but not today. So I checked it when I got home and a code I hadn't seen since last fall is back.

My old friend P1450 Unable to bleed up fuel tank vacuum. I haven't seen that in a nice, long while.

Other than swap the purge control valve out for a new one last year when I was getting this code, I did nothing else and the code still sporadically reappeared for a short time so the purge valve did not seem to be the problem. Anyway, the CEL eventually stopped so it left my mind.

The car is running fine, no gasoline smell at all. The tank is about half-full (or half-empty if that's your preferred world view), but it has been many times in the past year with no CEL. The flap on the fuel door did not seem stiff but I still put a bit of WD-40 on it and gave it a good workout. I'll see if I get lucky and that's the fix. If not, I'll probably remove the fuel vapor canister and hoses and see if they are showing any signs of leaks.

I sure do miss my very basic 1968 Mustang coupe with the 351W and 4 speed. It had maybe all of about 250 HP but was so easy to wrench on and just cruise in. I was only 17-18 at the time and I sure wish I had appreciated it more.

 

[Canuckican]

Another item to check off my list... The navigation APIM has now been installed and is working well. So far.

I am looking forward to drastically improving the sound system next spring. Winter is setting in now in Northern Wisconsin and that does limit how much time I spend out in my shop puttering around. The 7500 BTU ceiling-mounted electric heater in it struggles to get the temperature above 50F even with the shop being quite well insulated.

But it does free up more time to continue pursuing my amateur radio license and attain more traing and certifications at the shooting range. And I have been hinting to my wife that I may be picking up my next project motorcycle soon. I've been without a bike since spring and I don't like that. I love blasting around in the Mustang, but I do still prefer the motorcycle for the pure fun factor. I see a Yamaha FJ-09 as my next bike. I've spent a bit of time on one and really liked it. Hmmmmmm.

Never a dull moment.

 

[2morrow]

Lovely, on my way to an early morning dentist appointment to start my week and up pops the CEL. Usually I have a code reader with me (not surprising given this car's propensity to be a PITA), but not today. So I checked it when I got home and a code I hadn't seen since last fall is back.

My old friend P1450 Unable to bleed up fuel tank vacuum. I haven't seen that in a nice, long while.

Other than swap the purge control valve out for a new one last year when I was getting this code, I did nothing else and the code still sporadically reappeared for a short time so the purge valve did not seem to be the problem. Anyway, the CEL eventually stopped so it left my mind.

The car is running fine, no gasoline smell at all. The tank is about half-full (or half-empty if that's your preferred world view), but it has been many times in the past year with no CEL. The flap on the fuel door did not seem stiff but I still put a bit of WD-40 on it and gave it a good workout. I'll see if I get lucky and that's the fix. If not, I'll probably remove the fuel vapor canister and hoses and see if they are showing any signs of leaks.

I sure do miss my very basic 1968 Mustang coupe with the 351W and 4 speed. It had maybe all of about 250 HP but was so easy to wrench on and just cruise in. I was only 17-18 at the time and I sure wish I had appreciated it more.

Hi @Canuckican , I have the P1450 code come and go and I replaced the purge control valve a while back and cleared the code but it’s now a “permanent” code causing a smog failure.

I just ordered a new one and will replace but the other element (other than faulty hoses/connections) is the Fuel vapor canister.

The reason I bring this up is that there was several times where fuel would randomly spill over. I’m wondering if the “Unable to bleed up fuel vacuum” is related to that issue or even worse if fuel somehow found its way to that vapor canister (charcoal element) and may have damaged it. Replacing that is going to suck.

With your experience on this issue, would you mind shedding some light on this? Thanks in advance!

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