1986 Ford Thunderbird Coupe from North America - Comments

1st Dec 2001, 00:19

"Classic from the 80's"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Replaced the windshield wiper motor.

Replaced the power window motor in the passenger door.

Replaced a blown head gasket, had the heads re-machined to true due to warping caused by an incorrect repair job before I got the car. <--97000 miles.

Replaced the water pump at 104000 miles.

Replaced a voltage regulator twice, then bought a heavy duty one and it's worked fine since.

Replaced the front struts and rear shocks due to age and wear @ 107000 miles.

Replaced the front brake rotors at 111000.

Minor electrical problems, such as the digital speedometer is permanently dimmed all the way.

Paint has not aged as well as I would like, bright red is now reddish orange unless freshly waxed.

General comments?

Great first car.

The body styling still gets comments as she's clean and has had a recent wax job.

Fun to drive, but the V6 feels low in power. I'd get the V8 in this model if you could find one.

Handles very well for a mid-size coupe.

Hey, my first car - she's my baby and I'll drive her until she won't start anymore.


1st May 2003, 23:34

Yeah, I have the same problem with the dimmed digital dash. Its annoying, and I need to get it fixed. Either that or maybe I can do a conversions to regular needle gages.


12th May 2008, 23:50

There is a bulb behind the digital display that burns out, its pricey and a bit hard to find but can easily be fixed in an hour or so.

A good time to fix your transmission gear indicator if its broken as well (need a small hose clamp)

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