Mustang Miss » Ford Mustang Racing » PING –> Ken Davis
PING –> Ken Davis
Question:
So you’re going to go with the electronic speedo fix, not the gear? What do you plan on using? I find my speedo is about 2% off (high) right now, and I wouldn’t mind getting it exactly correct. I thought the only way to fix the speedo on a ‘99 was electronic. Is the actual scoop on this that the gear fix is slightly off and the electronic is very accurate? You are saying that a gear was used to recalibrate your speedo, right?
Yep. A 23-tooth speedo gear (white). It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s close. If you’re going the electronice route, however, I expect you’ll be happier. Precision is important in speedo calibration, IMHO. Although the gear only cost $25.00. *shrug* Glad to hear everything’s working out for ya, Ken! Keep up the modding! Bryce — ‘98 Forest Green GT Convertible K&N air filter, air silencer removed 3:73’s, ASP pulleys, KB subframe connectors Bassani X-pipe, Flowmaster 3-chambers Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
Wow, they must have driven your car around? 
The dealer shop where I go to always fills "miles in" and "miles out" graphs in their service statement, before and after the service. Either that or they are very experienced in determining all the typical mods and voiding warranties. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Vlad, I took my car into the dealership (not where I got the 3.73’s installed) for an oil change and tire rotation, and when I came to pick it up, the service manager goes, "So you changed your gear ratio, eh?" I shrugged and nodded, figuring they already knew. It seems it was fairly easy for them to tell, although I haven’t the faintest how they noticed. C’est la vie. I don’t know if everyone will notice, but these guys did. (Marina Ford, Marina Del Rey, California)
Response:
Where did you have your 3.73’s installed and how much did they charge? The Ford dealership near me has quoted me $360 including the electronic timing fix (this is unique to ’99s)!!! The gears by themselves would be $310 in labor. I thought this too damn high,
that’s an average price for a gear install. I was quoted $375 for installation and speedo correction of 3.73 gears. Matt ‘89 Mustang GT member of Strictly 5.0 Racing club http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Boulevard/9310/Matts89Musta.html RAMFM member since: 6/24/98
Response:
Hey Vlad, I took my car into the dealership (not where I got the 3.73’s installed) for an oil change and tire rotation, and when I came to pick it up, the service manager goes, "So you changed your gear ratio, eh?" I shrugged and nodded, figuring they already knew. It seems it was fairly easy for them to tell, although I haven’t the faintest how they noticed. C’est la vie. I don’t know if everyone will notice, but these guys did. (Marina Ford, Marina Del Rey, California) Bryce – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – …… The price you were quoted does sound a bit high, but if the dealership is willing to stand behind their work and will let you keep the warranty, it *might* be worth it. When I took my car in for minor service after the 3.73’s were installed, they grumbled at the dealership that my warranty was "technically" voided because of the swap-out. How did they find out, during the *minor* service, that you had switched to 3.73’s? Did they ask you, did they specifically check for that mod or was it the same shop that installed it? The reason I am asking is that I would like to avoid void wararanty and do the swap in a different shop. Will the dealer find out during the "routine" maintenance? Vlad
Response:
So you’re going to go with the electronic speedo fix, not the gear? What do you plan on using? I find my speedo is about 2% off (high) right now, and I wouldn’t mind getting it exactly correct.
I thought the only way to fix the speedo on a ‘99 was electronic. Is the actual scoop on this that the gear fix is slightly off and the electronic is very accurate? You are saying that a gear was used to recalibrate your speedo, right? I talked to my buddy last night, and he is coming over to install my 3.73s 2 Saturdays from now. I need to figure out the best route to the speedo fix. Yes, I did notice that you went with the Bassani and 3-chambers…congratulations! Ain’t that 2k drone *fancy*? I did notice (even with the gears!) a drop in low-end torque right afterwards, but the mid-to-top-end is quite speedier. I had everything done all at once, so I got the total package, but the butt-o-meter wasn’t able to test out each mod separately.
The 2K drone takes getting used to at 35-40 mph going through town. Now that I’ve heard the car from the outside (sweeeeeet), I don’t mind internal noise as much. Just me I guess. Well I’m sorry to see you lost some low end, but I’m happy it’s not just my car. I’m really wondering what’s going to happen to my track times. I’ll have at least 1 night of passes before installing these gears. Maybe I’ll hook better off the line now : ) Low end grunt is important to me, so I hope the 3.73’s replace some of that. Yes the top end feels very good, and we both know what it sounds like… Here in LA, there’s no track that’s "right next door," (I don’t think….) and I’ve been fairly busy with work, etc since the mods, so I’ve not been able to take the car to any raceway, unfortunately. I need to explore what is/isn’t around here as far as tracks go, anyways. More than anything, I wanted to mod up my car so that I could waste more people off the line. *chuckle* Little did I know the 99’s would make that an exercise in futility. At least I can beat stock 96-98 AOD-E and 5-speed coupes now.
You need the SVO heads and intake or a supercharger (or nitrous, of course). Both expensive, but they’re the only way to unleash power in the ‘96-’98s. It’s the heads man!!! Thanks so much for the run-down on the timing adjuster! I’ve printed it out and intend to work on slapping it in this weekend. I may be e-mailing you in the near future. *grin* Bryce
No problem… -Ken ‘99 Mustang GT (chrome yellow) http://members.aol.com/yella99gt/home/HomeKD.html (last updated 6/11/1999)
Response:
Bryce — ‘98 Forest Green GT AOD-E Convertible K&N air filter, air silencer removed 3.73’s, ASP pulleys, KB subframe connectors Bassani X-pipe, Flowmaster 3-chambers
Where did you have your 3.73’s installed and how much did they charge? The Ford dealership near me has quoted me $360 including the electronic timing fix (this is unique to ’99s)!!! The gears by themselves would be $310 in labor. I thought this too damn high, so I’m looking for another place to do the install. I have a friend that may be able to help me out, but he’s pretty busy. I figure I’d take care of the electronic speedo fix myself. Did you know I’ve got the Bassani’s and 3-chamber Flowmasters installed now? Did you experience any loss in low end torque? The top end feels better, but I think I lost a little at the bottom. The gears should fix that right up. Did you do the exhaust before the gears? Have you tracked your car? How do you like the KB subframes? So many questions… -Ken ‘99 Mustang GT (chrome yellow) http://members.aol.com/yella99gt/home/HomeKD.html (last updated 6/11/1999)
Response:
…… The price you were quoted does sound a bit high, but if the dealership is willing to stand behind their work and will let you keep the warranty, it *might* be worth it. When I took my car in for minor service after the 3.73’s were installed, they grumbled at the dealership that my warranty was "technically" voided because of the swap-out.
How did they find out, during the *minor* service, that you had switched to 3.73’s? Did they ask you, did they specifically check for that mod or was it the same shop that installed it? The reason I am asking is that I would like to avoid void wararanty and do the swap in a different shop. Will the dealer find out during the "routine" maintenance? Vlad
Response:
Ken, I got my 3.73’s installed at Walker Performance here in Marina Del Rey, California, and it cost me $250 for labor, plus $100 for an "install kit", which included new bearings, crush sleeve, etc. Not the cheapest, but the guy was reputable, and I’m more than satisfied with the results. The price you were quoted does sound a bit high, but if the dealership is willing to stand behind their work and will let you keep the warranty, it *might* be worth it. When I took my car in for minor service after the 3.73’s were installed, they grumbled at the dealership that my warranty was "technically" voided because of the swap-out. *shrug* If you don’t care, it doesn’t really matter. So you’re going to go with the electronic speedo fix, not the gear? What do you plan on using? I find my speedo is about 2% off (high) right now, and I wouldn’t mind getting it exactly correct. Yes, I did notice that you went with the Bassani and 3-chambers…congratulations! Ain’t that 2k drone *fancy*? I did notice (even with the gears!) a drop in low-end torque right afterwards, but the mid-to-top-end is quite speedier. I had everything done all at once, so I got the total package, but the butt-o-meter wasn’t able to test out each mod separately. Here in LA, there’s no track that’s "right next door," (I don’t think….) and I’ve been fairly busy with work, etc since the mods, so I’ve not been able to take the car to any raceway, unfortunately. I need to explore what is/isn’t around here as far as tracks go, anyways. More than anything, I wanted to mod up my car so that I could waste more people off the line. *chuckle* Little did I know the 99’s would make that an exercise in futility. At least I can beat stock 96-98 AOD-E and 5-speed coupes now. Thanks so much for the run-down on the timing adjuster! I’ve printed it out and intend to work on slapping it in this weekend. I may be e-mailing you in the near future. *grin* Bryce – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Where did you have your 3.73’s installed and how much did they charge? The Ford dealership near me has quoted me $360 including the electronic timing fix (this is unique to ’99s)!!! The gears by themselves would be $310 in labor. I thought this too damn high, so I’m looking for another place to do the install. I have a friend that may be able to help me out, but he’s pretty busy. I figure I’d take care of the electronic speedo fix myself. Did you know I’ve got the Bassani’s and 3-chamber Flowmasters installed now? Did you experience any loss in low end torque? The top end feels better, but I think I lost a little at the bottom. The gears should fix that right up. Did you do the exhaust before the gears? Have you tracked your car? How do you like the KB subframes? So many questions… -Ken
– ‘98 Forest Green GT Convertible K&N air filter, air silencer removed 3:73’s, ASP pulleys, KB subframe connectors Bassani X-pipe, Flowmaster 3-chambers Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
Ken, I’ve been putting off installing my timing adjuster because I fear the inner workings of cars. How difficult was it for you to install, and how much experience do you have working with cars beforehand? Any tips or suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks! Bryce — ‘98 Forest Green GT AOD-E Convertible K&N air filter, air silencer removed 3.73’s, ASP pulleys, KB subframe connectors Bassani X-pipe, Flowmaster 3-chambers Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
Ken, I’ve been putting off installing my timing adjuster because I fear the inner workings of cars. How difficult was it for you to install, and how much experience do you have working with cars beforehand? Any tips or suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks! Bryce — ‘98 Forest Green GT AOD-E Convertible K&N air filter, air silencer removed 3.73’s, ASP pulleys, KB subframe connectors Bassani X-pipe, Flowmaster 3-chambers
Bryce, I have decent working knowledge of cars, but limited hands on experience. I’ve changed bolt on parts and accessories and suspension components. That’s 90% of my experience. I leave tough stuff like transmission and gears, cams or crank if I ever needed them done, to professionals. Pulleys and timing adjuster are very easy. I’m assuming your pulleys are installed. That would be step 1. There is a timing sensor installed at the bottom left of your engine block, near the A/C compressor. This sensor obtains timing from a timing gear inside of the block. The timing adjuster is nothing more than an externally mounted timing gear. All ya have to do is install the sensor externally so it can read the external timing gear and be manually adjusted. First thing to do is install the external timing gear, piggy backing it on top of the harmonic balancer/crank pulley. Remove the nut at the center of the harmonic. Apply some high temperature silicone sealant (I recommend the copper colored one) to the notched part of the timing gear. The notch on the timing adjuster fits into the keyway groove on the center of the harmonic. Use the nut provided w/ the adjuster and tighten, securing the timing gear to the harmonic (can’t remember the torque setting). To remove the timing sensor, save yourself a lot of aggravation and jack up the left front of your car. Make sure the left rear wheel has a stop behind it w/ the parking brake set. There are 3 brass colored nuts to remove beneath the A/C compressor. Make sure these are the ones you tamper with. They are easily identifiable by the color. Drop the A/C compressor out of the way. This will give you access to the timing sensor. There’s only 1 bolt holding the timing sensor in the block. Loosen and remove this sensor. This is definitely best done w/ the engine cool! Your timing adjuster bracket has a protruding cylinder on one end that fills the void left by the sensor. Install the bracket portion in this location. The timing sensor gets installed in the sliding portion of the bracket, and should be fairly obvious. Put a little lock tight on the screws, and align the sensor up at 10 degrees BTDC (stock timing). Your supposed to keep the gap at .08-.03 inches or something. It should line up very close. You want it very close, but not touching of course. There is a tiny bit of play in the sliding portion to allow you to set the distance and lock down with the screws. Re-install the A/C compressor with the 3 brass nuts, and your done! Whole job should take 30-45 minutes. FYI, I’ve experimented with 13-16 degrees, and I think 14 is the best. I still need to try 12. I haven’t heard any pinging yet, but if you ever do, lessen the advance, ie. adjust in the direction of 10 degrees. Oh, and if you advance beyond 10 degrees, make sure you use 93 octane. High octane is less likely to pre-ignite under heavy compression. The primary goal of advancing the timing is to achieve combustion just after the piston reaches TDC. The greater compression will produce an increase in power. You can run 87 octane when set to stock timing, 10. Good luck with the install. It’s really very easy. E-mail if you have more questions. -Ken ‘99 Mustang GT (chrome yellow) http://members.aol.com/yella99gt/home/HomeKD.html (last updated 6/11/1999)