How do I get the swivle bolt out? and why the in the heck did ford put that ONE bolt toward the back of the engine where there's NO wrench room what so ever.... should i just go rent/try to find an air ratchet? i can get a socket and ratchet onto the nut, but with even un plugging things, taking off my intake and oil fill neck, i STILL don't have enough room to tourqe things down. PLEASE HELP!!! I need my car back. also, i'm debating on weather or not to take my core back, or to take the OEM one in to get it rebuilt?

p.s. i titled this thread so future dudes could find it easyer... i searched through 5 pgs of threads an only found pplz asking about voltage regulators and what not.

 

Of course, disconnect the battery first. You don't want any electrical surprises while you're working in tight quarters.

It's tight, but I take mine out with a standard ratchet and socket. Seems to me it is 11/16. Getting it loose may be the issue. You might have to pull the right front tire and go in through the wheelwell. Once you get it loose, you can do it from the top with a simple ratchet.

Another thing I have found that solves a lot of issues on re-installation is to take 18" of #6 red wire and a solder-on lug ring connector and make a pigtail for the lead that attaches to the bolt on the back. This single wire goes to the starter solenoid and then the battery, so definitely no smaller than #6. When you replace the alternator, have the pigtail already bolted on. Then use another connector on the top side and life is easier.

 

Ok sweet! I've got a friend who may have an impact wrench, but i'll try going through the wheelwall on the passenger side first. I picked up some 4g wire that i'm going to run to the starter solenoid... some day i'll probly have my aero completely Re-wired with beefed up gauge to everything serious, just one step at a time. ya kno?

 

It is easier to do then to loose time near computer. It is 1/2 hour work.

 

DaveMac2Vans

No wonder you have so much good info.

You show that you own a 1989 Ford Tempo. I'm sure You learned to be a better mechanic working on a damn 2.3 litre Tempo that is always "pretending to be road worthy!

"A TEMP OHHHHHH as in Temporary ouch "E" !!!!!

read my story and feel my pain:

I mistakening bought a 1985 one back in 88 when my Nova was hit by a drunk after I had just gotten my young family to our first new Air Force base in McChord Air Force base in TAcoma Washington. I got it off the lot used and never really payed attention to the dash. I saw the pretty looking fan sticker on the **** and mistakely thought I had A/C WRONG. The ignition module was the first to go.

7/32's screws holding it on to the distro neck. Ford wanted 30 bucks for the socket. Hell-NOOOOOO---I sacrificed a craftsman one. Worked like a charge. I went to the junk yard after buying the first mod. for 75 bucks and stocked the dash with 4 of them. turns out it ate 1 ever 3 months. Unibody came undone. 75 spot wells had broken loose. Everything seems fine so I kept it and tiurned loose of my 305 V-8 Impala for the mizzerly 2.3 ltr to move to Lousiana (2nd base).

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh went to pick up my mother in law at the bus station in New Orleans--------hit a bump---------engine fuewl shut off module in the drunk responded and stranded me on Bourbon street. Now I thought my life was over. I was surrounded by crack pipe smoking bumbs so I told my wife-"GET BEHIND THE WHEEL AND I'LL PUSH THE CAR A COUPLE OF BLOCKS"-----------WELL--------she had the parking break ingaged so all I was doing was lifting the bumper up and not going anywhere. Just as we were waiting to get scalped a patrolman drove by. He took us to the bus stop.

We stayed at at local motel just next to the automotive repair shop where I had the Tempo taken too. Walked to Wal-Mart/Auto Zone??? got a Haynes book---read about the module------reset it---------I stole my car back---(not much money on an Airman's salary mind you at the time).
Have way home up to Pineville LA when the freakin' thing jumped and stalled.
GUESS WHATTTTTTTTTTTTT ????????????????????????????????

One of the damn motor mount bolts was gone---DID I SAY GONEEEEE!@#!@^%!&*!*(@%@%*!&

I took my small jack-found a piece of wood---lifted up the motor by the oil pan (bad idea I know but???? whaca gonna do right???) took a smaller diameter bolt from the underpinning of the body with a nut ---ran down the thing---limped back at 55 only as to not re-injury this thing

FELT LIKE MA AND PA KETTLE COMING INTO TOWN BUT IT BEAT WALKING


moral of the story--------------I thought I was ruined by this front wheel drive attempt from Ford so for 10 years----I SWORE OFF FORD'S-----UNTIL I bought a freshly dear wrecked 1990 3.0 extended---repaired her----drove her for 5 "NO MAINTENANCE/PROBLEM YEARS" without a hitch

and so began my odessy with the Aero "RELIABLE-LIFE DEPENDING-STAR.

I love these vans. Oh yeah-----you can have me committed now. Just leave me with my Mini van memories and this web site and I'll be able to face life even in a 9 by 9 cell.--------------C-----YA----Boz

 

Gee Boz, that was a Tempo from Hell if I've ever heard of one. I always thought they were rather uninspiring rental cars, but who knew that they would inspire one to become religious?

I can tell from you sig. that you really like Aerostars. Were they all reliable and trouble free?

 

I once read a review that called them the little rental car that did everything but none of it very well.

Actually, mine is sitting dead in the driveway just now, with an undetermined issue. It just quit on me on the way home. I have checked it out and suspect that it is an electrical problem, but I can't find it. Checked everything, and all test OK, but won't cooperate to make it run. I haven't pursued it because I have been working on my 92 Aerostar. Now that it is fixed and warmer weather will be here soon, the Tempo is next. I wish I were a tenth the mechanic some of these other guys are.

Other than that, it has 157,000 on it and I'd drive it another 150 if I could get it started. It has been a happy little car except for when my wife drove it through a red light and obliterated an old truck. It is the perfect car for her. . .nothing complicated about it, and it has air and a radio. My daughter, who is a freshman in college, says she wouldn't mind having. I'd drive it myself except I have two wonderful Aerostars.

 

Go figure.

On of the best cars I ever owned was a (Loaded) 1987 Tempo.

When I bought it, it had 110,000 KM.
It had over 400,000KM when I sold it.

All I ever put into it were tires, brakes, shocks and 1 alternator.

Right at the end, the tranny was finally going and I sold it.

A great little car.

 

Hey Boz, you knew that there was a recall on the ignition module for the 84/85 tempo's right?

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/1985/ford/tempo/recalls/


My first car was a 1984 Tempo, 4D, 5-speed, ugly white, POS. It would not die, no matter what I did, offroaded, raced, beat the snot out of it and it still kept going with over 240k mi on the clock when I traded it in. The only things replaced were the heater core, a CV, and an O2. Oh lots of hub caps, Whenever I took a hard turn, one of those cheap hub caps would go flying off.

 

Aite got it all installed today, and here's how i did it:

I took off the intake, unpluged the maff, removed the top. rad hose from the rad., took out both of my batteries and charged them all night, and removed the oil fill neck.

then, after fidgeting w diff ways on how to get at it, i took a ratchet and socket (i used a 16 mm, it fit tight) and put it on so the handle was strait up and down, and used my lug wrench as a pry bar to brake the bolt loose. I then took my front pass. side wheel off, which provided access to the main alt. bolt (dunno the exact name) which i quickly removed w an air ratchet.

once the main alt. stand bolt and the belt tensioner bolts are removed from the alt, it slides pretty much right out, you have to dodge the heater core hoses a bit, but over all it's not too bad.

for the electrical: the black plug w 3 wires on it can be removed while the alt. is still attached to the vehicle, but the pos. charging wire and the gray single wire plug can't be easily removed untill you pull the alt. my solution?

i just cut the charging wire (its black w an orange stripe) and then ran new wire (4g) to the starter solenoid from the alt.

instalation is a breeze after you get the old one out, but like pablo said, it's easyest to hook the charging wire up before you install the alt. back in the car.

Note:
I replaced my serpintine belt when i changed my alternator, because the grooves had a bunch of cracks on them, and i didnt know how long this belt had been in the car.
I would reccomend changing the S. belt while you're at it, it's actualy quite simple, the hardest part is getting the belt to coopperate when it still lookes like a 6 sided figure vs. a belt. It will save you a ton of trouble in the future. and if your aero has a sepperate powersteering belt like mine does, check it for cracks/ware as well. i bought a new one, even though my belt had recently been replace by the prev. owner and looked fairly new.