Casper the Cobra - Procharged 96' Cobra

joe65

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I don't know much but i was chasing an electrical/misfire thing on an old BMW once and it was driving me nuts because no matter what i did i couldn't find the issue. By accident one day i tugged the battery cable at the battery and discovered the cable was broken from underneath. Fixed the cable and terminal connector and boom car ran fine. Your issue with the cut out at wot reminded me of that situation.
 
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Venompower

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I have a suspicion based on suggestions on another forum that my car may have a WOT box installed. The last time I did a clean pull with no cutout was about a month ago right before my issues with the brake lights / turn signal. During my investigation I found a VIPER box, and a bunch of wiring including a relay and a push button that I assumed was for valet mode. I removed the box and wiring thinking it was just alarm. I'm now thinking that some of that wiring may have gone to the WOT box. It's just too strange that the car drives fine a low and part throttle, and this problem occurs in the same way every time. WOT and the car cuts out entirely at roughly the same rpm.

Found this on corral:

"i didnt read through it all because i dont have time i am at work. but i was tuning my turbo 03 cobra. fresh build. it would run awesome but once i hit wot it would cut out. i unplugged the n2mb 2 step and it doesnt do it anymore. i gotta mess with the 2 step see why it was doing that. but if you have the n2mb wot box installed unplug it see if it cuts out at wot."

I'm going to pull the passenger kick panel tonight to look.
 

ttocs

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I have a suspicion based on suggestions on another forum that my car may have a WOT box installed. The last time I did a clean pull with no cutout was about a month ago right before my issues with the brake lights / turn signal. During my investigation I found a VIPER box, and a bunch of wiring including a relay and a push button that I assumed was for valet mode. I removed the box and wiring thinking it was just alarm. I'm now thinking that some of that wiring may have gone to the WOT box. It's just too strange that the car drives fine a low and part throttle, and this problem occurs in the same way every time. WOT and the car cuts out entirely at roughly the same rpm.

Found this on corral:

"i didnt read through it all because i dont have time i am at work. but i was tuning my turbo 03 cobra. fresh build. it would run awesome but once i hit wot it would cut out. i unplugged the n2mb 2 step and it doesnt do it anymore. i gotta mess with the 2 step see why it was doing that. but if you have the n2mb wot box installed unplug it see if it cuts out at wot."

I'm going to pull the passenger kick panel tonight to look.
post a pic of what you pulled out and I can tell you if it was an alarm but it sounds like one.
 
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Venompower

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post a pic of what you pulled out and I can tell you if it was an alarm but it sounds like one.
It was definitely an alarm, but there were a ton of wires. Do most alarms require an external relay with switch?
 

ttocs

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yes the relay could be for anything from a trunk pop to a starter kill and there is almost always a switch to program or to go to valet mode.
 

ttocs

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well there is the siren that would be under the hood that is missing and there could also be an impact sensor that would have a 4 wire harness going to it and an led and a small knob to adjust the sensitivity with on the side of it.
 
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Venompower

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Could this be related to when I replaced the fusible links?

9AE98CCD-2AAF-43A4-BC11-28BE0F99FBE1.jpeg

Since the voltage regulator connects to the fuse box, which then connects to both PCM and CCRM if the connection wasn’t good enough could a voltage drop at WOT be the issue?
 

ttocs

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almost anything is possible but its unlikely. Not sure why it would drop out at higher rpms when the alt is making more voltage but you should be able to see that dip in the volt meter if its that substantial.
 
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Venompower

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almost anything is possible but its unlikely. Not sure why it would drop out at higher rpms when the alt is making more voltage but you should be able to see that dip in the volt meter if its that substantial.
Sooooooo talking to a friend off Instagram who is a Ford tech... and wondering if the issue might not be CCRM related? My car has never had front fender liners, and this past weekend I got tires put on the car and was worried as we have been in a two week rain spell. Got the tires put on anyway, but on the way home it poured. I was worried about the Anderson Motorsports Power Pipe because it puts the filter in the fender. However, the CCRM may have gotten wet. The cooling fan has not been turning on during the short drives I have done, the AC compressor isn't turning on either... and while the fuel pump is running at low/part throttle... maybe the CCRM isn't providing enough power at WOT for the fuel pump?
 

ttocs

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ccrm's are starting to have more issues now as time goes on. I would think it would trigger a code though but you can try swapping it out
 
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Venompower

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ccrm's are starting to have more issues now as time goes on. I would think it would trigger a code though but you can try swapping it out
I might actually have two problems... might need a new Fuel Pump Relay (this might be the cutout issue) and new CCRM for fan and AC. Easy way to test, will be turning the car on tonight and turning the AC all the way up, if the fan doesn't turn on it's bad...

Found this info. on another forum that leads me to believe it's connected and possibly fuel pump relay:

"The fuel pump relay is a small one that is mounted in the kick panel right above the EEC. The resistor is a big one that is mounted in the fender and is bypassed at startup and above 3250 rpm. The purpose is to reduce stress on the pump when the car doesn't need as much fuel."

The cutout is always at WOT and I was estimating 3K rpm but I would now wager it's actually at 3250 rpm.

Car starts a little slow, maybe the relay hasn't completely failed but can't handle the demand at 3250 rpm and above. Might try to cross 3250rpm tonight at part throttle slowly to see if it still cuts out.
 
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Venompower

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I think I’m going to far down the rabbit hole. Probably change the fuel filter tomorrow when I get it back from having the new mufflers installed, get an X4 to data log, and if the logs show pressure dropping under load… drop the tank and replace the fuel pump.
 
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Venompower

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I was so focused on the engine cut-out that I didn't post anything on the new tires.

AAD64460-E710-4C6E-9AAE-9B53CCD87F84.JPG

Snapped a pic after parking in anticipation of getting the new tires put on. Really like the look of the car, not much left to do to the exterior.

4E5DDE8E-D81A-4ADA-A388-F85ED7B2339E.JPG

Went 275/35/18 for the rear, and 245/40/18 for the front... Nitto 555's, probably would have done a 255/40/18 front if I could do it again, but they aren't bad... I'm sure there will be more tires in my future.

A0647434-A50F-426B-9A8F-1C82AB66690D.JPG

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Much better! Hopefully I can get the cut-out issue resolved and start enjoying the car, all the cruise nights locally had been delayed to July due to COVID so I need to take care of this soon. Should have the car back from the shop with the new mufflers and will post a video later.

Current plan is:

1. Get the coolant burped, coolant is currently at the low side of the reservoir triggering the low coolant light, but when I open the cross-over to try and top it off the cross-over is filled and starts to leak a little. If I can't do this tonight or tomorrow I may just take it to a shop that can vacuum fill it. I want to make sure there are no air pockets causing the temperature sensors to read incorrectly.

2. Once coolant is good, I need to verify if the low speed fan turns on by letting it idle. The car runs at part throttle so the CCRM relay for fuel pump is working, before I buy a used one I'd like to find out. I can't test the high speed fan by turning the AC on full, because the system needs a recharge and it won't activate if the system isn't full.

3. Tonight or tomorrow morning I will be swapping the fuel filter, while nothing is certain the fact the car drives so well at part and light throttle makes me think the fuel filter may be clogged enough to still provide flow but not enough for heavy loads. If the fuel filter doesn't have an impact, then I'll rent a fuel pressure gauge that's long enough I can monitor in car and go for a drive. Apparently the 96' doesn't have a fuel pressure sensor, so the X4 can log duty cycle on the pump but I can't see the pressure through the PID.

Trying not to stress about it, plan is to have this car for the long haul and as my dad points out, I'm not under any deadline on the car. In better news the weather has cleared for the weekend after so much rain, and my birthday is on Monday! Hope everyone has a good and safe 4th of July and get's to enjoy some cruising in their Mustangs!
 

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