That coolant elbow leaking is super common! Not bad for $800! I’d say 80% of my customers with mustangs have s197s and although I’m not the biggest fan of the body style or the 3v platform, it can be a nice toy! Currently have one that’s getting a turbo kit for a customer and he’s got all the bells and whistles to go with it. Should be a hoot when done
Warrior's S197 "Build"
- Thread starter lwarrior1016
- Start date
I love this thread.
Its a good thread!
RAU03MACH
Legend
ya it is
i paid a little more and did about the same amount of work on mine
his is turning out good
i paid a little more and did about the same amount of work on mine
his is turning out good
OP
OP
Nothing has changed with this car, I have just been driving the heck out of it. The thing has been dead on reliable. But I have noticed over the last 6 months or so, it’s been developing leaks. Fresh oil leaks and a coolant leak. Then Every now and then it will rattle just a little bit on start up. Oh, and the clutch has been on the way out since I got the car.
With the Sn blown up right now, my 5.4 f250 just broke a timing chain guide and put a hole in the timing cover, I have made an executive decision to hurry up and fix the s197.
I’ve got all new gaskets, minus head gaskets and exhaust gaskets, new oil pump, timing components, lash adjusters and rocker arms, and the clutch that we pulled out of @white95’s car. I’m off work Monday and got home a little early Friday.
So I started yanking the engine out. The goal is to have everything fixed and reinstalled by Monday so I have a ride to work Tuesday. Today (saturday) will be a non work day. The weather is not going to permit work anyway.
About 4 hours in. It’s ready to come out. Have to unbolt the starter, and the midpipe to the headers. Then it’s out.
With the Sn blown up right now, my 5.4 f250 just broke a timing chain guide and put a hole in the timing cover, I have made an executive decision to hurry up and fix the s197.
I’ve got all new gaskets, minus head gaskets and exhaust gaskets, new oil pump, timing components, lash adjusters and rocker arms, and the clutch that we pulled out of @white95’s car. I’m off work Monday and got home a little early Friday.
So I started yanking the engine out. The goal is to have everything fixed and reinstalled by Monday so I have a ride to work Tuesday. Today (saturday) will be a non work day. The weather is not going to permit work anyway.
About 4 hours in. It’s ready to come out. Have to unbolt the starter, and the midpipe to the headers. Then it’s out.
OP
OP
Got the engine out of the car yesterday. Lots of clean up and then started reassembly.
New valve seals, new lash adjusters and cam followers, boundary oil pump, new timing parts. I found the source of my random rattle at start up. And the clutch was absolutely cooked. It was down to the rivets, and ready to leave me stranded any day now.
New valve seals, new lash adjusters and cam followers, boundary oil pump, new timing parts. I found the source of my random rattle at start up. And the clutch was absolutely cooked. It was down to the rivets, and ready to leave me stranded any day now.
A hilarious timeframe to work within.
OP
OP
I would love to say that I’ve got it done. But it is not. It will be done tomorrow though.
I’ve got the engine together and back in. I ended up having to swap the transmission out. I did not intend to pull the transmission at all. And I kept running in to roadblocks.
Either way, I soldiered on. And it’s almost done. I could probably stay out there till midnight and have it running but I decided to call it for the evening. Start fresh in the morning. I took the day off work anyway, so why not use it. lol
I’ve got the engine together and back in. I ended up having to swap the transmission out. I did not intend to pull the transmission at all. And I kept running in to roadblocks.
Either way, I soldiered on. And it’s almost done. I could probably stay out there till midnight and have it running but I decided to call it for the evening. Start fresh in the morning. I took the day off work anyway, so why not use it. lol
I would have saved myself so many backtracking hours over the years if I did this. It took me a long time to realize when the smarter option is to just call it quits and give your brain a rest. Heck, I still struggle with it. The closer you get to the finish line the harder it is to do.
OP
OP
Got back at it today. First order of business was the driveshaft. My center bearing went bad on the two piece so I was installing the one piece I’ve had. I got it when I worked at the shop a couple years ago. I don’t know any history on it, or even what car it came from. The front flange was different so I had to swap that out.
The bigger flange is the one I needed. The smaller flange was what the driveshaft had. Got those swapped out, and got the driveshaft installed.
Buttoned everything up and took it for a spin. So far, everything seems to be working alright. The clutch is way different than before. And the lighter flywheel definitely revs quicker. I think the flywheel and driveshaft combined make the car feel lighter. Looks like I’ll be able to go to work tomorrow.
The bigger flange is the one I needed. The smaller flange was what the driveshaft had. Got those swapped out, and got the driveshaft installed.
Buttoned everything up and took it for a spin. So far, everything seems to be working alright. The clutch is way different than before. And the lighter flywheel definitely revs quicker. I think the flywheel and driveshaft combined make the car feel lighter. Looks like I’ll be able to go to work tomorrow.
