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Author Topic: 1991 Capri Auto 90K  (Read 9869 times)

mitch1204

  • Sr. Member
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  • Posts: 401
    • 1991 Mercury Capri NA Auto/ 1994 Mercury Capri NA
1991 Capri Auto 90K
« on: June 09, 2014, 11:16:17 PM »

Hi guys, new to the forum. I'm glad to find such a place as I bought a 1991 Capri to tinker with. I owned a 1973 and 1974 Capri when I was younger and got the itch to own one more. :)

I bought a 1991 that done a lot of sitting. It has 90K on it and the carfax says I'm the 3rd owner with the last one owning it since 1994.

The car is in great shape to start with or so I thought I figured I'd go through the motor to make sure I knew what I had. First I bought a timing belt set because if it wasn't changed before it was well overdue. It wouldn't start.  :o So I tore her back down to make sure the gears were lined up right and they were. Spark was good but I went ahead and replaced the plugs, wires, cap and rotor. I then took off the fuel filter. Nothing but brown sludge come out of it, uggh! So I dropped the tank before I knew about the access under the seat. But sure enough the tank was rusted out bad. I found one on ebay, bought a new pump, screen and fuel filter. It fired off but ran rough. It wouldn't idle but it would rev up decent. Now what? :)

I figured one of the injector screens might of got clogged so I took them off and made me an injector cleaner I seen on YouTube. I cleaned them out good and installed new screens and o-rings. They sprayed great. I put her back together and it still ran rough and wouldn't idle?? Now I'm really puzzled, lol. Thanks to the online manual on techcapri I started troubleshooting anything and everything.

I left out the part of revving her up to 3-4K just to hear her run. I didn't pay attention to the electric fan not coming on. The gauge wasn't but 3/4 so it wasn't really an issue so I shut her down. The top radiator gasket blew on the cheap plastic top as soon as I did. O'brother what else can happen! :) I bought a new all metal radiator, cap and fan switch. That part is all fixed.

After about three more days of head scratching I said let me check my timing belt one more time. I broke her down and the gears were lined up as before. Then I noticed a half round circle wore in the timing cover. After looking more I noticed the exhaust cam gear sticking out about 1/8th inch farther then the intake cam gear. ????? So I pull the valve cover to make sure the cam was okay. It was. Okay maybe someone worked on it before I got it and the gear is loose. Sure enough it was. I started to tighten it and the gear started going crooked on me. ????
So I took the timing belt off and then took the gear off to see what was happening. With the gear partially loose it shifted about a 1/4 inch on the dowel rod. I couldn't see that before for the big washer covering it. So I fixed that and put it back together. It started up and ran like a champ. I set the timing and she purred like a kitten. Great all fixed. :)

Not so quick! I took her for a drive the next day and I started smelling gas. My second injector was leaking bad. ??? I broke her down again and the #2 injector o-ring was busted. I might of done that putting the fuel rail back on or it was the cheap gaskets I got off of ebay. I wasn't taking any more chances. I went and bought a good Felpro engine gasket set and started using them. A week later and she is still running great. It should be with all the new parts and troubleshooting. :)

My next project in a couple weeks is to put a new top on her. Then I want to replace the struts and flush the tranny. She'll be ready for hopefully the cosmetics then. I want to get a body kit for her. I already bought an XR2 spoiler but it needs sanded and painted. She has a great body on her. All except one door ding and the bumpers are spider cracking on me.

Here's some photo's of her. :)








I hope to learn a few things here and share some knowledge in exchange. :)
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greywolf27030

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    • 1991 XR2, 1992 XR2, 1993 XR2
Re: 1991 Capri Auto 90K
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2014, 10:01:30 AM »

Nice looking car, I hope I'm as successful getting mine running.

Jack Byrd
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Jack Byrd

twopass

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  • Posts: 24
    • 89 Festiva ,91 festiva ,92 capri NA,91 capri xr2
Re: 1991 Capri Auto 90K
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2014, 07:58:48 PM »

Tell us how the top goes ,I need to do two .And don't forget the pics.
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antagonist356

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  • Posts: 11
    • White 1992 N/A Mercury Capri
Re: 1991 Capri Auto 90K
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2014, 02:14:58 AM »

+1 on twopass for the top! that will be my next goal after i work a bit under my hood.

Great looking car, good condition. I got a white n/a myself :P
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mitch1204

  • Sr. Member
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  • Posts: 401
    • 1991 Mercury Capri NA Auto/ 1994 Mercury Capri NA
Re: 1991 Capri Auto 90K
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2014, 04:47:32 AM »

I finally found my way back to this forum. :)
I'll add it to my favorites list.

I tackled the convertible top last month. I wanted canvas but went with vinyl since it was my first install. It was tedious but really not that difficult to figure out. You start in the back and it only attaches one way. Then you thread the cables through their channels. Then I worked on the window trim but with the learning experience I would think the instructions I didn't have would lead you to attaching the front.

Attaching the front I pulled the vinyl tight and marked where it would fold over the front trim. I then laid the frame halfway back and using my marks glued and attached the front. Either I done it right or got lucky because it fit perfect.

Then come the gluing on the back side of the window trim. That's where it's a little tricky and you want to pull tight stretching forward and down at the same time. You also need good cables that aren't stretched so the final appearance looks tight.
I attempted to tighten one cable which was a mistake and it broke at the nut. It was a blessing in a way because the cables were old and stretched. The new cables helped give the lower sides a good appearance.
Last was securing the top on the inside to the bars which was easy. There is also two side straps you have to rivet to the frame along with the seven rivets that attached to the front bow. So have a good riveter and 1/8" rivets handy along with a drill and bit to remove the old ones. I accidentally got my hands on rivets the next size bigger. I still used them by drilling out the holes bigger. It worked well and gave me a little bigger rivet head to secure.

I bought the top from DiamondMall on eBay and it wad a good experience. It took a week to receive because it ships by truck from CA.

I used Dap contact cement from Wal-Mart as it was recommended from an installer that made a good point. He told me not to use HH-66 vinyl cement because the inside of the top is layered fabric and not vinyl. It worked well. It is also available at the big hardware stores.

I think I made the right decisions because the new top looks awesome. Next time I'll try canvas.

I was worried about one little wrinkle because I didn't pull one corner tight enough. But after a week the top must shrink because it tightened itself up and the wrinkle disappeared. Thinking about the old top they do shrink with age.

When I get a chance I'll post some new pictures.
It was a fun project.

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DarkAngel

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  • Cruzing around the Blue Mountains since 2012
    • Black Pearl XR2 SE 1994 Ford Capri
    • Build Thread
Great write up on DIY soft top install
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2016, 12:54:01 PM »

Great write up,

Inspires me to have a go installing a new soft top... I'd like to try canvas  :)
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Current Project XR2 SE

To Do
(VJ 11/14), helical LSD, 5th gear cog, 2.5 exhaust
stiffer springs, heated seats, electronic booster
tracker gps, respray

greywolf27030

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  • Posts: 1658
    • 1991 XR2, 1992 XR2, 1993 XR2
Re: Great write up on DIY soft top install
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2016, 10:09:39 AM »

Great write up,

Inspires me to have a go installing a new soft top... I'd like to try canvas  :)

I got the pin point plastic and really regret it.  Really cheap stuff.  I've done a top replace on a VW convertible before and this seemed much more difficult.  It took a good 8 to 9 hours.  It came out looking great but the first time I put it down, something caught near the front on the passenger side and it ripped.  It has caught a few times since, but the tear hasn't gotten any worse.  The job is definitely a DIY job, but go carefully and read instructions.  It doesn't go on the way traditional tops do.

Jack Byrd
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Jack Byrd

DarkAngel

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  • Cruzing around the Blue Mountains since 2012
    • Black Pearl XR2 SE 1994 Ford Capri
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Re: 1991 Capri Auto 90K
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2016, 03:58:34 PM »

Thanks Jack... hopefully canvas won't tear so easily  :)
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Current Project XR2 SE

To Do
(VJ 11/14), helical LSD, 5th gear cog, 2.5 exhaust
stiffer springs, heated seats, electronic booster
tracker gps, respray