Gentlemen, I became the 2nd owner of a '95 T-bird with the 4.6 V-8 engine this afternoon. Now, before you all start laughing at me you have to understand that I really like this vintage year T-bird/Cougar. They aren't for everybody, but I like them and have owned several back in the day when they were newer. I ask you hard core Ford guys about the long term reliability of the IRS found on these cars. Never heard much about them being troublesome. Axle shafts and suspension component's seem to be inexpensive. The '95 model year does not have the "plastic" intake manifold and the leaking issue's they come with. Spark plug ejection does not seem to be a major issue for this year either. The car has obviously been a winter stored car and that is important here in the Great White North! I believe these to be well built cars for the year. This one has 105,000 well cared for miles on it. I welcome and encourage your thought's and comment's.
1995 Ford Thunderbird
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Originally Posted by Leo99
Pictures?
Maybe next week. Don't have the car home yet.
Pictures?
Maybe next week. Don't have the car home yet.
I think a V8 T-Bird would be fun
why would someone laugh? they were a good sporty comfortable car that could be tuned to be very tight handling. major rust issues if exposed to salt however...keep it out of the snow!
From what I have seen/heard, the IRS on these isn't troublesome, per se, but is a PAIN to keep properly aligned.
A 4.6 should have the 8.8" centersection...though probably with super-tall (3.08, 2.73) gears and a peg-leg. 3.55's (or deeper) will REALLY wake up the car.
A 4.6 should have the 8.8" centersection...though probably with super-tall (3.08, 2.73) gears and a peg-leg. 3.55's (or deeper) will REALLY wake up the car.
The only time that IRS setup had issues was when it was put in the 03/04 Terminator Cobras. Going from 210hp on the T-bird to 390hp on the Terminator showed all the weak points.
Rented one back in the day and enjoyed it, almost bought one a several years later, again enjoyed driving it, but it stunk from smoking previous owner, despite the dealer dispensing huge quantities of deodorant in it... which to my sinuses was as bad as the tobacco smell it wasn't quite covering up. Even indifferent Tbird reliability would have saved me from the lemon 99 Taurus I ended up with, most expensive car I ever owned with annual large repair bills. That Taurus was a real stinker in the other sense.
Anyway, buy what you enjoy, and then enjoy it, get rid of it if you don't (should have ditched the Taurus sooner).
Anyway, buy what you enjoy, and then enjoy it, get rid of it if you don't (should have ditched the Taurus sooner).
I've have a '94 Cougar, second owner, since 1999. Had a transmission rebuild at 109k, a water pump, a couple alternator rebuilds. I bought it with 80k, three of my sons drove it for college and afterward, then I took it back. Always had good maintenance on it. In 2014, with 298k, the odometer stopped working. Most break before mine did. I have had to replace all the springs due to cracking and breaking. If you rebuild the tranny, I would think about the J-Mod. I read about it after mine was done. Here is a thread discussing it: https://forums.tccoa.com/955-4r70w-transmissions/27768-did-you-damage-your-4r70w-j-mod.html
My rebuilder put a shift kit in mine. The engine runs well but for quite awhile has needed oil seals around the valves, puffs when taking off after idling for awhile. Have replaced a couple of egr pressure sensors, too. Keep your receipts for those. They are a pain to replace. I sucked out the differential fluid at 100k, replaced it with some semi- synthetic Valvoline. I checked it a year or so ago by sucking a small sample out and it was still amber colored.
A couple years ago, I replaced the lower control arms and outer tie rod ends. About 3 yrs back, I cut off the two mufflers, replaced with some old tail pipes from an old Turbo Coupe, with a couple of adapters and some hangers, it sounds great and not too loud. I live in Iowa but have tried to keep the underside prepped for winter but am losing the battle. With good tires, it got around pretty well. It will go to the boneyard this spring. Have really loved the way it drives and handles, nice torquey little v8. If I could find another good one, I would buy. Enjoy your car.
My rebuilder put a shift kit in mine. The engine runs well but for quite awhile has needed oil seals around the valves, puffs when taking off after idling for awhile. Have replaced a couple of egr pressure sensors, too. Keep your receipts for those. They are a pain to replace. I sucked out the differential fluid at 100k, replaced it with some semi- synthetic Valvoline. I checked it a year or so ago by sucking a small sample out and it was still amber colored.
A couple years ago, I replaced the lower control arms and outer tie rod ends. About 3 yrs back, I cut off the two mufflers, replaced with some old tail pipes from an old Turbo Coupe, with a couple of adapters and some hangers, it sounds great and not too loud. I live in Iowa but have tried to keep the underside prepped for winter but am losing the battle. With good tires, it got around pretty well. It will go to the boneyard this spring. Have really loved the way it drives and handles, nice torquey little v8. If I could find another good one, I would buy. Enjoy your car.
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I had probably 6-7 Tbirds between the model year 89 and 97.
The 95 4.6L engine had less horsepower than the 96-97 but has an aluminum intake and will have zero problems.
Change the oil regularly and I always ran mine with autolite copper plugs.
The only thing was the transmission, the fluid needs to be changed frequently and put an aftermarket cooler on it.
Other than that, no real issues.
Several of mine popped heater cores, it can be remedied by grounding the new core to the frame and keeping the coolant clean.
I hear on the tccoa forum that several of the suspension parts are getting hard to find. I always ended up replacing control arms on every one I had.
The 95 4.6L engine had less horsepower than the 96-97 but has an aluminum intake and will have zero problems.
Change the oil regularly and I always ran mine with autolite copper plugs.
The only thing was the transmission, the fluid needs to be changed frequently and put an aftermarket cooler on it.
Other than that, no real issues.
Several of mine popped heater cores, it can be remedied by grounding the new core to the frame and keeping the coolant clean.
I hear on the tccoa forum that several of the suspension parts are getting hard to find. I always ended up replacing control arms on every one I had.
I absolutely love those cars. When properly configured, they were the very definition of a capable car that drove correctly. By the way, I've jumped them many times. The T-Bird was one of the few cars that jumped well and while it may seem silly, cars that are well balanced and well built can do everything well.
While today's cars are very comfortable, handle well, and are quite reliable, you will be hard pressed to find a modern car that has that nice driving feel of that generation T-Bird with IRS. Sure, a new Maxima will smoke the old T-Bird in every way. However, jam the pedal down in a corner and that very lively Maxima wanders the road struggling for uneven traction with it's front tires, with the electronics keeping directional control in check. Some people think kind of weirdness is fun. I hate it.
I prefer front engine, rear wheel drive, even weight distribution and throttle by cable.
While today's cars are very comfortable, handle well, and are quite reliable, you will be hard pressed to find a modern car that has that nice driving feel of that generation T-Bird with IRS. Sure, a new Maxima will smoke the old T-Bird in every way. However, jam the pedal down in a corner and that very lively Maxima wanders the road struggling for uneven traction with it's front tires, with the electronics keeping directional control in check. Some people think kind of weirdness is fun. I hate it.
I prefer front engine, rear wheel drive, even weight distribution and throttle by cable.
I had a '94 V8 for a while. I loved that car, as much of a pile it ended up being. I did have the heater core fail in mine, I just bypassed it. Never ended up needing it. Other than that, it was a fun car. Plenty of power with the 4.6, and super comfortable to cruise in.
I also had the big brother, a '94 Mark VIII and loved that car even more. I'm still thinking of buying another one some day, just for fun.
I also had the big brother, a '94 Mark VIII and loved that car even more. I'm still thinking of buying another one some day, just for fun.
Not a bad car. I had one back in 2004 - 2006. It's OBD-II even as a 1995. Oil changes are a pain to remove and replace the oil filter. However, it's a comfortable personal "luxury" car. Nice trip car for two and not bad for occasional back seat passengers.
When I started dating oilBabe after my divorce, it was the go-to car for our road trips.
When I started dating oilBabe after my divorce, it was the go-to car for our road trips.
I bought a 95 T-bird right after i graduated H/S in 2002, was a fun car, with 4.6 as well.
really liked that car up until I t-boned a crown victoria in August of 2004 that went through a stop sign, and that was the end of that car.....RIP
I bought a 97 the following year, same engine etc, and It was very neglected by the previous owner(s) and I used a lot of parts from my 95 to keep it in good running condition
pretty durable cars but suck to drive in the snow so I store it for the winter.
My 97 has seen better days but I still have a soft spot for it.
You don't see many of them around nowadays, at least none in stellar condition.
I have thoughts of completely restoring mine, but not the time or ambition. If I do get rid of mine I'll probably replace it with a crown vic or Grand Marquis as I just have a knack for the 4.6 in a RWD car
really liked that car up until I t-boned a crown victoria in August of 2004 that went through a stop sign, and that was the end of that car.....RIP
I bought a 97 the following year, same engine etc, and It was very neglected by the previous owner(s) and I used a lot of parts from my 95 to keep it in good running condition
pretty durable cars but suck to drive in the snow so I store it for the winter.
My 97 has seen better days but I still have a soft spot for it.
You don't see many of them around nowadays, at least none in stellar condition.
I have thoughts of completely restoring mine, but not the time or ambition. If I do get rid of mine I'll probably replace it with a crown vic or Grand Marquis as I just have a knack for the 4.6 in a RWD car
The spark plug issue is blown out of proportion. I have changed plugs only in a 5.4 Ford Expedition and it's a PITA but not that bad. I don't know much about the car but the 4.6 engine is very reliable and well built. Congrats on the purchase!
a coworker at the dealership had the ultra rare manual supercoupe...he didnt realize it was a unique car really, other than the supercharger.
you are right on in your assessment of this generation of the bird..
you are right on in your assessment of this generation of the bird..
Originally Posted by justintendo
a coworker at the dealership had the ultra rare manual supercoupe...he didnt realize it was a unique car really, other than the supercharger.
you are right on in your assessment of this generation of the bird..
I had a MANUAL '90 SC, bought used with ~70K miles on it, and LOVED that car, despite the overly complicated ABS, and problem prone electrically adjustable damper systems on it (I would have installed Koni Sports had I held onto it)!
I rode, and handled GREAT for such a large, HEAVY car, and I would have kept it, but could not resist the temptation of an LS1 Z28 for under $20K NEW at the time.
The IRS was trouble free for the time I owned it, but I did not like the fact that there was no factory drain plug on that diff.
a coworker at the dealership had the ultra rare manual supercoupe...he didnt realize it was a unique car really, other than the supercharger.
you are right on in your assessment of this generation of the bird..
I had a MANUAL '90 SC, bought used with ~70K miles on it, and LOVED that car, despite the overly complicated ABS, and problem prone electrically adjustable damper systems on it (I would have installed Koni Sports had I held onto it)!
I rode, and handled GREAT for such a large, HEAVY car, and I would have kept it, but could not resist the temptation of an LS1 Z28 for under $20K NEW at the time.
The IRS was trouble free for the time I owned it, but I did not like the fact that there was no factory drain plug on that diff.
The 95 supercoupe five speed is the rarest bird they made. I think it was 500 or so made.
I had a couple supercoupes, they are really not daily drivers. They are something you end up working on weekly and don't want to drive too far. Very fun cars and I love them.
The manual trans equipped 89-93 is not that rare, they were rare in 94 and 95.
The best v8 car they made would be the 96 or 97 Sport Thunderbird or cougar. The easiest way to spot them is the optional 16 inch wheels.
I have been looking for a 96-97 sport cougar for the past few years with no luck. I'm very picky about the condition.
There was zero issue with the spark plug blowing out of these year 4.6's, but the 96-97 had a plastic intake manifold which usually needs to be replaced with one with an aluminum crossover.
I had a couple supercoupes, they are really not daily drivers. They are something you end up working on weekly and don't want to drive too far. Very fun cars and I love them.
The manual trans equipped 89-93 is not that rare, they were rare in 94 and 95.
The best v8 car they made would be the 96 or 97 Sport Thunderbird or cougar. The easiest way to spot them is the optional 16 inch wheels.
I have been looking for a 96-97 sport cougar for the past few years with no luck. I'm very picky about the condition.
There was zero issue with the spark plug blowing out of these year 4.6's, but the 96-97 had a plastic intake manifold which usually needs to be replaced with one with an aluminum crossover.
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