Ford Tempo

[WiskyBadger]

Originally Posted by N Heat
We had 2 growing up. Yes, my parents traded a Tempo in for a 2nd Tempo. The second one we had was the sporty GLS 2 door 5 speed. Its how I learned to drive a manual. That car had a ton of miles and still ran good. What send it to the junk heap was those stupid a$$ auto/sliding shoulder belts that broke. I hated those things.

I had a 91 2 dr 5 spd Tempo. Slower then molasses but it drove nice and got pretty good mpg. White with 0 rust, for $500. I wish I could still find rust free cars for $500.

 

[MrQuackers]

Drove one practicing for my license. Seemed OK to me.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

Originally Posted by Cdn17Sport6MT
Couple of facts (based, as well, on the '94 Topaz L4 5spd 2 door I have in my rather large "fleet"):

- Mazda designed and mfr'd 5 speed MTX-III transaxle

- Short, duplex timing chain with spring-steel tensioner - all my Morse

- 2/3rds of a Ford L6 200 cu. in (more or less)

- poor lasting power tie rod ends / inner tie rods

- unequal camber, LHS versus RHS front suspension, in part to compensate for unequal length half-shafts; particularly ugly looking positive camber for the front wheels, and the rear springs have a propensity to sag... and go to substantially negative camber.

- short / long arm and trailing arm independent rear suspension

- very, very hard to access water pump

- '92 to '94 had an improved harmonic balancer to partways quell four-cylinder "boom" / resonance... but they do wear out, and require the engine to be dropped .... to below the frame horns - to re and re them

- intake restricted 2.3 litre / 140 c.i. engine... but surprisingly economic with fuel.

- 3 speed A/T really, really needs a 4th gear.

- the engine, given a modicum of care, is stupid simple... and that old fashioned OHV / pushrod technology lasts and lasts. I don't recall if the head is aluminum... but the block is cast iron, and the oil pan is aluminum.

- sequential solenoid actuated fuel injection.

- runs OK, but no hot rod.

NOT a vile car, but no smoking great one either


Sorry, not short/long arm rear suspension; rather, Chapman struts, with a trailing arm as well. Shocks are gas pressure units... at least in front.

And Canadian ones did not, I believe, get the sliding upper seatbelts (that would drive me nuts).

I believe the fuel injection (particularly the sequential port injection), as well, made a big difference.

I think that engine is good for 300,000 miles... no cam chain or sprocket change.

For a person on a budget wanting at least a decently driving car... not bad. BIG, BIG difference, IMHO, between the 5 speed Mazda 'box cars and the 3 speed A/T cars.

 

[csandste]

Had an 86 manual transmission model. Ford had a warranty that fixed any problem that happened more than once. Never knew so many different things could fail once. Worst car I've ever had. For some reason I bought a high mileage early nineties Mercury version for my teenage daughter about fifteen years later. Think it was slightly better but I'm sure she trashed it.

 

[FT92]

wife had a 92 tempo , drove it for 26 years. .was good reliable transportation...only one problem was the distributor crapped out at around 100K got one from a u pull it yard for $20 and back on the road, my granddaughter is still diving the car..last I know it has right around 200k and still running good... have to say that parts are starting to get hard to find

 

[wander2039]

Wow quite the stories I wasn't expecting! We never had one in the family so I don't have any personal experience with the Tempo. Since I was born in 80 I have a soft spot for cars that were on the road when I was growing up. I sent it to guy I know and he might try to buy it, I just don't have the place for it.

Originally Posted by Kansas_Ron
Nothing good can come from this. Find another Festiva.


That's the reason I can't buy it. Dad has a Festiva he's been hinting for me to buy but dang don't need 5 cars for 2 people!

 

[quint]

I was in charge of liquidating repo's when I worked for a subprime lender back in the mid 90's, we repo'd a ton of these turds and by the time I got them to auction I couldn't give them away. I always hoped the debtor brought their account current and got the car back because trying to get rid of them at the auctions was a guaranteed disappointment. I know two people who each had one and they didn't seem too bad at the time, but I don't think these things age well at all.

 

[paoester]

Originally Posted by Eric Smith
I just don't have the place for it.
Jim Dandy of the Jim Dandy Car Co. in KC, KS will not be happy with this news.

 

[wander2039]

Originally Posted by paoester
Originally Posted by Eric Smith
I just don't have the place for it.
Jim Dandy of the Jim Dandy Car Co. in KC, KS will not be happy with this news.


Wow so that's the name of it! You research skills are strong!

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

Ford said, when they started selling Tempo's / Topaz' - that the cam chain design was from their truck-side engines. Attached photo...

What I like - is i) 'real short chain; ii) appears to be a HyVo chain (it is a Morse) - and I believe those are long-lived. See photos, 2.

 

[paoester]

Originally Posted by Eric Smith
Wow so that's the name of it! You research skills are strong!
Googled the phone number seen in your photo, along with Kansas, where you're from.

 

[joel95ex]

Originally Posted by atikovi
Had close to half a dozen over the years including two 4x4's. Would always get looks blasting through snow covered roads back when 4WD only came on trucks. Had an '88 with an optional airbag, one of the first domestic cars to have that.

omg that was my first car--89 tempo repo with 8k miles in that red color. paint was failing so i took it to the dealer (i was in high school) and they repainted it for me at no charge.

 

[Bighorn2500]

My dad had an ‘84 Tempo GL, he drove that thing over 350,000 miles before it started to die due to lack of compression and burning oil towards the end. Other then a couple water pumps, clutches and regular maintenance & tires it ran for about 13 years. Mainly all highway for his daily commute.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

Like I said, they are nothing if not durable... I think the basics of the engine are not radical at all, and the timing chain is robust.

 

[dlundblad]

A friend of mine in high school had one.

He found a homeless guy sleeping in it one morning.

 

[tig1]

I had a 84 Tempo with the 2.0 diesel 5 speed. Low on power but 52 mpg hyw and 45 mpg local driving made it very fuel efficient. Drove it to Florida several times and handled well. Overall a reliable car to own.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted by dlundblad
A friend of mine in high school had one.

He found a homeless guy sleeping in it one morning.

Was the homeless guy named Dirty Mike by any chance?

 

[john_pifer]

Dad bought an '87 in the late '80s/early '90s as a 2nd car (our main car was a Plymouth Voyager - are you starting to get the idea that my parents weren't "car people"?). It was SO bad, even then. I still remember how cramped the back seat was, and how little support the seats had - your butt just sank in. And the HVAC system was horrible.

Dad eventually replaced it with a '91 Mirage hatchback, which I ended up driving quite a bit when I turned 16. I actually loved it, but Dad insisted on trading it for something larger with the idea that the Mirage wouldn't do well in a crash. Ended up with a maroon '90 Buick Century. Pure sexiness for a 16-year-old to be seen in! I can actually remember my buddies and I pulling up in the Century alongside a carload of hot girls in downtown Memphis in a 3-Series once and trying to get their attention. The girl driving rolled down her window and said, "nice Oldsmobile!", laughed, and sped off! LOL. So, yeah, parents didn't give a rat's tail about cars!