Making a 2010 road worthy again... worth it?

[0M3GA]

Hey guys new here, my friend recommended this site and well here I am.. I have a 2010 mustang that I haven't driven in almost 6 years....

About the car, I bought the car in late 2011 with 54k miles(YES my dream car) shortly after the car started to develop transmission problems. It started with a faint whine that you could only hear at cold start and would go away after a short drive. At 120K the car developed an intermittent transmission problem, the car wouldn't go in reverse and drive after the car would sit overnight not to mention the whine got louder, so loud that my exhaust was non existent but the whine would go away after a long LONG drive, and lastly both front struts went bad.. I took the car to my local Transmission shop and determined that something "broke" inside and contaminated my whole transmission, they recommended a rebuild for 2.5K, never did it and after that in a way I stopped caring about it, so I started driving the car a bit rough, and never even bothered to address the bad struts, so every bump.... well you guys can imagine..

At 160k(~2015) the whine was so loud that I stopped driving it for a few months and left it at my uncles dairy inside a storage shed, well unfortunately I'm guessing mice got in the engine bay and chewed a few wires since it got the CEL with almost a million codes, even though I was never able to find a nest, so in 2016 the car was finally stored and in non op since I wasn't able to pass my emission test(CA).



Now due to recent events (totaled my main car) I've brought the car back home and started fixing a few issues starting with the bad struts.. Ive replaced the front struts and rear shocks with KONI and installed Eibach Sportline Lowering Springs BUT I'm still don't know what to do, and yeah driving the car for a long time with bad struts damaged something else since it feels like something is loose even with the new struts/springs when you go over bumps or a drive way, and yeah everything is tight... ATM the car has 165K miles, so before I dump more money into it, I have done the following:

*Compression test (COLD)
1-6 Cylinders are EXACTLY at 170PSI (Tested twice)

*Took the car to my local Ford Dealership to diagnose the CEL... came back with mixed answers, from a new wiring harness to a new computer, to a new fuse box.. meaning they AREN'T SURE, although for some reason my wiring harness conduit falls apart extremely easy.. all of it does, its almost gone..

*Lastly Ive inspected the transmission oil and filter, the oil is dark.. looks like used engine oil, pan and filter looked somewhat ok.
Finally a few things I just discovered... ughh..

*Car was in a small wreck.. they did one hell of a job fixing it, it even fooled me back in 2011.

That panel was replaced(online pic) question is WHY? there is no frame damage, and the front end is original with no sings of the radiator support being replaced or fixed, the original weld spots are still visible..

Welding spots, NOT factory. Red arrow not damaged, fender was removed and I didn't find any visible damage or repair attempts.

Primer clearly visible.. ^

Wile Removing the front bumper to inspect if any other repairs were done, I found this... the crash sensor just laying there with obvious wear, at one point it was dragging, question is where exactly does it go? I looked every where when the bumper was off and I cant seem to find its location..

That wasn't there last time I saw the car.. it doesn't seem like rust, it just seems like its another classic case of the amazing Ford paint quality..

Finally the transmission whine, and yeah that's an 05-09 steering wheel..



At this point I'm not sure what to do, I still love the car, I even purchased a set of BOSS 352 rims(still in box) a wile back for it... aside from the issues, the car itself is in great shape with NO dents anywhere, and the interior is flawless. Ford did offered me a new Mustang, but.... I'm not a fan of the modern S550's... thoughts, opinions?

 

[Midlife Crises]

That sensor is the ambient air temperature and it just clips right there in the lower grill. I understand the corrosion on the hood is a common problem from contamination in the stamping process. It sounds like you need to decide if you want to buy a transmission.

 

[Treecutter]

So it sounds like you need a new transmission and you have some wiring issues. I would say the biggest question is how much work can you do yourself and how much will you have to pay a shop to do.

Do you need the car running quick to replace your car that was wrecked? If so I would suggest finding another car. Transmission is a fairly simple and straightforward swap ( I would buy a reman with warranty and swap them) if you have the tools and ability.

As far as the wiring, a lot of the time it’s a simple fix. Figuring out what needs fixed is often very time consuming and aggravating. If the car is drivable with the wiring issues you can take your time and work through them. I would start looking at all the grounds a bad ground somewhere can cause all kinds of issues.

You could always sell this one and buy one that is running but one thing about fixing your car is you will know what you have and the more you work on it the more you will know what is going wrong before it becomes an issue.

 

[OX1]

You can actually see chewed wires? I would check out how much on which harnesses are chewed up, then price them used. I would fix that stuff first, as it can be a PIA to get electrical stuff correct sometimes.
The rest of what you are talking about is time consuming and/or expensive, but all straight forward fixable.

The hood definitely has corrosion issues. I would clean it up the best you can and preserve it to slow down corrosion. I don't think you are going to stop that corrosion at this point, looks pretty far along. Get a new or aftermarket hood at a later date

As mentioned, what is you skill level? If you did blower install, you can do anything else you mentioned that's wrong with it.

 

[Robert Larimer]

You can actually see chewed wires? I would check out how much on which harnesses are chewed up, then price them used. I would fix that stuff first, as it can be a PIA to get electrical stuff correct sometimes.
The rest of what you are talking about is time consuming and/or expensive, but all straight forward fixable.

The hood definitely has corrosion issues. I would clean it up the best you can and preserve it to slow down corrosion. I don't think you are going to stop that corrosion at this point, looks pretty far along. Get a new or aftermarket hood at a later date

As mentioned, what is you skill level? If you did blower install, you can do anything else you mentioned that's wrong with it.

Just as an aside. That hood is aluminum and it cannot corrode unless it is NOT exposed to air like under paint. Aluminum develops an oxide coating that stops further corrosion when exposed to the O2 in the air. The paint bubbling and corrosion all take place under the paint and is probably caused by electrolysis from iron contamination. His hood will never rust through like a steel hood would. Some light sanding to remove the loose paint and a rattle can touch-up will work fine.

 

[DieHarder]

Just as an aside. That hood is aluminum and it cannot corrode unless it is NOT exposed to air like under paint. Aluminum develops an oxide coating that stops further corrosion when exposed to the O2 in the air. The paint bubbling and corrosion all take place under the paint and is probably caused by electrolysis from iron contamination. His hood will never rust through like a steel hood would. Some light sanding to remove the loose paint and a rattle can touch-up will work fine.

The hoods don't rust but definitely can get holes in them from the corrosion. Had it happen on two hoods. Have to stay ahead of the corrosion/flaking or it's only a matter of time. Best to work with products safe to use on aluminum. No steel, no iron, no wire brushing, cleaning, scraping with any iron/steel metal, or you'll make it worse.

 

[Midlife Crises]

The naturally formed oxide coating on some aluminum slows further corrosion but does not stop it. The galvanic corrosion that takes place on the Mustang hoods is due to iron contamination from manufacturing and is damn near impossible to stop. Especially between layers of metal you can’t get to. Primer/sealers from the aircraft industry would be the best bet at controlling the corrosion if you can get them but ultimately it may be futile because the contamination is imbedded in the metal. Some stainless steel wire brushes can be used to clean aluminum.

 

[Robert Larimer]

The hoods don't rust but definitely can get holes in them from the corrosion. Had it happen on two hoods. Have to stay ahead of the corrosion/flaking or it's only a matter of time. Best to work with products safe to use on aluminum. No steel, no iron, no wire brushing, cleaning, scraping with any iron/steel metal, or you'll make it worse.

You must left some huge bubbles fester for years if you got perforation. I have had very good luck minimizing any damage by careful inspection and removal of the bubbles as soon as they are visible. I have had many under the hood of my 2012 stang but none have made it to the top where they are visible, although they certainly would have if left alone. None of the bubbles have ever reappeared after cleaning and touching them up either. The corrosion stops as soon as the aluminum gets air. If you just leave them alone they will grow and spread until the paint falls off or the aluminum is all eaten away.

Did you ever wonder why airplanes never seem to rust, despite their constant exposure to rain, sleet and snow?
The quick answer is that most aircraft are made of aluminum -- a chemical element that seems to resist corrosion even when exposed to air and water.

But the fact is that pure aluminum reacts so readily with water that, according to the laws of chemistry, the aluminum shell of an airplane should actually dissolve in the rain.

Fortunately for the airline industry, when aluminum metal is placed in the atmosphere, a thin layer, known as aluminum oxide, forms on the metal's surface and acts like a protective, rust-resistant shield.

Scientists have long known that aluminum oxide does not corrode rapidly in water, but they have been unable to fully explain why.

Now, for the first time, researchers have shown that liquid H2O has a surprisingly potent effect when it comes in contact with the surface of a metal oxide, a finding that has industrial and environmental implications.

"Water actually changes the structure of the solid surface," says Gordon Brown, Jr., the Dorrell William Kirby Professor of Earth Sciences.

https://news.stanford.edu/pr/00/alu...ugh to,aluminum oxide metal resists corrosion.

 

[Midlife Crises]

In the real world zinc chromate primer is why aircraft don’t corrode into festering, flaking shells in the shape of an airplane. The alloys used form an oxide when exposed to air and with time that oxide penetrates deeper and deeper into the metal. Zinc chromate primer seals out the oxygen and the corrosion never begins. Also pure aluminum is very seldom used for anything and most structural aluminum is actually plated with an alloy for corrosion resistance. You gotta grind that alloy off before welding. Been there, done that .

 

[0M3GA]

So it sounds like you need a new transmission and you have some wiring issues. I would say the biggest question is how much work can you do yourself and how much will you have to pay a shop to do.

Do you need the car running quick to replace your car that was wrecked? If so I would suggest finding another car. Transmission is a fairly simple and straightforward swap ( I would buy a reman with warranty and swap them) if you have the tools and ability.

As far as the wiring, a lot of the time it’s a simple fix. Figuring out what needs fixed is often very time consuming and aggravating. If the car is drivable with the wiring issues you can take your time and work through them. I would start looking at all the grounds a bad ground somewhere can cause all kinds of issues.

You could always sell this one and buy one that is running but one thing about fixing your car is you will know what you have and the more you work on it the more you will know what is going wrong before it becomes an issue.

Apologies for a late reply, regarding the transmission... the winning noise got worse and some days I would loose power after I started driving (would usually loose 2nd gear) and the car would only move about an inch, the only way to get the car moving again was to force 1,2 or 3 manually and then setting it to drive again.. I thought my transmission had finally given up considering I now had the wrench icon on my dash... I was wrong.

A week ago I drained the atf, and removed the oil pan, was expecting the worst a ton of clutch material and metal shavings, to my surprise the pan looked clean but the filter.... my guess is that the filter has never been changed, the filter media looked clogged and the filter housing had a super thin layer of oil mixed with clutch material...

I replaced the filter and added 4 quarts of new ATF(~3.7 Quarts removed) and to my surprise the wining noise went away completely car is super quiet wile driving and on cold starts , the best part is that I haven't lost any gears anymore.. so far I've successfully put over 200 miles and no issues, will repeat the process one last time on the next oil change, but of course this doesn't mean the transmission is 100% healthy..

You can actually see chewed wires? I would check out how much on which harnesses are chewed up, then price them used. I would fix that stuff first, as it can be a PIA to get electrical stuff correct sometimes.
The rest of what you are talking about is time consuming and/or expensive, but all straight forward fixable.

The hood definitely has corrosion issues. I would clean it up the best you can and preserve it to slow down corrosion. I don't think you are going to stop that corrosion at this point, looks pretty far along. Get a new or aftermarket hood at a later date

As mentioned, what is you skill level? If you did blower install, you can do anything else you mentioned that's wrong with it.

Ive actually been checking my wiring harness and I don't see any signs of chewed wires , I checked the grounds and they were bad, I cleaned them to no avail I still get the CEL. Something else that I've noticed is that my temperature reading on my stereo is ALWAYS stuck at 50 degrees, and sometimes (NOT all the time) when I start my A/C, the clutch "tweaks out" it starts then stops randomly causing the ac to not work properly.. and when that happens I usually get the CEL with all the random codes..

I cleaned part of the hood, used a soft copper wire wheel, and a bit of sandpaper and it came out great! Will probably finish the rest this upcoming weekend.