New Guy On the Block

SnakePit · 12-25-2001, 09:49 PM

Hey Guys,
I am new to this forum, but have been searching for a forum like this ever since last month.
I bought my dream car during the Thanksgiving holidays, I couldn't afford a new one, but I did find a used '99 Mustang Cobra Convertible 5 spd. with 34,000 miles on her. She is in mint condition with hardly a scratch on her! Oxford white w/ tan top and interior. The previous owner pulled the front grill and mounted the "Floating Cobra" on the front. This is the only modification I can find other than putting some Cobra S 17" chrome mags on her.
I was curious if there was any recalls on this model year and if there is a shop manual available for the '99's yet. I have also read where someone was mentioning that the '99's do not have the horsepower that the factory claims they have. Is this true?
And if it is, how can this be fixed?
Hello to all, and Happy Holidays!

SnakePit

roush-stage3 · 12-26-2001, 05:40 AM

Some of the recalls that had been on the 99 Cobra are: Lack of engine perf, rear suspension knuckle replacement, speed control cable replacement, vibration between 68-78 mph, front control arm & lower ball joint replacement. To might want to try to get the service records on this vehicle or find out where it might have been serviced and contact that dealer. The 99 Cobra did have and continues to have performance problems. Some were fixed by Ford (again you'll have to look into your vehicles past service history) by milling the cylinder heads and intake manifold, changing the exhaust system, and recallibrating the engine computer, or just replacing the whole engine. Others may have just performed their own modifications such as: recallibrations, superchargers, etc. But, I wouldn't know if that did any good. The hp ratings ranged from anywhere from 240 hp to 311 hp. You might want to have your car dyno'd to determine your hp. It was suppose to be rated at 320 hp so to the wheels you might lose about 15-20% of that. As far as the manuals I couldn't offer any info on their availability. You might want to do a search on the web for that. Good luck.

Terry

roush-stage3 · 12-26-2001, 03:28 PM

In regard to your shop manuals there is a couple of CD-Rom manuals for sale on e-bay. You might want to investigate that.

SnakePit · 12-26-2001, 07:47 PM

Thanks a bunch Terry for the great info! Like you said, the power may be down quite a bit from what is quoted. But I came from an old pickup truck to the Cobra. At the time I tried the Cobra out, it felt like it had 400 horses under the hood! Grin. I would be curious though as to what hp it does produce on the dyno. I love this car, it handles really good compared to anything I've ever owned! The stick shift is really tight/stiff though, (dealer told me that was normal for all Cobras. I bet you know if that is true or not. It's funny one of the things on the recall you mentioned was the vibration between certain speeds, and yes mine does have that. I thought it was a tire that needs balancing, so I haven't pursued that with the warranty. The normal Ford warranty has just expired, for I have already put over 2,000 miles on her. I'm over 36,000 now, but I did purchase the Ford extented warranty to cover her through 100,000 miles. Expensive but I felt worth it on this car. I did notice that the warranty excludes any super chargers or turbos, dang! I sure would like to know who owned this car before me. Would love to pick his brain on just what has been done to it.
Again, thanks a lot for your response. I'm sure I'll be asking you more stuff (if you don't mind).

Take care,

Charlie

roush-stage3 · 12-26-2001, 09:12 PM

Charlie, check with a dealer to see if the vibration problem might be a recall. If that's the case they should fix it at no cost to you. Because I'm sure you probably have some sort of deductible for the extended warranty.
I have never owned or even driven a Cobra, so I can't offer any first hand info in that respect. But, I'm sure it is a great car even with the problems it had. Good luck and if I can help you out any further let me know.

Terry

12-25-2001, 09:49 PM	#1
SnakePit Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Lakeland, Florida Posts: 2	New Guy On the Block Hey Guys, I am new to this forum, but have been searching for a forum like this ever since last month. I bought my dream car during the Thanksgiving holidays, I couldn't afford a new one, but I did find a used '99 Mustang Cobra Convertible 5 spd. with 34,000 miles on her. She is in mint condition with hardly a scratch on her! Oxford white w/ tan top and interior. The previous owner pulled the front grill and mounted the "Floating Cobra" on the front. This is the only modification I can find other than putting some Cobra S 17" chrome mags on her. I was curious if there was any recalls on this model year and if there is a shop manual available for the '99's yet. I have also read where someone was mentioning that the '99's do not have the horsepower that the factory claims they have. Is this true? And if it is, how can this be fixed? Hello to all, and Happy Holidays! SnakePit

12-26-2001, 07:47 PM	#4
SnakePit Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Lakeland, Florida Posts: 2	Thanks for the info! Thanks a bunch Terry for the great info! Like you said, the power may be down quite a bit from what is quoted. But I came from an old pickup truck to the Cobra. At the time I tried the Cobra out, it felt like it had 400 horses under the hood! Grin. I would be curious though as to what hp it does produce on the dyno. I love this car, it handles really good compared to anything I've ever owned! The stick shift is really tight/stiff though, (dealer told me that was normal for all Cobras. I bet you know if that is true or not. It's funny one of the things on the recall you mentioned was the vibration between certain speeds, and yes mine does have that. I thought it was a tire that needs balancing, so I haven't pursued that with the warranty. The normal Ford warranty has just expired, for I have already put over 2,000 miles on her. I'm over 36,000 now, but I did purchase the Ford extented warranty to cover her through 100,000 miles. Expensive but I felt worth it on this car. I did notice that the warranty excludes any super chargers or turbos, dang! I sure would like to know who owned this car before me. Would love to pick his brain on just what has been done to it. Again, thanks a lot for your response. I'm sure I'll be asking you more stuff (if you don't mind). Take care, Charlie

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12-26-2001, 05:40 AM	#2
roush-stage3 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 5	Some of the recalls that had been on the 99 Cobra are: Lack of engine perf, rear suspension knuckle replacement, speed control cable replacement, vibration between 68-78 mph, front control arm & lower ball joint replacement. To might want to try to get the service records on this vehicle or find out where it might have been serviced and contact that dealer. The 99 Cobra did have and continues to have performance problems. Some were fixed by Ford (again you'll have to look into your vehicles past service history) by milling the cylinder heads and intake manifold, changing the exhaust system, and recallibrating the engine computer, or just replacing the whole engine. Others may have just performed their own modifications such as: recallibrations, superchargers, etc. But, I wouldn't know if that did any good. The hp ratings ranged from anywhere from 240 hp to 311 hp. You might want to have your car dyno'd to determine your hp. It was suppose to be rated at 320 hp so to the wheels you might lose about 15-20% of that. As far as the manuals I couldn't offer any info on their availability. You might want to do a search on the web for that. Good luck. Terry

12-26-2001, 03:28 PM	#3
roush-stage3 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 5	In regard to your shop manuals there is a couple of CD-Rom manuals for sale on e-bay. You might want to investigate that.

12-26-2001, 09:12 PM	#5
roush-stage3 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 5	Charlie, check with a dealer to see if the vibration problem might be a recall. If that's the case they should fix it at no cost to you. Because I'm sure you probably have some sort of deductible for the extended warranty. I have never owned or even driven a Cobra, so I can't offer any first hand info in that respect. But, I'm sure it is a great car even with the problems it had. Good luck and if I can help you out any further let me know. Terry