Customer Reviews

Haynes Ford Mustang 1994 thru 1999 (Haynes Repair Manuals)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just got this book a week ago. I haven't really done any repairs based on this book yet, but it seems to be an okay book. It has different sections on each of the major systems of the car viz. cooling, heating and ac systems, fuel and exhaust systems, engine electrical systems, emissions and engine control systems, transmission systems, suspension and steering systems, chassis electrical system etc.

I basically bought this book hoping to be able to troubleshoot a trouble code (P0183) that made my 99 Mustang's "Service Engine" light to come on. This code is not listed in the OBD II codes list in this book. According to my scan tool, this code means "Engine Fuel Temperature Sensor A shows a high input value". This book does not have any mention of an Engine Fuel Temperature Sensor. So, I have to warn you there may be a few things missing in this book.

I think one essential section that should be in any of today's auto repair manuals is a section on the possible trouble codes and step-by-step troubleshooting for each code. In the 3 cars that I have owned in the last 6 years, one common issue has been the "Service Engine" light coming on out of the blue. Dealers make big bucks just debugging the OBD code. My dealer charged me 120 for just reading the code and finding out what is wrong.

Also, I felt that many of the pictures are too close-up making it extremely difficult to determine the relative location on the car.

this book is really good, i would have given it 5 stars but most pictures are for 3.8 liter and 4.6 liter cobras and i own a 5.0 liter 94 GT. they describe things well including potential problems with malfunctioning parts, which is good for diagnosis. i have saved 3 to 4 hours on labor by doing some jobs myself. i am somewhat mechchanically inclined. i have never changed my own oil (too messy and i wouldn't know how to get rid of it), but i did replace my EGR valve and sensor, my fuel pump relay, my belt, O2 sensor, spark plugs and wires. the book always tells you when you might be getting in over your head, and says, let a pro do this part. i have learned alot, and saved more.

I have used this book for reference on several projects. One was replacing all the suspension components, book told us how to do it the most difficult way possible. It seems when you look up each step, they assumed that is ALL you were doing. So for Spring removal, they told you to remove the front swing arms instead of just removing the struts. We wasted literally a day on one wheel stubbornly following the book.As for the rear end, all you had to do was drop the rear end, book wanted you to remove all the swing arms, torque struts, lines and brakes. All you needed to do was detach the shocks, loosen the lines and compress the springs, whole thing swings down. Book would have wasted hours of our time.
Now I need to remove the starter on a Convertible, no pictures, no decent instructions, no diagrams. Remove 3 bolts and remove starter. LOL. how about, where are the bolts, how do you get to them, how do you even get the starter out through the welded cross brace ford installed on the convertible, how about at least mentioning you need to access it through the front fender liner to get to the THREE, not TWO bolts.
There is no diagram for the fuses that I have been able to find. Half the Torque specs for the front end job were FAR higher than we could attain.
There is a lot of good info but when a novice is doing the job the book really fails to deliver the details needed. And no, I will not take it to a dealer or garage, what fun is there in that?
Get a Chilton book.

The manual does not cover everything. It does not even have all the wiring diagrams necessary to troubleshoot problems. I would not recommend it for this reason.

The book I bought was not the one I recieved. And I never heard back from anyone when I tried to correct the problem.

Like all the other haynes manuals i have purchased this one did a decent job of giving recommendations for maintenance and repair work. However i always seem to find it lacking details where i need it most (basic repair tasks that seem to be identical between manuals), and having way more details for jobs that i don't care about (totaly engine overhauls, etc. ).

Pros:
- Affordable Help for repair work
- covers most repair topics you might care about
- I have purchased several manuals for cars i have owned and found them all to be helpfull.

Cons:
- Says it covers multiple varients of the same model, but often has diagrams for only one of them.
- Many of the more common repair tasks (brakes, oil change, body work, etc.. ) are heavily coppied between the vairous Haynes manuals for different models, so often lack spesific details that would be helpfull. You can usually overcome this with some common sense, but i have found several times wishing i new exactly where something was rather then them assuming i know where it is.
- Lacks discussion on common problems encountered during repairs. Ie, would be nice to have advice on what to try if your break rotors are rusted on, etc. .

This isn't bad, it could use some more photos and do a better job breaking down 5.0 compared to the 3.8's. Overall it was worth the money, especially when I was changing my headlights. Only wish it showed how to replace a head gasket.

This site is the most outstanding site I have had the pleasure of useing. The srevice recieved is great.