"Garrett Fulton" wrote in message
...
On Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 1:43:44 PM UTC-5, Christopher Tidy
wrote:
Hi folks,

Quick question. Many cars from the 1980s used to rust badly.
Sometime in the 1990s, this changed - and quite suddenly. Does
anyone know what specific changes were made to the paint composition
and surface treatment? I can only find vague allusions in most
articles.

Thanks,

Chris

Here's how cheap Ford is. About 15 yrs. ago I was reading the latest
Popular Mechanics auto advice column. A guy wrote in with a concern
about his oil pressure reading in his new Ford F-150. He said he had
noticed when it was started cold, the oil pressure always came up to
the exact same level and never decreased once the engine got warm, as
his previous pickup had done. The pressure always remained at the
exact same place no matter engine temperature or RPM. The auto advice
guy at PM said on his year/model of pickup, Ford had replaced the
pressure transmitter with a pressure switch with a fixed resistance.
When the switch closed, it would always deflect the oil pressure
needle to the same location. In other words, an idiot light. As far as
I've seen, no other auto manufacturer ever pulled one like that. Saved
them what? $1.50 a truck? So, here you are doing 70 on the interstate
all day and one or more cam bearings are starting to go. From personal
experience, that's always a gradual decrease of oil pressure. By the
time the oil pressure gauge on your P.O.S. Ford pickup drops to zero
and the backup idiot light comes on, the engine has been operating way
too long on insufficient oil pressure and is likely already trashed. A
guy I worked with had a new Ford pickup. I read him the column and he
said,"That's just the way my truck acts!". Now I don't know if they
still practice this world class chicken^&*(, but I've had my last
Ford.

=================

My 1991 Ford Ranger has the gauge package instead of lights and all
but Oil are functional. The Oil gauge uses a pressure switch and a
resistor that you can bypass if you install a variable-resistance
sender.
http://forums.tccoa.com/37-work-prog...auge-pics.html

I bought the $20 sensor and may install it if I have to remove the
dash for another reason. However the gauge as-is instantly shows
whether the engine has adequate pressure or not, and the dial face
isn't graduated in pressure units.

Is there a reason other than cost for not using stainless hardware
under the hood? I've been using it to replace broken plastic clips,
though not graded steel bolts.
-jsw