Electronics rebuilders

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jerrym3

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Electronic parts for the LS (and Tbird) are, or soon will be, hard to find. Ford's pulling the plug on parts quicker than I had anticipated.

(My bro/in/law's TBird A/C went bad. NJ dealer was very lucky and found what he needed in Ca. He could not get the part from Ford direct.)

Does anyone have a list of reputable electronic parts rebuilders?

I think that we're all going to need something rebuilt someday, and that day may not be too far in the future.
 
the day I can't get parts anywhere is the day I will no longer want the car... (seems to be getting closer and closer)
 
Hate to say it, but that day is here, depending upon what part goes bad.

And, what happens if the car stops running and the bad part's not available? Then, it's too late.

Hard to sell a non running car, unless someone needs a parts car.

The dealer told my bro/in/law to start looking for rebuilders, because parts availability is dropping for TBirds and LS's.

This is not just a Ford/Lincoln problem.
 
this all seems a little dramatic.. plenty of aftermarket and/or used parts out there to keep these running quite a bit longer... IMO
 
jerrym3 said:
And, what happens if the car stops running and the bad part's not available? Then, it's too late.

Hard to sell a non running car, unless someone needs a parts car.

The dealer told my bro/in/law to start looking for rebuilders, because parts availability is dropping for TBirds and LS's.
Click to expand...

not too bad, there are always people parting out cars and it doesn't take too long of a look to find a few LSs in junk yards...
 
G-RELL said:
this all seems a little dramatic.. plenty of aftermarket and/or used parts out there to keep these running quite a bit longer... IMO
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct, and I would have said the same thing four months ago.

Then, it became a reality for my TBird.
 
1LoudLS said:
not too bad, there are always people parting out cars and it doesn't take too long of a look to find a few LSs in junk yards...
Click to expand...

I would never get wear item from a junk yard......
 
1LoudLS said:
You would if that was your only option...
Click to expand...


And extend the life of the car by just a few months? I think not.... Had I needed a rear-end rebuild for ~$1500 I would have just traded it in on an XF... There is a point of diminishing returns...
 
LS4me said:
And extend the life of the car by just a few months? I think not....
Click to expand...

depends on the part, I have had JY parts last years...

just because its in a junk yard doesn't mean that its only months from expiring. for instance, I needed rear shocks, new ones were kinda hard to find but there was a 04 in a year near me totaled with less than 30k on it... it was a U-pull so I got both $50.

shocks are a wear item, and buying them used extended the car for two years and counting so far...
 
Found a junkyard out of state that has two retro TBirds. Tried to explain over the phone what I needed. Didn't get a very positive response; waiting for a return call as to whether or not the cars are still there.
 
jerrym3 said:
Found a junkyard out of state that has two retro TBirds. Tried to explain over the phone what I needed. Didn't get a very positive response; waiting for a return call as to whether or not the cars are still there.
Click to expand...

What electronic parts are you looking for, exactly?
 
LSinYourLS said:
What electronic parts are you looking for, exactly?
Click to expand...

2003 TBird AC Control Head, part #3W6Z 19980 AC. Dealer showed me a ten page directive on checking TBird's and LS's for battery drain issues.

The part shows up when I do a Google search/Ford OEM parts, but when I make phone contact, they really are not available.

Mine has a short which is draining the battery. Found a new 2002 unit, but it doesn't work on the 2003.

Dealer called me Friday and said he is in contact with the part manufacturer for a possible resolution.

Since all's fair in love, war, politics, and selling used cars, I could use a battery manager temporarily and sell the car as-is to some unsuspecting private buyer, but I can't do that. It's just not my way of doing business.

I could trade it in, but I don't need a fourth car anymore.

When first on the market, these cars were notorious for a battery drain problem caused by a faulty rear defroster relay.
 
jerrym3 said:
2003 TBird AC Control Head, part #3W6Z 19980 AC. Dealer showed me a ten page directive on checking TBird's and LS's for battery drain issues.
.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that part is definitely discontinued. Build usage was 11/18/2002 - 7/13/2003, that might help finding it in a junkyard. Your alternative is to send the unit in for repair through Ford's Electronic repair group. Any Ford dealer can do that for you, the evaluation is free of charge to the dealer, and they'll then quote you the amount to actually fix the unit. If you like, you can PM me your email address, and I can explain it in depth, or facilitate the repair (I'm a Ford Parts Manager).
 
LSinYourLS said:
Yeah, that part is definitely discontinued. Build usage was 11/18/2002 - 7/13/2003, that might help finding it in a junkyard. Your alternative is to send the unit in for repair through Ford's Electronic repair group. Any Ford dealer can do that for you, the evaluation is free of charge to the dealer, and they'll then quote you the amount to actually fix the unit. If you like, you can PM me your email address, and I can explain it in depth, or facilitate the repair (I'm a Ford Parts Manager).
Click to expand...

will do
 
Well, my dealer says he found a new AC Control head, so that's probably the way I'll go.

I know I'm overpaying, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Then, once running like a 22,000 mile car should, she'll probably be up for sale. I don't need the car, and I don't care to go through this again on a car that mostly sits in the garage.

If it were my daily driver, might be a different story.
 
Gotta love this.

Seems like the part I need is in a Visteon (manufacturer) warehouse in.....Mexico, and my dealer's trying to get it shipped to New Jersey.

There are so many wise a**ed jokes I could make right now, but, I will sit back and count to ten one thousand times...


One...two...three....
 
well ford does do a bit of manufacturing in mexico...

I also feel like it would get less boring counting to a thousand ten times.

the good news it that there are some somewhere!
 
Still no part. Must be an issue with MUPS. (Mexican UPS)

Called the dealer last week. Never returned my call.

Worth repeating. This is basically a 2005 part (2003 and 2005 were basically the same car mechanically), and, in effect, Ford is saying, even though it's a nine year old part, "tough luck, Mr Consumer, but hey, how about purchasing a new Focus? Mustang? F150?".

(I'm having trouble being polite.)

Called again today.

Still waiting for a callback.
 
Battery drain. Ford can't offer any concrete options.

Their suggestions?

"Get a battery shutoff, or use the car more, or take a hike".

I wonder what Ford would do if this had happened to a customer with an ESP? Is Ford responsible to find a part that is no longer available anywhere on the market, or to get the part rebuilt (if possible), or to find a junkyard replacement?

I've asked this same question on other car forms. I never seem to get an answer. Once, I got a "good question" response. Then, the subject is dropped like a hot potato.

A gentleman on this site provided the name of a company that specializes rebuilds of this nature. I was set to give that a try, but then the dealer called me and said that had located a new one.

That was about a month ago.
 
That's the part, but I wonder why the ad doesn't list the 2003 TBird as compatible? It only lists 04 and 05.
 
jerrym3 said:
That's the part, but I wonder why the ad doesn't list the 2003 TBird as compatible? It only lists 04 and 05.
Click to expand...

Ford shows it as different for 2003 than 2004 up. I wonder if the T-bird switched to CAN in 04 instead of 03? Interestingly, the 04 up part is still shown as available new.
 
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