Less overhang, more performance.įour different engines were on offer depending on the year, and at base was a 3.8-liter Essex V6 in naturally aspirated and supercharged variants (for the Super Coupe). The new MN12 cars were sleeker and more rounded than the Aero Bird, and though they were shorter overall, had a nine-inch growth in wheelbase over the outgoing model. He’d designed the ninth generation T-bird and Cougar as well. Ford aimed high and wanted the edge in handling and performance over the front-drive offerings from GM.įor the new cars’ design, Ford relied once more on the VP of design at Ford from 1980 to 1997, Jack Telnack. They were the only domestic rear-drive cars with that feature outside the Corvette. To that end, the MN12 coupes (and later the FN Lincoln Mark VIII) were given an independent rear suspension amongst their other technical upgrades. Ford started development of the new platform in 1984, when it made an internal declaration that the next Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar be sophisticated enough to compete with European marques like BMW. An all-new 10th-generation debuted for the model year 1989, on the exciting new MN12 platform. After removal of these items, the connector may be replaced, or a set of o-rings, depending on the year of the vehicle.But by the late Eighties, the ninth-gen was looking a little aged, and Ford saw it was time to step away from the Fox platform with regards to personal luxury. The remedy can be complicated, and will necessitate removal of the intake manifold, heater tube, and possibly the water pump. When the connection for this tube begins to leak, the coolant burns on the hot engine, and produces a sweet smell that is unmistakably engine coolant. This leak springs from the heater tube, which allows coolant to flow between the

, and only begins to leak coolant onto the ground in advanced stages of disrepair. This leak is difficult to locate as it is buried underneath the

The 4.6L V8 engine used in the Ford Thunderbird from 1994-1997 is known for displaying the normal symptoms of a coolant leak, including overheating, especially when the vehicle is idling, the strong smell of coolant from the engine, and illumination of the

1994 ford thunderbird lx v8