Just Purchased 1996 Ford Probe GT, and Hello.

[PaisleyProbe]

Hi,

Thank you for the "forum acceptance".

My boyfriend recently bought me a Probe (it's been my dream car since I was 16ish, and I finally got one at 40).

I'm looking for any and all information and advice that other Probe owners desire to share with me, particularly in the area of preservation.

We've been considering pulling out all the guts underneath and bedlining...is that a "thing"? We live in Michigan, and it only takes a few winters for a car to go to rust-hell in this area; they salt the roads way too heavily. Granted, I'm thankful for the traction, but it's hell on vehicles.

What can I do to prevent the loss of my dream car *long* before its time, in this area?

It's a 1996 GT, Alpine Green, with 41,000 original miles on it, and both the interior and exterior are in excellent condition apart from the passenger side window/door lock plate, and that's on order ($140.00 for a tiny piece of plastic, my goodness) and a fair amount (not heavy) of surface rust on some bits underneath. Everything works well, and it drives like a dream...it was the perfect present to get me, and I couldn't be happier. It even *smells* new, and I don't think the trunk was ever even used for groceries or every day things...this thing is immaculate. I think the thing I love the most is taking off from a stop light. I never press on the gas heavily, but even the slightest tap from my foot on the gas pedal throws the back of my head to the headrest. LOL

Anyway...any advice on taking care of "her" would be appreciated. Best oil filter? Best air filter? Best "other bits" that I know nothing about...etc. I would add some pictures, but I haven't gotten that far yet (I don't know how).

Thanks in advance!

[Level 9]

I live in Michigan as well and I can suggest it not be a daily driver if possible and park it during the winter. I have one now that needs help and currently looking for a clean one now that I can properly store one now. They are getting harder to find in good condition.

As after that I have always used Valvoline synpower oil with a premium filter and I have had zero engine problems. Air filter stock either fram or stp would be fine, just keep clean filters installed. These motors are awesome and will last a long time if properly maintained.

Welcome to PT. Lot of good useful info on this site, just try out some stuff in the search and you may be surprised at all the stuff that pops up. Awesome site!

[LaserRed]

As for preventing rust, really the best way is the simplest way-just don't drive it in winter-which is what I would advise, especially since it's clean and low mileage. If that's not possible, then wash it often to get the salt off. If you want more protection, there are products made for spraying the underside, I've never heard of doing it with bedliner, I would assume the purpose-made products work better.

Congrats on your car and welcome to PT.

[g98swc]

Look for good prices on distributors and get a couple.

For undercoatings, I really like Eastwood's stuff. They have great products, especially aerosol. If you are going to use a lot, buy it by the quart and find a parts store that mixes paint, and they can usually put stuff in a can for you for cheap. For cheap, I've used Westley's on sand rails and it held up okay. Another readily available option is Permatex undercoating. Permatex has a partnership with Napa, so its easy to get and a good middle of the road, easy-application undercoating.

[Probe97GTS]

Welcome to the forums!

[KLZE Porsche]

I would agree with one of the posts above -to simply not drive it during the winter. There is no spray coating out there that will fully protect you from that salt. Even if you were to heavily spray wash the car every time you drive it -that corrosive crap will get into every crack and crevice there is. Even spray washing will not find all the places the salt has found.

Eventually rust will begin in the joints and spread like cancer. So the best prevention is to buy a front wheel drive (or AWD) beater for winter driving.

Welcome to the family!

[Silverprobe]

Welcome Paisley.

I don't know if places like Ziebart still exist, but that's what I had done to my '94 GT the same week I bought it new. It was not only an undercoating service, but also included spraying the insides of the quarter panels using access holes in the door jams.

At that point, Ziebart had nationwide outlets, and the service was guaranteed for the lifetime of the vehicle as long as you brought it back in every year to be inspected and recoated if necessary. All I know is that the body panels have outlasted the factory paint.

Most automated car washes have an option for also spraying the undercarriage, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to pay extra for that on occasion too.

Oil and filter is personal preference. I've used Mobil 1 full synthetic oil and filters designed for synthetic oil from day one, but lifter ticking noise seems inevitable on these engines, so just know that's normal if it happens.

Other than that, the previous suggestions were good, so the only other thing I'd recommend is one of those whiplash braces to save your neck from all the Probe POWA!!!!

[BLUEnoEQ]

Window switch plate... once it's in don't even look at it, a hard stare will snap it. I had a good one, then I didn't, don't know what happened in between. I did however hear the snap when my passenger opened the door and the handle return spring let go. Just advise passengers to be gentle with everything. Oh, and welcome!

[ChasePGT]

I just got back into a a 94 after a 10 year hiatus and am looking into rust preventative measures as well. My last car, a 93 GT rotted out on me, so I'm paranoid as well. I'm in massachusetts so the salt issues are serious here too.

There is a lot of contradictory info out there; some swear by undercoatings; others say they make it worse by trapping moisture in sensative areas. Specialized products like por15 get good reviews, but in practice I have heard mixed things - that it flakes off and doesn't stick.

The only options that get consistent praise is the fleet treatment products that are basically oil based, temporary coatings that help protet the underbody. Basically you oil the metal to prevent rust. Similar to how raw metal parts are coated in machine oil for shipment so that the don't rust before being purchased. These products require re-application ever few years or even each season depending on the scenario.

Anyway, I don't know what the right answer is, but think that undercoatings if applied when a vehicle is new are probably an OK option, but on a car that has seen some salt already, I'm not so sure.

I definitely would stay away from rubberized undrecoating and if you do use any product, you want it to be something that etches and bonds with the existing rust, like the eastwood products claim to do.

[PaisleyProbe]

Thank you for all the replies. Unfortunately, we're going to have to push through and drive it this winter, so I will definitely be washing it weekly, including the undercarriage. Next winter will greet us with a beater for winter-driving...hopefully it will be okay through one season (it's the best we can do right now). I truly appreciate all the replies and information and will be printing out anything and everything, lol. The longer I have this car...the more I love it.

[KLZE Porsche]

Thank you for all the replies. Unfortunately, we're going to have to push through and drive it this winter, so I will definitely be washing it weekly, including the undercarriage. Next winter will greet us with a beater for winter-driving...hopefully it will be okay through one season (it's the best we can do right now). I truly appreciate all the replies and information and will be printing out anything and everything, lol. The longer I have this car...the more I love it.

I bought my wife one and she drove it for a bit. I didn't give it a full workover and so it had it's typical old age problems. Eventually -she said she wanted to buy a more dependable car. She bought a Mazda 3 and now she says she doesn't like the car because it just isn't as much fun as the Probe.

So now it is under construction to get a new engine/trans to make it much more dependable and so she can have her fun in it once again. The Probe is just hard to beat in the fun department (when they are in good health -of course)!

P.S. Did you choose the name "PaisleyProbe" because of future plans to paint it paisley? Gosh I hope not. After looking up what color Paisley is -I realized that could be a nightmare:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/13/a6...c6d886defa.jpg

[BLUEnoEQ]

Casino/hotel carpet pattern, well you'll never lose that in a parking lot.

[Mr Man]

buy a lot of anti-seize for the bolts when you take them off and put them back on

[stoker100]

welcome to the forums! The best oil filter IMO would be the ZR1, if you search the forums for "ZR1" there is a list of part numbers of oil filters that fit. The standard paper air filters are best unless you plan on doing a lot of performance modifications. If its Auto their transmissions are weak (well.... weaker then the weaksauce manual trans) both transmissions should have their fluids changed every 10,000km IMO. The distributors are also a failing point and the issue can be fixed by a $30 HEI mod. The fuel pump tilt switch also causes people issues but can be bypassed easily for <$1. If you live in an area that is hot then you may experience airbag code 51 which is a blown thermal fuse and also easy to repair. Overall the cars are pretty well built and the engines are great if you maintain them correctly. I cant help with the snow/salt as my car has never seen snow