1989 Ford Tempo

JEREMYS18

MEMBER
1989 FORD TEMPO

I just got a 1989 ford tempo. It's auotomatic and runs good, but the front right tire has something wrong. When I drive it makes the whole car vibrate up and down. I don't know why. I checked it to see if it was flat but it's not. Also the stearing wheel has to be turned about 20 degrees to the left in order to go streight. Why? Also The battery keeps going dead(well, almost.) It dosen't seam to be charging. When I go to start it, it sounds very weak and just barley gets the car started. I read another area where you said to check for battery leakage, and am happy to say that the light did not glow (no leakage), is it the alternater? Also the cruse control dosn't work. Any ideas. Another thing, my aunt, who gave me the car, said there was a cracked hose. I saw a puddle under the car, but didn't see a leak. What could be leaking. Brake fluids fine, I pressed the brakes severl times with no leak, and the car dosn't heat up(antifreaze is fine) so what else could be leaking? One last thing. Where is the fuse box at? I can't find it and would like to replace all the fuses with new ones. I found the paper on the glove compartment but it dosn't say where to find the fuses. I know it's a lot but please try to answer all my questions. Thanks. :(

2 Replies

TIML

MEMBER
19 POSTS

To check to see if you charging sys. Is working. Connect a volt meter to your battery. Red to pos, black to neg. Start the engine. It should be petting out 14 volts. If not your alternator might be bad or regulator but most of them are in the alt. Now. Or if you have another battery you can put in the car, maybe borrow one from a friend just to see if that makes a difference. Then check the volt reading again. Most parts stores will check these for you. Next with your tire problem. You could rotate your front tires to the rear and if the rear shakes when you drive it. The tires could be the problem. If the front is the same, you might want to look at the wheel bearings. As far as a leak under the car. If it has air conditioning that will leave a puddle under the car. If you can smell antifreeze then you could have a cooling sys. Leak. The cruise cont. Probably isnt worth messing with unless if there are loose parts you can tighten up. Like the unit on the throttle. Hope this helps.