| NOVAMOG The Northern Virginia Merkur Owners Group |
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| How to Buy a Merkur XR4Ti Transmissions By Richard Curtis |
| --The original manual 5-speed is a T-9. Pretty sloppy shifting but strong enough for this car. -- A lot of enthusiasts replace the T-9 with a T-5 from late-model Mustangs. Reportedly a much stronger transmission with better shifting but some have said not so. You'll need a different bellhousing, driveshaft, etc. You can also buy an aftermarket short-shift kit (from BAT) that reportedly improves the shift action especially the throws. --Clutch. Will need replacing since they do wear out. --Automatics are Ford C-3 units (3-speed). Keep transmission fluid in them and they should be fine. Prone to leakage around the filler tube (cheap repair), which looks suspiciously like something worse (expensive repair). Also suspect the front seal. Change fluid and filter in the transmission often (every 30k). --Pull the automatic transmission dipstick and check the color of the fluid (should be pink) and smell it (should NOT smelled burned). If fluid is any color other than pink or smells burned, run away from this car. |