“It fought me on every step” yep... welcome to being a mechanic

It gets easier, I've owned 3 probes and on the first it took me 2 days to change the water pump and timing belt, now I can do it in 3hrs... the trick to these is that you have to work on these from the bottom.... so don't get discouraged and please rescue it! Love Ford Probes

Watching this while I take a brake from fixing my probes fuel pump

Don't sweat it, Ethan. Transverse V6s are a real pain to do anything maintenance related on - especially timing belts and water pumps. Loving the Probe series! They were such unique little cars that you just don't see anymore.

Mx6 and Probe community is AMAZING!!! Thank you for saving this one! I started my automotive hobby/adventure with an MX6 ten years ago. I have had three more since then and the first is still running. Great platform to get dirty with! Make friends with someone whom has small hands, or just pull the motor for most maintenance. First motor pull took me 3 days, can do it in an afternoon now. It gets better!

You’re such a nice & genuine guy.. loved it man

Ow. I feel your pain while working on the Probe. Just recently changed the timing belt and water pump on my Toyota. No fun. Took me four days and a lot of swearing. Hope you get the Probe fixed. It’s a cool looking car.

Hi, Ethan. I bouht one like that last year and I have spent 9 months restoring it, touching almost everything in the car. Now it is almost perfect, so if you need advice, don't hesitate to ask. -As for diagnosis, when I bought it I found 6 codes (older non-obd system in my car so diagnosed with simply a LED), now all codes are fixed after replacing the lambdas, two vacuum solenoids, a CPS sensor, etc. -As everyone told you, valve cover leaks are common and the front one is easy to change, but the rear one is more involved, although doable (the simplest way is to follow this very useful youtube video: FORD PROBE GT 1994 REPLACE VALVE COVER GASKETS). -Test VRIS solenoids with a multimeter and check vacuum to them (although even when they work you won't notice the difference). As a first indication, the first VRIS (actuator near the VRIS valves themselves) should close when you start the car and is idling, if it doesn't you either have a defective VRIS1 valve or you lack vacuum (you will find probably out why when you replace the rear valve cover gasket). -Check base timing with a strobe gun, that's very important, etc, etc, etc. -It is strange that your rpm is 1200 when hot. Either it is measuring temperature wrong (thinking that it is cold) or your idle adjustment is way high (screw on top of the butterfly). -I strongly recommend that you purchase your car's year Vacuum&electric Troubleshooting Manual and also the Service Manual at eBay), all the info you need is there.

When your code reader costs more than your car... Probe life.

My first and second cars were Probes. Bought another 10 years later. Nothing but problems but if you ever have ever HAD one. You have LOVED one. The thrird we called "The Demon." Came straight off a race track with a KLZE and Turbo'ed so the really hard work was done.

I remember these well, and it always makes me happy to see one still on the road. I'm glad there are people who love and preserve them. But all the old cars in my fleet are RWD for a reason.

Stoked to see more about that green Taco!

Enjoyed it Ethan! Looking forward to you getting some driving time and enjoying that sweet revving engine and liquid smooth clutch and shifter!

I enjoyed this video immensely, because I think we're about the exact same level of mechanical aptitude (ineptitude?) so it's nice to see this challenge, from afar, without any real personal stakes!

I thought all car You Tube channels of this nature were all based in Kansas, the Carolinas or elsewhere East. Finally finding one based in my state of CA is really exciting. Love the affordable car fleet. Glad the Probe is getting a new life. 👍

Hello, I'm from Russia.Ford Probe my dream :D

Love your approach to fixing cars. Keep it up and keep videos coming. Love the probe. Love those 80s 90s cars, those were the days.

My dad had a red 1989 Ford Probe from brand new until about 2002. With barely 100k miles it was burning oil so badly and broke down on him one too many times that he donated it to red cross after thirteen years of ownership. I remember I'd see it in the garage when I was four and thought it was a corvette, it was a very special car to me. I also remember sitting on the side of the road on a hot day after it broke down! hahaha

My stepdad bought one of these as a project back in 2006 and I’ve wanted one ever since. ... I think you’ve just cured me of my yearning. Great looking Tacoma, looking forward to seeing more of it. I have a 3rd gen 4Runner that I have just a tiny bit of an obsession with... You’ll enjoy any work that needs to be done on the Tacoma much more.

Awesome Probe GT!! I've been a long time viewer. Love the channel.

This video is fascinating. It has also convinced me that I don't have the time to work on a project car. I applaud your courage in repairing this Probe by yourself.

Honestly, if I wasn't so stubborn and cheap. I would've gotten a mechanic the first time I put a new headgasket on my 2002 Saturn SL1. First time I ever did anything so involved. I did it with the engine in the car and it was the worst 7 days of my life figuring everything out and watching tutorial after tutorial multiple times. It was a good time.

Thank you for these vids. I loved my Probe. Pressing the sub button now.

I've been waiting a long time for this video. The Probe is the reason I subbed to this channel in the first place. Keep it up and don't give up!

This is my luck right here ,the 4cyl was way easier to work on lol 😂

You couldn't have chosen a harder job to do... I've been spinning spanners all my life and I just did an engine swap on one of these engines last summer.... Biggest job I've ever done in my life...

I had to loosen all the engine mounts jack the engine up at an angle and that gave me just enough space to do my timing belt not sure if it’s possible in the Probe though I would like to believe my Millenia’s engine bay is a bit bigger

Great to see some progress on the probe GT!! Props for even attempting to work on it yourself. I remember seeing the 1st Tacoma video you did. Glad you were able to keep it in the family :) One last thing: nobody mentioned in the comments that in the last clip of your video, you shaved AND got a haircut!! Did you do the haircut yourself?

First of all, greetings from Portugal! I am the proud owner of a probe 16V from 1996! On the exact same colour! Loving the series! Please continue!

I'm glad it's not just me that can't get their hands into cramped engine bays. And also, the one time I tried to take a belt off one of my cars, I gave up because it was too hard. It still needs a new alternator a year later.

Great video and well edited.

La suerte de ustedes tener todos los repuestos a la mano , en USA.

I am so excited for more probe videos!

Yay! You did the whole timing belt, tensioners and more! That's the proper way to do it.

Probe GT for life! Love my 96, please save this one! EDIT: also little hands are a godsend with working on this car LOL

Great video. Get that purple rocket moving!

I feel your pain. Been there done that. It’s a hard engine to work on.

Ahh Ford Probe video. Excellent! -93 Ford Probe V6 24v EU.

probes were notoriously neglected by just about everyone. you should definitely tackle the timing belt next if you plan to keep it because they go with absolutely zero warning and then you need a new engine at that point (might be a good idea now before getting invested in the original motor). replacing spark plugs and wires will help uncover any ignition gremlins which are the vast majority of check engine lights for those cars (maf, exhaust, timing sensors). double check vacuum lines, they run all over the place and control damn near everything about how the car runs, i personally had a leak that would cause it die when doing anything other than idle. i wish you the best of luck and cant wait to see how this progresses.

Just bought the exact same car today so in liking the videos 👍👌

Can’t wait to see the next part!

Quick notes from your first episode on the Probe I went back and watched... The 0-60 speed you got is about right for a car of its age completely stock and about what you can expect if you're not trying to smash it for the best Times. Also you mentioned the shift knob was getting all gummy... On my '95 GT I just ended up ripping off the leather wrap on the knob when it got too worn. Underneath was a simple soft plastic knob with the H pattern embossed on it. In essence, it's a very 80's looking shift knob without the leather. At least it was on my factory shift knob. I considered getting the knob re-wrapped or maybe swapped out, but honestly it's perfectly fine in its bare plastic form.

My very first new car was a 1993 Ford Probe GT in bright calypso green. I truly hope to find a Probe GT in mint condition someday to re-live my youth. Plus, it was a great car IMHO.

Subscribed just because of this Probe.

I've been looking for a reasonably priced project Probe GT - so jealous! My first car out of college was a red GT and I loved it!

Probe GT earns a sub!

Funny how I could literally see you aging on the first day, haha! At some point I just wanted to jump into the video and help you

Wow! A big job!

There is a quite interesting fact about the 2,2L 4 cylinder engine. That is in several old Mazdas and in some Probes but on a Mazda there is a 3 - valve head on them and on a Ford it sometimes has a 4 valve head, even turbocharged. But the engine block is the same, if U take the 3 - valve head off, the pistons have 4 cutouts to make space for 4 valves !

I had a 94 Probe GT. Was a fun snappy car. Back in the early 2000 probe talk was a big forum. Had a lot of good info how to fix everything. Don’t know if the page is still up

Did this job on my 91 Geo Storm, still have to do it on my 90 Storm GSi. It sucks but is worth it. I hope you are able to get a Storm GSi one day to pair up with that Prizm GSi. Keep up the great videos.

My first car was a 1995 Probe SE, had GT wheels and lowered on coilovers. Rio Red was the color, beautiful color.

I just bought myself a Ford Probe. Its the 4 cylinder model so its litlle bit easier to work with. Have not seen those V6 on sale here in Finland. Its an intresting car to say atleast.

I feel ur pain bro! It was a blast watching you puzzle thru the steps, it reminded me of my 1st time replacing the timing belt and waterpump! Yeah ,you will get the impression that no human hands can get into those crazy tight spaces but truth is, you Can get in there, its not That bad, you just have to be a freakin contortionist to do it..What you didnt realise yet, is that to get the pump out, that timing cover has to come off and to get That off, you will ahve to pull the harmonic balancer off ..why? becuz ford decided to put a couple of bolts in places that you cant get to unless the harmonic balancer is Off....Really bro, I see you picked up some extra belts and the thermostat but if ur gonna do that pump, and it looks like you have to, then you would be Crazy Not to replace the timing belt while ur in there...otherwise u gotta go thru all that exact same shit all over again...Timing belt may have been changed recently or maybe not, no way to be sure unless u got previous receipts...they are suppossed to be done every 60,000mi but ive gone 120,000 on mine b4 changing and it still wasnt too bad...I Would do it though,cuz u dont want to have to pay someone to do this again....for a while! Timing belts should be replaced With a new set of timing belt pulleys and the tensioner pulley And the tensioner itself....you can get kits that have all these parts, on ebay, amazon or from autozone, cost anywhere from 75.00 to 150.00...There was one time, i replaced my timing belt and a month later the damn thing was making odd noises..the belt was malformed and out of round... it was from gates... had to redo the belt again...then the damn tensioner was acting up and had to redo it Yet again...I was so familiar with tearing it down ,I could do it in my sleep! Moral of story, replace All those parts when ur in there and save urself heaches afterwards...good luck! I'll be tuned in to see how it goes

08:15 I feel you, man, I do so feel you.

I would be super excited about the probe. I would want to pull all the body panels off of it, fix the engine and put some off-road tires on it.

I have a 1995 Probe GT with a bad automatic transmission. Is is worth replacing the transmission ?

Yeah that's definitely one thing you learn real fast when you start working on a probe, is that EVERYTHING is going to fight you. On my 4 cyl I messed up the timing 3 times while Changing my water pump and all the belts ( about a tooth or two off each time) until I gave in and took it into a shop to have it done professionally. Luckily enough she still runs like a champ being an interference motor and all.

I still have a new starter and distributor from my old 93 gt.. blew the timing belt on it... make sure you replace timing belt!! I was young and broke so i couldn't fix it one day I'll buy another one I loved that car

With this series of videos in mind I always look for Probes when I am on Craigslist. I found a lowish mileage 1st generation Probe, LX, I think. It had that strange digital dash and a body kit that made the car look like an old spaceship that had been converted for use on roads. Unfortunately (?), it had a 4 cylinder engine and automatic transmission, yuck. BTW, no one steals an unlocked car....with a manual transmission.

i just bought a volvo 850r wagon its pretty cool only issues are some interior rattles and a oil cap seal! i paid 350 pounds for it,thats dirt cheap but there was a smell of burning oil and it would use oil super quick but the owner didnt know the oil cap seal is a service item on these cars so i got myself a good deal and have done this many times before

1995 ford probes and earlier are obd1, so obd2 readers do not work. You have to go under the hood and use a paper clip and pull the codes. They work like Morris code, with flashing lights. Or you have to get an old shop code reader

I would do a eco boost swap? Wheels, tires, coilovers, paint and some racing seats👌

ah man, I regret selling my 96' Taco.. good decision to keep it!

I love that car. I had the 96 GT. My dad and I had to change the water pump and timing belt. It took me 3 days and it was a bitch. My pops will give all his knowledge but I do the work on all my cars and I'm very thankful for that now...at the time I was pissed lol.

I noticed the Colorado plate. I knew this crazy Lady @2004 that had a car just like this in Glenwood springs Colorado. I realize the odds are pretty slim but how many purple probes could there have been in Colorado.

These cars might not be worth that much money wise but for a car guy it's worth an incredible amount

The Probe was the car that I learned to work on. It’s like a trial by fire. That being said, I’m pretty confident that the water pump should take care of your coolant issue. 👍

Smoking is more than likely valve cover gaskets, I had that problem for a long time. Get the felpro gaskets, so you don't have to pull the intake manifold more than once. They're kinda pricey at like $90, but worth it. Toss the timing belt covers in the trash once you get them off, in case your tensioner fails (they like to do that) I would suggest getting your hands on a Chilton or haynes manual for torque specs and such. I'm sure someone has mentioned it, but in case they haven't, King6fab makes a wide range of aftermarket parts for these, from suspension to a manual timing tensioner. I'll try to follow along and see if I can offer helpful hints for you along the way

Haha well you know I’m waiting on the WJ video!

Not saying anything isnt wrong but i know with with ours the ford garage had to reset the check engine light. 75 dollars every time to turn the light out. The check engine light would come on for absolutely EVERYTHING. Even our exhaust falling off.

LOL I had a 93 Probe GT, I'm pretty sure that was the absolute tightest engine bay of any of the 12 cars I've owned. I'm pretty sure the Mazda/Ford engineers designed the car by saying "How big is the engine? Ok, add 1 inch of space around the perimeter."

Back in the day the distributor was a common problem to go bad and it will give you a no start situation so once you change your the distributor everything will be fine. If you have an engine sputters then it’s usually your injectors

What are your future plans for the Probe?, and when will we get a video of you buying a pontiac aztek lol

Are you taking applications for the Terrible Mechanics of America club? If so, I'm in and I'd totally rock a bumper sticker with that on there!

dude reminds me if Thom Yorke and Tony Hawk had a kid together, but in a dope way

I have a Probe GT as 24hr lemons car, its a lot of work to do what you planning to do lol

This dude is hilarious

Use FORScan on Android or a Windows PC, it'll talk to every module on a Ford Get a Lisle spill free funnel for bleeding the cooling system, if you don't bleed the air it'll overheat

I have a 94 probe gt 5 speed and its pink, I bought it because it was $200 and I always wanted 1. they said the fuel pump is out but I haven't gotten around to it yet and while it was sitting some rabbit decided to jump under the car and chew some wires on the harness so now I may be looking for a new harness.

Almost bought one of these yesterday for 1,600

How much did you put into it so far? Is this fun to drive. I really liked it when I test drove it.

so you need to lower the engine after taking the Motor mount off. then you can work on it threw the access hole in the wheel well.

I own one also. I have a pre OBD2 model.

is the ford probe 1996 2.0 16v dohc non interference or interference ?

You read codes from diagnostic port. Short ten + gnd. Car will Flash codes. If engine makes ticknoise. Replace fiction gear springs.

Sunroof probably same as the RX7, stupid cables get all jammed up, nightmare to sort. Replacement cost was silly money.

Don't sell yourself short re mechanic skills. I feel the same way. You have lots of practical knowledge, you probably just suffer from overthinking and have to plan every possible scenario before taking on tasks! (am i right?). If you care about your stuff, this is a good trait in the long run. Just build up the tool crib and pick away. It's not your daily driver, just dig in!

Idk if anyone has said this yet, but the waterpump is behind the timing belt. The first time I changed one I was 20 years old and took 8 hours. Now I can do it in under 2, just have to know what to remove! PS: I think you would just be much better off just selling that probe to me.... 😄😄😄

I have a Ford Probe but my gas tank will only hold four gallons. I'm pretty sure that it is a 12 gallon tank. Any suggestions?

Ah, looks like I gotta retype my comment. :/ Pull the harmonic balancer (21mm) and both belt tensioners (12mm, if I recall). After that, you will need both a deep and shallow 10mm, 1/4 to remove all the fasteners to both timing cover halves. After those are slid out of the way, you have access to the water pump - after you get the motor mount (12mm) unbolted from the block. Before you remove the pump, keep note of which hole doesn’t have a bolt in it - that was one that your mount was just attached to. You’ll want to be sure that you don’t accidentally put a bolt there upon reassembly. Make note too of which bolt came from where, as there are two lengths if memory serves me well. Both should also be 12mm. As you are noticing, 10mm, 12mm, and 14mm will work for 90% of all the fasteners on this car. :)

Its BOYSENBERRY!!!

What do you think about Alfa Romeo GT?

Its hard to work in the Probe xD

Raise or lower the engine to get access through the wheelwell. Should work.

Can bring videos back with this car

Please make bad mechanics of America merch please

Do all timing belt components and all gaskets this cars very vaccum sensitive any leak will be shown in performance and idle

The probe gt, you are supposed to remove the engine to do water pump and timing belt

I'm too lazy to read all of the comments but if you're ever in need of how-tos or write-ups check out probetalk.com or mx6.com. many have been written by WOPATH, and they are super detailed on what to do step by step, KL or FS are both widely documented. If nothing else join up on some of the fb groups and people will help you.