MV8

There is no need to convert to jag mounts (cutting out the birkin chassis mounts in the process). Somebody with birkin mounts (doesn't matter which engine) can post dimensions of the poly bushes (overall assembly length, bolt size, etc) so a similar (possibly same) poly mount can be used in making new mount brackets. Check the chassis boss bolt size and thread on what you have. A engine level from side to side and centered is pretty much universal, but level from front to back may not be as it sets the ujoint angles. A new trans mount would be a good idea before mocking this up. Get a digital protractor to check that. Load the rear suspension with drive weight in the seat to duplicate angles when driving normally. Straight argon or argon-co2 mix is more effective and not much more expensive. You could also switch to flux core for more penetration and no bottle to rent/buy or lug around. An electronic face shield is very nice and they make magnifiers and spot lights to go on the shield for us older folks. If you can weld then you can cut and make the mounts as needed or at least tack it for someone else to finish. You need an angle grinder, hand held bandsaw for a metal cutting blade, rotary files, etc. Make the block plate outside corners based on a trace of a 1/2 inch drive socket on the bolt heads. Measure for the block spacer using a dial caliper and straight edge across the other block bosses. Weld the spacer to the plate so it won't get lost on the next tear down.

Here is a Birkin crossflow left mount. I expect the hidden part is like the zetec.

The birkins I've seen use a urethane bushing mounted in the engine bracket with the center bolt horizontal and running laterally, but they were using more modern engines. Cat arms are available new but there are subtle variations. The rubber mount is for a Jaguar XKE.

A competent fabricator could build mounts and brackets but would need the car to do a proper job unless you found a birkin owner willing to loan their brackets for copying to a (local to him) competent fabricator to make a jig around. Things get "lost" in the mail.

Tell us about yourself and your car (with pics) before we hand you the rope. How did you get this car? Tell us a story.

How did you determine the original fan sw was bad? The eurovan sw is not solid state. On the eurovan, fused power feeds through pin two (the narrow middle pin). Pin one closes at 188f, opens at 168f while pin three closes at 200f and opens at 180f. These should have a mfg tolerance of +/- 8degrees. The sw controls a multi-relay box that controls a resistor bridge to have two speeds for each 450w fan having only two wires. Using high watt resistors reduces the alternator load spike and arcing in the relays (closed transition between hi and lo speed). I'd connect the existing two wires to pins two and three to help ensure the fan can shut off after being tripped on. Polarity doesn't matter.

That looks like it would be fine if a bypass restriction is placed in C6 (5/8" hose) between B2 and C3 (so as not to restrict flow to the expansion tank). The restriction will aid cooling at the expense of extending warm up time.

The exhaust you have is better in many ways to side pipes. A bikini top like on jeeps will help with the sun.

That it is an SV chassis doesn't say much about the specification. Sounds like a Ford "Sigma" 1.6L. As Croc said, there is a heater control under the dash. This controls the heater valve that adjusts the coolant flow through the heater core. The fan is a separate function to boost air flow into the car. In addition to correcting idle under various temps, I suspect the tune may also reduce vibration and make clutch engagement smoother (hopefully using a MAP sensor for load adjustment), but it would take trial and error to sort out. Not likely to be a single afternoon fix. If a light flywheel was installed, a standard replacement weight flywheel can be installed to make it like a normal car but the engine must be removed to do so. It sounds like all the issues but heater may be due to settings in the aftermarket ECU. It should also be checked out to ensure it isn't running too rich (typically in an effort to make more power) as this can shorten the life of the engine. Your tuner should understand your intended use. Drivability and efficient motoring like a "grocery getter/soccer mom" instead of maximizing power on the dyno sheet.

Look at the business model. Time is money. Shops that specialize in problems are rare. The most profitable are high volume common service where the techs do the same thing over and over again. Those techs may do side work on the weekend but not be competent to deal with your situation. I suggest a shop that specializes in electrical problems. It is a different skill set and most mechs tend to be good at electronics OR mechanics. Usually not both. Here is a place near you that should be willing and able. Keep in mind that replacing parts (flat rate) is often many times cheaper than rooting out intermittent problems (hourly rate). https://autoelectric-repair.com/

The tach body is threaded. The thin, outer plastic ring is a long nut. Should be able to unplug the wiring connector, unthread the ring from the tach body, and pull it straight out of the panel. No tools required except may when trying to squeeze the black clip on the wiring connector to release it.

Yes. Get under the edge with a butter knife, then lift the knife away from the tach.

There is a grommet/plug backing that is pulled out to access the switches.

WIth a four cylinder and a distributor it is sw 1, 2, and 8 on. With coil packs, it is 1, 3, and 8 on. 8 is always on.

I have sympathy for your situation but I don't have an answer for you. You seem to be out of your element on this. Intermittent electrical can be a nightmare. Plenty of mechs in ATL.

Save time and your $100 to spend on a professional. They may top up the halogen fluid for free.

Not to beat another dead horse but FWIW, I just took a look at a 2014 assembly manual. The bottom bolts are to be left loose before installing the top bolt. No mention of a BFH (and it may be necessary in some cases after common sense exhausts the low hanging fruit), though every car and mechanic is different. Even bad experiences help. I can tell you apprentice mechs get the smallest tools and hammers to limit damage. This is in general. No judgement. Nothing I've written is referencing any member's ability/experience level.

The idle is separate from the other issues. Clean the intake passages where the iac bolts on and inside the holes of the iac or replace it. You could also unplug it when it is hot idling normally and leave it unplugged. This will leave it in the right position but won't self adjust. This would cause the idle right after cold start to be low but would not be going to 2500 on it's own and set a check engine light if equipped. Are you saying that when it dies, you can quickly press the clutch pedal and it will recover? It sounds like an intermittent ignition circuit or failing coil pack(s). You could check for stored codes using the diagnostic port (if equipped) and scanner to give some idea what the issue(s) are. If you have no scanner, they will do that for you at most auto parts stores. A bad ground on an older ecm typically leaves no codes. A few clear pictures of the engine bay might help too. Could be a "birds nest" to address rather than a component failure. Connectors get old and brittle, ham fisted mechs can bend pins for intermittent connections, replacement parts are often not made to oem specs. So much to go wrong.

It is good general practice to thinly grease the shank of any bolts and start ALL the bolts a few threads before tightening any. Then it won't be a nightmare to get apart in the future. If loctite is not required, grease the threads as well. Wheel bearing grease or even vaseline is better than nothing.

I have dims for each bush type. I could guess but it would be better for you to measure (with a dial caliper) the od, id, and length of each bush location and post.

There should be a drain plug on the bottom, curb side. The center line side, a few inches from the bottom of the case is the filler. These are typically pipe thread plugs and get harder to turn. They are only made tight enough to prevent leakage when driving. Perhaps post a pic of the plug. Pull the filler and let it drain, then put it back in and stop when it gets hard to turn and before cracking the case.

Looks good. I've not seen your wiring behind the engine, but the cps wires should be isolated from the others (specifically ignition coil and injector wiring) as soon as they exit the ecm. Being shielded or twisted is not enough. I've not seen your cps installation in the block, but the bushing needs to be aluminum with no ferrous metal around it near the sensor.

Did you ever setup live to monitor the voltage cranking and run time? This would determine if your connections are adequate to power the crank sensor sufficiently through the ecu versus just enough for the ecu to stay on during cranking. Could also be checked with a jumper to the batt positive to the red wire. Looking to see how much voltage drop there is.

You could also sync test with the "MX Timing" set to 50% (from 35%) and check to see if the crank sensor to flywheel tooth clearance is within specification with the aftermarket starter mount plate thickness that could affect bushing location. A six inch dial or digital caliper can be used to check the depth of the hole (the end of the caliper extends into the bushing hole to touch a tooth).

Monitor the ecm input voltage with "live" or a dvm at the red wire and include "run time" for the ecm. What is it with and without the starter engaged? Does the run time reset when cranking? Also, Omex states that switching the leads on the crank sensor can mean the difference between sync or not even though rpm is indicated either way.