Repair 7

Take the two screws out from either side of the tail light using your Phillips head screwdriver. You can reach them from the rear of the car. See page 198 of the manual in the References section for a diagram.

Remove the lens, and put it on a safe, level surface.

Push the burnt-out bulb inward and then turn it counterclockwise, or to the left. Then remove it by pulling it toward yourself.

Slide the new bulb into the socket. Press it in and turn clockwise, or to the right.

Replace the tail light lens, and then put the screws back in with the Phillips head screwdriver.

Open the driver side door to gain access to the ignition. Put your key into the ignition and turn it halfway to engage the instrument panel. Look over the gauges on the instrument panel to make sure that you have enough gas in the fuel tank. Fill the fuel tank as needed. If the instrument panel will not light up, check the battery.

Open the hood from the hood latch under the steering wheel of the car. Raise the hood and engage the hood rod to keep the hood up. Check the connections to the battery. The battery housing is on the right side of the engine block. Tighten the connection nuts with a pair of pliers. Try to restart the car.

Test the battery if the car still wont start. Place the testing leads of a voltmeter to the battery terminals. If you get a reading of less than 11 volts, connect a battery charger to the battery. Connect the red and black leads from the battery charger to the red and black terminals on the battery. Plug the battery charger into an electrical outlet. Leave the charger on for 12 hours. If the car wont start after 12 hours, replace the battery.

Check the cooling system on the left side of the engine if the LHS is overheating. Unscrew the coolant tank cap by turning it counterclockwise. Fill the coolant tank with 50/50 coolant until it reaches the fill line on the left side of the tank.

Jack up the front end of the car and crawl under the car. Locate a small, black box on the right side of the engine block. This is the starter. Have a friend try to start the car and then listen to the starter. If you hear a "buzzing" noise from the starter, have a certified technician replace the unit.

Open the hood of your F-150 and locate the negative battery cable at the battery. Loosen the clamp bolt on the cable end with a wrench then remove the cable from the battery.

Raise the front of the truck with a jack and position a set of jack stands under the front suspension to support the truck. Locate the starter on the passengers side of the engine from below the truck. It mounts where the engine and transmission meet.

Locate the wiring connections on the rear of the starter and remove them, using a wrench to remove the retaining nuts. Lay the wires aside.

Locate the two mounting bolts at the front of the starter. Remove them with a socket and ratchet, and lower the starter away from the engine. Slide the starter out from under the truck.

Roll the window down all the way on the door with the mirror that needs replacing. If the Sonoma has power windows, turn the ignition to the "Off" position and remove the key from the ignition once the window is down.

Align the window crank removal tool (manual windows only) behind the length of the window crank. Pry the tool in between the crank and the door panel to unseat the retaining clip. The clip snaps over the internal section of the crank and will pop off with a slight spring force. Be careful not to let it fly off and get lost. Pull the window crank off its shaft once the spring is off.

Remove the two screws in the door pull cup with the Phillips screwdriver.

Pry the outside edge of the door panel (between the panel and the door frame) away from the frame with the trim panel pry tool. Work the pry tool to the bottom of the door panel and then to the other side to unseat all the plastic internal fasteners.

Push the door panel upward slightly to unseat the lip of the panel secured to the ridge of the door/window frame.

Disconnect the wire harness located on the inside of the door panel and then remove the door panel.

Disconnect the wire harness for the side view mirror (power mirrors only).

Remove the three retaining nuts attached the the side mirror studs with a ratchet and socket. Brace the mirror with one hand when removing the last nut, so the mirror does not fall and scratch the paint on the door.

Feed the wire harness (power mirrors only) through the access hole in the door frame to remove the mirror and harness from the Sonoma. For manual mirrors, simply remove the mirror.

Install the replacement mirror (manual or power) by reversing the removal procedure and then reinstall the door panel by reversing the removal procedure.

Locate the OBD I port on the drivers side dashboard near the steering column. Its the same size and shape as the connector on the OBD I code scanner.

Plug the scanner into the port and put the key into the ignition. Turn it to the "II" position but dont start the engine.

Wait for the scanner to turn on and select the "Read Codes" command or similarly worded instruction. Wait for the code scanner to interface with the computer. Write down the codes on a piece of paper.

Look up the meaning of the codes in the manual. Unplug the scanner and have the braking system repaired based on the information obtained from the codes.

Disconnect the negative battery cable with a socket wrench to prevent the accidental discharge of fuel or electrical shock. Open the filler cap for the fuel tank to relieve the pressure in the fuel tank. Remove the valve cap on the fuel pressure relief valve on the fuel line in the engine compartments upper right corner. Attach pressure gauge T80L-9974-A to the relief valve and open the pressure gauge to relieve the pressure in the fuel system. Disconnect the pressure gauge and replace the valve cap.

Drain the fuel in the fuel tank by siphoning the fuel with a hose into a container suitable for gasoline. Disconnect the electrical wiring for the fuel gauge sending unit and detach the fuel lines from the fuel tank. Release the clamp for the filler neck and the filler neck from the fuel tank. Support the fuel tank with jack stands and remove the mounting bolts for the retaining strap on the fuel tank with a socket wrench. Remove the retaining straps for the fuel tank and lower the fuel tank to the ground.

Disconnect the electrical connector for the ITR and clean the fuel tank around the ITR with a shop towel. Detach the fuel lines from the ITR.

Turn the locking ring for the ITR counterclockwise with a hammer and wooden dowel. Remove the locking ring and lift the fuel pump from the fuel tank. Discard the old gasket on the fuel tank.

Place a new gasket on the fuel tank and install the new fuel pump into the the fuel tank. Fasten the locking ring by turning it clockwise until the locking ring stops against the retainer ring tab.

Complete the fuel pump replacement by performing steps 2 and 3 in reverse. Tighten the nuts for the retaining straps on the fuel tank to 30 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench. Fill the fuel tank and connect the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench.

Remove the negative battery cable from the battery with a socket and ratchet.

Locate the starter between the transmission cross member and the transmission. If you are not sure what it looks like, use the replacement starter as a visual reference.

Remove the nut that secures the positive battery cable to the back of the starter. The nut often rusts, using a pair of vice grips might be necessary.

Disconnect the wire harness from the solenoid. The harness has a small tab in the center of it. Push on the tab, and pull the harness off the solenoid.

Remove the three bolts that secure the starter to the bell housing. Pull the starter out of the bell housing. Inspect the base of the starter for any shims, which Ford sometimes uses. If you locate any, transfer them from the old starter to the new starter.

Slide the starter gear into the hole on the bell housing, and mesh the gear with the flywheel.

Secure the starter to the bell housing by bolting it in place.

Reconnect the wire harness to the T-Bird solenoid.

Reconnect the positive battery wire to the back of the starter. Use the new nut supplied with the replacement starter.

Reconnect the negative battery cable to the battery.