Tempo - Topaz Car Club of North America FAQs (frequently-asked questions)

Three companies made body kits for our cars: Kobel/MCK, Spoilers Etc. and Aeroform. None of these are currently available. You may be able to find one sitting in a warehouse or someone selling bits and pieces on Ebay or Craigslist.

Yes. Members here have purchased parts like this from vendors on Ebay. More info on specifics can be found in the forums.

All T/Ts, except the 1984-85 model years, have aerodynamic headlight buckets with lenses made from Lexan. This plastic was covered with a UV-resistant coating from the factory, but exposure to the elements, dirt, road deposits, and age erodes that coating and the plastic underneath yellows. This can severely limit visibility at night and is dangerous. If you have new lenses, you can spray them with a light layer of clear coat to help protect them from future degradation. It is recommended you remove the headlights from the car before doing this.

The best way to get clear headlights is just to buy new ones. Unfortunately, these pieces aren't inexpensive and not everyone wants to go that route. As such, reconditioning your headlamps can be done and is relatively easy.

For lenses that are only slightly yellowed, you can use rubbing compound to remove some of the yellowed plastic, then apply a light coat of car wax and buff smooth.

If heavier discoloration has taken place, removal of the headlamp is recommended. Sanding of the outer layer is recommended, starting with a relatively coarse grit. The application of moderate and even pressure via the use of some type of sanding block will help to keep from permanently scoring or putting grooves in the lexan. Further sanding takes place, reducing the coarseness of sandpaper used.

Once the level of smoothness has been achieved that you desire, a thorough cleaning and drying should take place. The application of clear coat paint protector can be applied. Very thin layers of clear coat paint work best with adequate drying time allowed between each coat.

After all of that is done, the application of wax to the clear coat can add another layer of protection to the lexan. Just make certain that the clear coat has had more than adequate time to dry. Otherwise, blurring and / or fogging may occur, putting you right back where you started from.

The 1985 Tempo and the 1986 Topaz sales brochures both refer to an available leather interior option. However, these options were extremely rare and only available on the top of the line GLX (1985 Tempo) and LS (1985 and 1986 Topaz). Many government-commissioned Tempos were built with vinyl seats, which are easier to maintain. If any vehicles with leather interiors do exist outside of those mentioned above, they are likely third-party customizations.

The best way to know for sure is to take measurements and look at the bolt patterns. Many of our members have performed seat swaps taken from other vehicles. What you want and what will fit may be two different things, so be prepared to do some custom fabrication.

Probably. To simplify production, all T/Ts were built with the wiring for all the power options, regardless of whether they became a low-, middle-, or high-end model. If an option you want was available during your model year, you should be able to pull the necessary equipment (including the electrical connector, if needed) from a parts car and install it into yours.

The Tempo/Topaz tachometer connects to the negative lead on the ignition coil. Your aftermarket tachometer should include instructions on how to install it.

If you want to install an instrument cluster from another T/T, you will need to disconnect the speedometer cable from the transmission, information on this can be found in the forums.

Check your local junkyard; you may luck out and find the parts there. Otherwise, you may be stuck doing some custom fabrication in order to achieve the desired look.

From 1986 on, T/Ts were available with an optional driver side airbag.

The power locks and windows are a common failure item on Tempo's/Topaz's. Information pertaining to this subject can be found in the forums.

As with the power locks, many things can contribute to power window failure. Wiring, switches, and motors can all go bad. Sometimes the main switch panel will work but the individual window switches won't. Be prepared to troubleshoot and track voltages point by point. Further info and help can be found in the forums.

First, make sure that the fuse is good in your fuseblock. If the fuse is good and you can hear the motor running, try lubricating the tracks with some type of spray lubricant or grease. If the belts still do not move, then the motor may be broken, the belts may have slipped off their track, or other damage may have occurred.

Both automatic and manual transmission owners can install different shifter knobs. Manual transmission owners can install a leather boot and knob from a Taurus SHO or a 1993 Tempo/Topaz to replace the accordion-style rubber boot and knob that came with the car. Several members have done this, with pleasing aesthetic results.

This problem seems to show up more often on clear-coated cars that do not have metallic flakes in the enamel paint. Various things can cause paint damage to occur, but poor painting procedure at the factory and elemental exposure rank among the chief culprits. In some cases, the use of common polishes / waxes can restore a large percentage of the original shine to the car. If peeling / fading is severe, repainting the vehicle may be your only option.

The child safety locks on the rear doors will deactivate the inside handle from being able to open the rear doors. If you have young kids, this will keep them from fidling with the door latch and accidentally opening the car door while in motion. In order to activate the safety locks, there is a small lever on the backside of the door jam. Open the door and look just below the door latch mechanism and you'll see the silver lever. Slide one way to activate, the other to deactivate.

It will bolt in but the wiring harnesses are not the same. Other members have done this swap by removing the individual wires from the plastic connecters and then re-installing them into the sport cluster connecters. You need complete pin-out diagrams for both clusters to accomplish this.