meshow99

HELP – 1 week old car (to me!)


Well, there are the symptoms. I bought this car a week ago. It’s a 2000 Mustang GT convertible with 53k. Yes, only 53k, so I though I was all set, no problems. WRONG! I had been driving it for the past week without issue, then all of a sudden while on the interstate, I get the service engine light blinking. I drive it slowly home (35 minutes away) and the light alternates from solid to blinking.

Autozone scanned it for me and pulled P0301. After some research I decided to change the coil. This seemed to work and the idle and driveability returned to normal. Once the car got real warm, (don’t know if it was when it reached closed loop) the misfire started again, and this time I could smell a rubber or plastic burning smell. (it is possible this is the new coil reacting to the heat?). I will say that I cant touch my radiator hose cause its too dang hot.

Finally, here is another tidbit, not sure if its related, but since I got the car, there is a lengthy delay until the RPMs drop when I remove my foot from the accelerator. They stay high for about 3-5 seconds after I remove my foot. Is this related? Thanks in advance…

Hangwire

You may have the infamous coolant leak at your intake manifold. It one of the most common issues with this car and something Ford did a recall on. Look around your intake manifold and coil plugs for coolant. If you look at the very front of your intake manifold, is the front crossover piece plastic or aluminum?



If your intake manifold has the plastic crossover at the front, then it is an NPI(non power improved) intake manifold and needs to be replaced with a PI(Power Improved) intake manifold. Here is what the PI intake manifold with the aluminum crossover looks like. Notice that the front is metal.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/intake-manifold.html

jjandascog

Early PI cars had the plastic crossover, mine is an 01 and it has it

Hangwire

So you do or dont have the plastic crossover?

meshow99

I have the plastic, but...new info. I think its electrical. I pulled the new COP out and it is fried. Cracked and leaked. Now I put the factory one in cyl 2, and cyl 2 COP in cyl 1 and the one in cyl 1 fried instantly. Melted it.

Now looking at the harness I pulled connectors off coils 1 and 2, an dtested each with the car running, and they both have 12v coming to them. The interesting thing is that the green wire(i think..going on memory) on the cyl 1 connector is very limp as if it may be broken. All other wires have some resistance to them when you bend them slightly, this one does not.

If this wire is broken, would that fry my COPs? I am kind of thinking that the wire was almost broken and finally engine vibration caused it to fully break. Thats why what started out as a cyl 1 misfire (and allowed me to drive home 45 minutes), finally climaxed in instantly melting coils.

cliffyk

Pull the plug(s) and examine them.

A damaged, too close or too wide plug gap, can cause a COP to draw too much current and overheat--also the connector being improper seated or having a bad terminal could be the cause.