Doyon

Hey guy's so my rogue mustang is at it AGAIN. I earlier posted about some problems I was having about my ABS light coming on and losing power.

That is still a problem but I have a whole new round of problems.

The whole ABS thing happened again tonight. I pulled it over (struggled with it) into a parking lot. The Stang wanted to die so badly, if I gave it to much gas it lost power, so I had to feather it ever so lightly. Finally it started to some what idle on it's own, but it sounded like it was drowning or being deprived of fuel. Also when it dies it has a heck of a time trying to start, but after starting it a good 3 or 4 times it started up perfectly fine. To top this off as this was all happening, massive amounts of steam came out from my hood, cool hand spewed out from the Rad Cap, so much that I can see no coolant as it sits in my garage now. I called my Mechanic who has done all the work since day one and said it sounds like a stuck Thermestat. I was relieved by this news but as I walked behind my car while it was running, I smelt a very strong scent of burning coolant. As I was drove home (with my buddy behind me) he said that I had massive amounts of smoke/steam, more than than usual cold night or morning start up.

I had just replaced the thermastat and the head gasket, and am still under warranty. But i'd like to see what you guys think.

JC316

Head gasket. Someone botched the job.

Doyon

Just wanted to mention that as soon as the ABS light turned off. The car run 100% perfectly normal. Not one thing was different(minus the whole episode it just had) also I'm having a hard time finding out what the smoke/steam really looks like. So I'll be getting a video of it tomorrow.

Matt's 95 Stang

As someone who has had 2 head gaskets go out on a Mustang my money is on the HG's. Either the heads were not tightened down in the proper order, or bad gaskets, or not a good seal but it sounds like the HG's to me. Is it throwing any CEL's?

Matthew

Doyon

Not a single CEL. Also I would have thought if it was my heads, my car would run fairly crummy all the time (like last time). The only time things happen is when my ABS light stays on and my right side turn signal indicator stays lit. If those aren't on, the car runs 100% perfectly fine, I mean not a damn thing is acting/sounding/driving funny at all.

I was searching online and found some scary stuff of mechanics putting stuff under warranty and then refusing to fix it due to damage from the driver or just deciding that they don't want to do it (the warranty says certain parts may be excluded, which better not be my head gasket). I'm going to fix the thermostat sometime this weekend, and if that doesn't take care of it, then to the shop it goes.

Hopefully they don't try and tell me that I abused my car and thus my HG is no good so they won't cover it. I barley put 6k miles on it in the past 8 months (when I got it all fixed).

Seabee1993

HG's or a clogged water gallery. Is it forcing it back out of the overflow res?

Doyon

How could I check for a clogged water gallery?

Also just an update for today.

I replaced the thermostat, the old one (6k miles on them) was stuck close. Some problems went away and some got much better. All of the burning smell from coolant in the exhaust has stopped. As for my car wanting to die or won't hold power (when the ABS light is on and when the turn signal is on) it was MUCH better, this time when that stuff came on, the turn signal was blinking faintly and the ABS light was very dim, I would say I had about 90% power (this stopped about 1 minute after turning the car on after installing the thermostat. Also oil was 100% fine, just needs to be changed in a few hundred miles. Coolant looked great (changed it two months ago and then changed it again today).

I think that some of my problems may have gotten better, but I do not believe it is the fix for it all. I don't think it's my HG though anymore.

Also wanted to mention that each time my car has done this, it has been raining and my BBK Air intake, which does into the side fender, is soaked, like you dunked it under water, at least for the bottom half. I talked to a buddy of mine and he said that this could be the MAIN problem, sucking in water or getting cut off from air.

Any other thoughts guys?

uberstang1

If its smoking out of the tailpipes like a pig and its coolant its most definatly a headgasket, could of been a botched job as mentioned above.

Doyon

There was for sure some smoke that night, but nothing that seemed too crazy, looked more like steam but could tell there was a burning smell(finally after really talking to my friend). Also would all of this be continuing rather than being periodic if it was HG (this is the part I don't get)? As I said in my previous posts, the smell of burnt coolant happened once, and is no longer doing so. Once in a while my car will have an episode and then goes back to 100% normal running.

jtb727

If your sucking in water, it will fall on its face like you had mentioned, and sense you have 8 cylinders, unless you completely hydro-lock a cylinder it will usually stay running and run like sh**... obviously water doesnt burn.