warthogdriver

ok

95 3.8 - 5spd

i originally had a real rough idle and after getting some help and searching the forums i took care of that.

now however i am having a real problem with the car being sluggish all the time.
when i bought the car i replaced (out of habit)
air filter
plugs/wires
belts
and fluids....just my typical welcome to the collection treatment.

then i went on to replace the vacuum lines, maf (cleaned), fuel filter
camshaft pos sensor (had code) and pcv....and tried fuel cleaner in tank.

now that the idle has leveled out i have this problem.
it happens no matter engine temp, or gear
i also notice what sounds like a misfire and a rich smell.

having poked around i noticed that maybe cats could cause this (blockage)
i am also about to replace the charcoal canister behind fender, noticed fuel smell coming from pass. front. when car is just sitting in garage.

i know thats alot to take in but thats where i stand.

any help would be appreciated.

Matt's 95 Stang

I know you say that the smell is coming from the front pass side but check and see if you are leaking any gas at the filler tube (where you put gas in). The gaskets have a tendinsy to crack and leak fuel after a fill up, or after a hard turn and all the gas sloshes around. If its not that check the fuel lines under the car to see if they might have sprung a leak.
As for the idle issue. My 95 has a small but noticible rough idle that doesnt go away but that I only see/feel when im not in gear (red light, stop sign). If i leave my hand on the shifter I feel like I have parkasins (spelling??), it shakes that much. I once read in a Mustang book (cant remeber which one, wish I had bought the damn thing) that all 1994-1995 had a "mid engine shake that Ford could not get rid of"....

Matthew

warthogdriver

thanks for the pointers, i will look into them.

i have that shudder too, i thought it was connected to the sluggish problem.

JKs95stang

If you haven't changed the coil pack, that would be a good idea. The fuel filters are easy to change too.

03shadow

and on top of all that, your cats may be clogged up like you said

warthogdriver

is there a way to check the coil pack...voltage??
fuel filter was changed

Daehawk

Were the filters changed before or after the treatments? Maybe something came lose and clogged something up.

warthogdriver

the fuel filter was after treatment.
i was trying simple things first, then moving up the ladder.
how can i tell if its the cats?
i will have time this weekend to dig into this again.

Daehawk

If it was the cats I'd think it would run good until the cats got hot and swelled up.

Matt's 95 Stang

Clogged cats will make the car stall out completely as soon as they get hot. If the car runs, just is sluggish then I wouldnt say its the cats...

Matthew