Hi, I have an 05, stick mustang that came to me as a non runner, and I have no history of the car, and have never heard it run, or talked to anyone that has. It has 66000 miles on it. It starts and stutters, they just cuts out. It has all kinds of fuel and spark. It acts like a security problem, and we had it checked out by the locksmith and he says all is good, he thinks it's mechanical. When i initially got the car in it did have a code for pats transponder in it, but after clearing, it has not thrown any codes when trying to start it. So I check plugs (a little wet, but look good) then compression, and the right side has about half of the left. Pulled heads, sent to my machine shop guy, and he tells me the valve sears are badly distorted, and some or the ports are pulling zero vacuum on testing and the heads are badly carboned up. So I tell him to do the valve job, and at this point I'm feeling pretty good that I'm gonna have this thing running. Heads come back, motor put back together (including $200 for cam tools set) and the thing sounds and does EXACTLY the same thing. Start, stutter, cut out, then spin over really fast, like compression low. Re checked compression, and it is about the same as before. I'm really pulling my hair out on this one. I'm wondering if there could be some problem with the crank, or flange where it bolts to the flywheel, and might be slipping? I've never seen this on a standard trans car, but I'm not a ford expert either. My machine shop guy says the rings could be badly carboned up and sticking but I really dont think so at this point. I still think it could be security, even though no codes and lock smith says its not. Any help or ideas would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. I'm really trying to avoid sending this to the ford dealer, but i realize i may have no choice. Thanks

Steve

 

Wow, that could be a ton of things. First thing that comes to mind is the PCM is bad or the tune is corrupt. But that's just a guess at this point.

 

Make a list of possible problems and then start with the cheapest and easiest solution.

1) Bad fuel filter?
2) Have you had a fuel pressure test completed? It may signal a bad fuel pump.

 

Yeah, I don't think it's a fuel problem at all. Although there is no fuel pressure test port, fuel pump is running and pushing hard. Also, it does exactly the same thing when I unplug the fuel pump and try to start it on ether...pops off rough and abruptly cuts out.

 

Ok, so after doing some more research this morning I found a thread about the pass side water leak to the wiring, inspected that area, and surprise surprise surprise mat under carpet is a sponge and 3 of the connectors have a lot of green growth in them, and the box/module has a bunch on the spades also. Had anyone successfully dealt with this? Or any opinions if this could be the problem?

 

Yikes, the dreaded water leak! I've read a lot about it and it's not good. :/

 

Ha ha yeah thanks...what have you heard about it? Can it cause a no start? Know of anyone who has fixed one? Where to read more about it? I don't work on too many stangs...thanks

 

Here is the TSB on the problem. It's quite common. Pulling the grommets and cabin air filter to clean out the debris periodically is your best bet at preventive maintenance.

http://cdn.lrsstatic.com/downloads/t...sb08-26-07.pdf

The bad news is the water not only saturates your carpet, it gets into the brains of your vehicle, the Smart Junction Box behind the passengers kick panel. If it is caught early enough, you could dry it off with a towel and put a fan on it before major corrosion starts. It sounds like you may be beyond that point in which case replacing the SJB may be your only option.

 

The water leak is very common on the 05's and 06's, a bit less on the 07's and virtually nonexistent from 08 on up.

Do your best to find the leak and then you'll need to try to clean up those SJB connections. Some folks have had to replace the SJB to the tune of $500 or more.

 

Thanks guys. Do you know if the sbj can be opened up and inspected? It's stamped with "scrap if dropped", so it must be easy to damage...also, really need to know if it can cause the no-start, cut out condition, and why (security acting up?) The connectors, especially the smallest one that faces towards the inside of the car, look pretty bad. I'm wondering what the box looks like on the inside.