msingh

Hi everyone!

1/15 : For the last couple of years I've had a problem starting my GT in the cold (anything about below freezing). I've sent the ECM back to vortech, and no one knows what's going on. I've replaced the IAC, IAT, (fuel filter and pump were new with the kit) and have gone through all vacuum lines and connections. Here's the deal... the car runs fine when hot. After letting it sit all night,... it will start for (as in the case this morning = 2 minutes) for a little while, and then it stalls out. Then I battle with it for up to 15 minutes trying to get it to start again. Holding the gas down only helps when it catches,... but it'll still stall out no matter how far I have the gas pressed. Air/fuel shows it goes lean... but I don't know how reliable it is since the car is still cold. Any ideas on how I can diag this? I'm out in Binghamton NY, so there aren't many guys I trust out here who know anything about superchargers. My next guess is the Coolant temp sensor... but I'm running out of ideas.


update on 1/16 : replaced the ECT... still nothing.

Codes before I replaced it : P1504, P0412.

Now I have P0707, P0443, P0451, P0172, P0174.

Car still runs well off the bat. (it's 17 degrees today)... but it seems to stall out once the temp gets a little warm. Then I struggle with starting it for about 15 minutes... and finally it starts as if nothing happened. When I'm struggling... the car does a lot of clicking if left in the 'on' position. While I was trying to take codes... it kept clicking,... sounded like it was coming from both the kick panel, and the trunk.

Any ideas... PLEASE HELP!!!

I want my trouble free mustang back. :-(

ALSO... i forgot to mention that my mpg has been really bad since the install. like 150miles per tank!!... is this 'life with a vortech'? or is it related to a possible fuel sys problem?

Please help...

Thanks ahead of time.

wwmost

did you ever get ur car tuned?

msingh

nope... never tuned. Car was perfect before the vortech (w/cooler) install. Problem is that I'm in Binghamton (4 hours from the nearest Dyno... from what I understand :-( ). Anyone have this kinda issue... that's temp dependent?

wwmost

you should always get a tune after a s/c install.

msingh

Understood,...


As far as a tune goes... any idea on how much one should go for?

Thanks!

0evilempire0

just a quick question..... did u install the kit or did u have someone else do the install? if u did the install, whats ur automotive background? also why didn't u get this thing tuned??

msingh

Did the install myself. I'm not a mechanic, but have restored a 63 ghia (ground up) and rebuilt an 87 supra turbo engine... so I know a little about engines.

I don't think it needs a tune up... maybe I'm lazy... but from experience I don't want to open up the engine if it runs perfect... I mean PERFECT when it's warm. (and extremely cold).

I took the car to a shop nearby... and he thought it was ground related. He cleaned out the ecm contacts and redid some of the grounds in under the hood.

no luck.

BUT, he did help me realize one thing. Starting from letting the car sit overnight. The car starts fine. (He suggested I let the car sit in the on position for a minute before starting it... so that the fuel pump can pressurize). After it stalls out (like a minute later).... I then put it in the on position and the car clicks like crazy. The odometer reads "----------" then sometimes goes to the mileage... but then goes back to the dashes. If I let it keep going at it.... eventually it 'settles down' a little... and then it takes like one or two shots at starting the car and the car starts fine.

Is my ecm shot? Is my fuel pump relay shot? Any ideas on what might not be grounded right? OH YEH... and when the computer is going crazy... the engine compartment fan eventually goes on (The engine is still quite cold at this point).

Any ideas?

Sorry... I don't mean to 'ignore you' about the tune-up... but I honestly don't trust anyone with the car. Any time I've taken my previous cars to a dealer... something else got f-ed up. So for the last ten years I've done all the work on all my cars... Only thing I haven't done is welding/body work... I've got the shop manual for the 99 GT, and the chiltons manual (just in case)... My hope is to get the car to the nearest shop with a dyno (that is good) which is Jersey, or Long Island (~ a 4 hour drive)... but I haven't done that yet because it's snow season here... so I don't want to drive it that far,... and I feel uncomfortable driving it that far if something is really wrong. The car doesn't backfire,... no white, or blue smoke,... doesn't smell sweet... acceleration is fine once it's started... If no one has any other suggestions I'll go with "I need a tune-up", but if something else comes to mind... lemme know.

Thanks for all your help.

msingh

I should probably start a new thread... but... I'm down to thinking :

1) something's wrong with the vortech chip.
2) something's wrong with my ccrm


Any other ideas? Just looking for some help.... i spent today wasting my time talking to local Ford techs who had no idea, and told me to check the knock sensor... when I'm pretty sure the GT 2v doesn't have one.

I'm not too familiar with how the ccrm works... is it controlled by the pcm... or is it the other way around?

Thanks ahead of time.

Master

bring it to a dyno shop to get tuned, not a tune-up... a tune for your computer since adding the charger changed every aspect. just bring the car to the dyno for a tune bottom line,,, 4 hours away WHO CARES get your car tuned before you ruin it

msingh

Thanks for the reply... Sorry for the mis-reading all over this thread....

I'm battling a nasty virus... fainted the other day. (first time)... good thing is I didn't hit anything on the way down :-).

I'll probably store the car till I can get some days off to drive my GT to a dyno shop.

This other thread peaked my interest though... any of you think it might be related to what I've got goin on?

http://forums.svttexas.com/showthread.php?t=7489

Again... thanks a lot. I know I'm pretty naive about some things,... but I guess that's why I'm talkin to you guys. :-)