I just bought a 2005 GT two weeks ago. The car has 61500 miles on it. When I first drove the car with the previous owner, he told me to go very easy until it warmed up, as apparently there was an intermittent issue of it not running properly until warmed up. In the two weeks I've had the car, the only thing I noticed was one time upon start, there was a little smoke from the exhaust. Otherwise, it started and ran just fine. The only mod to this car is a cold air intake and Ford Racing exhaust.

I had the oil changed and a general 60k mile inspection done at the dealer last week and everything checked out normal.

Today I went to start it and it fired up, partially, then died. I restarted and it barely fired up and died again, emitting big puffs of smoke from the exhaust. Several more attempts yielded the same thing and it just would not fire up. Also smelled like it might have been getting too much fuel. I let it sit for 5 minutes and tried again with final success, although before it started firing on all cylinders I thought it would stall again.

It now appears to be running ok but I'm not sure this won't happen again. My only recourse is to probably take it to the dealer and have it checked out.

Any insights or suggestions? Thanks much.

Warren

 

welcome! what brand of CAI do you have? have the plugs been changed? sounds like the car needs taken out and run a bit TBH. check the codes and report back. good luck

 

I don't have a real clue. You have a CAI, did you get the device used to put a "tune" on the car with the car? A couple years back I bought a CAI from a fellow, got a "Diablo" tuner along with it. The part about driving easy makes no sense. I've read that new cars should only idle for about 40 seconds, and then driven easy to warm up the engine. My '05 GT at 82k miles still has me thinking its brand new. I've read about a "tester" you can now get at auto parts stores that you can plug into the car, and transmits to your phone a better "story" about your car than just "codes." You could also get some of the MAF sensor cleaner and give yours a bath. "Lucas Oil" makes a couple of "Fuel System Cleaners" which i give my rides on occasion. And when that stuff is in the GT it certainly feels even more peppy. FWIW

Wanted to add, my brother is a car guy big time, he's probably had fifty cars. He gets one he likes, plays with it, improves it, and someone likes it, he sells it. He's a big fan of "Sea Foam."

 

Sounds tune related to me. Is it throwing any codes? Seems if it's running poorly and smoking there is a chance a code is thrown and will help diagnose. Of course I would always check for intake leaks which could be fooling the ECM into messing with air/fuel. A lot of folks will not only put a CAI on that should be tuned, but also don't install properly to begin with. If you don't have the means to diagnose, certainly a trip to dealer or trusted indie is appropriate.

 

Your engine's flooding out during a cold start 'cause it's getting too much fuel. The reason why it's happening could be something simple like either a loose or improper connection between airpipe and throttle body, or between air filter and airpipe.

You might also want to clean the inside of the throttle body as dirt deposited around the butterflies can also cause the same issue.

 

Thanks all, for the info.

Connections all look good and so far it has not happened again. I don't have a scanner so I don't know what, if any codes are indicated, but I also don't have a check engine light.

If it happens again, I'll take it to the dealer for evaluation.

 

The CAI is a AFE Magnum FORCE Stage-2 Pro. Yes, the plugs have been changed.

 

what color is the smoke? White, Gray, or Black?

Could be intake or tune related, could also be an internal oil leak like valve stem seals. Not likely for the valve stem seals but still possible.

 

Wasn't that one of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies?