First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
07-05-2007, 05:00 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location:
Posts: 24
First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
Okie dokie, as noted by my postcount I'm obviously new here, I'm still very new to having a car, let alone working on them, but I figure that as an IT systems admin I should be able to figure out the basics with some help, so bear with me.
So I've finally gotten my first car, a 94 Ford Mustang GT Coupe, used with about 117K miles on it (Odometer just died too, gotta get a new gear... when I sell it =3), its a v8 5.0, pretty much stock everything. I love this car, and I've never felt as comfortable driving any other car before, so anyway, heres the story.
So my car has been running fine for about a month or so, then suddenly one morning I start my car and it starts VIOLENTLY, shaking hard enough to rattle my entire interior, below 1000rpm's the shaking isn't as bad, but between 1k and about 1.5 its pretty violent, above 2k its not too bad, but still there. Anyway, due to the fact I'm living in Florida, I have to drive to get to the various offices where I work, but I did start trying to find out what was wrong, and took it to a friend of mine who's really into mustangs, he said he didn't think it was a motor mount, or my harmonic balancer, he thought it was one of my computers (Think he said the ECM or the TCM), so I said 'okay, I'll bring it back once I get a bit more cash', and headed home, partway into my trip home, I see my low coolant light on, I go oh crap, finish getting home, and sleep, drive it to work the next day, having completely forgotten about it and not noticing the light until I started to smell the coolant, managed to get to work with only a light mist coming out, I put coolant in it, and yet I can't even drive for more than a block or two without it overheating. I then replaced the thermostat today, turned it on, and sure enough, still overheating. The hose going into the thermostat housing is getting hot, but the hose on the bottom isn't. Perhaps the water pump? And the engine still shakes like a motherf*. -sigh- I'm not really sure, but all I know is my car is broken I'm really getting tired of having to sleep at my brothers house because my house is in the opposite direction.
Any advice or info is appreciated, thanks ^^
So I've finally gotten my first car, a 94 Ford Mustang GT Coupe, used with about 117K miles on it (Odometer just died too, gotta get a new gear... when I sell it =3), its a v8 5.0, pretty much stock everything. I love this car, and I've never felt as comfortable driving any other car before, so anyway, heres the story.
So my car has been running fine for about a month or so, then suddenly one morning I start my car and it starts VIOLENTLY, shaking hard enough to rattle my entire interior, below 1000rpm's the shaking isn't as bad, but between 1k and about 1.5 its pretty violent, above 2k its not too bad, but still there. Anyway, due to the fact I'm living in Florida, I have to drive to get to the various offices where I work, but I did start trying to find out what was wrong, and took it to a friend of mine who's really into mustangs, he said he didn't think it was a motor mount, or my harmonic balancer, he thought it was one of my computers (Think he said the ECM or the TCM), so I said 'okay, I'll bring it back once I get a bit more cash', and headed home, partway into my trip home, I see my low coolant light on, I go oh crap, finish getting home, and sleep, drive it to work the next day, having completely forgotten about it and not noticing the light until I started to smell the coolant, managed to get to work with only a light mist coming out, I put coolant in it, and yet I can't even drive for more than a block or two without it overheating. I then replaced the thermostat today, turned it on, and sure enough, still overheating. The hose going into the thermostat housing is getting hot, but the hose on the bottom isn't. Perhaps the water pump? And the engine still shakes like a motherf*. -sigh- I'm not really sure, but all I know is my car is broken I'm really getting tired of having to sleep at my brothers house because my house is in the opposite direction.
Any advice or info is appreciated, thanks ^^
07-05-2007, 05:05 PM
#2
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Haverhill, MA
Posts: 3,664
RE: First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
bring it to a shop
have them pressure test the cooling system and scan ur car for codes
violently shaking ususally is caused by bad balancer, despite what your friend says. my car did the same exact thing last year going down the highway... it wasnt a fun ride.
have them pressure test the cooling system and scan ur car for codes
violently shaking ususally is caused by bad balancer, despite what your friend says. my car did the same exact thing last year going down the highway... it wasnt a fun ride.
07-05-2007, 05:09 PM
#3
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Spfld, MA
Posts: 9,240
RE: First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
you can check the balancer yourself. crawl under there and take a look at the back of it. you will see & feel a rubber ring going all the way around it.
if it's protruding out at all or broken/split ANYWHERE, its bad.
also the cold lower hose sounds like a blockage in the radiator. take the lower hose off and try to run some water through the top with a garden hose.
if it's protruding out at all or broken/split ANYWHERE, its bad.
also the cold lower hose sounds like a blockage in the radiator. take the lower hose off and try to run some water through the top with a garden hose.
07-05-2007, 05:12 PM
#4
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location:
Posts: 24
RE: First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
ORIGINAL: 93 LX FiveO
bring it to a shop
have them pressure test the cooling system and scan ur car for codes
violently shaking ususally is caused by bad balancer, despite what your friend says. my car did the same exact thing last year going down the highway... it wasnt a fun ride.
bring it to a shop
have them pressure test the cooling system and scan ur car for codes
violently shaking ususally is caused by bad balancer, despite what your friend says. my car did the same exact thing last year going down the highway... it wasnt a fun ride.
07-05-2007, 05:28 PM
#6
in limbo
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 7,300
RE: First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
flush your rad. fill back up, make sure you dont get any bubbles in the system or you'll be back where you started. are you losing coolant? if so do you know where? maybe blown HG. +1 on hermonic balancer, check that
07-05-2007, 09:48 PM
#9
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: PA
Posts: 823
RE: First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
I can't take it anymore!!! Why in the hell do people insist on driving a car that is hot? When the low coolant light goes on or the temp. gauge goes up... turn the damn thing off!!! Not at the next exit... not till you get to a service station... not till you get home! Turn it off that second!!! Then this noob forgets the light came on the night before and drives it to work the next day. (Shakes head.) I hope you fried the whole freakin' motor for being such a dumbass. Some only learn the hard way.
07-05-2007, 09:54 PM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location:
Posts: 24
RE: First the shakes, now it wants to melt down!
Thanks for the positive attitude, dick.
Sometimes we have to get to and from places in a timely manner, even if we have to risk some damage.
Not going to work isn't really an option, and I only recently moved to the area so I don't have anyone who would have been willing to take me to/from, and yea, I'm a noob, I already mentioned that. Seriously, if you're not going to give atleast some kind of helpful advice, keep it to yourself, its not like I WANT to destroy my car.
On a side note, I'm going to try to flush the radiator tomarrow and see if that works, might be clogged (hope not ><
Sometimes we have to get to and from places in a timely manner, even if we have to risk some damage.
Not going to work isn't really an option, and I only recently moved to the area so I don't have anyone who would have been willing to take me to/from, and yea, I'm a noob, I already mentioned that. Seriously, if you're not going to give atleast some kind of helpful advice, keep it to yourself, its not like I WANT to destroy my car.
On a side note, I'm going to try to flush the radiator tomarrow and see if that works, might be clogged (hope not ><