Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

Hi all,</P>


My names Matthew and I've just signed up on this forum, I like it alot and have read a couple story's already. I just bought a 1990 Ford GT 5.0 Mustang. I'm very excited cause it's my first REAL car that I bought MYSELF and it's super fast hah. But...there are problems. My father is a bad ass mechanic and has been one all his life, I'm sure he will fix the problem and I'm sure it will be done and everything, but I wanted to try and help him out,I unfortuantly did not pickup the skill set of being mechanically inclined...bah! But i'm becoming better and know alot more then I ever did...hes been giving me EngineMechanics 101 out in our garage hehe. I'll give you a background on the car and whats been done to it.</P>


A good State Trooper buddy of mine in the state of MD offered to sell it to me for 4,500. There has been 3! previous owners I am the 4th...my lucky number actually. Well hes a good guy and wants to help me get it running and stays in contact with me quite a bit since i got it, just about 3-4 days ago. </P>


He has put alot into it, but the ppl before him have put a huge amount into it....</P>


Cam Shaft-not sure on the lift on it
AFR Intake
AFR Heads
BBK Headers
BBK Mass Air Flow/induction unit
BBK 65mm Throttle Body
3.73 Gears
Traction Bars
MSD Ignition-Possibly Part of my problem
Under Drive Pulley's
BRAND NEW...well almost Tremec TKO 5 speed Transmission, with Dual Friction Clutch-It has a Pro 5.0 Shorty Quick Throw Shifter in it, My buddy blew the transmission trying to learn how to drive the shorty so he got the Tremec Trans
Electric Fan-NOT BELT DRIVEN
H-Pipes-NO cats</P>


-Small Nucences
-Alot of the emissions stuff has been either broken or not hooked up, so my dad can't put this game boy looking thing from snap on and read out stuff from the computer cause it's been modified so much
-Another thing is alof the wiring adn everything...especially the EGR is messed up...don't need it but it could be part of the problem</P>


Ok If you've bared with me this far I thank you ver much and am very appreiciative of any help you're willing to offer me...now for my problem</P>


There a couple things that have to happen, there is or we thought there was a flat spot....and I wanted to take it out and go do some aron's tonight.....we got in and he(my father) was driving....the second we got out on the road he noticed and heard stuff that was wrong...he tryed giving it gas and it had HUGE hesitation and in essence was acting like a 4-cylinder. We turned around cause he didn't feel safe driving it and pulled it into the shop, he kept hearing a poping sound, which he explained to me thats called a miss fire and it happens when the spark is not igniting in the cylinder...which I got that...common sense..no spark no explosion. fine all dandy...something small nothienr to worry about......

We got it into the shop....and it was sounding ruff and wasn't acting right...he takes a timeing gun and try's to hook it to each spark wire...all are firing....takes off a spark plug....NO SPARK....we were running on only 4!!!! cylinders.

Checked the spark wire, plugs, all that, Now for my father to have trouble with a car and not know what is wrong with it is kinda amazing....not saying hes god or anything but hes very good...and he is having a tuff time with figuring out why it's not firing off...</P>


Timeing of the Ignition - 15426378</P>


1,2,6,8 are not fireing......not 12, 68 are in the same injection timeing...mine is wierd...or maybe it's just mustangs in general...they fire in pairs(the injectors) now we have checked alot of stuff, we were checking the injector's and seeing if the electrical connectors were hooked up right to each other, he got one of his old mechanical books out and looked at it and they were.....</P>


So we have checked almost all of the electircal system, remember - the egr valves and all that are messed up...alot dealing with the emissions stuff....so we are wondering if the computer is getting messed with that and it's messing up the fuel injectors...not sure</P>


Thats our biggest problem right now....not all cylinders are firing...BAH not sure why it isn't getting spark and stuff</P>


My state trooper buddy has the actual mustang book on my car....or his brother has it, hes getting it for my dad, but it could take a couple day's, and I really want to learn how to drive it, I can't drive a stick that well....yea i know i know shoot me. So my dad is waiting on that book to see how the electrical system is hooked up.</P>


Thank you SO much for lisenting to me and ANY information you can input into this topic PLEASE feel free to add, Thanks alot and hopefully someone know's something that might be wrong or had this problem before!</P>


Thanks!</P>


-Matthew</P>


</P>


-Untouchable 5.0</P>

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

My car had the same symptoms a few weeks back, the hesitation, and popping. It turned out to be a bad O2 sensor on my car. It should be really easy to check with a volt meter, but you will need to get the manual so you know what voltage is good. Or you can just buy one for about $50. Fixed all my problems.

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

THANKS! I'll go ask him right now actually about that...It might not be the answer to my questions but it's a start, thx alot again man!</P>


-Matthew</P>


-Untouchable 5.0</P>

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

shouldnt that timing be 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8....

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

AHHH yes very good....but see he thought that too...but we tried it like that and it didn't want to start at all....</P>


So we set it at 15426378......back to what it was

It still didn't want to fire off the other 4 piston's but it at least started.....tonight we went out and he tried hooking up a sensor to the injector's and see if they would fire and he was getting current to them and they were indeed fireing and working....</P>


So as of right now.....the spark wires are fine...the spark plugs are firing....the injectors are fine....but when the engine is actually started....No spark/fuel is getting to the cylinder....And my buddy has the mustang book .....the timing we have on it now is wierd....cause it says it's for a different motor.....this is so damn wierd....how can someone f**k up a car this bad and not make it nice....idiots!</P>


Thanks again for the info and plez post if u can again and try to help me out! THX!</P>


-Matthew</P>


</P>


-Untouchable 5.0</P>


</P>


P.S.-God she is hot!^^^^</P>

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

Go out and get a Haynes repair guide to help out with finding stuff.</P>


Heres the problemwith the hessitation and studdering (If its happening you'll know), as it happened to my car as well. One of the most common pieces that goes bad on 5.0s is the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor), locaded on the Throttle Body, directly behind the Idle Air Control, on the opposite side of the EGR. This TPS senses how much air is flowing, thus telling how much gas to use, so the computer things there's more air, and puts in more gas; mixture goes to hell, and car is dead in the water. The TPS could be the cause, but your cylinders not firing is also another major factor (new plugs, wires, rotor/distributor cap, and making sure connections are goodwill all help out). The firing problem has to be related to getting the electricity to the plugs in some way, so make sure that the rotor inside the cap is good, and that the wires to and from the distributor are in good shape, and then to the battery and all that.</P>


The EGR and O2 sensors also come into play. Though part of the emmisions system, they help regulate Air/Fuel as well. Your EGR sensor could be bad, the tube itself could be leaking air (only if your idle is way up), and the 02 sensors should probably be replaced with some nice Bosch sensors. Make sure everything is connected tightly and not leaking any vacuum air our. </P>


The EGR messing with the computer will NOT in turn mess up the fuel injectors, because the EGR wants as little burnt fuel as possible in order to keep the polution down, so it will only add more air to the mix. </P>


So get a new EGR, 02 sensors, new plugs, wires, rotor/distributor cap, TPS (if the voltage is not correct, I think .99-.94 is ok, but check it) </P>This is all I can think of to be the problem, so let me know if it still is bad after doing this stuff. <edited><editID>95Stealth302</editID><editDate>37949.0281134259</editDate></edited>

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

If you put in a new rotor and cap and it's still doing it borrow a distributor from someone that you know is a good distributor. Swap them out and make SURE all of your plug wires are in correct order. You may want to swap out the MSD also to make sure it's not defective. This may sound stupid, but if you have a 6al make sure you don't have a very low rpm rev limiter pill in it by mistake. (I've seen it done) If this doesn't work, get a used computer from a junkyard because it's probably your computer. You know it is in the firing somewhere so just start replacing any parts that have to do with the firing. (cap, rotor, plugs, wires, coil, coil wire,msd ignition, distributor, computer) If you replace some or all of these your problem will be solved. </P><edited><editID>jhogan2424</editID><editDate>37949.3466087963</editDate></edited>

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

OK maybe this well help as well....I forgot to mention an important detail.</P>


Before I bought the car my good buddy had it sitting over his house for about 6 months....he really didn't need it since he had his patrol car, and he was replacing the head gaskets. Before he tore it down to just the heads it ran FINE. But after tearing it down and rebuilding it back up, it not runs like this...</P>


Not sure if in the process hes forgotten to hook something up or messed something up while putting it back together...?</P>


But before that it ran like a V8...not a V4!</P>


Thx again everyone and i'm going to askmy father to read all of your posts! Thx!</P>


-Matthew</P>


-Untouchable 5.0</P>

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

try doing a compression test first. lets make sure the hg was done right are you getting fire to the plugs? also check you fuse box for blown fuse

Please Help!-Bad Engine Proble
 

Thx vfast and all others.</P>


My dad just read all ur posts and he said it gave him some new ideas - Vfast he said that that was his next step was to do the compression test. He told me that something i said was not true-all are getting spark, but what he thinks is happening is that the timing of the spark and the timing of the injectors is off, and he's not sure if it's a wire or dealing witht he injectors or what, but he said it should help him out---one- when he gets the mustang book my buddy has for him and --two--when he does the compression test.</P>


Anyone know why the timing of the spark and injectors could be off....?</P>


Thx again all!</P>


-Matthew</P>


-Untouchable 5.0</P>