Something weird happened when I started the car, kind of urgent.
12-12-2013, 11:40 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ca
Posts: 36
Something weird happened when I started the car, kind of urgent.
Short background: Bought a 06 Mustang GT two days ago. Everything drove fine, no problems. Passed smog and no CEL/SES problems or anything else. I made a thread about a weird lag in the throttle that was solved by recalibrating the gas. Car came with decent maintenance history, was in great condition and I did my own inspection for a good hour. I have owned the car for 2 days and put on about 150 miles so far and no problems yet.
Until today. I drove to a near Oreilly's (less than a minute away), car was warmed up by the time I got there, didn't redline or push it. I was driving like a grandma due to being a little groggy.
After I leave Oreillys, I get in my car and start it up. Here's what happens:
Put the key in, turn the car's ignition. Cranks, sounds like it's ABOUT to start and then.... POP! Car doesn't start and dies. I stop cranking wondering what the hell that was. It wasn't super loud. The pop wasn't from the back like an exhaust (mind you the car hadn't started up at this point so it couldn't have been the exhaust or any kind of backfire). It came from the front and sounded similar to a fuse blowing out or SOMETHING popping.
I pulled the key out and put it back, turned it to ON and waited to see if anything weird happened. No weird issues, no electrical issues. At this point, I'm treading lightly wondering if something is going to blow up. I turn the ignition to ON and hear the fuel pump prime. So that can't be the problem. I start it up, and it cranks, the idle sounded a little weak for a split second and then RRRRRRR... everything is normal. I rev it up, no problem. Nothing is knocking or making any rattling noises. I thought a spark plug blew up or something? But if it had broken and fell inside, I would hear it right?
I drive the car VERY carefully with windows down, trying to listen to anything odd. There is no odd sound at all.
I'm not sure if it's in my head or not but I could swear that it has power loss though. Not any kind of true loss where it's misfiring or has a blown engine because everything is still working and it's driveable but something just feels weaker. I feel less, OOMPH. I've only had the car for 2 days so I was wondering if it truly is something I imagined but i really dont think so. I did a few light, half throttle pulls and i feel it's lacking a bit of torque. But no CEL or SES, no knocking, no rattling, nothing!
I pulled over, opened up the hood and checked the oil dip stick. No metal flakes, it's not burning. I don't smell anything burning when driving the car, no smoke. No exhaust fumes or white smoke coming out of the back. No leaks under the car.
At this point, if anyone else came and checked out the car they would say it's completely normal. And maybe it is. But the pop scared me into thinking something is not right and maybe there is some slightly power loss.
What could possibly be that popping sound??
To put it into perspective, it was about as loud as when you microwave popcorn and you hear one kernel pop. Not alarming loud but noticeable.
I'm thinking about waking up at the crack of dawn and going to my Ford dealership to get a check up to see if their scanners pick up anything. My $80 scanner from oreillys is not showing any diagnostic codes, but it's a very basic scanner. I did not realize the really high end scanners check the sensors and all the stuff in the car.
Also, the car is over 100k miles and has not had the spark plugs changed out. The previous owner told me I should do that and based on what I read, I'm not going anywhere near these plugs so I'll probably have the dealership do it tomorrow if I'm first in line at their service dept. How much would this cost me if nothing breaks? Do they normally carry the Champion brand that I am reading about? Or do they now have better OEM spark plugs that are used in the 08+ models?
Any help appreciated, kind of urgent.
Until today. I drove to a near Oreilly's (less than a minute away), car was warmed up by the time I got there, didn't redline or push it. I was driving like a grandma due to being a little groggy.
After I leave Oreillys, I get in my car and start it up. Here's what happens:
Put the key in, turn the car's ignition. Cranks, sounds like it's ABOUT to start and then.... POP! Car doesn't start and dies. I stop cranking wondering what the hell that was. It wasn't super loud. The pop wasn't from the back like an exhaust (mind you the car hadn't started up at this point so it couldn't have been the exhaust or any kind of backfire). It came from the front and sounded similar to a fuse blowing out or SOMETHING popping.
I pulled the key out and put it back, turned it to ON and waited to see if anything weird happened. No weird issues, no electrical issues. At this point, I'm treading lightly wondering if something is going to blow up. I turn the ignition to ON and hear the fuel pump prime. So that can't be the problem. I start it up, and it cranks, the idle sounded a little weak for a split second and then RRRRRRR... everything is normal. I rev it up, no problem. Nothing is knocking or making any rattling noises. I thought a spark plug blew up or something? But if it had broken and fell inside, I would hear it right?
I drive the car VERY carefully with windows down, trying to listen to anything odd. There is no odd sound at all.
I'm not sure if it's in my head or not but I could swear that it has power loss though. Not any kind of true loss where it's misfiring or has a blown engine because everything is still working and it's driveable but something just feels weaker. I feel less, OOMPH. I've only had the car for 2 days so I was wondering if it truly is something I imagined but i really dont think so. I did a few light, half throttle pulls and i feel it's lacking a bit of torque. But no CEL or SES, no knocking, no rattling, nothing!
I pulled over, opened up the hood and checked the oil dip stick. No metal flakes, it's not burning. I don't smell anything burning when driving the car, no smoke. No exhaust fumes or white smoke coming out of the back. No leaks under the car.
At this point, if anyone else came and checked out the car they would say it's completely normal. And maybe it is. But the pop scared me into thinking something is not right and maybe there is some slightly power loss.
What could possibly be that popping sound??
To put it into perspective, it was about as loud as when you microwave popcorn and you hear one kernel pop. Not alarming loud but noticeable.
I'm thinking about waking up at the crack of dawn and going to my Ford dealership to get a check up to see if their scanners pick up anything. My $80 scanner from oreillys is not showing any diagnostic codes, but it's a very basic scanner. I did not realize the really high end scanners check the sensors and all the stuff in the car.
Also, the car is over 100k miles and has not had the spark plugs changed out. The previous owner told me I should do that and based on what I read, I'm not going anywhere near these plugs so I'll probably have the dealership do it tomorrow if I'm first in line at their service dept. How much would this cost me if nothing breaks? Do they normally carry the Champion brand that I am reading about? Or do they now have better OEM spark plugs that are used in the 08+ models?
Any help appreciated, kind of urgent.
Last edited by dabsevo; 12-12-2013 at 11:44 PM.
12-13-2013, 12:54 AM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: CA
Posts: 1,670
Its very likely that the lack of power in your head.
Could have been a backfire out the intake, a loose electrical connection popping or it could have been a noise from somewhere outside your car.
I’d start with the battery and check to make sure the connection is nice and secure and not corroded. Also make sure the battery cables aren’t damaged or something like that. If the battery cable came loose it could make a pop/snap noise and kill the motor.
They possibly have scanners with oscilloscope capabilities, which is very handy, but isn’t required to diagnose a car.
It all depends. Dealerships in my area are $120+ to ‘diagnose’ the car for an hour. Each dealership has different rates. Some require appointments too. Call ahead and ask what their hourly rate is and ho much it will cost to look at the car.
Good luck...
12-13-2013, 02:37 AM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ca
Posts: 36
If a spark plug broke you would have a very noticeable misfire. If part of the spark plug fell inside the motor you would hear a very noticeable clacking/rattling noise. So I don’t think its that.
Its very likely that the lack of power in your head.
Could have been a backfire out the intake, a loose electrical connection popping or it could have been a noise from somewhere outside your car.
I’d start with the battery and check to make sure the connection is nice and secure and not corroded. Also make sure the battery cables aren’t damaged or something like that. If the battery cable came loose it could make a pop/snap noise and kill the motor.
Their scanners don’t do much more then your scanner. They will likely be able to do live data logging, and read ABS codes, but not much else. You can buy a $200 scanner from your local auto parts store that will do that too.
They possibly have scanners with oscilloscope capabilities, which is very handy, but isn’t required to diagnose a car.
It all depends. Dealerships in my area are $120+ to ‘diagnose’ the car for an hour. Each dealership has different rates. Some require appointments too. Call ahead and ask what their hourly rate is and ho much it will cost to look at the car.
Every dealership carries different stuff. You can pick up plugs anywhere, there is no stuck thing as OEM plugs. I doubt this has anything to do with your spark plugs.
Good luck...
Its very likely that the lack of power in your head.
Could have been a backfire out the intake, a loose electrical connection popping or it could have been a noise from somewhere outside your car.
I’d start with the battery and check to make sure the connection is nice and secure and not corroded. Also make sure the battery cables aren’t damaged or something like that. If the battery cable came loose it could make a pop/snap noise and kill the motor.
Their scanners don’t do much more then your scanner. They will likely be able to do live data logging, and read ABS codes, but not much else. You can buy a $200 scanner from your local auto parts store that will do that too.
They possibly have scanners with oscilloscope capabilities, which is very handy, but isn’t required to diagnose a car.
It all depends. Dealerships in my area are $120+ to ‘diagnose’ the car for an hour. Each dealership has different rates. Some require appointments too. Call ahead and ask what their hourly rate is and ho much it will cost to look at the car.
Every dealership carries different stuff. You can pick up plugs anywhere, there is no stuck thing as OEM plugs. I doubt this has anything to do with your spark plugs.
Good luck...
The car started right up and has ever since. I cant duplicate the issue so I dont think it's the battery. Battery connection looks good.
The "loss" could be in my head I'm still not 100%. I'll go first thing in the morning when the service dept is open and see if I can get them to look at it for free. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. But gotta do the spark plugs anyway, it's over 100k miles now.
12-13-2013, 10:39 AM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ca
Posts: 36
I took it into the dealer and just got a call that two of the ignition coils are bad. No wonder, I knew the power loss was strange it didn't kick like it used to. But wasn't sure being that I've only had the car for 2 days.
Okay they want $450 for the spark plugs because they have to de-carb it. And then $200 for the ignition coils, $100 each, 2 of them are bad.
I dont want to do the spark plugs myself but damn that's pretty steep. How hard is it to change the ignition coils on the S197? If it's anything like my previous honda, it's just a bolt, unplug the cable and then put it back right? $200 for 2 coils sounds like its super expensive when I can get them at oreillys?
URGENT! Any advice within the next 10 mins greatly appreciated.
UPDATE: decided to have the dealership replace it. She gave me 10% off the coils but couldn't do anything for the spark plugs. Said they have a monitor thing they hooked it up to and when it was test driven, ignition coils on two of the cylinders were bad. $100 a pop. 10% comes out to $180.
I was going to get aftermarket from OReillys at $49.99 each but the $80 difference for OEM and for the dealership's 2 year/24k warranty made me with with them, the car is already there. Might as well have them do it and make sure it is in fact the coils that are bad.
Okay they want $450 for the spark plugs because they have to de-carb it. And then $200 for the ignition coils, $100 each, 2 of them are bad.
I dont want to do the spark plugs myself but damn that's pretty steep. How hard is it to change the ignition coils on the S197? If it's anything like my previous honda, it's just a bolt, unplug the cable and then put it back right? $200 for 2 coils sounds like its super expensive when I can get them at oreillys?
URGENT! Any advice within the next 10 mins greatly appreciated.
UPDATE: decided to have the dealership replace it. She gave me 10% off the coils but couldn't do anything for the spark plugs. Said they have a monitor thing they hooked it up to and when it was test driven, ignition coils on two of the cylinders were bad. $100 a pop. 10% comes out to $180.
I was going to get aftermarket from OReillys at $49.99 each but the $80 difference for OEM and for the dealership's 2 year/24k warranty made me with with them, the car is already there. Might as well have them do it and make sure it is in fact the coils that are bad.
Last edited by dabsevo; 12-13-2013 at 11:17 AM.
12-13-2013, 06:34 PM
#6
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 5,061
Yikes, that's crazy. If you ever run into something like that again and not sure if you want to tackle the job, just Google it or look on Youtube. Someone will give advice or a step by step video on how to do it. It can't be that hard.
12-13-2013, 07:23 PM
#7
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: CA
Posts: 148
Hope this suggestion isn't too late, but ask for the old plugs.
The two piece Autolite plugs may be a hassle to pull after 100K miles.
Curious to see how many if any broke upon removal.
FYI, I went with the one piece Brisk plugs.
The two piece Autolite plugs may be a hassle to pull after 100K miles.
Curious to see how many if any broke upon removal.
FYI, I went with the one piece Brisk plugs.
12-14-2013, 04:58 AM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ca
Posts: 36
I dont think any of the plugs ended up breaking cause they said it'd be $150 per broken plug. But they were aware of the issue and found out that it required "De-carbing" to prevent breaking anything.
Still can't figure out why it went "POP" but they replaced ignition coils in #2 and #3. I looked to make sure it was actually done and yep, brand new plugs. Only thing was I can tell some technician bottomed out my lip because i have vinyl stripes going down the car including the lip and when he pulled up, the vinyl stripe was hanging off on the lip and there were scratch marks. Whatever. At least it's back in one piece and whatever was broken is fixed. But cost me over $600.
Anyway, I spent all day installing my suspension upgrades, much better handling. No nose dives when braking, tighter turning and steering. Gotta love the V8. Oh how I missed it.
Still can't figure out why it went "POP" but they replaced ignition coils in #2 and #3. I looked to make sure it was actually done and yep, brand new plugs. Only thing was I can tell some technician bottomed out my lip because i have vinyl stripes going down the car including the lip and when he pulled up, the vinyl stripe was hanging off on the lip and there were scratch marks. Whatever. At least it's back in one piece and whatever was broken is fixed. But cost me over $600.
Anyway, I spent all day installing my suspension upgrades, much better handling. No nose dives when braking, tighter turning and steering. Gotta love the V8. Oh how I missed it.
12-14-2013, 04:57 PM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Ca
Posts: 36
Cause I went to a Ford dealer and got owned lol. The S197 years before 2008 have an issue where the plugs can break off. I didnt want to chance it on my daily driver so I bit the bullet and had them do it. If it werent for the issue of breaking, theyre fairly easy to get to. I also changed out two coils for $180.