ManicMina

Heyy there! I am new here and new to getting a Mustang. It is a 01 Mustang Premium (2D Convertible, V6). I am absolutely in love with the car, but it needs a little work. I have worked on vehicles before but not so much exhaust issues (though I did replace fuel assembly and fix a lot of fuel issues with my 06 Crown Vic PI).

The person I purchased it from had been gone for 2 years and it was in his fathers garage. A good amount of work was put into it from what he said. He seemed really trustworthy and was honest about everything I asked and brought up.

It is very obvious he did a lot of work on it (good or bad) as there are a lot of new parts and my brother said the computer had been modded as his reader couldn't connect. This was a huge issue for me, but with the amazing deal we were getting, my brother said still get it as he did check a lot of things on it. The drive home was about 240 miles. Since then, I have driven about 60-80 miles maybe. That is overestimating.

This morning, my check engine light came on. Part of me is glad to know it is still working at least, but the computer is realizing there is a problem, which means I have less time to get it fixed than I anticipated. This is my only vehicle right now, so it's important to get it fixed.

Here are my issues / symptoms:
* Intermittent stuttering / slight hesitation. Started after about 100 miles after picking up the car but only up big hills. It's now getting more prominent and not just up hills. Check engine light just came on this morning.
* There is a purr to the car, which I would think is normal but I had 2 people tell me that there is a tick to it along with the normal sound/purr, that along with other symptoms, could mean a gasket and/or exhaust leak.
* A friend pointed out there is color difference on components in the engine bay by the engine block / intake manifold. He said this could indicate head gasket leak and that could be the issue. My brother didn't look at it much but thought it might be the header. So I'm not sure which to check (or how to check) and taking the engine apart isn't something I really want to do unless I have to.

I don't know what codes it is throwing as the reader didn't connect when it was checked at the port on the inside driver side. I'm not even really sure how to see what the code is. My brother said there was another way to connect it, but he is busy until next week and I need this fixed.

Any advice or help is appreciated, and thank you so much for reading! I hope you are having a fantastic day!

SN95 Tuner

By the computer being modded, do you mean it had a tune installed with a tuner?
You need to get the code read for the check engine light so you have a better idea of what may be wrong.

ManicMina

So, since making this post, I took it to O'Reillys and for giggles, had them connect their computer to read the code. And it worked. So I'm not sure what the issue was when my brother went to check it.

The code was for the Fuel Filler Neck Housing, Code P0442. However, he did say I probably have a leak up front just from the sound of the engine running.