Serious Question! Senior Members Please!

[95mustanggt]

OK.

I've been have some problem with my '95 GT.

A little background. I had serious detonation problems for the last year. I finally got rid of them and now my oil pressure is very high and my coolant has gone down almost a quart in only about 500 miles (maybe less). You can smell burning coolant when driving the car. And the detonation started to come back (although not very bad). I'm thinking blown head gasket.

I drained the oil 10 minutes ago and this is what I found:

1. I just changed the oil about 1-2 months before I left Dallas. The oil is already black.

2. This is the one that I'm scewed on. The oil reaks of gas! Yes Gasoline!

3. Coolant is still very clean, however it is down a quart.

4. No codes on the EEC IV

Before I tear into this engine, any comments???

PKRWUD??? jimberg?? anyone??

[srv1]

95. check the basics. your coolant loss may be a leak. pressurize the system go from there. it may be leaking on something hot and burning. the oil with sounds like an injector problem to me.

overall it sounds like your car is running very hot. detonation, black oil and coolant loss can be contribute to this. how many miles on your oil? it is supposed to turn black after so many miles or if in severe conditions. maybe a head gasket? lets not jump to conclusions. do they basics first and go from there. hope that helped

[PKRWUD]

Excellent advice!!

In short, the first two things I would do would be to run a compression test, and then pressure test the cooling system.

Do those and post your results, and we'll go from there.

BTW, if you blew a head gasket bad enough, the water would get into the crankcase, and would be the first thing to come out when you drained your oil (oil floats on water). Since you didn't see any, that's a good sign. You could still have a bad head gasket, but it's minor, so far.

Take care,
-Chris

[95mustanggt]

Thanks guys.

There was only 500 miles on the oil. It was really dirty. More like when I change it at 3000 miles. And it was not run in severe conditions.

I'll have to get a compression test gauge. What do you normally use? Or do they come pre-assembled? I would assume a 300 psi gauge with a 500 psi line to a special spark pug adapter, but I don't know who easy all this is going to be to get. Of course I could just walk into my local parts store and presto....

[PKRWUD]

Go for the "presto" effect. Sears has them for $30. Buy an Engine Compression Tester. It will have the gauge, a quick release hose, and an adapter. DO NOT try and make your own. Since it seems that you haven't done this before, here are the instructions:

For accuracy, you MUST perform the compression tests with the engine as close to operating temp as possible, and have the throttle blocked open.

In short:
1) Warm up the engine
2) Disconnect the coil
3) Block the throttle so that it is wide open
4) Remove all 8 spark plugs
5) Install the tester and crank the engine through 5 revolutions
6) Read and write down the results
7) Repeat steps 5 & 6 for the remaining cylinders


Take care,
-Chris

[95mustanggt]

Ah crap! I have to put in fresh oil and filter (I know I'm getting cheap here ).

I assume the heat is critical because the piston has to expand to it's "full" size so a proper seal against this cylinder wall is made.

Thanks for the help guys.

(PKRWUD, by the time I'm done I'm going to owe you some beer here aren't I... )

[PKRWUD]

Originally posted by 95mustanggt
I assume the heat is critical because the piston has to expand to it's "full" size so a proper seal against this cylinder wall is made.

Very good, Grasshopper.

(PKRWUD, by the time I'm done I'm going to owe you some beer here aren't I... )

LOL. Dude, if I got half the beer that's been promised to me here, I could fill an olympic sized swimming pool. I don't do this for pay, I do it because I enjoy helping people that are willing to get dirty, and who listen.

Take care,
-Chris

[Mr 5 0]

95mustanggt:

As you asked for my advice via a PM I'm going to reply, but only to agree with what PKRWUD and srv1 have already offered.

The compression test is vital at this point and will tell you a lot.

Later, a cooling system pressure test may possibly be in order to find any coolant loss but right now, the oil problem is Job #1.

Your oil is obviously contaminated with gasoline and that could be from blow-by or possibly a leaking fuel injector (can happen when the engine is off, too).

Don't panic - just do careful, methodical testing and allow pros like PKRWUD and srv1 to help you analyze the results and recommend the next step.

I'm a knowledgable amateur and I can help but I'm quite ready to defer to people who get paid to do this stuff every day. You're fortunate to have their input here so follow their advice.

Good luck.

[95mustanggt]

Thanks guys. I started a new thread with the test results.