Guru's...PLEASE HELP ME...

Nicks5.0 · 02-28-2001, 04:33 PM

I dont know whats wrong with my stang, but here is what has happened so far...
she sat for about 3 weeks in really cold weather(subzero) the entire time. when i went to start driving it again, it was really hard to start, but with starting fluid, it would fire up. this problem started to get better, but then got worse all of a sudden. from there we had to pop the clutch to get her running and i had to drive it with 3 feet to keep it from dying on me. after a couple days of this, it started missing very badly anywhere above 2000rpm. i replaced the TFI mod which initially helped, but then seemed to make no difference. when we were checking the timing, while trying to find tdc#1, the rotor always ended up facing the #6 terminal inside the cap. we double and triple checked to be positive we werent idiots and this kept happening. once we got it running again it still missed like before and we could not get the timing marks anywhere close to 14 degrees on the balancer. on the advice of another post, i replaced that which is where i am now. we can now get the timing marks to line up again on the balancer and it will run and idle, not smoothly, but decent, and it still misses badly. my timing gears are less than a year old, and no teeth on the dist. or cam are scratched or sheered off. could i need a new dist?? i am stumped and dont really have the money to take it somewhere. i would appreciate any info/suggestions. im sorry this is so long, but i am now very desperate.
--nick

------------------
1990lx coupe, 302, gt40p heads, wolv 1087 cam, 1.7rr's, 65mm tb, 75mm maf, comp box on top of cobra lower, anderson ford pms, full exhaust, drag type susp. and 3.55's. traps 105mph

Super9089 · 02-28-2001, 05:50 PM

Nick,
I'm the furthest thing from A mechanical wizard you'll find but sometimes I get lucky.

If you think it is the distributor,can you swap it out with a friend's just to test it?

Nicks5.0 · 02-28-2001, 06:20 PM

yeah, id rather be lucky than good half the time, but my friends and i are always UNLUCKY. we tossed the idea around, but then we figure something will go wrong with his as soon as we do that. regardless, i guess it is worth a try. i dunno if that will work or not though....anyone else have any ideas???

Capri306 · 03-01-2001, 01:45 AM

Sounds like a firing order problem to me. Check that first, then check to see if the coil is putting out good hot spark. Just connect a single plug to the coil, let the plug sit on a good grounded metal piece, crank it over, and watch for blue-white sparks. Any other color is bad. How are your plug wires, btw? Spray some water on them at night; if they glow or look like lightning bolts going between them, they need to be replaced. If it's not an ignition problem, you'll have to start checking fuel system problems, i.e. fuel system pressure, injectors, etc. Check vacuum lines and all the other dumb stuff first. You NEED to get the timing to 10-14 degrees, though. Is the timing light you're using working properly? If it has an advance knob, turn it off, and be sure you removed the spOUT jumper from the TFI harness. Just throwin' shtuff out there, dude. Hope this helps.

p.s. Sounds REEELY dumb, but does the car have gas in it? It can run like junk on a near-empty tank, too, ya know.

------------------
Capri306, Moderator, The Mustang Works Online
1979 Mercury Capri, 5.0L -- C4 -- 2.73
1987 Mustang LX Notch

[This message has been edited by Capri306 (edited 03-01-2001).]

SaleenGTS · 03-01-2001, 10:50 AM

a lot of times if your car sits in the coldfor a while, your spark plugs mighe crack if it is started too hard.(I mean when you start it you rev it before it warms up, and stuff like that)

Good luck

------------------
Dustin
TFS Street Intakes,TFS TW Heads, TFS #2 cam, Crane 1.6 rr's, Bassani Full lengths,Bassani short X-pipe, American thunder Cat back, 3.55's. More to come...

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02-28-2001, 04:33 PM	#1
Nicks5.0 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Belleville Il, USA Posts: 234	Guru's...PLEASE HELP ME... I dont know whats wrong with my stang, but here is what has happened so far... she sat for about 3 weeks in really cold weather(subzero) the entire time. when i went to start driving it again, it was really hard to start, but with starting fluid, it would fire up. this problem started to get better, but then got worse all of a sudden. from there we had to pop the clutch to get her running and i had to drive it with 3 feet to keep it from dying on me. after a couple days of this, it started missing very badly anywhere above 2000rpm. i replaced the TFI mod which initially helped, but then seemed to make no difference. when we were checking the timing, while trying to find tdc#1, the rotor always ended up facing the #6 terminal inside the cap. we double and triple checked to be positive we werent idiots and this kept happening. once we got it running again it still missed like before and we could not get the timing marks anywhere close to 14 degrees on the balancer. on the advice of another post, i replaced that which is where i am now. we can now get the timing marks to line up again on the balancer and it will run and idle, not smoothly, but decent, and it still misses badly. my timing gears are less than a year old, and no teeth on the dist. or cam are scratched or sheered off. could i need a new dist?? i am stumped and dont really have the money to take it somewhere. i would appreciate any info/suggestions. im sorry this is so long, but i am now very desperate. --nick ------------------ 1990lx coupe, 302, gt40p heads, wolv 1087 cam, 1.7rr's, 65mm tb, 75mm maf, comp box on top of cobra lower, anderson ford pms, full exhaust, drag type susp. and 3.55's. traps 105mph

02-28-2001, 05:50 PM	#2
Super9089 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Coventry R.I. U.S. Posts: 37	Nick, I'm the furthest thing from A mechanical wizard you'll find but sometimes I get lucky. If you think it is the distributor,can you swap it out with a friend's just to test it?

02-28-2001, 06:20 PM	#3
Nicks5.0 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Belleville Il, USA Posts: 234	yeah, id rather be lucky than good half the time, but my friends and i are always UNLUCKY. we tossed the idea around, but then we figure something will go wrong with his as soon as we do that. regardless, i guess it is worth a try. i dunno if that will work or not though....anyone else have any ideas???

03-01-2001, 01:45 AM	#4
Capri306 Moderator Join Date: Sep 1998 Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA Posts: 1,001	Sounds like a firing order problem to me. Check that first, then check to see if the coil is putting out good hot spark. Just connect a single plug to the coil, let the plug sit on a good grounded metal piece, crank it over, and watch for blue-white sparks. Any other color is bad. How are your plug wires, btw? Spray some water on them at night; if they glow or look like lightning bolts going between them, they need to be replaced. If it's not an ignition problem, you'll have to start checking fuel system problems, i.e. fuel system pressure, injectors, etc. Check vacuum lines and all the other dumb stuff first. You NEED to get the timing to 10-14 degrees, though. Is the timing light you're using working properly? If it has an advance knob, turn it off, and be sure you removed the spOUT jumper from the TFI harness. Just throwin' shtuff out there, dude. Hope this helps. p.s. Sounds REEELY dumb, but does the car have gas in it? It can run like junk on a near-empty tank, too, ya know. ------------------ Capri306, Moderator, The Mustang Works Online 1979 Mercury Capri, 5.0L -- C4 -- 2.73 1987 Mustang LX Notch [This message has been edited by Capri306 (edited 03-01-2001).]

03-01-2001, 10:50 AM	#5
SaleenGTS RICE taste like Chicken Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Edmond, OK Posts: 687	a lot of times if your car sits in the coldfor a while, your spark plugs mighe crack if it is started too hard.(I mean when you start it you rev it before it warms up, and stuff like that) Good luck ------------------ Dustin TFS Street Intakes,TFS TW Heads, TFS #2 cam, Crane 1.6 rr's, Bassani Full lengths,Bassani short X-pipe, American thunder Cat back, 3.55's. More to come...