Well I give up
 

After dealing with this misfiring problem i give up and am going to take it to a mechanic. Today on the way home from school it was bucking alot and i heard about 3 distinct pops coming from the back near the hatch. These were all at about 1900 rpm in second gear accelerating. I have no clue and am just gonna let the professionals fix it so i dont do anything stupid :D

Mine did the exact same thing. Replace the pickup coil. Or you can do as I did and replace the whole dist. A new pickup coil is about $20 at the auto parts store. If I can find the thread, I will post a link to it.

Caymon

Here is the link to the thread I was talking about. Hope this helps.
Here

Caymon

Well that doesnt sound like my car at all. It idles fine and it can still be driven but it misfires. The bucking is not violent at all just a little bit. The popping noises i heard were not very loud either. Also like your post said your revs shoot all around is not liike mine does. Thanks anyways :)

And there are no codes?

I dont have a code puller but the Check engine light has NEVER come on.

I'm sorry this info didn't help. I would suggest replacing the pickup coil anyways. I know this isn't the most logical answer, replacing parts until you stumble across the fix, but, it's only $20 and could save you a $75 diagnositc fee plus the cost of replacing whatever the mechanic "finds". I am unsure if the autoparts can test them or not. But, its your car, and your money. The shop was my next option if the pickup coil didn't work. Just my .02. Best of luck.
Caymon

fuel filter
 

I know you've probably checked this already, but when was the last time you changed your fuel filter. Many people overlook something that simple. I know mine clogged up before and wouldn't even run under 2000rpms. It was sputtering and misfiring real bad until I changed it. Amazing what some dirty gas can do!

So....
 

does this mean you don't want to borrow my extra MAF?

So what, and it doesn't matter.

You don't need a code puller, all you need is a jumper wire, and it doesn't matter if the light never came on. I'll bet you there are codes stored.

I totally forgot about the fuel filter. I will try the pickup coil and fuel filter tommorow. I was going to do the fuel filter a long time ago but i never got around too it. Dumb choice :rolleyes: Thanks for the help, hopefully this will be the problem. Im gonna look it up in the book but where is the pickup coil?

Sounds like you need a new MAF meter. I have one for sale if interested.

How much man? I am still gonna try the filter and pickup coil just in case and im sure i should replace the fuel filter anyways.

Keith I dont know if i still need it. i didnt realize how far away Costa mesa is from SD. i always thought it was closer. we shall see after tommorow.

????????? You guys are like 45 minutes apart.

I'm confused.

more like, an hour and 15 minutes Chris. He lives in the same area as the guy I bought my car from. Later, Keith

MAF??
 

In my opinion, it doesn't sound like you're MAF would casue those problems you've described. If your MAF was bad, that should have triggered your check engine light. I'd still suggest checking your codes though. It is very easy to do yourself.

just pull the codes
 

for your sake you should do like pkrwud said, pull the codes, it doesn't cost anything and the computer will tell you if anything is out of wack or you could replace every piece on your car till you find the problem. hope you get it soon

MidNiteBlu 5.0,

I'm just curious...you said your check engine light has never came on. Does it come on when you turn your ignition switch on? The reason I ask is because mine DIDN'T, which is not a good thing. So after a little inspection I found out the previous owner had taken the bulb out!!! Like PKRWUD said "You don't need a code puller, all you need is a jumper wire, and it doesn't matter if the light never came on. I'll bet you there are codes stored." As long as the check engine light is functional you can pull codes out in a jiffy. Also, on my 90 5spd you have to hold the clutch pedal in before the computer will start giving you any codes. I didn't know this the first time I tried it and thought my computer was dead. It's amazing what we learn the hard way. Don't give up!

$75.00 shipped. it only has 70K original miles on it, and in great shape. Let me know if you want it.

later

I also have a code scanner that I can sell you with it, for say, $15.00 and includes the book with all the code meanings and instructions.

Well i know my bulb works because i have seen the light come on before but not when my car was misfiring. Just a couple times it would come on for a second or two then go off.

out of the 4 mass airs that i have seen bad, not one has triggered the check engine light! do you have the stock cam in your car, also your problem almost sounds like a VACUUM LEAK. might sound stupid but its something to look into.

For future reference, that means that your MIL has come on, which means a problem has been discovered and recorded.

Do what you want, but there are other alternatives, and they aren't complicated.

Take care,
~Chris

If I were you, I'd pull codes like Chris is suggesting. I am a retard sometimes (OK, most of the time) when working on my car and he's helped me through it. If anything, you can always PM me to borrow my MAF, before you buy one, just to ensure you're not throwing money away. Good luck either way, Keith

FWIW, Keith, you are not a retard at all. If anything, you are a novice, but you take direction well (for the most part ;) ), and are always eager to learn. You also must have pretty big balls, because you're never afraid to embarrass yourself by sharing the truth (car problems, time slips, etc.) in the hopes of improving things. Those are excellent qualities, and you really shouldn't critique yourself the way you do sometimes.

Here, this one's for you:

http://deephousepage.com/smilies/bongsmi.gif

Take care,
~Chris

well i replaced the fuel filter and cleaned the maf with no results. I looked at the maf and it looks fine (not gunked up or anything) I would pull codes and try to fogure it out but i just dont have time juggling college schoolwork and my job and other things. im taking it to a well reputed shop tommorow morning.

thanks for your guys' help anyways. i wish i had the time to do this but i dont so oh well.

So be it. Keep us posted.

Good luck!

Take care,
~Chris

This is why I keep reputalbe Tech. Around
 

Directions? LOL

Although I do LOVE cars and general mechnical engineering, as I have on multiple occassions shown I am PKRWUD!..So I keep a reputable, reasonable rate technician and shop around.

Start adding up your lost time in: car use, work/school/parts and "opportunity cost" and dude! No shame. Take that bad boy in and let a person (like Chris) who does this for a living and IS AN EXPERT let you know what's wrong. We can all dance around and try to tell you what we think it is, but Dude..It could be a number of things..so, if you have given it the Ol' College try, suck them up and go get you car fixed.

Obviously, if you could get the exact code then you could cross-ref. it in a Haynes/Chilton guide and know what's up and whether YOU personally have the skill to fix it.

Good luck Boss....

It was WAY easier working on my 1970 Ford Maverick then a the '98 Ford Mustang! LOL

Jenn

Just convert to carb. No more codes to pull, no more maf's to clean, if something is wrong its either spark or fuel and its easy to figure out the problem. Ive got a 88 EFI stang and a 82 Carbed stang here and i can have the engine out and all that in about 2-3hrs on the fuelie it takes a good day.

Thanks Chris
 

after my 16 second timeslip :mad: I needed that last smillie ;)

MidNiteBlu 5.0, if by chance the mechanic suggests you need to buy a new MAF, PM me first, and I'll lend you mine. Good luck, Keith

I dont think the California emissions guys would like that ;) i took it in today to a shop that is well trusted by alot of my parents friends. The diagnostic charge was actually only 35 dollars. they are sopposed to call back soon and tell me what they found :)

Re: Thanks Chris
 

And then when you are done borrowing his, you can buy mine.

well guys i feel stupid. As it turns out 3 of my spark plugs were fouled. My car is burning oil and i guess fouled out 3 of the platinum plugs. i will take your advice and never buy platinum plugs again. I am going to go pick it up shortly and will ask if they know where the oil is coming from. I have a compression gauge so I will do a compression test whenever I get around to it. Maybe its the valve guides so i have an excuse to buy new heads :D

Thanks for all your guys' help anyways. :)

Later,
Nick

I thought we got you to change them a while ago???

No, i never changed them. Me being stupid thought they should be fine. DOH!! Oh well. i learned my lesson and wasted 40 dollars but its not that bad. i know where to go next time this happens then. Oh and judging by the spark plug they gave me oil is getting in the number 2, 4 and 8 cylinders through the rings. i guess that rebuild will be sooner than i thought but its not an immediate problem. My car has 102,000 miles on it, some of which were probably hard miles considering i bought it from a 19yo DOH! again. Oh well

Well, I'm glad it's running better now at least.

:)

Take care,
~Chris

so did you throw those useless wires and plugs across the street? ;)

The wires are fine but i threw the plugs across the street :D

*LMAO* Good deal

:D