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Street toy, 99 GT

metalneverdies

1/2 ton status
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Nov 6, 2011
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Hey guys, Just bought a new to me mustang, seemed like just a fuel pump problem but after that fix it has turned into much more. Looking for some trouble shooting advice.

Originally my GT would require a bunch of fuel pump priming and then it would start and sort of run for a minute or so then stumble and die. It wouldn't rev up, was missing like crazy. Fuel pressure was really low and would bleed off so I replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. Now the car seems to be over fueling like crazy. It floods a few cylinders so bad it requires minutes worth of cranking over and it then runs on the fuel in the cylinders for a couple minutes, then as it is going to die if I allow the fuel pump to run it will stay running. Any load what so ever causes it to stutter then flood. Tons of smoke from over fueling. It didn't do that before the pump replacement. I have discovered the alternator diode is bad, I have fixed that, I have checked the crank sensor and cam sensor ohms and volts. The number 4 cyl seems to be not getting quite enough fuel. The number 5 cyl is getting way too much, it literally makes the spark plug drip fuel when its removed.

I have replacement spark plugboots and injectors on the way. The fuel in the tank was super old and nasty looking; was a bit yellow. The thing that really bothers me is when I am using the Torque diagnostic app on my phone to read the o2's they both read 0v. The fuel trim is massively high. Like 42% constantly it dips down to 32% on occasion. I am at a loss of what to do. Once my new clean injectors and boots are installed I plan to drain the tank and fill with new fuel and then see if I can get the engine to run long enough to get to operating temp to run a compression test and leak down test, I am worried about cyl 4. No matter if spark or fuel is disconnected it doesn't change the idle. If the car is brought just above idle it will chug along and stay running. If it is left at idle it surges from such low rpm it knocks and clanks to jumping up to 1000 rpm and back down over and over.

Any advice would be appreciated. I am really running out of diagnostic ideas here. Is there any way to reliably do a cold engine leak down or compression test if I can't get it to run long enough? I really hate running the car this over fueled. It has to be causing engine damage.

Once I get it cleaned up and the ghetto chromed out 18's off it ill post some pictures :lol:
 
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If the fuel is old, drain it and put fresh in. Does it have any codes in it? What is the key on, engine off fuel pressure at? It sounds like its got one or more injectors leaking and or a fuel pressure regulator leaking.
 
I got fresh fuel, it still hardly runs. Chased my tail over weird maf and tps codes / readings. Found the diag specs for the TPS and replaced it. Tripped more maf codes; according to diag specs it was working 100% correctly every time. Replaced the injectors. 2 were really bad, cracked cap, melted cap, filthy filters.

Thought I had a stickey valve or something, went to run some seafoam through the engine and it kept blowing and sucking alternatly out the intake. Backfiring through the intake. Decided to pull the pass side valve cover off and noticed the back cyl. valve area was really clean. Pulled the drivers off and saw the same thing. Then I noticed the drivers side spit 4 rockers. All cracked or broke right in half.

Upon pulling the heads it looks like the drivers bank jumped a tooth. I also believe the pcm has been tuned to ignore o2's and bump up the rev. limiter. Seriously looks like the guy over revved, or missed a shift, floated valves and jumped timing.

Going to replace rockers and hyd. lifters. Also taking heads to a machinne shop to test if valves are sealing 100%.

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I see contact.....

hopefully the valve work needed will be minimal.
 
if there was contact as it looks like, the stems are probably bent. If so, they could jam up causing those rockers to snap - but I can say I've never seen rockers like that snap in half.
 
if there was contact as it looks like, the stems are probably bent. If so, they could jam up causing those rockers to snap - but I can say I've never seen rockers like that snap in half.

Would you recommend skipping the machine shop and me just buy new valves for the head, lap the valves into the old seats and re-assemble everything?
 
Nope, IF they are bent it may have cause problems w/ guides, maybe have them check for cracks too. It took a ton of force to snap those rockers.
 
If your that far, do a 4 valve head swap. Or find a Mark VIII cheap and do a motor swap. Probably cheaper and you will get some power gains either way. Rather than dump $1800 parts and labor into that 2v. Is that even a PI motor?
 
Another possibility, is the motor was poorly maintained and sludged up or ran low or out of oil and the cam siezed, and when that happens the cam gear can spin on the cam because it's only pressed onto the cam.
 
If your that far, do a 4 valve head swap. Or find a Mark VIII cheap and do a motor swap. Probably cheaper and you will get some power gains either way. Rather than dump $1800 parts and labor into that 2v. Is that even a PI motor?

Cam gears are bolted in place and have a keyway holding them to their location.

Its an 03 motor so yes, PI motor. Im kind of at a cross roads at this point. I bought it cheap and was pretty sure it was an electrical problem and fueling problem, not catastrophic engine failure. Plan was to fix it, drive it for a couple months then flip it.

I could see the kow oil seizing the hyd lifters but the cams seems to spin fine.
 
Well, decided screw it and parted the car out.

I did pick up a pretty darn clean and straight 87 2wd LWB. Already have a 3500 stall and 4L60e. Going to pick up a 6.0 and have a hell of a fun street truck.

Just pulled cab and bed off it yesterday. Doing full frame off blast and re-paint. Will make a thread for it once I get further along.
 
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