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Had to go out of town for a while for family matters. I think I got this problem solved. I checked the wiring harness on the O2 sensor. it had a bad connection in the connector on the car side. Rigged that and BAM!!! Idle smoothed out. Seems like it gained some power too.
Thank you EVERYBODY for your help! I greatly appreciate it.
I ran a hydrocarbon test this afternoon. I had a couple of hours in between school and work. The fluid stayed blue. I was hoping to get it while it was smoking, but naturally it didn’t smoke. Ran that sucker for an hour and it didn’t smoke. HMMM… Also, in the process I noticed that my cooling problem wasn’t happening. So that has to be the cap. It wasn’t all in vain, and it only cost me $8 and some time. I should have some time this weekend to run the leak down this weekend. Please keep checking this thread.
I’ll be honest though, I’m still not convinced that it’s not a vacuum leak somewhere. Is there a sure fire way to check for leaks. What about my PCV valve? is there a way to test it? (It’s only a few months old but still.)
Driving around at work this evening it hit me what a few of you guys might have been touching on. HEAD GASKET. let me run this by you guys and see what you think. My coolant is dark green, and has kind of a swampy film on top in the overflow tank. I have blue / white smoke out of the exhaust pipe that smells sweet. And previously when I noticed it running rough I pulled the plugs and noticed a liquid on one of the plugs. ( I thought it was oil at the time. Now I’m not sure.) I have also been chasing down a cooling issue. It runs pretty hot, (temp 2/3 rds of the way up) then my fan will kick on and it goes down to halfway. It runs rough, and seems to be missing power from what I know about ford V8 cars.
On the other hand: I don’t see coolant in the oil or visa versa. Also, I don’t seem to be losing coolant.
Could this be the problem? How do I do a hydrocarbon test if my radiator doesn’t have a cap?
I put on a new intake plenum gasket. Notice I said put on instead of replaced. the intake manifold has a orange rubber flange around the input hole where the throttle body assembly bolts on. When I saw that, I thought this would be the problem for sure. But, much to my dismay, it’s still running quite rough.
I have to go to work soon, and I will recheck for leaks. I once had a mustang that the ignition timing was off, and it kinda’ felt similar to how this car is running. This car uses the computer to control ignition timing, but could the mechanical timing cause similar problems?
Is there a way to check my cam timing without taking it apart? Also, Is there a way to check my valves? Where should I go from here?
Here are the compression test numbers:
1: D 155 W 160 2: D 160 W 175 3: D 150 W 155 4: D 155 W 170 5: D 155 W 170 6: D 160 W 165 7: D 155 W 160 8: D 150 W 160
The only thing that seems off to me is that the first time I tested cylinder 2 it tested at 110 dry and 120 wet. After I finished with the rest of the cylinders, I rechecked it and it came back at 160 dry and 175 wet. Is there a condition that could cause variable compression on a cylinder like that? (other than user error)
I’ve been looking for vacuum leaks again. I decided I was going to try to smoke them out. I got smoke out of one spot down by the fender well from a line I couldn’t identify but it was part of a line in the back of my throttle body. I repaired that, with no good results. The only other spot that I got smoke out of was the vents at the bottom of my EGR valve. Is it supposed to do that?
I actually replaced both upstream O2 sensors already. I did them at the same time.
I have been putting off the leak down test, I guess in the back of my mind, I just really didn’t want to know. Guess I can’t put it off anymore.
no i didn’t. but I will. I think I will try Eric’s poor man’s leak down test. I would even go buy a leak down tester, but I can’t seem to find one around here.
Okay, tried the smoke again. I couldn’t see it during the daylight, but under flourecent lighting I noticed a leak around the gasket between the throttle body and the air intake. I will replace that tomorrow and let you guys know what happens.
Thanks for all the help from EVERYONE. Please keep checking this thread in case this doesn’t solve the problem. And, I went and bought a compression tester so I could take the valve out of it and not feel bad about it. I will properly run a compression test and post the results.
That’s not rude… and, I agree something is weird. I’m quite sure I did the power balance test correctly. I did a tune up when I first bought the car about a year ago. Fuel filter, PCV, plugs, wires, and transmission fluid. I’m really kinda new to doing any real mechanical work. Always done my brakes and oil, but this is the first car I’ve had that I had to work on, or didn’t have someone wiser to help out with.
With that being said, I sense that there is something a little more sinister going on. When I bought the car, it ran sort of rough, but I thought a tune-up would probably take care of it. And it did for a while, but over the past few months it gradually started to run a little worse. When I stop at a light with it in drive it shakes a bit. Like it misses every 5-10 seconds. It didn’t happen in park, or with the AC on. Now it just runs rough and seems to be lacking some power while driving or idling in drive or park, air conditioning or not.
I’m just going to spill the beans here and see what comes up. Whatever is making it run rough has been getting worse. It smokes, but only sometimes. to be honest I can’t tell if the smoke is white or blue. ( I’m slightly color blind and out here everything opaque like smoke looks red). I have carbonized and ashy plugs. I put on a new EGR valve, Mass Air Flow, I’ve cleaned my Idle air control valve, a basic tune up, ran some fuel injector cleaner through it. I’ve checked it on several occasions for vacuum leaks, and came up empty-handed… I’m running out of the basic things to do.
When the light came on I made a list of things I thought it could be: MAF(X), O2 sensors(X), EGR valve(X), PCV valve(X), Low fuel pressure(X), Oil overfill(X), cam timing, bad compression, valve problems, exhaust leak around the O2 sensor(X), a vacuum leak, or a bad computer. I’ve also checked the coil packs(X), and for crossover between wires(X).
I will redo the compression test tomorrow (correctly), and try pinching the brake booster on the vacuum check. I will also see if I can find a leak down tool. But if anyone can think of anything else…. Please post it. I could use the advice.
It’s not really “going through” any water, but I do have a bit of a cooling problem. My temp gauge will go up to about 2/3rd’s of the way up before the cooling fan kicks on. Then it goes back to halfway. Thought it was the thermostat so I replaced that. Didn’t solve it though. I just chalked it up to the way it worked on this car, but maybe that’s related some how.
The oil: It seems to be between 1/4 and 1/2 of a quart low when it’s time for an oil change.
just took my daughter to daycare and the car threw two more codes. P1131 Lack of Upstream Heated Oxygen Sensor Switch – Sensor Indicates Lean – Bank No. 1. Last time it was bank No. 2. And, P0135 – Heated O2 Sensor Circuit. Brand new O2 sensors on the upstream. They are Bosch (I couldn’t find motorcraft anywhere).