Progress Thread 2003 Ford Mustang GT Build Log

removed the o2 sensors on the headers - take a look at the pictures
0 258 005 717 858271/858261 bosch sensor I believe - had black soot on it, no water contents, cleaned it by wiping with a shop towel and its pretty black compared to the new rear o2 sensors that aren''t even covered in any sort of soot.

changed the f2 8 fuse again just for good measure

codes returned - p1130 p1131 p1150 p1151

obd 2 scan voltage results

next step is checking the fuel filter - I will clean it out and see whats inside. replacing if needed.

replaced fuel filter, it didn't feel clogged but still had nasty residue on the inside.
also here is the old pcv valve
disconnected the battery for reset

results: edit: - p1151 p1131 codes popped up instantly
idle was fine but I didn't run the car very long.

oh I also sprayed carb cleaner around the engine bay - no different in rpm or engine noise when doing this..

ordered new o2 sensors and pcv valve hoses

installed new o2 sensors
p1151 is the only code left
I revved the car once or twice very little after a couple of mins of warming up and engine turned off

I have a 5qt oil pan, is 5.5q too much? I am guessing at this point - oil overfill is the only thing I can think of besides the EGR.. I don't know.

bad cylinder/fuel injectors would be my second guess..I think It has to be something I changed or done. hmm. I'll remove .5 of a quart tonight or tomorrow morning.

final update for a while
removed oil
idle is fine
p1151 code is still active revving the car didn't make it die, and still struggling to keep idle after rev.

I will remove spark plugs and see if there is oil, maybe I installed the valve cover gaskets wrong and there is a leak I can't see.
Brake booster is something people say to check out so I'll look into that too.

Anyways back tracking as far as I feel like and I will probably get a smoke test on the car to find any leaks/just give this thing to someone with better equipped tools to find whats wrong.

Anyways peace

well short break ended sooner then I thought.

What I did in this short amount of time:
Ordered and installed a new OEM PCV valve hose
Ordered and used EVAP smoke machine
Checked the MAF readings carefully on OBD2 Scanner tool
installed new windshield cowl ( not important )

Smoke test - didn't find any leaks and plugging up some hoses with aluminum tape didn't help either. However I noticed a little bit of smoke and I mean A LITTLE coming from the top of the EGR valve.

Removed the EGR Valve and inspected it. Gasket is shredded however no leaks from that.. I think. I noticed that the metal line going from the EGR to the header was loose - like I removed it with my hand. hmm..
Cleaned it with carb/choke cleaner
Reinstalled and made sure to snug everything back up.

Ran the car for 6-7mins (recorded this)

IDLE is at 1000RPM
Reving the car brings it down to 750-1K area and stabilizes like it should again. This is great! It isn't dying like before or engine shaking.

P1151 Code is still active - I didn't delete it or take off battery so that's normal.

I am letting the car cool down right now before I reset the code and run it again and hopefully the code doesn't come back immediately.

Lastly - I have a friend who works at a dealership. He gave me permission to access his network. The biggest thing with P1151 code is that the MAF sensor went bad and sometimes the PCV valve is bad too. As for vacuum leaks - not so much. So lastly I kept a good eye on the MAF sensor reading on my OBD2 scanner. As I rev the car up the number increases and as the engine decelerates it goes back down. So It is working correctly. (I think)

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Pictures are of changes and current amount of smoke from exhaust (thin and very little amount) (laughable amount but it is there) before it would be a lot more almost like being next to someone smoking a cigarette. I can guess maybe the fumes from the valve covers weren't being removed fast enough? or maybe the egr has something to do with that? I don't know.

The smoke is something I will keep a eye on - coolant levels/oil levels - it could be oil or coolant being burnt or dripped into the cylinders. I still haven't looked at the spark plugs. I am hoping to get this code cleared and removed for good before doing that if possible.

Later this afternoon I will find out if the code is gone for good or if I have a bigger battle awaiting me still.

back to square one

P1131
p1151

MAF sits at 4.9 - 5.0 g.s at idle

car didn't die when revving

whitish smoke (doesn't pick up well on camera)
liquid under the exhaust and very minimal on idle but a fine mist when revving but not when holding the idle at like 2-3k there is no real smoke coming out.


Going to have to inspect the spark plugs, maybe I will find oil/coolant in there.
Depending on how that goes Intake manifold removal would be good to do to see whats going on in there..
REDOING a smoke test, I will need to find a way to block off the throttle bodies and some of the hoses so no smoke leaks from them and ruins the test.
There is a pcv valve on the passenger side valve cover and there is a black fitting on the driver side, I never replaced the black fitting, could that change anything?
removing and reinstalling valve covers. ( only if I get smoke coming out from there ) so that will wait.
EGR stuck? maybe time for a replacement?
EGR Control solenoid
Maf sensor is bad - replacement?
injectors - professionally tested? - by Injector RX

Lastly compression test.. maybe the head gasket is bad and the coolant going into the cylinder from that is causing the codes? I didn't find anyone saying that this would cause the codes - and I don't have huge coolant loss if any I can tell but now I am starting to think that is more and more likely.

I don't know if I want to tackle a job like that. Having to remove the headers is my only complaint. Which I think has to be done to remove the heads so I may find a mechanic to do this and possibly do a engine swap if the cylinders are bad or who knows maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself. If I do a engine swap I may try it myself, can't damage something that is already damaged right?

EGR valve tested, does not leak fluid when closed and under pressure it will open.

I am checking the spark plugs and I notice how dirty the inside of the spark plug well is, dirt and small residue but no coolant or oil. I haven't removed them as I will try to clean as much as possible to keep things clean.

The coil plugs or whatever they are called - some are rusty/corroded/burnt looking?

Maybe my obd2 sucks and isn't detecting a misfire which then adds more fuel and thus thinking it is running lean I don't know but by the looks of the spark plug area I am going to just take a wild guess and say the injectors are probably bad too and or need a good cleaning.


I am going to get my compressor and get a towel and clean a little bit more before removing the spark plugs. I will probably remove the injectors and get the intake manifold off as well to inspect before sunset.

There is no coolant leaking into any of the ports/spark plug holes
Spark plugs are not wet but are super black - Carbon deposit? - ??

So picture this, standing in front of the front bumper and removing the passenger side fuel rail. The far back injector (4) closest to fire fall comes out. Gushing fuel out. I clean it as best as I can and put a rag under to get as much fuel.

Injector fell out. It was loose considering I removed the driver side and no injector fell out. Maybe it just happens.

Moving along - Intake manifold gets removed - so again picture this in the same way - the passenger side intake manifold gasket farthest from you (closest to fire wall) comes out but no other gasket is moved from its position. Loose gasket? Maybe or again just a coincidence.

Not sure where to move from here since I expected to find coolant everywhere lol.

Don't know if this is good or bad.

I will order new spark plugs, coils and gaskets.I will consider changing the thermostat and water pump too. I will also have to flush the system and get new coolant.

The injectors are dirty externally, nothing blocking the little holes though that I can see. I think I should get them tested and cleaned if still usable.

Anyone out there know whats up?

615 - 175g gasket is the one I need from the info on the intake, however I have to order from a website I am not familiar with. Anyone know if 615 - 175 GA is the replacement gasket for the 615 - 175g?

pictures below of gasket, no gasket on the engine side though. I guess that is how it is though.

cleaned intake manifold
cleaned mating surface
cleaned injectors - externally (tested with flat head - do tick consistently)
new intake manifold gaskets
new thermostat o ring seal - clean surface on hose side
new coil packs and spark plugs
coolant res. cleaned
cleaned maf
cleaned tb
charged battery

added about 1-2 gallons of distilled water and let engine warm up - car had noticeable amount of less "smoke" out of exhaust at idle.
Idle is now under 1K but higher then 750RPM for sure.

P1150, P1151, P1152 active.

revving produces the smoke from exhaust (not thick cloudy white) and doesn't stabilize like it should after the rev.

- Going to perform a head gasket leak test and another smoke test this Thursday afternoon

Result : Passed

Currently still has : smoke ( not cloudy white )
Liquid puddle from exhaust - doesn't look like moisture build up, doesn't taste like coolant to me.. smells like it kind of... - could be left over coolant from manifold leak which I DIDN'T find?
Idle is fine
P1150 P1151 P1152

Thoughts: Injector leaking = more gas/ not enough air = codes / smoke burning in exhaust? Doesn't explain liquid under car exhaust though.

Leftover manifold leak / car burning off old coolant?

Coolant level not dropping?

mhmm this is a possessed car

I did another combustion test and still nothing.
I did a fuel pressure test at the fuel rail and the results are

: steady 29-30PSI at start
revving pushes it to 40 and drops to 20-25 area and then comes back to 29-30 when idle is found.
turned off car and held 28-30 psi for over 5mins

revving the car dropped the psi way too low and shows that the car is having a fueling issue. The PSI should be holding at 28+

So I think its fuel related but lets hold up because I also found something else.

I purchased a circuit tester and found fuses that are not lighting up when in contact.

f2.4 headlamp right
f2.10 headlamp left
f2.6 starter relay / radio
f2.35 PCM /ect
f2.38 cluster /ect
f2.41 multifunction switch/etc

my radio works, my cluster works, my headlights work everything works
hmm?

Wiring issue?
fuel issue?

replacing the fuses didn't change anything. I may buy new ones to see if that changes it but I doubt it.

P1132 added to P1150 P1151 P1152

ordered new replacement for the fuel pump, see if that changes anything

also anyone know if replacing the 21lb injectors with 24lbs is ok?

All good, for the most part I knew this build was a solo one lol. Thank you for the answer.

This car has had o2 wiring fixed from a shop before.
Checked the wiring and it looks fine to me.
As for the wiring on the fuse box it looks good but I didn't dig into it.

I think since everything works on the car its going to be fuel related and hopefully that eliminates the idle and revving issue and maybe even a few codes.

More testing for me. Quite a learning experience.

MattMan02GT said:

You're going to be a flipping New edge expert by the time you're done with this car lol. How many miles are on the body? It doesn't seem crazy that it could be the fuel pump if the car can't keep up with the throttle and depending how many miles are on it, it could be time for a new one.

Click to expand...

141 somethin miles
I thought he replaced it but he didn't change the pump. I think that issue will be solved with a new pump.

Although the car is passing combustion tests, I may end up changing the engine or head gaskets by the end of all this and I may have enough qualifications to apply for a lube tech job at the dealer. lol