Can't Figure Out What's Wrong... Please Help !

MG89

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Aug 20, 2016
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My Mustang has been running like crap lately, rough idle and fuel consumption been going down the drain. Last week, I decided to install a K&N filter and a C&L MAF housing. I thought it would help the engine breath better and might help with the issues I had been having. When I took the car out for a drive things quickly worsened at a red light. Suddenly the engine felt like it wasn't running on all cylinders, the whole car started shaking, smoke went out the tail pipes and a very strong and unpleasant odor of unburnt fuel. When the light turned green I tried to pull over the nearest parking lot. The car would jitter back and forth and there were backfires out the exhaust.

Fast forward to this weekend...

Here are the things I have done :

- Rubber manifold intake elbow and throttle body were full of gunk and oil so I cleaned both.
- Cleaned the IAT and MAF sensors with MAF cleaner as well.
- Removed the rubber hose from the intake elbow to the valve cover which was worn out, capped the elbow and put a breather on valve cover instead.
- PCV valve wasn't even in the lower manifold anymore, the vacuum hose was hanging loose behind the engine and the PCV mesh filter was clogged with dirt and sludge. Cleaned the PCV filter, replaced the PCV valve and rubber grommet with new ones.
- Redid the IAT/MAF harness after I found out it had been modified by previous owner...

- Oil change, transmission oil change, sparkplugs were done last summer
- Fuel pump and fill gasket was changed a couple hundred miles ago

And here are the things I have noticed but haven't got around to fix yet :

- Noticed the vacuum hose from the charcoal vapor canister to the canister purge valve is rotted and all cracked. Haven't gotten around to replace yet. (looks like I need to removed the fender to access the charcoal vapor canister??)
- Cap & rotor needs replacing asap, the posts are corroded. Will be done tomorrow.
- Timing might need to be redone. Will be done tomorrow.

Now I've been trying to find just what the hell is going on with the car. It starts and idle good but then after a few minutes out of nowhere the engine starts acting up like there's a cam with loping idle inside, crazy amount of white with a tint of blue smoke blows out the tail pipe and it worsen the longer you let it idle until the car slowly dies.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gotOMPCkWgc



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDdab8OYbbA
 
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I'm having a real hard time reading the codes, I understand you need to count the number of time it flashes but I just can't seem to wrap my head around it thus why I posted the video. If someone would be so kind as to read the codes from the video I would greatly appreciate.
 
I'm having a real hard time reading the codes, I understand you need to count the number of time it flashes but I just can't seem to wrap my head around it thus why I posted the video. If someone would be so kind as to read the codes from the video I would greatly appreciate.


They are grouped as 3 digit codes, so ignore the initial 4 blinks, and pair the codes in groups of 3's about midway through the video. 172, 136, then they repeat, 172, 136

Those are O2 sensor - lean codes

Vacuum leaks can cause these codes, so definitely get to repairing that charcoal canister line


In the future, buying this makes code reading so much easier

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ino-3145?seid=srese2&cm_mmc=pla-msn-_-shopping-_-srese2-_-innova
 
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They are grouped as 3 digit codes, so ignore the initial 4 blinks, and pair the codes in groups of 3's about midway through the video. 172, 136, then they repeat, 172, 136

Those are O2 sensor - lean codes

Vacuum leaks can cause these codes, so definitely get to repairing that charcoal canister line


In the future, buying this makes code reading so much easier

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ino-3145?seid=srese2&cm_mmc=pla-msn-_-shopping-_-srese2-_-innova
If i have a 95 v6 it should be OBDII right? Haven't found a clear answer on that yet, sorry for hopping on OPs thread