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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 1994 - 1995 Specific Tech

car dies and idles hard need help asap!

  • Thread starter Thread starter bmfisk05
  • Start date Start date Aug 7, 2011
B

bmfisk05

New Member
Aug 6, 2011
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Aug 7, 2011
#1
  • Aug 7, 2011
  • #1
so here's the deal i just purchased a 1995 mustang gt 5.0. It's my first mustang i've ever owned and am happy that i bought it. but i just recently did a tune up on the car with a new distributor cap and rotor, new plug wires, new plugs which are gapped correctly, new maf, new iac. and the car now goes over the 3000 rpm limit that it was having trouble going over before but now the car dies after it gets warm and when driving down the road. Basically it dies when i take it out of gear and put it in neutral and hit the brakes.... could this be a vacuum issue? or could it be something else? o and i've replaced the o2 sensors already. i bought the car as a project car and now i'm running into some problems. please add any advice if you can think of what this might be. thanks for any help i appreciate it.
 

99FiveOh

15 Year Member
May 20, 2006
2,051
20
99
J-Ville, FL
Aug 7, 2011
#2
  • Aug 7, 2011
  • #2
So you did the tune up and replaced parts to fix the fact that it wouldn't rev past 3k RPM. But was it stalling out before you performed the tune up and other repairs?
 

toyman

10 Year Member
Jul 19, 2007
1,944
54
79
Vernon BC
Aug 7, 2011
#3
  • Aug 7, 2011
  • #3
A couple of thinks to consider. Check the battery to engine and chassis grounds. Remove them and clean the surfaces. Grounds are critical for the various sensor inputs to the PCM. Next I would purchase one of these for $30.

Save on Equus 3145 at ToolTopia.com

It's an essential tool that will pay for itself many times.

On the fuel side you should replace the filter and confirm the pressure at the fuel rail. You didn't say if you replaced the air filter so that needs to be done.

There are a couple of important sensors, such as the AIT. PIP and ECT, that will affect performance. Here's where the OBDI code reader comes in. You need to see what the PCM is seeing from these sensor inputs.

The solution isn't throwing parts at the problem until it's fixed.
 
B

bmfisk05

New Member
Aug 6, 2011
3
0
0
Aug 7, 2011
#4
  • Aug 7, 2011
  • #4
yea i changed the air filter and the fuel filter the gauges the guy that i bought the car from had installed gauges on the car before i purchased it so i can see my fuel is sitting pretty level and my oil pressure will eventuall drop below 20 when it's idling and not in gear. i replaced all the parts because the guy said it would need a tune up soon and the deeper i dug the more stuff i found wrong, the maf was causing the computer to not let the car go above the 3k line on the tach, and now when i drive the car for a lengthy period of time it started dieing when the brake pedal was touched, and thanks for the info i'll look into buying the scan tools i need. like i said this is a project car and i needed a start point to get it running right first. so thanks for the info about the scan tool i need one obv. but as of right now it's been a replace and eliminate strat. which has been draining lol, but at least i know those parts should be good now. the iac, maf, distrubitor cap and rotor, wires, plugs, fuel filter, 02 sensors shouldn't give me problems. but i'll look into buying a scanner tonight. tomorrow the car is going into the shop near me to test for vacuum leaks. any more info is appreciated. thanks.
 

toyman

10 Year Member
Jul 19, 2007
1,944
54
79
Vernon BC
Aug 7, 2011
#5
  • Aug 7, 2011
  • #5
Fuel pressure pretty level = what?? It's the pressure that's important. You want to see the KOEO pressure 40 - 44 and KOER 36-40. Only you can see the gauge. Keep in mind that new parts aren't always good parts. There is always a factory failure rate so you need to keep this in the back of your mind when the diagnoses points back to a "new" part.
 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
31,179
34
129
Aug 8, 2011
#6
  • Aug 8, 2011
  • #6
Richard is right about needing to pull codes sooner than later.

In case you end up tweaking the idle to accommodate the issue till it can be fixed:

Mustang Basic Maintenance and Technical Articles
 
B

bmfisk05

New Member
Aug 6, 2011
3
0
0
Aug 8, 2011
#7
  • Aug 8, 2011
  • #7
thanks richard all this makes sense i'm just really bummed because i have to wait for the scanner to get here and now i'm a little hesitant to drive the car lol. the guy that had it before me had no idea what he was doing from what i can see so now i'm just trying to get everything back to stock so it runs smooth so i can start doing some body work. thanks guys for all the help so far. and what are/do the two KOEO and KOER that you are talking about? need it in lamen terms right now so i understand clearly. thanks again. i'll check back tomorrow for any new info.
 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
31,179
34
129
Aug 8, 2011
#8
  • Aug 8, 2011
  • #8
FWIW, if you'd looked at the link above, you'd have seen info about pulling codes as well. You only need a paperclip or jumper wire.

KOEO = Key On Engine Off.
KOER = Key On Engine Running.

Checking your Ford Mustang computer codes
 
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