• Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech

Help! 2003 GT misfire when hot

  • Thread starter Thread starter Modular03
  • Start date Start date Feb 10, 2026
  • Tags Tags
    4.6 2v misfire
M

Modular03

New Member
Feb 10, 2026
2
0
1
San Antonio TX
Feb 10, 2026
#1
  • Feb 10, 2026
  • #1
Hey guys, I need y’all’s help. I have a 2003 GT, mostly stock. Cold air and x pipe with flow masters. “ small exhaust leak driver side manifold.” I’ve been having a hard time trying to troubleshoot a intermittent misfire on cylinder 1&5. The car runs like a champ when I first drive it, but after 20 mins of running it starts to misfire. I already changed the intake manifold, coil packs, spark plugs, swapped injectors. EGR valve, one O2 sensor. Checked for vacuum leaks, and checked wiring. My buddy ran his scanner to monitor the cars vitals, and both the O2 sensors on the driver side are reading funky? Maybe causing the cylinders to misfire? I also greased up the coil packs and spark plugs with electronic lube stuff. What do y’all think? Also when the car is idling after it starts misfiring it has a extremely rough idle. Oh and I also replaced the crank sensor.
 

gkomo

now i can hopefully expect to receive the shaft
Aug 2, 2024
2,152
1,398
133
San Diego, CA
Feb 10, 2026
#2
  • Feb 10, 2026
  • #2
What do you mean the drivers side O2 sensor(s) are reading funky?
 
M

Modular03

New Member
Feb 10, 2026
2
0
1
San Antonio TX
Feb 10, 2026
#3
  • Feb 10, 2026
  • #3
gkomo said:
What do you mean the drivers side O2 sensor(s) are reading funky?
Click to expand...
Yes
 
C

ctandc

5 Year Member
Oct 28, 2017
71
57
28
Feb 11, 2026
#4
  • Feb 11, 2026
  • #4
Make sure the intake manifold isn't cracked JUST enough to leak a bit of coolant when hot and run down into the spark well well and cause a misfire. Seen that on more than one. Many times the heat will even cook it off and you won't see any coolant. Got a sweet smell under the hood? It's worth a check.
 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell
Mod Dude
Feb 18, 2001
43,231
17,913
224
Massachusetts
Feb 13, 2026
#5
  • Feb 13, 2026
  • #5
Pull the plugs on those cylinders, do they look clean? I wonder if you have coolant intrusion from the manifold being that it's both front cylinders. Do you smell antifreeze from the exhaust?

A compression test wouldn't hurt but what i'd do here is swap components around and see if the misfire follows. Swap the fuel injectors to a different cylinder, and swap the coils and spark plugs to another pair of cylinders.

If the issue keeps coming back to 1/5 you have a problem mechanically. Coolant can cause erratic O2 readings, but you didn't elaborate what those readings were.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Misfire at high rpm! Help
  • Ryanm2018gt
  • Jan 2, 2026
  • 2015 - 2023 (S550) Mustang -General/Talk
Replies
9
Views
912
2015 - 2023 (S550) Mustang -General/Talk Jan 17, 2026
highplace11
H
A
Check Engine codes jumping around
  • azactor
  • Jan 9, 2026
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
Replies
1
Views
173
1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk- Jan 10, 2026
gkomo
A
Rough idle - cylinder 1 and 6 misfire HELP
  • austindavies935
  • Jul 24, 2025
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Replies
12
Views
671
SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech Jul 24, 2025
gkomo
Engine Misfire below 3K RPM
  • foxbodyclark
  • May 25, 2025
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
Replies
19
Views
881
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech May 31, 2025
General karthief
K
Engine 2000 Mustang GT - Fuel issue post-blown spark plug repair
  • kenster1092
  • Feb 26, 2026
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Replies
4
Views
328
SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech Mar 10, 2026
kenster1092
K
Share:
Bluesky Email Share Link
  • Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Menu
Log in

Register

  • Forums
  • What's new
  • Media
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?

X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?