NEED HELP BAD

[xsackajewieax]

Alright . so i have a 1990 mustang gt , which has been to 4 different mechanics and im about 3k in the hole . ANY help at all would be VERY greatful .
Problem started about 8 months ago driving down the high way. out of no were car starts studdering and a second later power will be there again and the car will repeat this . now it got so bad i will drive down the highway and tach will jump and car will start popping backfiring and just shut off unless i trun key to crank position . I replaced igntion switch, stater cylionde, fuel pump relay, fuel pump was tested with gauge on the rail and pressure didnt drop , all wires were looked at , distrb. was tested and is fine . This problem is driving me crazy Please Any help would be awsome Thanks

 

[Fett]

What do you mean the distributor tested fine? How did you test it?

Have you pulled your plugs and looked at them? Is it a power loss problem or is it a bucking problem? In other words, does the car actually lose power or does it just jump? You can also look at EGR, sometimes it can have an odd effect on how the car reacts.

Start with pulling the plugs and inspecting them. What color are the tips? Any visible cracks in the porcelin? Are they fouled or gapped out? Then for crapps and giggles, try unplugging the vac line to the EGR. Take the vac line and stick it on one of the studs that mounts the AC accumulator, this will keep you from having a vac leak while you test it. With the vac line disconnected from the EGR, take it for a spin and see what happens.

Start there and see what you come up with.

 

[jrichker]

Dump the codes and see what the computer says is wrong…Codes may be present in the computer even if the Check Engine light isn’t on.

Here's the link to dump the computer codes with only a jumper wire or paper clip and the check engine light, or test light or voltmeter. I’ve used it for years, and it works great.

See http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/
OR
See http://www.mustangworks.com/articles/electronics/eec-iv_codes.html

IF your car is an 86-88 stang, you'll have to use the test lamp or voltmeter method. There is no functional check engine light on the 86-88's except possibly the Cali Mass Air cars.

Codes have different answers if the engine is running from the answers that it has when the engine isn't running. It helps a lot to know if you had the engine running when you ran the test.

Trouble codes are either 2 digit or 3 digit, there are no cars that use both 2 digit codes and 3 digit codes.

For those who are intimidated by all the wires & connections, see http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16153 for what a typical hand scanner looks like. Normal retail price is about $30 or so at AutoZone or Wal-Mart.

Or for a nicer scanner see http://www.midwayautosupply.com/pc-7208-90-equus-digital-ford-code-reader-3145.aspx – It has a 3 digit LCD display so that you don’t have to count flashes or beeps.. Cost is $30.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

If you're testing the distributor while cold, often times it will pass with flying colors. The TFI sounds like the likely culprit here as they're usually fine when cold, but crap out as they heat up when they're going bad. It could also be the stator/PIP in the distributor. Take jrichker's advice and pull the codes since you may find something that was out of spec, but not by enough to yet trigger the check engine light. You may find an easy solution that way, rather than continually throwing parts at it until it solves the problem. By the way, welcome to :SNSign:

 

[JUCD 5.0]

Check to make sure your battery is connected really good and TIGHT. I had a smiliar problem a long time ago. I was driving along and it started shuddering and poping, i was like WT F? Yah it turned out my battery cable was loose, simple problem and easy fix.

 

[dragnazz5.0]

any particular conditions that this happens in? like it only happens when it rains or when its really hot?

pull the codes like jrichker said and we can go from there. if there are no codes than its going to be tough to figure out especially since its an intermittent problem

 

[xsackajewieax]

Thanks to Everyone for all the help , The car loses power when it studders then the power will just kick back in . now i cant get it even a block from my house before the car will just start backfiring and just shut off . when the car dies i hold the key in crank position and it will run perfect until i drop the key , sometimes it will jsut die and other times it will go for a little more . Now car seem to be doing it only when hot . heating up . when it first happend it could be cold , nice out , raining didnt matter. The check engine light will come on then go off then come back on and go off when ever .battery cables were replaced and are tight. i put brand new autolite plugs in it and have close to new plug wires. there arent any emisions on my car , no cats ,air pump , smog pump . brand new egr valve , it made the car run worse . when i first bought the car the vacume lines werent even hooked up. after problem started , 1st mechanic replaced all of them . thanks again for all the help

 

[Mustang78]

have someone check how much vacuum you're pulling, or make some friends in the mechanic industry, lol

~Mark~

 

[RsStanG1987]

ignore i diddnt read the first post all the way..