• Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 V6 Mustang Tech

New '03 seems a little sluggish

  • Thread starter Thread starter stangman92gt
  • Start date Start date Feb 17, 2011

stangman92gt

Founding Member
Sep 18, 2000
1,074
0
0
Albertville Al.
Feb 17, 2011
#1
  • Feb 17, 2011
  • #1
Hey all:

I bought my first Mustang in 5 years a couple weeks ago, a 2003 V6 5spd with 131,000 on it.

Over all it's a very solid Mustang and it runs well most of the time.

However, going through the gears it seems a little sluggish and down on power. Not sluggish as compared to a V8 but compared to a '99 automatic V6 my friend has.

Under load it seems like it's almost trying to miss and in fact it DOES misfire once, every now and then, always under load. It also has a brief hesitation when rolling on the gas quickly..not all the time but most of the time.

The only other symptom is that it stalled once when I pushed the clutch in to stop..out of the blue.

Otherwise it starts and cruises fine. Doesn't miss at idle or run rich or anything it shouldn't. NO Service Engine light illumination after start.

What's puzzling is that it just had plugs and (cheapo)wires done, plus a coil pack. The previous owner couldn't really describe what it was doing other than misfiring.

I checked the air filter and while it's not new, it wasn't plugged.

It does have a pretty badly cracked exhaust manifold and I'm sure that's not helping.I'm planning to thoroughly tune it up again(plugs, Motorcraft wires, air and fuel filters and possibly o2 sensors) when I replace the manifold.

I'm just wondering of there's something particular about these V6s that make them susceptible to running weird because of the brand or type of tune up stuff.

Any ideas are welcome, thanks!
 

stangman92gt

Founding Member
Sep 18, 2000
1,074
0
0
Albertville Al.
Feb 17, 2011
#2
  • Feb 17, 2011
  • #2
I know..I know..go get a Chilton manual

Back in the day I could tune a 5.0 with the best of them. I'll get this taken care of in a flash.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Help! 2003 GT misfire when hot
  • Modular03
  • Feb 10, 2026
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Replies
4
Views
391
SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech Feb 13, 2026
Mustang5L5
I
98 Mustang GT dying
  • ItsMason
  • May 14, 2026
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
Replies
3
Views
123
1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk- Jun 25, 2026
lenzgt
L
M
01 mustang 3.8 fuel pressure issue
  • Mhaley2006
  • May 29, 2026
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
Replies
0
Views
149
1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk- May 29, 2026
Mhaley2006
M
S
Fox '87 GT can't get to stay running
  • spilly
  • Mar 29, 2026
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 2
Replies
27
Views
811
1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk- Jun 20, 2026
spilly
S
2
Electrical mayhem
  • 2000ElectricGreen
  • Mar 13, 2026
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
Replies
2
Views
276
1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk- Mar 24, 2026
2000ElectricGreen
2
Share:
Bluesky Email Share Link
  • Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 V6 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?