Signs of worn out mustang
1. Does it burn tons of oil? 1 quart per 3k is acceptable
2. smoke from tailpipes?
3. can it idle smooth? The best test I think. Idle is a very finicky thing.
4. Does it still have power or does it detonate/diesel/ping
Run some seafoam through the motor and oil and flush the cooling system and you'll add quite a bit of life to the car. These motors can easily go 200K +
1. Does it burn tons of oil? 1 quart per 3k is acceptable
2. smoke from tailpipes?
3. can it idle smooth? The best test I think. Idle is a very finicky thing.
4. Does it still have power or does it detonate/diesel/ping
Run some seafoam through the motor and oil and flush the cooling system and you'll add quite a bit of life to the car. These motors can easily go 200K +
I got 197,200 miles on my stock engine. I just had it rebuilt. The bearings were just about shot, but all else was in great shape. I changed my oil and kept it tuned right constantly. So all things being equal, you should have some mileage left. A compression test will go a long way towards telling you the exact shape. You'll need a guage for that. If you can change your spark plugs, you can do the test. Its fairly straightforward.
$30 at sears. It threads into the spark plug hole, has a hose and a guage at the end.
Bring the engine to operating temperature then stop it. Pull the 8 plugs out. Prop the throttle open and disconnect the coil wire. Thread into each cylinder in turn and crank it till the pressure stops rising....like 5-6 turnovers.
All 8 should be really close to eachother, 10% at most and 140-180 psi. If one seems low, pour a spoon of oil into the cylinder and try again. If the psi goes up, its the rings.
For coolant...check the thermostat. Otherwise.....did you ever use radiator sealer? That will wreck your radiator fast. Coats the inside with aluminum (I think) and then it will chronically overheat. Favor water in the cooling mix, like 60/40 or even 70/30. Use radiator flush goop then run the motor for a day or two then dump the fluid. That 10 minutes they say dont do anything.
Bring the engine to operating temperature then stop it. Pull the 8 plugs out. Prop the throttle open and disconnect the coil wire. Thread into each cylinder in turn and crank it till the pressure stops rising....like 5-6 turnovers.
All 8 should be really close to eachother, 10% at most and 140-180 psi. If one seems low, pour a spoon of oil into the cylinder and try again. If the psi goes up, its the rings.
For coolant...check the thermostat. Otherwise.....did you ever use radiator sealer? That will wreck your radiator fast. Coats the inside with aluminum (I think) and then it will chronically overheat. Favor water in the cooling mix, like 60/40 or even 70/30. Use radiator flush goop then run the motor for a day or two then dump the fluid. That 10 minutes they say dont do anything.
Check the clutch fan. Typical for overheating when it is stopped. Also, don't trust the factory guage. Had a friend chase down and replace ALOT of cooling things (water pump, radiator, etc.) just to find out it was a bad ground somewhere in the engine compartment which 'threw' the guage was WAY off. I installed an autometer guage for him and all was fine after I also replaced the clutch fan.
Jason
Jason
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