03 GT tune-up?

[No.Morning.Sun]

I bought my 2003 mustang GT about three weeks ago. It seemed to run pretty well for a car that is 8 years old with over 100K on it. then i started noticing things.
I know im gonna catch hell for this but here we go. the car drove pretty good till one day it started sputtering in first when I take off and some in second. I just felt like it didnt want to move and it would kinda "gurgle" for a second and the it would get up. Then one morning I drove it to work in the rain. someone cut me off, and out of anger I sped past them to beat them to the gate. my SERVICE ENGINE SOON light immediately comes on. if figured o2 sensor no biggie but my little problem started getting worse and more frequent. I open the air box AND THERE WAS NO AIR FILTER!!!! I know I should checked right away...im an idiot.
HMMMM? must be contaminated fuel. So I put in one of those K&N replacement filters, ran a fuel treatment, and replaced my fuel filter (The autozone brand cuz they didnt have motorcraft). the problem continued, so today I cleaned the mass airflow sensor. i think it may be running a little better but the problem happens off and on so Im not sure if its solved or not.
I am looking at replacing the plugs, and checking the vacuum hose. a friend said something about "timing" being off. Is that something that they adjust with a tune-up? can I do it myself with a 63 piece tool set a Chilton's manual and very little know how? Is there anything else I should be looking at to solve this issue?

BTW: I use real gas with no ethanol and I have already changed the oil and oil filter. Valvoline Max Life blend (afraid to use synthetic cuz of the mileage) and Motorcraft filter

 

[miss2slocoupe]

well giving it a tune should help, with it being over 100k who know if the perivous owner did that... being there was no filter... but timing is a big part on how the car runs... if the timing is off, it can cause it to run very rich or skip... do those tune ups and timing and update us

 

[duff daddy]

well giving it a tune should help, with it being over 100k who know if the perivous owner did that... being there was no filter... but timing is a big part on how the car runs... if the timing is off, it can cause it to run very rich or skip... do those tune ups and timing and update us

Im not trying to be mean but please dont give technical advise if you dont konw what your talking about.



Did you pull a fault code to see why the light was on. Assuming it was related to the air filter is well and good but we all know that light can come on for more then 1 reason. Get the fault codes and we will go from there. As far as the air filter missing, yes its not ideal to get unfiltered air into the intake, cylinder heads and engine where particals can score, damage and lodge in different parts or areas. The fuel injector cleaner really does very little as a dump in cleaner, you would need a high pressure cleaner which is used at the back of the rails then cleans the tips of the injectors much more efficiently then the "dump in". Please understand we all try to work on our cars. Some people have more knowledge then others, and some people are better off enjoying the sport and having others either instruct on how to repair/or pay for the repair. It may actually end up saving you money in the long run.

As I said, first off, get the fault codes and we will work from there.

 

[No.Morning.Sun]

i had the code read at autozone it was o2 sensor, so the guy turned it off and it hasnt returned. I have some knowledge of cars from doing simple jobs and PMCS on the trucks in the motor pool. part of the reason I bought the car was to learn how to work on mustangs, i thoroughly enjoy it. Only one way to learn and that is to get dirty in my opinion. However im not gonna jump right into something very technical at my level.

anyway...so it wouldn't be the timing?

 

[vermilion]

with the filter missing you potentially sucked up some crap in the intake to your a/f mixture. your o2 sensor tripped the code. whichever bank detected the affected miss you may have fouled plugs. i recommend getting a quality filter and change spark plugs. timing is out of the picture unless some mod work was done instantaneously in the rain. if you have a tuner or wideband you could also measure the stoichness in the o2 sensor.

 

[miss2slocoupe]

Im not trying to be mean but please dont give technical advise if you dont konw what your talking about.



Did you pull a fault code to see why the light was on. Assuming it was related to the air filter is well and good but we all know that light can come on for more then 1 reason. Get the fault codes and we will go from there. As far as the air filter missing, yes its not ideal to get unfiltered air into the intake, cylinder heads and engine where particals can score, damage and lodge in different parts or areas. The fuel injector cleaner really does very little as a dump in cleaner, you would need a high pressure cleaner which is used at the back of the rails then cleans the tips of the injectors much more efficiently then the "dump in". Please understand we all try to work on our cars. Some people have more knowledge then others, and some people are better off enjoying the sport and having others either instruct on how to repair/or pay for the repair. It may actually end up saving you money in the long run.

As I said, first off, get the fault codes and we will work from there.

not trying to be mean... but its called just trying to be nice and help out... you should try it some time

 

[reivaxtorres]

anyway...so it wouldn't be the timing?

no one has said it directly, but no, it wouldnt be the timing. timing on our cars is controlled by the computer, and is not adjustable unless you modify the engine components.

which o2 sensor code was pulled? if it was in regards to the p0430 or p0420, then its irrelevant to your car issues since these codes are for the rear o2 sensors, and are there to monitor the effectiveness of the catalytic converters. if its the lean/rich code (cant remember the exact codes) then its in regards to the front o2 sensors and its its relevant to your issue.

do what every one has mentioned and get new plugs for your car. with 100k miles on a used car, you dont know when the least time they were done, or even if they have been done. good thing to do anyways, even if its not needed (start you off on a clean slate deal). also....when you do the plugs, check to make sure the coils (black things sitting on top of the spark plugs) are dry, and that there isnt any water in the spark plug chambers.

 

[No.Morning.Sun]

good deal thanks to everyone who posted, im gonna order some Motorcraft plugs from American Muscle.

 

[vermilion]

i recommend ngk tr6s

 

[bigkeeko]

well giving it a tune should help, with it being over 100k who know if the perivous owner did that... being there was no filter... but timing is a big part on how the car runs... if the timing is off, it can cause it to run very rich or skip... do those tune ups and timing and update us

Holy fuck.

 

[miss2slocoupe]

Holy fuck.

i wasnt saying that his car needed the timing fixed.... i was just saying what it does to cars like mine if its off

 

[D3VST8R96GT]

...im an idiot.

well theres your problem ....


lets pull your plugs today and check em all out

 

[No.Morning.Sun]

well theres your problem ....


lets pull your plugs today and check em all out

jumping king of good ideas batman!

 

[joekd]

i wasnt saying that his car needed the timing fixed.... i was just saying what it does to cars like mine if its off

But you forgot to realize that he has a 03 GT which has no distributor like your 95 would, it's all computer controlled so no way for it to be adjusted simply

 

[vermilion]

Mod motors = no dist or pushrods. Now mmr has a distributor set for 4v. Miss2slo catch up with us.... Back on subject please.. check condition of plugs and wires. Check for maf gasket leaking. The screws back out.

 

[No.Morning.Sun]

well theres your problem ....<br>
<br>
<br>
lets pull your plugs today and check em all out

<br><br>jumping king of good ideas batman!<br>

 

[miss2slocoupe]

But you forgot to realize that he has a 03 GT which has no distributor like your 95 would, it's all computer controlled so no way for it to be adjusted simply

i know.... i was just kind of stating what timing did, i just didnt state that he doesnt need to worry about this with his car..

Mod motors = no dist or pushrods. Now mmr has a distributor set for 4v. Miss2slo catch up with us.... Back on subject please.. check condition of plugs and wires. Check for maf gasket leaking. The screws back out.

like i just stated... i was just saying what timing does, i guess in a way saying he doesnt need to worry about that with his car.... my bad

 

[vermilion]

Im trying to help educate you to educate others. Mod motors electronically pull time through pcm via spark and fuel vacuum.

 

[g36 monkey]

My tuner told me they also pull timing when AIT gets really high.

Either way, pull those plugs and change them, cheap easy good maintenance (lucky modular guys)

As already stated check for liquid, etc. How long did you drive it without a filter? If you are saying the problem keeps occuring is the check engine light, then change the o2 sensors. They probably haven't been done yet, and at 100k miles it not a bad idea. Get motor craft ones. I got bosch ones and they suck. When i go back to the dyno I am buying motorcraft.

I don't imagine you encountered anything you won't be able to fix. Our cars are pretty easy to work on.

 

[miss2slocoupe]

Im trying to help educate you to educate others. Mod motors electronically pull time through pcm via spark and fuel vacuum.

i know and ill be honest i really have alot to learn with mod motors.... but im trying to learn and understand them a lil better, but its good to listen and see what people say and know about them IMO thats the best way to learn (sorry if i replied you with a attitude eariler)