My 98 is a piece. Help.

[Goindeafonmtx]

Ok. Its not that bad, but it has been acting up. I'll start from the beginning. I was driving home from school and the car sounded like it was missing. So I picked up some new plugs on the way home. I changed the driver side plugs first. Except for all of them being gapped wrong, they looked fairly new but I replaced them anyways. Then I moved on to the passenger side. When I removed cylinder #1's plug wire, steam immiediately came out. When I took the plug out it looked like this:

Cylinder #2 was the exact same way. #3 and 4 were fine. So I went ahead and replaced and gapped all 8 plugs. It ran fine for about 2-3 days. Now it sounds like it is missing again under more than 30% throttle. I have absolutely no power. Whats the deal guys? I checked the coils, they all spark fine. It has a PI intake with NPI heads and PI cams. I'm thinking maybe coolant is leaking and going down and fouling out the plugs. Someone shed their 2V wisdom onto my brain. Please don't tell me headgasket.

 

[AaRoN]

I ran into this problem after my motor swap. The drivers side plugs kept fouling out. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. It would stutter horribly when I was cruising. Someone mentioned that it was probably just really bad gas but I didn't think it was that simple. Then one day I put some 89 in from my local Shell station and that cured it
I'm not saying this is your case neccesarily cause it looks like you got oil in with that plug..

 

[9psi 98]

Honestly, that doesn't look fouled to me. If steam came out, then there is some coolant getting down in there because oil won't cause steam. You asked not to hear it, but it sounds like you've got either a blown head gasket or a cracked head. Buy or borrow a compression tester and give it a check. I'm sure that there's low compression on the cylinders that you mentioned. That oil in the pic, where did it come from? It appears to be in the threads. If is came from the cylinder then it would have been burned up and wouldn't have been as clear as it is in the pic and your plug electrode would be fouled and look like it was covered in tar.

Who was the last person that put the plugs in? I've seen people use motor oil as a cheap anti-seize, which would explain why it is all over the threads and nut, but not burned up on the electrode. Was the socket you used filled full of oil and junk? My plugs always come out with crap all over the threads and nut, just because they are at the bottom of a huge hole just like yours.

Do the compression test, it will let you know for sure. I wouldn't worry about the oil if I were you.

 

[SRT Handz]

headgasket

 

[voidfinger]

looks like you got a leaking intake gasket. if you pull the plug boot out and steam comes up that is the only thing that i think could do it. B/c the plug is still in the hole... that looks just like the fluid that was on my plugs when i had to pull the back 2 passenger plug boots to find coolent in them before also.

 

[Goindeafonmtx]

Well. There is no oil in the water and no water in the oil. It hasn't got hot. I don't know what it is. I'll know more when I do the compression test today.

 

[Goindeafonmtx]

Quick question: If the headgasket is to blame, I'm not putting NPI heads back on it. Now I know nothing about 2V motors. Do I need Windsor PI heads or Romeo PI heads? Or does it matter?

 

[Mustang_96]

I had discovered that same problem with mine when I had a stock plastic intake. when me and my dad changed the plugs the last plug on the passangers side was covered in coolant because the intake had a hairline crack in the back of the intake where coolant goes into the heater core. so maybe its coolant leaking or a faulty gasket. ???

 

[Willis_98GT]

time for a pi intake :drunk:

 

[Goindeafonmtx]

time for a pi intake :drunk:

Already has one.

 

[Goindeafonmtx]

So I just did the compression test. I got seven cylinders done and they all hold 175 to 180 psi. I would have done the last one but my battery is starting to die. Lets assume it hold 175 and all 8 cylinders turn out alright.

When I pulled the plug from cylinder #1, it was dripping with fuel. I'm thinking injector or TPS. Anyone else think the same thing?

 

[voidfinger]

hmmmm thats wierd... someone correct me if i'm wrong but arn't the npi motors only suppose to have 160 on the CR check?

 

[Steven]

hmmmm thats wierd... someone correct me if i'm wrong but arn't the npi motors only suppose to have 160 on the CR check?

typically but their could be a hidden variable.. more or less, motors, especially the 4.6, where differently made each month.. the machines wore out so they'd get new ones, and because of that, the gaps and clearances and tolerances all changed from motor to motor.. he might just have a realllllllyyyy tight gap.

 

[96sn95gt]

said it had fuel maby its a bad wire or coil pack im having the same prob i did this intake swap 5 times and it will run good for a couple of days then bam!!!! it runs like shit and i used both gasket and two intaks some cars just dont like to be messed with oh well

 

[Goindeafonmtx]

said it had fuel maby its a bad wire or coil pack im having the same prob i did this intake swap 5 times and it will run good for a couple of days then bam!!!! it runs like shit and i used both gasket and two intaks some cars just dont like to be messed with oh well

I know its not the coil pack, but I never checked to see if the plug was recieving the spark. Nevertheless, I still think it is an injector stuck open and dumping to much fuel in.

 

[voidfinger]

said it had fuel maby its a bad wire or coil pack im having the same prob i did this intake swap 5 times and it will run good for a couple of days then bam!!!! it runs like shit and i used both gasket and two intaks some cars just dont like to be messed with oh well

I know its not the coil pack, but I never checked to see if the plug was recieving the spark. Nevertheless, I still think it is an injector stuck open and dumping to much fuel in.

So i see that there is a cobra motor in your sig... what is that? do you have a cobra motor?

 

[97GT4.6]

I know its not the coil pack, but I never checked to see if the plug was receiving the spark. Nevertheless, I still think it is an injector stuck open and dumping to much fuel in.

Do you know anyone who has a scan tool? If you could get one of those babies hooked up to your car you could know for sure. Is the check engine light illuminated? If you have a stuck open injector that would definitely throw a light... but from what Ive heard, is that these coil packs are often the cause of problems :-\

 

[Goindeafonmtx]

said it had fuel maby its a bad wire or coil pack im having the same prob i did this intake swap 5 times and it will run good for a couple of days then bam!!!! it runs like shit and i used both gasket and two intaks some cars just dont like to be messed with oh well

I know its not the coil pack, but I never checked to see if the plug was recieving the spark. Nevertheless, I still think it is an injector stuck open and dumping to much fuel in.

So i see that there is a cobra motor in your sig... what is that? do you have a cobra motor?

Yeah. I have a Cobra motor, but its in my Cobra. :hammer: This thread is discussing my 98 GT.

 

[voidfinger]

o

well look if you have fluid in the spark plug hole then its comming from around the gasket on the intake.... there is no other fluid that can get in there unless your hood has hold and it is getting watter in there and mixxing with something nasty... as far as the fuel... i don't know what to tell you there. Take it to ford and put it on the dognostic computer and let them figure out what it is... its like 50 bucks. no biggy

 

[FUK_N_JUNK]

I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and hope it's just a leaky intake gasket for you, but if it's not... then a head gasket is the culprit. Even though the plugs look clean, coolant will clear them up ASAP!!!