1990 Mustang 5.0 LX Persists on dying in Idle....

don't mess with the timing, put it back where it was or at 10 degrees and leave it alone.

If the car is dying at stop signs: #1 bet => clean air bypass IAB with carb cleaner look for it in large photo

gets gunked up with crankcase oil/dirt and a little messes it up. If car no start =>

usally it is spark or gas if car won't start. if your timing light is working you probably have spark,

A bad battery the starter will not move but just click, engine will not turn over. Check the voltage, should be at least 11.2 volts, if not I would get the alternator tested and a new battery. Clean battery terminals really good.

replace distributer cap, rotor

check out the gas, change the fuel filter, you could have got a load of bad gas with water in it too. there is a way to check for water in gas, pump some into gallon jug, water will be on the bottom.

Get the codes read,

also, you could have something serious happen to engine, bad valve, timing, broke ring etc. check compression, take to shop let them look,

Let us know what progress you make.

good luck

-- 87, 93 8# 5.0

You mentioned changing plug wires. Without knowing first hand how it would effect engine running, I want to ask if you are 100% sure you got the wires hooked up right? Didn't cross two of them by accident?

Other than that, poor idle sounds like a sensor problem or air leak.

Jan

Thank you for the quick response Loman. I am currently stuck, with lack of tools, it looks like I will take it to a shop with reference from the family I am staying with. I will let you guys know what the culprit is. It sounds like it is a combination of a lot of things. Too many to just do in one day.

Jan- I followed the wires exactly to make sure and only replace one at time. There is no chance for screw up in that section. The car was doing the same exact thing after as it did before I changed the wires. Thanks again for the responses. Looks like I will have to just take it in and get a full tune-up.

Thanks again.

-Kris

"Kris Wit A K" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@y5g2000hsa.googlegroups.com:

Last time time right before my battery died ('93 5.0 LX AOD) the tach started jumping and it would not hold an idle. Had to keep shifting into neutral at lights to keep it running. This went on for about 15 minutes, then the car simply died. New battery solved everything.

photo

It gets gunked up with crankcase oil/dirt and a little messes it up.>

This is my guess too. My 88 did this when I first bought it. Cleaned it up and never had the problem again.

Steve E.

72 Skylark Custom455

photo

> It gets gunked up with crankcase oil/dirt and a little messes it up.>

I feel like such an idiot. Steve, this was the exact problem. I cleared this out with the de-gunker spray at the nearest autoshop, and that fixed the idle problem. I also discovered that my low voltage was due to a failing alternator and that many other things are failing. haha so, thanks all again, problem is resolved.

Kris

that is what is nice about these cars, easy to fix most all the time.

photo

> > It gets gunked up with crankcase oil/dirt and a little messes it up.>

Did you disconnect, remove, disassemble, and completely flush out the bypass solenoid? If it's running fine now, I probably wouldn't bother, but the next time you may want to. I had this same part on my

99 Ranger 4.0 fail a few years ago. It sounded like a whining/ whistling blower was under the hood. Instead it was just another part I had to buy...

Although Loman posted the link in his reply, I'm glad I helped convince you what direction to look.

You may also want to look into replacing the fuel filter if you've never done so. I had one so clogged that it would create enough backpressure to shut down the electric fuel pump. Luckily we figured it out before we dropped the tank and put in a new pump that would have also shut off, or would have had enough pressure to barely push through the filter (and possibly take gunk with it).

Steve E.

72 Skylark Custom455

photo

> > > It gets gunked up with crankcase oil/dirt and a little messes it up.>

Yes, I will end up doing all this Steve. Another problem arose while driving back from San Diego. I'm not sure the exact location of the sound, but as I accelerate and shifting starts to occur, a loud whine and whistling. Steve, you mentioned that it could be the solenoid, but it happened in the middle of the trip, I didn't push it hard or anything. The tranny fluid is fine, but I'm guessing it could be the solenoid. Ill have to look into it. But yes, also my water pump is leaking, and my fuel filter and pump probably need to be changed. This car is turning out to be more costly than its worth...

Kris

Kris,

Does it stop after the shift has occurred? If so, I'd think that it's related to the transmission. I don't know that I could guess anymore as to its cause though. I guess you'll want to note if the whistling is based on engine speed, trans speed, or vehicle speed. Does it only happen while the car is in gear and in motion, or does it do it in neutral while revving the motor?

You say the water pump is leaking? Is this happening from the hole cast into the pump from the factory? The factory put weep holes on the pumps to alert you that the seal in the pump was going. Once the seal begins to fail, water gets past it and drips out of this hole. The reason they did this is so that you can replace the pump before the seal goes completely and overheats, which could potentially cause much more damage (and leave you stranded). Just searching NAPA's site (I'm a AAA member, so I get a 7% discount and it's withing walking distance) I see they have remanufactured pumps starting around $25 and new ones for $30. It's not a difficult job to do the water pump on the 5.0's. I'd recommend doing it before it leaves you stranded (and overheated).

I haven't been in the 5.0's for a while, so I don't know the current vendors. But looking at Brother's Performance Warehouse (BBK's stuff), they have a replacement fuel pump (110 lph which is more than stock) for $86.99. It's a direct replacement for the factory pump:

They have the fuel filter (factory Ford) for $24.99. You may be able to get it cheaper through Ford or using an aftermarket filter: Steve E.

72 Skylark Custom455

pump:

filter:

Wow, thank you very much for all that useful info, that will surely jump start my now new projects. As to the issue with the sound. It occurs whether shifting while in motion or just sitting in neutral and revving the engine. I am still puzzled by this scenario. With the water pump it sounds like this is the case with the weep hole. It is a minuscule amount of water leaking, so it sounds like I do need to get a new one. I have school all this week, so I will have to tend to these issues when the weekend comes. I will contact the suppliers, and get the parts sent on the way. Thanks again, you have been very helpful, more that I had bargained for.

Kris

pump:

filter:

No problem Kris,

Good luck with it. It may not end up being as big of a deal as you're thinking. You may want to do some research on changing the fuel pump. I haven't done that, but from participating in this group when the 5.0's were popular in the mid 90's, a lot of people were doing it themselves.

Steve E.

72 Skylark Custom455

Hey Guys

Just a lurker here...

Th pump is not hard to change. I tried a few different brands in my '89 and found the Walbro from Ford stood up the best in the Phoenix heat. While the tank is down, spend $15~20 and buy all new grommets from Ford. Two weeks after I replaced the pump, I failed emissions due to one of these critters leaking air.

Make sure you drain the tank before dropping it. Makes it much easier to handle.

pump:

>

filter:

>