89 Mustang Backfires And Loads Up

4shirley

New Member
May 9, 2012
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My car is pretty much stock with the exception of long tube bbk headers and off road h pipe... I put the car together using a california car so it has the a9s computer i removed the smog pump and ran a shorter belt bent the tubes over on the back of the heads and sealed them the best i could... my problem is when its cold as in first starting up it backfires loads up and sounds like it detonates and pings has low power and smells rich under a load doesnt do it and wot.... i changed cap rotor plugs are new and wires are newer i changed the egr valve thinking that was it but it didnt fix it... im mechanically inclined so any ideas wold help the timing is set and 12 advanced with the spout out i also changed the mass air with another stock maf
 
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Your post is hard to read without proper punctuation and capital letters used to mark the beginning of sentences. It is difficult enough to figure out technical problems without having the extra burden of trying to interpret what you wrote. Please fix....



Dump the codes: Codes may be present even if the Check Engine Light (CEL) isn't on.

Dumping the computer diagnostic codes on 86-95 Mustangs

Revised 26-July-2011. Added need to make sure the clutch is pressed when dumping codes.

Codes may be present even if the check engine light hasn’t come on, so be sure to check for them.

Here's the way to dump the computer codes with only a jumper wire or paper clip and the check engine light, or test light or voltmeter. I’ve used it for years, and it works great. You watch the flashing test lamp or Check Engine Light and count the flashes.

Post the codes you get and I will post 86-93 model 5.0 Mustang specific code definitions and fixes. I do not have a complete listing for 94-95 model 5.0 Mustangs at this time.

Be sure to turn off the A/C, and put the transmission in neutral when dumping the codes. On a manual transmission car, be sure to press the clutch to the floor.
Fail to do this and you will generate a code 67 and not be able to dump the Engine Running codes.

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If your car is an 86-88 stang, you'll have to use the test lamp or voltmeter method. There is no functional check engine light on the 86-88's except possibly the Cali Mass Air cars.

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The STI has a gray connector shell and a white/red wire. It comes from the same bundle of wires as the self test connector.

89 through 95 cars have a working Check Engine light. Watch it instead of using a test lamp.

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The STI has a gray connector shell and a white/red wire. It comes from the same bundle of wires as the self test connector.


WARNING!!! There is a single dark brown connector with a black/orange wire. It is the 12 volt power to the under the hood light. Do not jumper it to the computer test connector. If you do, you will damage the computer.

What to expect:
You should get a code 11 (two single flashes in succession). This says that the computer's internal workings are OK, and that the wiring to put the computer into diagnostic mode is good. No code 11 and you have some wiring problems. This is crucial: the same wire that provides the ground to dump the codes provides signal ground for the TPS, EGR, ACT and Map/Baro sensors. If it fails, you will have poor performance, economy and driveablity problems

Some codes have different answers if the engine is running from the answers that it has when the engine isn't running. It helps a lot to know if you had the engine running when you ran the test.

Dumping the Engine Running codes: The procedure is the same, you start the engine with the test jumper in place. Be sure the A/C is off, and clutch (if present) is pressed to the floor, and the transmission is in neutral. You'll get an 11, then a 4 and the engine will speed up to do the EGR test. After the engine speed decreases back to idle, it will dump the engine running codes.

Trouble codes are either 2 digit or 3 digit, there are no cars that use both 2 digit codes and 3 digit codes.

Alternate methods:
For those who are intimidated by all the wires & connections, see Actron® for what a typical hand scanner looks like. Normal retail price is about $30 or so at AutoZone or Wal-Mart.

Or for a nicer scanner see Equus - Digital Ford Code Reader (3145) – It has a 3 digit LCD display so that you don’t have to count flashes or beeps.. Cost is $30.
 
I am going through the same thing with my 89. No cats smog is still there for now but it just back fires when its cold and smells like its dumping fuel and have no codes in the eec. Good luck on ur search for the fix ill be following ur thread.
 
21 - ECT out of self-test range
91 - Shift solenoid 1 circuit failure (E4OD)
41 - HEGO sensor circuit indicates system lean
34 - EVP voltage above closed limit