check engine light

[meltmanbob]

well my car is running ok but not great. the check engine light comes on and only goes off under conditions where the throttle is applied to accelerate. if i'm idling or just on the gas enough to keep it cruising then the check engine light comes on. so i had my next door neighbor check it since he has been a mechanic for some time and the codes he pulled was something about the MAP sensor being out of range but the O2 sensor was reading fine and basically everything else was reading fine. he brought home one of his computer devices to diagnose what was going on and he said he couldn't find what was causing the problem. the other thing is that sometimes when i am slowing down and pull out of gear into neutral the rpms hesitate to drop and when they do they either drop to about 800-900 rpms and then bounce to about 1500 and then drop back to 800-900 or it drops below the 800-900 to about 600 and then bounces and then settles back at 800-900. not sure why.

look it's been a long time since i've been on here and kept up with things and i really don't have a whole lot of time to research things but this mustang was my grandmas and she gave it to me and i would love to be able to restore it and get it to a condition worth doing the turbo mods etc which i wanted to do with my first 2.3 stang. unfortunately i got sideswiped by an SUV which dented the rear passenger panel right before the gas cap cover and then since the emergency brake doesn't like to work it rolled out of my drive way one day and rolled into a small brick wall which shifted the passenger front panel backwards so the passenger door scrapes that panel and makes an awful sound now. also the bumper has tears in it and the fiberglass framing inside the bumper was broken and the head light and the hood was dented.

basically my main concern is the integrity of the car. i am sure i can do minor body work, i'm not so sure about the dent from the SUV cause the repair places i took it to said they would have to pull that whole panel off to work on it etc. but besides all that the car has so many damn groans, moans and squeaks.

is the any hope?? or would i be better off getting a different stang all together? i would really like to one day drive it back to my grandma and show her how nice the car would be. she is very disappointed when i talk about it having problems and how it's in POS condition.

 

[meltmanbob]

BUMP 41 views and no replys???

 

[glowstang93]

Maybe if you just posed one question at a time with a few more details, you would get some responses. I know I wasn't sure where to start.

First off, is it an automatic or 5 speed? what year? Give us some details so that we can help.

Pictures of the damage would help immensely. If the quarter is all banged up they won't just pull it off, it will have to be cut off and a new one sectioned in. But I digress, pictures are a must.

Don't talk to your grandma about how bad it is if it disappoints her, talk about something else.

Oh well, at least I answered your post, will answer back what I can when you provide more details.

 

[kevinspann]

Im not really sure about the RPM thin, it just sounds really weird, maybe the Idle air control motor is going south, or maybe it just needs to be cleaned, since thats the only thing that could alter the RPMs if the throttle plates are closed...

Change the MAP sensor, even if you get one from the junkyard, see if that changes anything

As far as the body damage, it is really hard to tell with out picures, but from what it sounds like, is that the rear quarter would have to be replaced (this is the best solution).

For the front end damage : does the door scrape against the fender? if so unbolt the fander and move it so that is doesnt do it, and check to make sure the inner fender panel isnt bent

You can get another front bumper and hood, and the fiberglass peice you mentions sounds like the header panel, so if you get a used front bumper from a junkyard, that will be riveted to it, so two birds killed with one stone there. New headlights can be bought too, the 6pc set seems to be getting cheaper every few months

Is there any rust anywhere on the car besides the Trunk/Hatch, such as the floor pans, rocker panels, trunk etc? Has the car been in an accident that may have bent the frame?

If not then certainly the car is worth saving, if you dont mind spending a bit of money and collecting parts