very wierd engine behavior

[tommy_1812]

A few days ago, I was driving my car around a lot. A lot of turning off the car, turning on the car and so forth. Around the afternoon, the car started acting funny. I would have to start it 4 or 5 times to get the engine on. Each crank, the engine would turn over, then instantly die. Giving it gas each time didn't really help until the 4th time or so.

I let it sit for an hour, then started it again. It started but the RPMS idled at 2300, instead of 700. After letting it idle for 5 minutes there was smoke coming from the spark plug area on the left side of the engine. I pulled out the dipstick and the oil was smoking.

After pulling out each wire and placing back in, cleaning off the ignition coil prong, and starting the car back up, it's all normal again. It starts up fine, and drives normally. Was this a bad day for the car? Perhaps driving it too much?

 

[jrichker]

Dump the codes and see what the computer says is wrong…

Here's the link 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.

See http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/
OR
See http://www.mustangworks.com/articles/electronics/eec-iv_codes.html

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.

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.

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

For those who are intimidated by all the wires & connections, see http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16153 for what a typical hand scanner looks like. Normal retail price is about $30 or so at AutoZone or Walmart.

Or for a nicer scanner see http://www.midwayautosupply.com/detailedproductdescription.asp?3829 – It has a 3 digit LCD display so that you don’t have to count flashes or beeps.. Cost is $35.

 

[carbed87]

jricker is teh mootang master!

 

[bgjohnson]

For some reason or another you may have loaded up the cylinders and it was trying to get that out while chugging and choking. Or maybe bad gas.