2002 Gt - Time For Tune Up

Long story short bought a car we should not have & now dealing with it...knowing it was going to come to this. It is sitting around 103k miles & once it warms up it fails to restart after short trips; it will do the bog and low idle hitting the gas makes it basically shut off. I have read up on my problems where to start; whats causing most of everything. I am just in need of that 10% of extra info, user experience & some tips so I can do majority of things myself and do stuff right.

Part1 Question
My last oil change just before 102k or so I switched it to Full Synthetic high mileage; I read to usually do another oil change after 2-3k miles again because it will break down a lot of crud in the engine....should I use a injector fuel additive to help here or just do another oil change in a thousand miles or so like I read? I live in a apartment complex so that kinda limits some of the things I can....only some...

Main problem I am having just to give a little explanation: Just the past couple weeks I drive 5 minutes to the bank. Come back to the car & that is when it barely starts and sputters, give it gas I have to turn the car off. If I put it in gear it jerks doesnt drive rpms bounce; I have to turn it off and let it sit for like 5-10 minutes than it will start and seem fine but the last time I drove it home and just don't risk getting stranded (fortunate enough to not have a daily routine but I need to get this fixed ASAP)

I have some mechanic experience but not a guru. I can read, listen and handle dirty hands on so with all this being said lets test this community out..... I have always been into cars; growing up its all my dad did complete restores, body paint you name it. Just growing up no matter how much love you have for things working with your dad for me at least never clicked. I enjoy fixing stuff and appreciate the feedback and more importantly I do not want to mess something up to where I need to take it to a shop; except for the heavy stuff.

First MAJOR problem my battery connector. I need to replace one if not both just for quality; I have watched a video where a mechanic soldered the cable to a new clamp after pulling it out of the car and making sure the cable was clean. Need some input here what is the best permanent fix for battery cables. I have not traced it yet to figure out where its placed to pull out for repair or to replace the whole cable to the battery. My engine bay is a little dirty but I been putting off letting the dealer clean it so again I don't risk messing something up myself.....

Part2 Question Parts & Troubleshoot
Currently looking into the following parts for sure that need replacing:

Test battery/New Battery, replace cables
Sparkplugs with new Coils
Cleaning MAF
Replace Air Filter/Cabin Filter
Serpentine Belt
Check hoses etc...

More optional replacements in mind:

Throttle Position Sensor (Possibly)
Idle Air Control Valve (Possibly)
Fuel Filter
ERG Valve?
O2 Sensors?
PCV Valve

Other Heavy Maintenance:
Auto Tranny Service
Fuel Injector cleaning?


Thanks in advance, I live in so cal if anyone knows reliable stang shops I have not started looking yet, but I need other major maintenance too that I probably won't take to a dealer or regular shop.
 
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You need to replace the fuel filter. Yours has probably NEVER been changed.

Plugs and coils don't need to be changed.
Filter changes are a no-brainer.
Check the belt for any damage. If none, leave it be (or you can change it if you desire)
Cleaning the MAF, TPS, and IAC is never a bad idea. They shouldn't need replacing.
EGR, O2, and PCV are most likely fine.
The 4R70W tranny is one tough SOB. Regular fluid changes are a good idea, otherwise it shouldn't need any service.

Many people forget that these motors (and the aforementioned parts) are all running in police cruisers, taxi's, and whatnot. In other words, they run forever. It's a good idea to inspect the said items above, but they shouldn't need replacing.
 
Thanks, everywhere I read people say to do spark plugs after 100k, this car has not had a proper service probably since 70k if that cause I have a leaking rear shock too let alone they ABS was disabled for the whole previous year for the owner.

Again my battery terminal is heavily corroded, the positive terminal and there seems to be some moisture from it. Battery is from 11/11 itself. I have no expertise here; if pics help let me know.

Gonna read up on how to clean those parts up & if I can find somewhere to get under the car I will do the fuel filter asap.
 
Since the car is new to you, checking all the obvious you mentioned above is important... like the fuel filter, cleaning the maf, plugs, pcv, and look for vacuum leaks. That may take care of your hot start issue. If not, it could be something like a coolant temp sensor (or 100 other things...) :rolleyes:

As for the battery terminals, I just used a descent terminal from the local parts store with a clamp type connection to the existing battery cable. While it isn't the type of permanent connection I prefer, it is holding up ok so far. I just used a utility knife to clean up the copper strands before clamping it on, and a battery terminal cleaner to clean up the studs on the battery. Certainly, battery issues and low voltage can cause all kinds of problems on a modern car, so this is likely a priority.

You can have the battery tested, but should still have some life left. Most batteries should last at least 3 years. I have been getting about 4 years from my batteries, but the car is never garaged (so it sees all the extreme heat and cold).

You are certainly on the right track. Most of the things I noted above cost little to nothing to try, so give them a try first. Just replacing parts (like COPs, EGRs. ect) gets expensive really fast and doesn't help anything. Best to start with the general maintenance and cleaning items above.
 
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Get some real nice battery terminals.

Short trip and then hard to start afterwards is very common and may be normal or indicate fuel pump or pprv issue. Never let the fuel get below a quarter tank to keep the fuel pump nice and cool.

Absolutely change the trans fluid and filter, do it yourself. Do all you list except o2 sensor/egr valve/tps they should be fine a code would indicate a problem there. And also do seafoam all three ways.

You can just clean your engine bay I do it often. Water always gets in the plug wells remove that before running engine.

You can do it all easily just do the research and make sure you have proper tools and are taking the correct safety precautions. For example you should wear a face shield so the fuel filter does not drip gas in yer face and use jack stands not just a floor jack, etc, etc

Everything everyone told you in this thread is explained in great detail in numerous threads that a search will reveal.
 
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Again my battery terminal is heavily corroded, the positive terminal and there seems to be some moisture from it.

I would definitely change out the terminals soon, especially if you're going to be doing work on the car that involves disconnecting and connecting the cables. When I bought my '04 GT used, I saw that the cables had really bad corrosion but unfortunately ignored it, since everything seemed to be running fine. One day the car just abruptly and completely died, with no symptoms or signs of anything wrong.

After much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments and an unnecessary new battery purchase, it turned out to be the corroded connectors. While refurbishing the car after buying it from the previous owner (who rarely did anything under the hood), I had to remove and replace the cables several times, and all the agitation was too much for the corroded wires.

I considered just replacing all of the cabling, but frankly I didn't want to have to deal with the hassle and expense if I could possibly avoid it.

Replacing the terminals was time-consuming but not difficult.

Parts/supplies:

pair of good quality terminals (tip: before doing anything, make sure the terminals fit your battery posts)
heavy-duty wire cutter
soldering iron and solder (I don't know if the soldering is actually necessary, but I did)
heat gun and heat-shrink tubing (Home Depot etc. sell red/black tubing for batteries)
dielectric grease

After removing the cables from the battery (negative then positive), I cut the ends back past the corroded part and stripped off about an inch of insulation. I slipped on the heat-shrink tubing, then soldered the cable to the terminal. Then pulled the tubing up over the exposed wire and used the heat gun to shrink it snugly. Then some grease on the terminals and posts, and reconnect the cables (positive then negative).
 
Interestingly when we look in kilgore's book 'o mustang ettiquite the battery terminals are the only acceptable place to bling out your car with actual gold (plating).

The very rare gold metallic painted mustangs are grand fathered in of course.

Oh I see you mentioned you have a rear shock issue. The rear shocks can be had for as little as $20 new at any parts store and they are a perfectly good shock I used them on my old GT no problem. Super easy to change them out also.
 
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I still have a plastic manifold, it's bubbling and leaking out the front. They say they replace a lot of these here cause mustangs are common in my area....I have googled some threads and people says it's pretty easy just some important details involved. But if I get all I need I can save hundreds and do other parts too....they wanna charge close to $800 here but I really don't listen to shop managers unless it's a performance shop this is a reliable mountain view good for basic services.
 
Quick Update from today's Battery Terminal repair.......is that professional full replacement or a clamp semi temporary in your guys opinion.

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Appreciate all the input found some great links & just gonna make sure to pay attention to detail.

Will have a update soon; been shopping online all day while reading & watching.

Autozone, American Muscle are my two major sources right now for searching basic parts; plan on checking couple other sites and options for random stuff. Throttle body or not, spacer?, new Air intake? Doing spark plugs, air/fuel filter, new thermostat, if I need a hose or two, cleaning MAF, Throttle body, IAC, replacing serpentine belt, flush transmission/filter..... Think that covers it.

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Gonna keep the engine bay cleaner going forward after this mission too :doh:
 
So it is & its still ruined as far as I know, which isn't too much unfortunately but learning. Pictures are not the best but once you remove the alternator bracket straight down behind it is where the intake is gapped & coolant is bubbling out of....

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Just an update, purchased all the parts I need got some good writes to walk me through everything. Parts will be here Thursday.....that's the drag.

Here are more pictures of the leak; is it bad for coolant to sit there for a few days I checked on it and now the thermostat appears to just be dripping..... shoved my phone in there for some pics behind the alternator.

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Just sitting there, the coolant won't cause any problem. Driving the car on the other hand could cause a myriad of issues, such as overheating or the risk of the leak getting much bigger and spraying something electrical.