Auto Repair Articles

I have a 1995 Ford Mustang GT. I Drive it everyday and today It just cranks and cranks and smells like fuel. Has been running fine with no problems what so ever. I change the oil regularly and perform regular maintenance. It has about 142,000 miles on it and about 12,000 on the spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor. It seems to be getting plenty of gas but no spark. What could be my problem?

Response:

The most common reason for this would be the spark trigger in the distributor. You can replace it yourself if you feel comfortable removing the distributor. If you do not, have it replaced for you at your local repair shop. You can either have the entire distributor replaced or just the trigger inside the distributor.

MONTEREY, Calif. — Ford Motor Co. is giving a $50 Ford gift card to buyers of the 2011 Ford Fiesta who have had to wait longer than expected for their vehicles to be delivered.

Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski confirmed that the company was giving the MasterCard gift cards to customers who ordered the new Fiesta, calling it “a token of our appreciation for their patience.”

Ford couldn’t disclose how many cards it is distributing, but said retail customers who reserved or placed an order for the new Fiesta would receive one.

Fiestas have been slow to get to dealerships after a hurricane that hit Mexico in June crippled rail lines used to ship vehicles made at Ford’s plant in Cuautitlan, near Mexico City. Ford has sold 4,377 Fiestas this year, including 3,349 last month.

“We’ve got about 6,500 to 7,000 in transit to dealers. In a couple to three months, we ought to have the availability to support the kind of demand you see in a B-car category,” Ford sales analyst George Pipas said in a conference call with journalists last week.

Kozleski said Fiestas have been delivered to Ford dealerships in every state in the continental United States.

It’s unclear the extent of the shipping delays. But at last week’s unveiling here of the 2012 Mustang Boss 302, President of the Americas Mark Fields acknowledged that the rail lines used to ship the cars were still damaged.

1983 Ford Thunderbird 5.0 EFI turns over but will not fire it getting fuel not sure where I should start.

Answer:

First you need to determine if it has spark or not ( you you only said it has fuel. Next you need to make sure it has at least 30 psi of fuel pressure of the injectors will not fire. These engine do not have a prone issue. So I would, if you determine it is only missing spark, look at the distributor cap and rotor closely.

I have compiled the information that you need here: NO START DIAGNOSTICS 

2003 Ford Excursion 4×4 6.0 Diesel keeps eating voltage regulators/alternators. Two brand new batteries charge on the charger and hold a charge. (I do have a 350ma parasitic draw while the truck is “sleeping.”) I even purchased a 200 amper from DB Electrical and installed an additional 0-gauge wire from the alternator to the battery. Checked the two alternator leads and soldered extra wire to relieve stress on the connector. No changes. At idle, the regulator side of the wire shows 11.6V. The batteries are barely charging at 11.88V. at 1K-RPM the battery voltage goes up to ~12.5. At 1.5K-RPM and above I get 13.89V maximum, sustained unless the RPM drops. This is repeatable.

Answer:

Sounds to me like you have a large load occurring with the engine running.Possible glow plugs staying on or FICM not coming out of injector preheat stage.I would suggest getting the load tested while engine running with a shunt type charging system tester and see how many amps are being pulled.If it has over 20 – 30 amp consistent load then you will need to determine what is causing the excessive load.A ford ids scanner will be needed to determine if ficm and gpc is operating normally.

Sedan shown

MSRP $27,270

Invoice $24,988

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, available in one trim only, the Sedan.

Upon introduction, the Fusion Hybrid is equipped with a standard 2.5-liter, I4, 156-horsepower, hybrid engine that achieves 41-mpg in the city and 36-mpg on the highway. A variable speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2010 Fusion Hybrid is restyled for 2010.

I have a 4.9L motor in a 1992 Ford F-150 4.9 pickup the engine is looping and i can smell gass in the exhaust. I think it is a sensor becouse it just started out of the blue when i parked it. Already Tried: checked plugs and wires and changed

Answer:

The first thing to do would be to Extract the codes which can be done without a scan tool.

Question:

92 ford probe. parked it no problem and has given no hint of a problem. got back in and it won’t start. it’s not bad/low battery, battery connections, fuse (either under the dash or in the main fuse box under the hood), or nutrail safety switch. and doesn’t appear to be the starter. the start relay is clicking when you turn the key(under the dash on fire wall)so i also presume it to be functioning properly. everything else works but it wont turn over. suggestions?

ANSWER:

In most No start cases that you are describing, 99% of the time it is from a bad Battery.

If you have a new or good battery from a different vehicle and it still does nothing, then it may be the starter itself.

You can prove this by checking for battery power at the “s” terminal (small wire) on the starter while someone holds the key in the start position. If you see battery voltage, then you need to replace the starter.

Reference link: No Start Diagnostics 

QUESTION:

2007 Ford Mustang with a saleen supercharger. spec 2 clutch. when I power shift the car from 2nd to 3rd the car acts like the clutch is slipping. I installed the heavier duty after market disc and pressure plate but the problem still exist. The car only has 9200 miles on it. driven once or twice a week. It has been to the drag strip twice but with the engagement issue it is not very competitive. I have heard their is an issue with the hydraulic slave mechanism?

ANSWER:

Your tires may just be loosing traction. I had a customer with a 2003 Lightning that complained of a transmission slip. I could not verify the problem, so I rode with the customer. He treated the gas pedal like an on/off switch, and every time he lit the tires up, the tach would spike and he said, “see, the trans is slipping!” To my surprise, it would break the tires loose grabbing third gear. Since you are power shifting and you have a supercharger, I think your tires are loosing traction, not your clutch. If it was slipping, it would also slip in higher gears.

Question:

How is the 1990 Ford Escort ignition key tumblers replaced. I’ve removed the covers & tried to release tumblers by depressing the release pins through both open ports in canting, but tumbler unit won”t pull out in any position. How do I release tumbler assy? 

Answer:

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. If equipped with a tilt steering column, remove the upper extension shroud by unsnapping the shroud from the retaining clip at the 9 o’clock position.
3. Remove the steering column lower shroud.
4. Unplug the warning buzzer electrical connector.
5. With the lock cylinder key, rotate the cylinder to the RUN position.
6. Take a ¹/₈ in. (3.17mm) diameter pin or small wire punch and push on the cylinder retaining pin. The pin is visible through a hole in the mounting surrounding the key cylinder. Push on the pin and withdraw the lock cylinder from the housing.

To install:

Fig. 1: Use a 1/8 in. (3.17mm) diameter pin or small wire punch to push on the lock cylinder retaining pin and remove the cylinder

1. Install the lock cylinder by turning it to the RUN position and depressing the retaining pin. Insert the lock cylinder into the housing. Be sure the lock cylinder is fully seated and aligned in the interlocking washer before turning the key to the OFF position. This action will permit the cylinder retaining pin to extend into the cylinder housing hole.
2. Rotate the lock cylinder, using the lock cylinder key, to ensure correct mechanical operation in all positions.
3. Attach the electrical connector for the key warning buzzer.
4. Install the lower steering column shroud or trim shroud halves.
5. Connect the negative battery cable.
6. Check for proper start in P or N, then make certain the start circuit cannot be actuated in the D and R positions and that the column is locked in the LOCK position.

Question:

I have a 99′ Ford Expedition and I was wondering what synthetic motor oil weight would be best for my truck? 

Answer:

The manufacturer recommends 5W30