I have an engine misfire and took it in to a mechanic. The mechanic claims that I have a bad head gasket, but claims he can't work on it, or so he claims. I don't know if it is a head gasket. I want to know: could it be something else?

 

Hello and greetings...

If your engine has a bad head gasket? you would enconter far more problems than just engine misfires lol... Symptoms of a bad head gasket are:

• White smoke coming from the tailpipe.
• BUBBLING IN THE RADIATOR AND COOLANT RESERVOIR.
• unexplained coolant loss with no leaks.
• Milky white coloration in the oil.
• Engine overheating.

If you encounter none of these symptoms? a faulty head gasket can pretty much be ruled out... At any rate, engine misfires are ususally caused by a faulty electrical system component, such as worn spark plugs, fuel injectors, coil boots, fuel pump/fuel filter or vaccum leaks...

Perhaps providing some addtional details like how many miles are on your vehicle, what year/make and model, and the last time the electrical components listed above were either checked or replaced would be really helpful?

In the meantime, it would be much appreciated if you could provide us with the information requested above?

Thanks in advance!

 

I have a 2000 mustang base 3.8L. It has 157,400 miles on it, but the engine wass rebuilt 65k ago, transmission is new, not even 20k on it. I didn't replace the wires, and the spark plugs are double platinum. I asked the mechanic to do a tune up, but he didn't even want to do that. I'm thinking it could be clogged fuel injectors, but I can't find out.

 

In that case, I would take it to another shop and seek a second opinion... Despite the engine being rebuilt 65k miles ago, I'd still consider a tune-up nevertheless and check the spark plug wires... You can also connect a hand-held scanning device to your OBDII port's ECM to scan for any potential trouble codes... If any codes show up? you can then find out what they are on Google... If you suspect the fuel injectors as being clogged? I would also have them checked out as well... Meanwhile, hope you'll find the info provided as useful...

 

I now lost acceleration in the mustang. Could it be bad spark plugs?

 

@Smanly

A Compression Test Would Help Diagnose if You Really Have a Bad Head Gasket. If it Does, anything Else You Do Will Be a Band Aid Repair. Parts Stores Rent Tools if You Can't Borrow or Purchase One!

You Tube

How To Diagnose Blown Head Gasket.

You Tube

How To Read Spark Plugs

You Tube

Code Reader on The Cheap! The One I Use.

Amazon

Amazon

Hope This Gets You on The Road to Repair!


KC

 

Brought my mustang to another mechanic. He said I had a bad throttle body gasket and a clogged catalytic converter. Cylinders 4, 5, and 6 were misfiring.

 

Thanks For the Update.

Hopefully the Converter Won't Be Too Expensive Let us Know how it all Turns out!

KC

 

Ok, now my heater isn't working properly. It only blows lukewarm air when my car is warmed up all the way. Check engine light came back on too. I got something to say to the auto shop.

 

Give This a Read!

https://stangnet.com/mustang-forums/...y-cold.831149/

KC

 

Shop took it back and inspected cylinder 1. They said that a valve is intermittently getting stuck in the guide. They did an oil change and said oil was PITCH BLACK. My guess is that it could be debris that is stuck in the guide for the valve. What do you think?

 

https://seafoamworks.com/shop-talk/c...r-your-engine/

@Smanly

Could Be Carbon Deposits as Well. I would Try Some Seafoam in the Fuel & Oil. Give it a Read! After Adding I would Drive Not Hard But with a Lot of Varying RPM for 50 miles or So and See What Happens!

KC