Question Hi Shawn,
Old backyard mechanic needs advice!
'89 ford mustang 2.3L.
Trying fix this car for a friend. Think this car has a blown head gasket. Pulled spark plugs to find the #1 & #2 plugs showing signs of preignition, melted electrodes and white insulators. #3 & #4 plugs showed signs of little oil & carbon to about normal for a car with 134,000 miles. Needless to say, this car was missing like crazy. I was surprized it was running on two cyclinders at all. Owner not much help on the service intervals, if any!! I'm not sure if car overhaeted but I believe it did.(owner could not answer that either!) I have replaced the water pump,spark plugs, distributor,and rotor. I started the car to see if it was still missing, it still is but not as bad. At 2000 rpms it seems to smooth out, but still runs rough at idle. While doing this, I found the upper radiator hose got tight to squeze within a couple minutes, making me think the head gasket is leaking into the water jacket. I also noticed that the coolant fan did not start to run. I checked the dash gage to see the car was starting to get hot. I plan to replace the head gasket, thermostat,and spark plug wires. My problem is, I don't know how to check the fan motor(Which is the + /- side is, brown/yellow + and Black -) , engine coolant temperature sensor,or if there are any relays or fuses. Plus I'm not sure if the missing will stop with the new head gasket. PLease give an old fart some guidance!!
Thanks for your time,
Brian
AnswerHey Brian,
You definitely sound right when it comes to the head gasket. It is also highly possible it has a burnt exhaust valve or two, which I expect, given the symptoms. In either case, the head has to come off. I would make sure the engine is in good mechanical condition before you worry about the fan(brown/yellow is +), because if it has a blown gasket, the fan won't work properly anyway.
