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Mechanic/Fisherman out there?
Any serious suggestions? I have a 2003 car with 235,000 miles on it (yes it has been good to me) until now...It is loosing power. I was told several things could be wrong such as a large vacuum leak, o2 sensor, rings, and catalitic converter failure. I heard if I fix the catalitic converter for $1000.00 it won't bring the power back. Is this true? If this were your car what would you fix first? Serious responses only please, this is no joke. Can't afford a new car at this time. Thank You and Happy Fishing
Replies
But then again this is OT. Take the good with the bad and smile..... The mechanics may not be back tell Tuesday, good luck.
By the time you fix the things you mentioned, and no guarantee it will fix the problem, invest that money into a different vehicle.
235,000 miles….you got the goodie out of it.
Good point.
Have a reliable mechanic diagnosis the issue and make an intelligent decision from that. Seldom do rings, Cat converters, O2 sensors go bad at the same time.
One more thing, if you Cat Conv is bad (plugged), your power would be restored once the plugged exhaust is fixed.
First get the codes read. You can do this at an auto parts store or if you know a mechanic, most have an app on their smart phone and a plug end that attaches to the car. That will tell you in a basic manner what is wrong. Don't pay for this at this stage of the game. Those who do it for free will give you enough information to get started in your decision on what to do. My buddy has a cheap code reader that hasn't been wrong yet. ($50)
What is the make and model of the car? I doubt it has a $1,000 catalytic converter, more likely $350 to $500. O2 sensors, there are usually a couple of them and they range from $60 to $150ish, you can install them yourself.
Rings? Do a compression check, if it is the rings, say bye-bye and spend the grand on another car down payment, cause rings are big bucks to replace. Bad rings will, if not fixed mess up the Cat Conv. because of the oil that is bypassing them and getting into the exhaust. Does it smoke at start up?
A large vacuum leak is something that can be heard, most of the time. Open the hood and listen for a sucking sound. If you find one, get some new hose and replace it, duct tape the leak until you get the hose replaced, for me that was about 3 years.
Ed
Like said above, you can prolly get a CC for <$500.
http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByDepartment/Catalytic_Converter/FORD/MUSTANG/2003
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/shop_years/ford-mustang-catalytic-converter-2003.html
Do you belong to any Mustang forums? If not, I suggest you do. Asking the same questions there will yield much better answers.
I was thinking along the same lines. He could get an off-road exhaust setup for about 200 bucks and it would sound good too.
He's playing the meat flute in the band.
"The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies and chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth and see those dear to them bathed in tears, to ride their horses and clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters."
cut it out, 2 pieces of pipe n 4 clamps.
He started the motor only to find id running rough... He spotted the problem right away.. A small vacuum hose leading into
a valve cover... He pointed it out to me then removed the small hose and showed me a hole in it... He cuts a small piece of hose off a roll and replaces it. Hmmmmmmm ... it ran like a top again... amazing what vacuum does.
200 max for new pipes.....:kick
Yep...
Many things to do.
Knots to be unraveled
'fore the darkness falls on you
http://v6power.net/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=15 there you go, V6 mustang forum. Just assuming you have a v6 anyway