my car sounds like a lawnmower - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

bilbog · 07-24-2009, 22:07

so, i bought a 1994 escort wagon, 1.9 auto for 300 bucks. when i got it the car ran pretty well, except the tranny slipped a little, and exhaust was kinda loud. i've had it a few weeks now. the exhaust is LOUD and when i first start it, i have to push the pedal down halfway to get down my street. it just sounds like a lawn mower, and the engine seems to rev up a lil down a lil, but very rapidly. i'm not really sure how else to describe it, but that's about the best i can put it. when it warms up, it doesn't sounds quite as bad, but it always runs pretty bad. the thing is, when i was on the highway the other day, on the on ramp, it would not accelerate, it felt like it had 12 horsepower, and i was actually slowing down. so i just floored it. it took off like a bat out of hell, after making an akward noise, and the check engine light came on. now it always runs like crap, the light is on, and it sounds like a lawn mower, then when it warms up it sounds like my old chevy truck. when i first got the car, i did check it out, replaced some vacum lines, found out it had no air filter, and it hadn't for at least 50k miles. which doesn't help. when i checked the tranny dipstick, it showed about 2-3 times as high as it is supposed to be, i need to fix that. i checked all the other fluids, changed plugs/wires, basic stuff. soo, now that you have made it this far, any clue what is wrong? here's a lil overview, when it's cold, it's a lawnmower. when it warms up it's not quite as lawnmowerey, but it sounds like a smallblock chevy. check engine light is on, had no air filter forever, too much trans fluid, and it has almost 190k miles on it as well. most of which it wasn't maintained very well at all...soo, any advice? lol sorry for the 2 mile long post, but at least there will be less for me to explain later

Sterling_Six · 07-26-2009, 06:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by bilbog

so, i bought a 1994 escort wagon, 1.9 auto for 300 bucks. when i got it the car ran pretty well, except the tranny slipped a little, and exhaust was kinda loud. i've had it a few weeks now. the exhaust is LOUD and when i first start it, i have to push the pedal down halfway to get down my street. it just sounds like a lawn mower, and the engine seems to rev up a lil down a lil, but very rapidly. i'm not really sure how else to describe it, but that's about the best i can put it. when it warms up, it doesn't sounds quite as bad, but it always runs pretty bad. the thing is, when i was on the highway the other day, on the on ramp, it would not accelerate, it felt like it had 12 horsepower, and i was actually slowing down. so i just floored it. it took off like a bat out of hell, after making an akward noise, and the check engine light came on. now it always runs like crap, the light is on, and it sounds like a lawn mower, then when it warms up it sounds like my old chevy truck. when i first got the car, i did check it out, replaced some vacum lines, found out it had no air filter, and it hadn't for at least 50k miles. which doesn't help. when i checked the tranny dipstick, it showed about 2-3 times as high as it is supposed to be, i need to fix that. i checked all the other fluids, changed plugs/wires, basic stuff. soo, now that you have made it this far, any clue what is wrong? here's a lil overview, when it's cold, it's a lawnmower. when it warms up it's not quite as lawnmowerey, but it sounds like a smallblock chevy. check engine light is on, had no air filter forever, too much trans fluid, and it has almost 190k miles on it as well. most of which it wasn't maintained very well at all...soo, any advice? lol sorry for the 2 mile long post, but at least there will be less for me to explain later

Hello and good day:

This sounds like a Fuel Emission Problem ..

1. Check the Fuel Filter .. and Replace if needed.
2. Check the IAC (Idle Air Control Sensor)
3. Check the MAS (Mass Airflow Sensor)
4. Check the TPS (Throttle Positioning Sensor)

Did you say you have a CEL .. Check Engine Light????
If So please go to you local Auto Parts Store like (Advance Auto, Auto Zone, Pep Boy's etc) and Have the OBDII Codes Read.

Then Please let us know what they are.

bilbog · 07-26-2009, 21:09

well, i went to advanced auto parts to get an obd reader, nobody could find the port. however, i got lucky and there was a guy at midas that checked it out, and we figured out it was an obd1 port, and he told me it's useless to check it. so we looked everything over. we checked the wires, the sensors, plugs are new, and some vacum lines. we came to the conclusion that the injectors are stuck open, which explains why the car runs like crap at low rpm, but gets progressively better/smoother as it gets higher(i should have made a point about that). it also explains why my fuel mileage has gone to hell also. we also checked the oil to find out if we could smell gas, he smelled it pretty bad, i could barely smell it cause my allergies are bein stupid, but it was definutely there. so no codes read, but what he said makes sense. what do you guys think? sound reasonable enough, or any other suggestions based on the new info?

bilbog · 07-26-2009, 22:29

whoops, double post

fixitnowlt · 07-27-2009, 14:12

Pull the exhaust off and see how it runs. You may have a catalytic converter and/or a muffler plugged up and/or blown out. It doesn't cost anything to do this!

bilbog · 07-27-2009, 19:12

i still haven't put the new injectors in, i wanna make sure that is what's wrong before i drop 60 bucks on it. i tried yanking the exhaust, and it diddn't do anything except make it sound like a punk kid's honda lol. any tips on double checking the IAC MAF TCS sensors? i took the guy's word on what he saw, but i wouldn't mind checkin it again. also, when i put the fuel filter in, it ran a LOT better a day or so after i put it in. the day i did it at first it ran about the same, then it got worse, and worse...and eventually at open throttle the car wouldn't move. i just sat there and it sputtered till i killed it, restarted it, put it in nuteral, and gave it some gas, then it did the akward noise, and ran fine again. seems whenever that akward noise happens, it runs perfect. which leads me to think it's a sensor/computer malfunction. if the injectors were stuck open, you'd think they would always make it run like crap, not when they feel like doing it. the car is a freakin mystery machine. but yeah, that's all i have found out. and sorry i'm somewhat urgent, but i have a really nice truck waiting in the wings to be fixed, and i want to get this thing fixed so i can sell it/give it to a friend who doesn't have a car right now. thanks guys!

fixitnowlt · 07-28-2009, 13:56

What did the old plugs look like when you took them out? Fouled, wet, etc.

Have you checked the timing?

Is the gas new or old? Did you add new gas to the possibly old gas in the tank?

How did it run when you took the exhaust off? Don't really care about how loud it is, did it run better?

Since the oil did smell like gas did you change it?

FYI- It is NEVER useless to check the PCM for fault codes. It could point you in a direction to fix the car. Even if it turns up no codes, you still have done what could help you fix the car.

bilbog · 07-28-2009, 15:27

the plugs looked fine, a little bit of carbon buildup, but other than that they were fine. the exhaust removal diddn't make it run any better. it still preformed exactly the same. the gas is all new, when i bought the car it was a daily driver, it never had really old gas in it. i haven't changed the oil yet, i intend to, it's just been pretty bad outside and i don't have a garage to work in, but i intend to do it asap. the timing hasn't been checked, but i need to. that's another possible issue. and as for the obd reader, i bought it up a few times, and the guy told me it would be useless, and i could tell it was irritating him, and he was helping me for free. they weren't open, and he was bored. i diddn't want to piss him off and be up a creek