1993 Mustang w/ some minor engine and transmission problems. Need advice.
Hey all, I'm Cory and I'm new to the forum. Im 16. I just bought a 1993 Ford Mustang 2.3L.Automatic. It has 164,000 miles on it and it's a lil' rough around the edges but you gotta expect that for a 1000 bucks. Its my second car, my first was a 2000 dodge intrepid and after only driving it 5,000 miles the rod bearing went out.
Anyhow, my goals w/ the car are to get anywhere between 160 -200 hp. Just enough to make it fun to drive but still good w/ the fuel economy. Working only part time (due to school) my paychecks are not big lol so any do it yourself mods that you could tell me would be appreciated. Yes I do know about the mass air conversion.
but before I do anything performance enhancing there are a couple bugs that need to be fixed. First, in the lower RPMs range the engine runs extremely rough, to the point to where at a stop light idleing w/ the brake in the whole car shakes like a modded out V8. Second, when the tranny shifts it hesitates, and stays in the gear and over revs before shifting. Back peddling during this helps it shift quicker sometimes.
I think the engine running rough is due to some minor carb problems. ANd that the transmission sticking is due to a faulty torque converter. But you guys probably know more than I do, so any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
I had the same problem With the rough idling. You might have a faulty coil pack in there. My main coil pack was bad But I replaced both to be safe. I also replaced all plugs and wires you know basic tune up. I would also suggest cleaning injectors and changing the fuel filter, oil, oil filter, etc.. Other than that My ICM (Ignition control module) is dying and causing some similar problems so look into that.
forgot to mention, make sure the wire order is right, you should be able to find a diagram on the internet some where if not let me know. because when I bought mine I took a close look and on the main coil pack the 2nd wire was on the 3rd plug and the 3rd wire was on the second plug XD let me know if any of these things help
ok your tranny sounds like it might be slipping so you might want to take it to a shop and get it looked at i just bought a 93 my self for 950 and the only problems with it are cosmetics mine is a 5sd and if your tranny is bad you should change it to a 5spd but that is only if you are willing to drive a stick its up to you.
yea I plan on doing a basic tune up this week because I'm on spring break so I have plenty of time. I don't think its the coil pack because the wires and plugs look relatively new as if they have been replaced. But I'll look into it. And if the tune up doesn't help w/ the transmission problems the I'll take it to a shop to look at it.
another thing I did notice is that when I put the car from park to reverse or from park to drive the whole car lurches or drops. I dunno if this could help Identify the problem.
I would love to change the tranny to a T-5 but for now it is out of the question due to the lack of cash flow lol as is changing it to a turbo. To be honest I'm more focused on reliability than HP, I don't need this one going like my last car did.
tranny sound like you have bad sincronizers or just bad first and reverse if you have e brake make sure to use it because park might be bad and it could roll if you dont have e brake set like i have said take it to a shop i am no tranny mechanic.
I would definitely check on your coil packs or ignition module (mounted to intake). A visual inspection will not show anything. These are electronic parts that have circuitry that can fail. You car, being a 1993, already has Mass-Air from the factory. It also already has a nice roller camshaft. As for the transmission: Check the fluid first! Make sure the fluid is at the proper level on the stick and is a deep red in color and does not have metal flakes in it. If the fluid is discolored, the transmission will need flushed and filled. If it is low, top it off with Dexron/Mercon III or synthetic ATF. If the fluid is ok, then the problem may be a bit more extensive to fix. The A4LD automatic (what is in your car) is known for overheating and having failures. One of which is burned or stretched bands. If it is overspeeding on shifts, it is likely your bands are shot. Of course, if your fluid is low or bad, this can cause this as well. To EVERYONE that has an A4LD, I always recommend the addition of an aftermarket transmission cooler. The small oil-water cooler in your radiator does not do enough for this transmission. I suggest a stacked-plate type cooler, which can be had easily through any parts store for $50-$100. It is cheap insurance against a heat-related failure. Like I said though, check your fluid level and quality first and work from there.
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1986 Mercury Capri 2.3L
1994 Ford Escort 1.9L
1999 Ford Escort 2.0L
yea I plan on doing a basic tune up this week because I'm on spring break so I have plenty of time. I don't think its the coil pack because the wires and plugs look relatively new as if they have been replaced. But I'll look into it. And if the tune up doesn't help w/ the transmission problems the I'll take it to a shop to look at it.
another thing I did notice is that when I put the car from park to reverse or from park to drive the whole car lurches or drops. I dunno if this could help Identify the problem.
I would love to change the tranny to a T-5 but for now it is out of the question due to the lack of cash flow lol as is changing it to a turbo. To be honest I'm more focused on reliability than HP, I don't need this one going like my last car did.
Check the vacuum line going to the transmission and change the modulator valve if it has fluid coming out of it.
I'm looking at doing this for shifting problems.. did you loose much fluid when you pulled that out if at all? That pin thats in the modulator, is that just free floating, so I would just need to set that in there?
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92 notch 2.3 N/A
Pacesetter long tube header, Magnaflow High flow cat, Flowmaster Deltaflow 40 series, ported upper and lower intake manifold, EGR breather, CAI from mustangsunlimited.
1993 Mustang w/ some minor engine and transmission problems. Need advice. 
