[Albo]

I bought my 94 3.8 litre Mustang mid-July/09 from someone I know quite well. When I picked it up, he said it had been running hot so he and his pop had replaced the thermostat. My wife drove it home (as I was on my bike) and it was a 40C day so I am guessing it might have been running hot (although she did have the a/c on when travelling through the cities which will factor in later on in the story). Anyhoo, a week after I had it, I went to start it and it would turn over but not fire up. I had it towed to my mechanic and he said it was "flooding". He also said it was overheating because the fan was not running except when the a/c was on. He replaced the coolant sensor, new thermostat, cleaned the injectors. After I got it out of the shop, it was hesitating from a dead start and lacked power. A few weeks later, noticed some coolant seeping from the thermostat housing. Back to the mechanic who replaced the lower intake gasket and tried changing the throttle body. At this point he basically threw up his hands and basically gave up. At that point, I was getting frustrated as the coolant was still leaking and the check engine lite was back on so I took my 'stang to another mechanic who said codes P0171 and P0174 (system lean). He pressure tested fuel system and were within spec. He replaced the thermostat gasket again after determining the housing was warped so that was straightened. He also determined that the head gaskets are pretty much shot as there is constant pressure building in the rad. He also detected some chatter on the lower end as well. He tells me this car seriously overheated at some point. Has anyone out there experienced something similar and since I am a banker and not a mechanic, does this sound like a head gasket? And should I just look at replacing the engine? All help is very much appreciated.

[3.8WillEatYou]

um... just a question, not exactly sure at this point how much it relates to your situation, but have you checked out the radiator? what kind of condition is it in? has it been replaced recently?

[Albo]

I am pretty sure this is the original rad. The coolant was a nice green color when I bought the car and it still is. Doesn't seem to be any rust. Btw, I went back on some repair invoices that I got from the seller who had gotten them from the previous owner and on the invoice for the new tranny (in 2007 at 164,000 kms), the mechanic had written down "engine running hot". So, it appears that this engine had been running hot for about 12,000 kms until my mechanic repaired it. I don't have any of the typical symptoms of a blown head gasket such as white smoke from the exhaust or frothy oil. The oil looks normal (clean in fact after 3000 kms on the oil change). Thanks

[shinerstang]

Start the car, take off the radiator cap, and see if you are getting bubbles once the car warms up and the thermostat opens up. Serious bubble indicate a bad headgasket......

It really seems to me that you have a bad vacuum leak......

[MadSlipknot]

change fan 1 speed is dead

[Albo]

Thanks for the info! I'll give those a try!

[232-K7]

94-95 3.8's are infamous for blowing head gaskets. inspect your oil and your coolant, make sure nothing is mixing. with the engine cold and the radiator cap off, give it a couple good revs, if coolant blows all over the place, then the combustion chamber is leaking into the cooling system (via a leaking head gasket). also, get a compression test done.
dtc's p0174 & p0171 usually indicate a vacuum leak that would affect both banks 1 & 2. with the engine running, spray intake cleaner/brake cleaner along the upper & lower intake manifold, all the vacuum lines, the intake tube, and around the throttle body and IAC. listen for any changes in idle, if it revs up then you've found a leak. a vacuum leak would explain lack of power and hesitation from a stop. and leave the fan alone, it's fine.