[RichM]

the wife was laughing at me but... ok so I got my 96 v6 engine back together. It runs. It sounds a bit like the exhaust manifold isn't quite bolted up on one side but I wanted to see what was throwing a check engine light. The hood is off, the top is down, the other seats and the carpet are out... So I put a seat back in, bolted in the seat belt, hung a plate on the back, and drove it about 2 miles through the neighborhood to my local Autozone. I didn't really get on it, but it was not very impressive. It's an automatic, and not very responsive. The shifting is very smooth, it rides good, but... I've never driven one of these before. My wife's 106 hp 2007 Toyota Yaris (auto) has more punch. The engine is running a little rough, I don't know why yet... but still... are the stock v6's just really wimpy, especially with an auto?

It showed a P0305, "#5 cylinder misfired." I'll probably take this into a shop after I do the interior and paint.

The only other sports car I have owned was a 92 300zx twin turbo. This car (even though it's got .8 liters on the 300) isn't going to hold a candle to that, is it. ??

[MustanG_guy17]

Well with cylinders miss firing of course it is going to be alot slower. BUt yer the stock v6 is a slower motor

[Onemanzu]

that sucks... hope nothing goes to wrong

[RichM]

Slower is relative though. I had a 91 honda accord, with 245k on it, finally died because apparently I had "no compression in one cylinder, and almost none in two others". Yet, on 3 cylinders, it had more power than this.

It doesn't really sound like it's mis-firing, sounds more like the timing is off (but how can that be on this engine?) and like the exhaust has a hole (it doesn't, but not absolutely certain the header and pipe are bolted together all the way since I didn't do it myself).

I hope it's something easy though. The distributer pack and wires look fairly new, but the injectors did not. I did not grease (electr. grease) the injector plug connectors, and this car does have 160 k on it... maybe I need to do something with them? it'll be a PITA to pull that stuff back off but...

[MustanG_guy17]

Do yourself a favor and put that car in N and roll it into the atlantic ocean. and buy a 07

[Texan_Stud]

Originally Posted by RichM Slower is relative though. I had a 91 honda accord, with 245k on it, finally died because apparently I had "no compression in one cylinder, and almost none in two others". Yet, on 3 cylinders, it had more power than this. It doesn't really sound like it's mis-firing, sounds more like the timing is off (but how can that be on this engine?) and like the exhaust has a hole (it doesn't, but not absolutely certain the header and pipe are bolted together all the way since I didn't do it myself). I hope it's something easy though. The distributer pack and wires look fairly new, but the injectors did not. I did not grease (electr. grease) the injector plug connectors, and this car does have 160 k on it... maybe I need to do something with them? it'll be a PITA to pull that stuff back off but...

it will be slow but not that slow.. unless the 91 accord had a H22 in it..

[Onemanzu]

it is a chain driven unit with a cam shaft positioning sensor and if these components werent installed correctly then the engine could be confussing its self and could cause some damage...

their is a slight chance that timing can get off...

i don't know ... you did all the work yourself right in your garage im guessing...?

[RichM]

you did all the work yourself right in your garage im guessing

well not exactly. when I got it, there were parts in the trunk, in the back seat, in the door pockets, in boxes, and in plastic bags. The block was in, timing cover still on, but heads and everything above them were off. The wiring harness was off to the side. So I used a haynes, and alldatadiy.com manual (fair diagrams) and common sense to put it back together. I did not have the valves [or heads etc] checked. There was a bit of smoke for the first 20 minutes of running or so, but now there is no smoke, so I think the rings and pistons are ok.

can the plug wires short against each other or various engine parts, if too close? things are kinda tight on the passenger side, they're kinda crammed in there.

[RichM]

could worn cams be a likely cause of this poor performance, with 160k miles? I haven't looked into upgrading them... I was reading another post about upgrades and that was high on the list of things to do for +hp.

btw the key word was -likely- as I do realize that putting race cams on even a good running v6 would improve performance.

I guess I just don't have any idea how this car is supposed to perform if it's running well. Maybe I should find one for sale and testdrive it...

[HMUSN]

it's a 96 v6... what did ya expect?


they only make like 130 Rwhp in stock form...

(no offence v6ers)

but they are dogs to begin with let alone when they are missing a cylinder.

that would bring you down to like 104 rwhp

[tomzac]

Originally Posted by HMUSN it's a 96 v6... what did ya expect? they only make like 130 Rwhp in stock form... (no offence v6ers) but they are dogs to begin with let alone when they are missing a cylinder. that would bring you down to like 104 rwhp

HMUSN, you're an ass.

Did you check cylinder compression yet?

[Juggalo_X]

yah u cant judge a car that isn't even running properly, but yes the 94-98 v6's were obnoxiously slow.

[mustang1072]

the 96 v6 mustang is not very fast... neither are any mustang v6's for that matter... thats y were here

[HMUSN]

like i have never been called an ass before


i'm not being an ass..i am merely just stating the obvious man.


check all your fittings.. you have an exhaust leak somewhere.

did you scrape the old gasket material off the block before you installed the manifolds?

[mustang1072]

Originally Posted by HMUSN like i have never been called an ass before i'm not being an ass..i am merely just stating the obvious man. check all your fittings.. you have an exhaust leak somewhere. did you scrape the old gasket material off the block before you installed the manifolds?

dont call him an ass tomzac he is right unfortunately... ford came out with a v6 so u can afford it, look good, and get better gas mileage... in my opinion

[tomzac]

Originally Posted by mustang1072 dont call him an ass tomzac he is right unfortunately... ford came out with a v6 so u can afford it, look good, and get better gas mileage... in my opinion

It's not what was said, it's how it was said. The little LMO figure at the slow v6; is neither objective, nor constructive to resolve a problem.

[HMUSN]

"but still... are the stock v6's just really wimpy, especially with an auto? "


i answered his question AND i followed up in a second post to offer some assistance


"did you scrape the old gasket material off the block before you installed the manifolds?"

and i wasn't laughing at the fact that it was v6 I was laughing at the fact that if it were missing a cylinder it would only have 104 RWPH.

[tomzac]

Back on topic:

Did you do any head work? If so, are you sure the rockers are set and operating the valves correctly? And with 160K miles, a professional injector inspect, clean, and flow check might be a good idea. Also check your coil pack. And double check for vac leaks.

[ByPopularDemand]

I don't think they make 130 to the wheels...

[Juggalo_X]

Originally Posted by tomzac Back on topic: Did you do any head work? If so, are you sure the rockers are set and operating the valves correctly? And with 160K miles, a professional injector inspect, clean, and flow check might be a good idea. Also check your coil pack. And double check for vac leaks.

also check your wires make sure htey are not grounding out from cracks or wear. plugs are they good? are you sure u dont have a warped head? an exhaust leak off the block will cripple performance so get that header checked.