[TorqueMonster]

Hi I have a 2002 v6 3.8, i just got the car and love it to death but I am already having problems with it

1) This first problem has happened twice I think its more my fault too.....I drove the car in two cases with the ac on for about an hour or so and then all of a sudden i get hot air out of the vents and the engine temp moves from the middle to towards the H but not to the red line itself. The day i got the car i saw that the coolant was low so i added some straight to the resovior before reading the manual and not opening the vent valve. Could that be a reason that it over heats when the ac has been on for a while. Both times I just driving and it just happened in the middle of the road. As soon as the engine got hot i pulled over and let it cool down and started it up again it runs fine and the temp comes back to normal both times within minutes......any suggestions as to the solution.....

2) This second problem happened once when I got the car and then more recently today........meaning several times today. When I come to a stop the car starts shaking (the whole steering and rpm drops to about 500) and its as if it wants to stall but it only lasts a few seconds and then the rpm fluctuates a little and then settels at around 700. I took it to a parking lot and the same thing I put the car in R and it wanted to stall but didnt then I put into drive and same thing again.....anyone had this problem....I am thinking it the traction control.....the TC had some problems with this car before........it happens with it on and off.......any suggestions or solutions would be asewome before I take it to a repair shop and I go broke again.

[3.8Coastie]

Im not sure on what is wrong with #1 but I experienced a very similar problem with #2. All i had to do was clean my air filter and the Stang went back to idling at the normal rpm and has not stuttered or tried to stall since. Maybe that could be your problem.
-3.8Coastie

[00SoSlow]

mine started to do #2 also kind of... im thinking its because mine is untuned, but basically once and a while when i am driving and come to a red light the rpms drop to 500 and sit there for 2-3 secs, then go and settle at 700? i have no idea what it could be if its not because the untuned mods?

[TorqueMonster]

yeah when a car almost stalls like that its usallly the spark plug wires or the spark plugs themselves but in my case they are band new, as for the air filter i did open it up to check if it were dirty when i bought the car but i put it back (and its just the stock one)

[turp]

#1 is more than likely an air bubble in you coolant system. There is a thread floating around here on how to "burp" your car to get the air out of the coolant passages.