Modded Mustang Forums banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

Heat is Killing My Car

Jump to Latest
1 - 20 of 40 Posts
B

BatstangGT

· Registered
Joined
·
87 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey Guys,

I have a 2004 Mustang GT, 4.6, SOHC.

Once the temperature gets to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius) my car can drive for about 25-30 mins and then engine just shuts off. Some times I will feel the RPMs drop or the engine will briefly shut off and but catch itself and turn back on and keep running for a few mins longer. However, it invariably dies a few minutes later. When it dies I can hear the fan still running, all electrical still works, but the engine shuts down and the dash displays the Battery Light, the Check Engine Soon light, and the odometer displays " - - - - - - - ". The temperature gauge falls all the way down below the C, fuel gauge reads as normal, oil pressure gauge falls completely L, and the battery gauge reads as normal right in the middle.

This has been going on since last summer and I know it has something to do with the heat because all through the winter months this problem never occurred once. Last summer I spent money on the following items to resolve this issue in the following order...

-Fuel Pump
-Fuel Filter
-Spark Plugs
-Crank Position Sensor (before alternator)
-Battery
-Alternator (had a bad diode and eventually died)

I would really like stop throwing parts at this beast and I have taken the car into numerous shops but no one seems to be able t figure it out as there are no codes being thrown or anything.

At this point I'm thinking perhaps its the Constant Control Relay Module, or maybe a Cam Position Sensor? I don't know what else it could be. If someone could help me out here I would tremendously grateful.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
It's hard to tell what makes your car die exactly. The best way to do it honestly is to datalog the car but I know you probably don't have the accessibility to do so. When I had my car randomly die it was a bad connection to the fuel pump, so it was a fuel issue and you can tell the fuel psi dropped. What i'd do is hook up a fuel pressure gauge to see what your fuel is doing. Another thing to look into is the IAC valve. When these get all clogged up with carbon they tend to stick and make the car stall out at times. The fact that your mileage display goes away though makes me think maybe its something pcm related?
 
#3 ·
I had an issue like this once it turned out to be the noise suppressor (if that is what they are called i dont know )at the front of the engine was unpluged and shorting against the block start by looking for the simple stuff 9 times out of ten it usually is also are you chipped if so check the connecting at the EEC if seen this problem too!
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Thanks for the help so far guys.

bullitgt: Thanks for your suggestions. I was thinking perhaps it was the Idle Air Control valve but would this only cause issues in the heat? Like I say during the winter months the car never died once. Similarly if it was an issue with the PCM don't you think this would occur regardless of the temperature outside?

supersonic_blue: Thanks you for your suggestions as well. I don't think its an issue with shorting because as mentioned previously it doesn't happen when its cool outside and I would think if it was a shorting issue it would happen regardless of the temperature outside. My car does have an SCT 4 Bank Eliminator Chip but if it was a faulty connection there I wouldn't think the ambient temperature would have any effect on this but I could be wrong.

SlowSix: The car does not appear to be overheating the temperature gauge is right in the middle when it dies. I appreciate your suggestion to check the rad fan. I will check this afternoon and let you know. Again though, would the thermostat cause the car to die only when its hot outside?

Thanks for the help so far guys. I really appreciate it.
 
#7 ·
Its definetly an electrical issue. Look for bad grounds, corroded connectors, anything that looks bad. Has the dash ever been taken out? If so, make sure the big connector on the back is tight..
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#9 ·
I agree electrical connections somewhere. I would start at the battery connections and start looking for loose, broken or dirty connections. Make sure the battery terminals are clean (yes clean them now) and ends are good shape and tight.
Good luck
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #10 ·
Hailscott and DeathBringer: thanks for your suggestion although as I've mentioned previously, this phenomenon only occurs when its hot outside. If there was a bad ground or something shorting out wouldnt it have a problem whether its hot or cold out?

Wickedsnake00: I personally have a hunch that it might be relays too, and by that I mean the constant control relay module. I've read that sometimes when the relays inside the module get hot the connection can be broken causing the fuel pump or whatever to stop working until it cools down and the connection within the relay forms again. I don't know how much truth to this but its just something I read. I would just try and replace it but its like $400 from ford and pretty hard to find outside if eBay so id rather have a good idea that's going to solve my problem before I make the investment. I've heard the same concept can happen to the coils too but again, not exactly a cheap attempt at solving my problem only to find out that doesn't fix it.
 
#11 ·
BatstangGT said:
Hailscott and DeathBringer: thanks for your suggestion although as I've mentioned previously, this phenomenon only occurs when its hot outside. If there was a bad ground or something shorting out wouldnt it have a problem whether its hot or cold out?

Wickedsnake00: I personally have a hunch that it might be relays too, and by that I mean the constant control relay module. I've read that sometimes when the relays inside the module get hot the connection can be broken causing the fuel pump or whatever to stop working until it cools down and the connection within the relay forms again. I don't know how much truth to this but its just something I read. I would just try and replace it but its like $400 from ford and pretty hard to find outside if eBay so id rather have a good idea that's going to solve my problem before I make the investment. I've heard the same concept can happen to the coils too but again, not exactly a cheap attempt at solving my problem only to find out that doesn't fix it.
Click to expand...
While I'm not completely certain it will fix your problem, you can usually get them from a junkyard for $25-50.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
WickedSnake00:
I spent a few hours yesterday calling/walking around various Junkyards to see if they had any CCRM's that i could use just to see if it would fix my problem but there were no 00-04 GT's, only on V6. Do you happen to know if the V6 ccrm would work or if theres another car that shares the same CCRM as the 04 GT.

SlowSix:
I checked the temperature of the air being blown by the rad fan after warming up and its pretty hot. Does this mean I can rule out a bad thermostat?

On a side note something, that may also help you guys figure this out for me is that even when it is hot out if I stay moving (especially at highway speeds) the car seems to run for longer. For example; I drove into work this morning and it was pretty hot out. I managed to drive a highway speeds almost the whole way into work. Once I got into the parking lot I left the car running and popped the hood to check the temperature of the air blowing out of the rad fan and within a minute or so the car died.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Does anybody have any more ideas?

I can't believe I'm the only person who has ever had this problem.

The car died today at a slightly cooler temperature, and sooner than usual (less than 20 mins into my drive) but it had been sitting in the beating sun for a few hours and so I think it has to be some part that would stay cool once the car is moving but heats up when the car is stationary.

Could this potentially be an 02 sensor maybe or something?
 
#14 ·
Are you sure it's overheating?
Mine overheated 3 times in less than 2 years. All there times it spewed all the coolant out.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#16 ·
ide check out the FPDM, and in the same neighborhood inspect the rollover switch "fuel shutoff" to see if either of them are getting hot. I have seen FPDM's malfunction and go into thermal shut down just as you described. these are located in the drivers side trunk behind the panel.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
Discussion starter · #19 ·
04darkshadowgreygt : As far as I know it's not overheating. The temperature gauge is sitting right in the middle. In fact, if he car has been sitting directly in the hot sun (its a black car too) the car will shut down even quicker than usual and before the car even gets to operating temperature so that leads me to believe the engine isn't overheating but instead some component is getting to hot. No coolant spewing of any kind going on.

1996 GT: If you could elaborate on this theory a little more it would help.

SSG Pate: Thanks for this idea. I will check this out. I know I looked last year to see if perhaps there was something wrong with the switch itself and it seemed to be functioning as normal although I don't recall checking to see if it was getting hot. Is the FPDM and the "fuell shutoff" the same thing? Would this component just getting to hot cause the car to shut down?

Dblbeard: Usually the car will start up again within a minute or so the first time. Then if I drive for a few more minutes without being able to get going a good speed (for example in stop and go traffic) it will die again in another few minutes and take even longer to start again. Eventually it may start again and at this point I need to get it somewhere out of the sun that will allow it to cool for around 20-30 mins (sometimes 15 sometime 45). In order to get the car to start I have to keep turning the ignition and pumping the gas pedal. Im usually pretty panicked because it will happen at the worst possible times so I desperately just try to get it started and off the road so I don't know if theres any exact method but I do know that I turn the key like crazy and just pump the gas pedal.

chitown1211: The car idles pretty smooth for the most part. Occasionally if I'm sitting at a stop light and really pay attention I can feel a little bit of a shake which I guess must be a bit of a misfire but it's nothing to over the top so far as I can tell. I will check what the car idles at too and get back to you later this evening.
 
#20 ·
When you replaced the pump was it a motorcraft unit?
It sounds like a bad fuel pump.
Seems like every bad fuel pump I hear about does exactl what you describe.
Also, does it do it more when you tank is running low? Considering the fuel help cool the pump this is significant.
 
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
1 - 20 of 40 Posts
About this Discussion
39 Replies
17 Participants
Last post:
BOSSMAN2888
Modded Mustang Forums
posts
6.3M
members
83K
Since
2005
A forum community dedicated to all Ford Mustang owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, racing, builds, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
96 - 04 Modular Mustangs 5.0 Mustangs New Members Introductions Classic Mustangs