My 2001 Forester engine has been running on it's last legs basically for the last 10k miles and not good before that.  blowing smoke when cold and bad piston slap when cold, knowing that if something went wrong with it I would pull it and replace it with another engine, and I have had a JDM V6 EJ205 with trans waiting for about 6 months I guess.

 

Now this engine is backfiring pretty regularly, moreso than before, and the other day it started fighting itself at idle, to the point I thought it was going to lock up, idle at about 400 RPM shaking badly but it does not do it consistently, but it will if it idles down all the way which seems to take longer than a normal traffic light. It also has a cold hesitation now.. Could this be a weak cylinder? I used to get 25 MPG stable, and now am down to 22 MPG... Compression test 6 months ago, all cylinders were equally good but I forget the actual numbers.... I have to hope this can last another month cause work picked up, and I can't take off right now. I'm getting a second vehicle, but the dealer won't have it ready for another month or so. It's a 1995 F-150 FWIW.

Definitely pass on the Ford. Take it from a master mechanic - you don't want that foolishness.

 

You should probably do another compression test and check the ignition. Sounds like it's misfiring - running on two or three cylinders lost likely.

 

GD

I know the old Squarebody Fords so I'm not worried. I also work for the dealer selling it as a mechanic part time. We were a Ford Franchise until owner sold that back a few months ago, and I'm not paying a lot for it and it's really nice. Plus I get to fix it myself, but we have a lot of work to do ahead of it.. We also have a private junkyard with enough parts to build a couple nice F-150's or 250's if we really wanted too.

 

 

The car does not 'feel' like a misfire or sound like it, just feels unbalanced after a few min idle. It's not lacking any power once it's warmed up. The hesitation is like the car is shut down for a split second, kind of like what the shift interrupter does on a Mercruiser Alpha One when shifted from fwd- reverse.. I'll check over the ignition and compression again for sure. Plugs were new when I did the last comp test. ~12k miles ago. Possibly a bit longer. I know that I went one step hotter than spec

Oil pressure light stays lit 2-3 seconds after any start now. Pretty sure it has oil pressure issues now. Possibly why it feels like its locking up.. Stinks like oil all the time now, and sometimes like rotten eggs, but it has no cats right now

And now, dissapearing oil. Seemed to have lost 3 quarts in 100 miles, and other than a constant oil smell, it's pretty dry

Check pcv system,also with no cats probably running full rich.

check timing, some of the symptoms are 'close' to what 1 tooth off timing might create.

 

any chance PCV and breather hoses are misrouted?

 

are all 4 plugs equally oil fouled or is just one dark?

Timing belt is probably been on less than 20k miles. I'd have to check the sticker but I did all the idlers and a new tensioner when I did it. Pcv was new not long ago. I doubt hoses are MIS routed. Have not had a chance to check comp or plugs but plugs were ok when changed last.. I don't think running without cats will peg the air fuel ratio. Its been like that since last fall.

yeah, I don't think it's the missing cats either on a 2001.

I'm going to park the car right after the truck is done, and I think it'll last that long. I've been working 7 days for a month, and just today got a day off, but I don't feel like digging into it since it's not gonna matter.

 

It STINKS when it's running and warm. Not always like oil, but sometimes just stinks, and sometimes it seems to have reduced power but not always. Always feels smooth at 55-60 mph and still provides ok gas mpg. 22-23 ballpark right now

 

Can't wait to drop in the EJ205 though.