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96 4.6 Bird spewing oil out the exhaust? also #2 misfire

2K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  V8ThunderCat 
#1 ·
Took on a project a few weeks back and picked up a wrecked bird. Just got the engine running again and noticed an oil drip from the rear exhaust while the engine is running. Pulled all the plugs and none show any oil. There is a rednecked exhaust on the car where they cut out the cat and all the 02 sensors. So I have check engine codes for miles.

Before the car was wrecked the previous owner had installed a new intake manifold. It has the aluminum cross over and looks brand new. So I'm not worried about that. The oil is coming from the exhaust in such a manner that concerns me. With the compression of the engine I get a steady spray from the exhaust. No blue smoke and the engine seems to be running perfectly aside from the misfire.

Things i've replaced:

all 8 plugs
all 8 wires
both coils

I'm assuming this is oil because it is staining my garage floor, and normal dirty water won't do that.

Any input or advice?
 
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#2 ·
Replace / Reinstall the O2 sensors. The valve stem's in the heads of early MN12's were prone to fail and lead to oil leaks that will lead to burning oil and blowing it out the exhaust. The only way to remedy that is to rebuild or replace the heads.

How many miles are on the car?

You might try running some Seafoam through the gas tank to clean the intake and injectors.

What weight oil is in the car? When was it last changed? Drop some Seafoam in the crank case (as per instructions on can) run for about 500 miles and change the oil.

You probably will want to replace the PCV valves too.
 
#5 ·
If its been running rich for a prolonged period of time, there maybe enough raw fuel in the oil to actually dilute it enough to pass through the rings and pump out the exhaust. It has happened to me before, Id go get the 19.99 oil change special from auto zone and try it. Also how bad is your miss? Is it just a light vibration or is it a dead cylinder?
 
#6 ·
Sorry for the lack of responding guys! Sister had a baby and I've spent the last two days on a plane.

The oil is dirty as hell and unknown weight, so it will be getting an oil swap as soon as possible. The exhaust was on the bottom of my list, but I think I'll go ahead and replace the entire system. I'm sure the cat is absolute garbage at this point.

At one time the car was cared for, but I would say it hasn't felt the love of a gentle wrench in a LONG while. The plugs were all out of gap and quite bad looking. The wires were brittle and fell apart in my hand. So I was quite hopeful that would take care of the misfire. The misfire seems to be only noticeable at idle and light throttle. It is not a dead cylinder. I was leaning towards bad injector till I found this oil issue.

Again, no blue smoke, so I don't believe that oil is entering the cylinder chamber and the plugs are clean. I'm thinking that with the Rich conditions of the fuel (I assume that has alot to do with the putrid un-burnt fuel smell) that it may be leaving some type of nasty in the exhaust. And when combined with the moisture of the air is causing the pipes to spit it out.

Any suggestions on a good exhaust system? The one that's been put on the car now sounds like absolute garbage and has way too much crackle.

Once I replace the 02 sensor and the oil change, and the new exhaust, I'm hoping to remedy most of whats wrong with the engine.

It currently has 154,00 miles but runs like a gem...when it is running that is. Trans seems a bit jerky around 30-35, but that's it for the drivetrain.

The suspension will need an entire overhaul. Luckily I work for a dealership and get $65/hour labor rates. So I'll likely just have the dealership replace everything with provided parts. I'm sure I could do most of the suspension work on my own, but I have a 1.5 car garage with alley parking. Not much space.

I suppose I should notate the end goal with this unit. Money is not much of a concern as this is becoming a project and not a must-drive-daily unit. That being said saving up for an exhaust and similar parts isn't of high concern. I plan on keeping the original engine and tranny till I can't. I just need the damn thing to run perfect, drive perfect, and look perfect.

So for an MN12....that's probably about $32,000 in work, right? >:)
 
#7 · (Edited)
Yea, just replace the oil & skip the Seafoam treatment in the crank case for now. I do still recommend running a can of Seafoam through the gas tank. That'll clean the injectors and burn a lot of the carbon out.

Mandrel exhaust systems is the only way to go for these cars. There's a thread on them here I'll look it up and link it in a minute.

here ya go: http://forums.tccoa.com/101-exhaust/118883-mandrel-exhaust-systems.html

http://www.mandrelexhaustsystems.com/categories/car-exhaust/ford/89-97-ford-thunderbird.html
 
#8 ·
Yea, just replace the oil & skip the Seafoam treatment in the crank case for now. I do still recommend running a can of Seafoam through the gas tank. That'll clean the injectors and burn a lot of the carbon out.

Mandrel exhaust systems is the only way to go for these cars.
There's a thread on them here I'll look it up and link it in a minute.

here ya go: http://forums.tccoa.com/101-exhaust/118883-mandrel-exhaust-systems.html

Car Exhaust - Ford - 89-97 Ford Thunderbird - Mandrel Exhaust Systems
Just installed a free flow cat back, xpipe, mandrel exhaust on mine, and good golly miss Molly, unbelievable difference.

I hope your car is soon running great.
 
#12 ·
It could really just be running that bad that its making soot.. I have had oil literally spraying out of my tailpipe once but I cracked the ring lands off one piston.Oddly enough I was down on power but It idled fine. When I tore it down the bore was the only thing holding the side of the piston together. But like everyone said do the right stuff fix the exhaust get good O2's installed and see how it is. If youre not smoking the place out the engine is probably fine. Also an old time trick is to get a pump can and put some marvel mystery oil in the cylinders and let it soak few days. Then take the spark plugs back out crank the engine so you get the excess oil out (leaving too much oil in the bores can cause hydro lock and bend a rod). Then put the plugs back in and run it. Rev the engine up to about 3500 rpm for a minute or so and the heat in the cylinder should break up the carbon that the marvel softened sitting on the rings and make them seal better. It will smoke like your house is on fire for a few mins so be ready. Then follow with a seafoam on the top end.
 
#13 ·
I am almost positive I have no internal engine issues. How do these engines cope with seafoam treatment in the upper cylinder? I know there's plenty of smoke with the treatment, but I also hear horror stories. Ran it on a grand-am once and the police were called once the whole neighborhood couldn't see past their nose. >:)

I'll probably pull the injectors off and atleast replace the #2 injector for good measure. I might as well replace em all once I've got the rail, but as of right now my TB won't come off...

-Zach
 
#18 ·
Nice post, TM!!

The civic video is awesome; Exhaust sounds great, too.

:grin2:
 
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