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Moosing? and other problems

M

mjwood0

CEG'er
Joined
Nov 6, 2006
Messages
81
Location
Southern Tier, NY
Well, luckily I have a little spare cash right now so I'm trying to get my vehicles back in top condition before winter and finances get tight. I just got an oil change, ATX flush and fill and new front tires so things are starting to look up! The following are my list of things to fix. Just want to run it by the good folks here to determine if I'm on the right track.

Problem 1
In the last couple days, I've noticed a definitive whine coming from the drivers side of the engine compartment. It sounds kinda like the moose, but that's never happened when it wasn't cold. Also, I notice that my throttle seems to be hanging worse then ever. Finally, blipping the throttle doesn't make the noise go away. This normally cured my moosing...

I'm going to try to do the throttle hang fix to try to take care of the moosing anyway (last winter it was really annoying) but I want to make sure I'm not missing the real problem. I'm also going to clean the IAC as it probably needs it.

Problem 2
When driving on the freeway and I pass someone (revving up to around 6000 RPM or so), my check engine light will come on. It stays on for a minute or so and then goes away.

This is a 95 SE so it has the OBD-I system. Checking the codes reveals a 111 -- all normal. What could this be?

I was thinking of changing out the spark plugs and wires to possibly fix any misfire issues. What plugs / wires have worked good in these cars?

Problem 3
I just got two new front tires and had them mounted and balanced. I have noticed a chopping noise coming from my drivers side front tire. Could this just be a bad job of balancing, or could this be alignment issues?

Thanks for any help. I don't want to throw money at problems unless necessary, but I want to get things fixed up so I don't have to worry about them.
 
Problem 2. Could be vacuum loss from hoses. At 12 years old, some of the rubber and plastic hose are not very pliable anymore. And the massive vibration due to the 6K RPM probably caused some leaks.

Problem 3. Have you checked the tire to make sure there isn't a pebble stuck in between the threads? If it is a balance issue, you should have bad vibration at high speeds, usually 55 to 65 mph.
 
Tony2005 said:
Problem 2. Could be vacuum loss from hoses. At 12 years old, some of the rubber and plastic hose are not very pliable anymore. And the massive vibration due to the 6K RPM probably caused some leaks.

Problem 3. Have you checked the tire to make sure there isn't a pebble stuck in between the threads? If it is a balance issue, you should have bad vibration at high speeds, usually 55 to 65 mph.
Click to expand...

Problem 2
I inspected the hoses and they look great. This car was garaged for its whole life (before it came to me) and driven very little so everything seems soft and pliable.

Problem 3
I don't see any pebbles in the tire. Checked that first as I've had it happen before. Oddly, the vibration goes away when I get over 40 mph or so. Most noticeable around 25 - 30 mph.

Thanks for the ideas! Willing to do anything thats easy and cheap first!
 
mjwood0 said:
...Problem 3
I don't see any pebbles in the tire. Checked that first as I've had it happen before. Oddly, the vibration goes away when I get over 40 mph or so. Most noticeable around 25 - 30 mph.

....!
Click to expand...
Balance issue.
 
Problem 3 could be a bad wheel bearing. My car is doing this right now and that is most likely the issue.

i dont think it is a balance issue because i have had 2 different sets of wheels and tires on the car and it still did it with both sets.
 
If it is the wheel bearing, that should be easy to figure out, do the o'clock test.

O'clock test

Jack up the car one side. Place on jack stand.

Grasp wheel at 12 and 6 o'clock and push in and out. Any movement, most probably suspect wheel bearing.

9 and 3 o'clock - tie-rod/ball joint.

Lower the car and do the same for the other side.
 
correct.. grab the wheel at 9 and 3 and try to "rock" the wheel, they same motion as if someone was turning the steering wheel; Now grab at 12 and 6 and repeat the motion, causing the wheel the flex in and out.

There should be no movement.
 
Sure the whine is not coming from the transaxle? The shop use the right ATF?
 
BigBEN said:
Problem 3 could be a bad wheel bearing. My car is doing this right now and that is most likely the issue.

i dont think it is a balance issue because i have had 2 different sets of wheels and tires on the car and it still did it with both sets.
Click to expand...

It does occur to me that this noise was starting to develop on the passenger side rear tire before I got the new tires. The tires on the car were were a complete mismatch so I replaced the two most worn and put them on the front. Will do the rears before winter. Turns out, the two most worn were the passenger side tires. Perhaps I'll try switching the front tires and see if the noise moves with the tire. Could be a rim too...

Tony2005 said:
If it is the wheel bearing, that should be easy to figure out, do the o'clock test.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan. I'd hate for it to be a wheel bearing (sounds more expensive than a balance issue), but at least I'd know...

Ray said:
correct.. grab the wheel at 9 and 3 and try to "rock" the wheel, they same motion as if someone was turning the steering wheel; Now grab at 12 and 6 and repeat the motion, causing the wheel the flex in and out.

There should be no movement.
Click to expand...

Easy enough. I'll try that this weekend.

Kevinm said:
Sure the whine is not coming from the transaxle? The shop use the right ATF?
Click to expand...

Just so I know -- what ATF needs to be in here. They used ATF, I just don't know what kind.

I really don't think it's that though. It goes away after the car is run for a while. In fact, today, it didn't do it at all. It really sounded like the moose but I was leery since it was warm out.

Another thing -- since I was getting the CEL light during acceleration, I read the scan codes. A friend gave me an old OBD-I scanner and it was my first time using it. I never saw any codes other than all normal, but if I somehow managed to clear the computer perhaps the whining / stalling was just the computer trying to re-learn? Or is this theory way off.

Either way, I want to do the throttle hang fix and clean the IAC this weekend as well. Can't hurt and may fix something.

Thanks all for the advice. Sure beats going to a mechanic for them to tell me something that makes no sense but is expensive to fix...
 
Tony2005 said:
Your 1995 Automatic needs Mercon/Dextron III ATF.
Click to expand...

I'll double check they did this right. Thanks!

Update:
Problem 3: Weird tire chopping noise. Turned out one of the rear tires was worn unevenly and therefore, the chopping noise. Only problem is that since the tires have been off so much recently, I am not sure what corner it started on so I don't know where to start looking for the cause of the uneven wear. Then again, it could have just been a bad tire. It was a no name brand.

Anyway, onward and forward with the repairs!
 
Moose?

Moose?

onward and forward with the repairs
Click to expand...

Should be CEG motto!:laugh:

Does your car "hmmmm" when warm started in warm-hot weather, like if you go running errands? Mine does, and it sounds different than cold weather moose (that I have experienced on another Mystique before the moose fix kit from Ford was installed.) The noise does not stall the engine. You can feel the vibration on the air intake hoses.
 
Yes! That's exactly the problem -- except mine does cause the engine to sputter and stall. The more I'm experiencing it, the more I'm narrowing it down.

Symptoms so far:
1: More of a humming noise coming from the intake area of the engine. Not as loud or clear as the moosing I've experienced in the winter.
2: Only seems to happen in hot / humid weather. Never had this problem before this last week or so when the weather here has been in the high 80s / low 90s with high humidity. (I know that's not hot for you southerners, but miserable for us warm blooded northerners!)
3: Seems to only happen once the engine is warmed up. Never happens after I let it sit for a while but if I just run in to a store and come back out, it happens almost every time.

@FavoriteMystaque -- did you ever figure out what it was? Did the throttle hang fix for moosing cure it?

Oddly enough, I have the moose fix hoses on my '95 with the big rubber ball thing. Still mooses really bad in the winter.
 
I have not solved my "baby moose" problem yet. I had to remove my driver side fender due to a deer hit, and a small plastic tube had fallen off the air intake horn mounted in the fender. Looked like it was in the bottom of the fender a while. It is part of air tuning I believe, but I have no way to see if it affects the noise until my 98 Mystique is roadworthy:help:

The 95 Mystique received the Ford moose kit, and as far as I know from my sister, it is OK in the winter.
 
FavoriteMystaque said:
I have not solved my "baby moose" problem yet. I had to remove my driver side fender due to a deer hit, and a small plastic tube had fallen off the air intake horn mounted in the fender. Looked like it was in the bottom of the fender a while. It is part of air tuning I believe, but I have no way to see if it affects the noise until my 98 Mystique is roadworthy:help:
Click to expand...


Hmm... any pictures? I looked all around that area today as I was wondering what it would take to upgrade to a better intake. Didn't see any such tube. Wonder if this is part of my problem?! Last winter, it was almost undriveable...
 
I could try a photo tomorrow (Sat). To see this part, you have to remove the fender (NOT recommended or easy) unless you have to replace it. The moose plumbing from the later models (98) might work, looks like the 95 model's kit. There might be information in the Old forums, and its old forums Archive.
 
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mjwood0 said:
...Is it worth it to get the updated one? I just installed the throttle hang fix and it seems to be behaving -- then again, it was cooling off outside by the time I got it done.
.....
Click to expand...
If you did the Throttle Hang fix and the moose is gone, save your money for other things down the road. ;)
 
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