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Full Version: 04 Mach 1 Torch Red HELP bad Gas mpg
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Hello All! Thank you for welcoming to the world of Mach1clubSSig_help! I am the owner of a 2004 Mach 1 Torch Red (Auto) that I purchased back in 07 at 40k miles and since have raised that number to 134k miles…..The car has not had any serious issues other than having to replace the rear end as the pinion bearing started to scream and howl like hell until 20 mph. Didn’t have to but found another mach rear end for 150$ so might as well and keep the other for parts. The radiator had to be replaced as it became ragged after its life in the Arizona dreaded Heat, which is responsible for the ac compressor dying and being replaced also as the thing is always on!
I have been extremely meticulous with the maintenance on this car and have addressed all concerns as quickly as they have arisen. Always synthetic changed every 4k. Never abused or raced…It was my love and I took care of it like it was significant other!
Now…..This is why I write my thread because im rather baffled at the new problem that this beauty decided to throw at me. The car was a daily driver for a period of years and always saw just freeway time to and from work. I got a 24 mpg consistency for the entire time that it saw the road.…A few months back I parked it in the garage with no problems and its been sitting mostly, driven on Sundays occasionally since I have a Honda that gets 50mpg why not right? Well the Honda took a dump on me for a week while I had to replace a few things…Big surprise the Mach never let me down but my ultra nonviolent Honda couldn’t make the 12 mile trip to work….
Anyways….When driving the Mach I noticed that at slow speeds the motor was sluggish and hesistant… It wouldn’t really produce Mach Power until about 4 thousand rpms as to before it was spunky off the get go…Spinning tires was never a problem from a slow roll. Now I feel that the car could only spin tires if I was holding the brake…No check engine lights… Have never replaced any sensors meaning 02, maf, iac, nothing! The check engine light has never even come on for the car…. Now thus being said I expected for the week of driving to get my 24 or even 22 mpg while driving back and fourth on the freeway to work.. This absolutely did not happen the car produced barely 15 mpg and rolled a measly 200 mpg to a tank running on fumes if it got to 200….I used to get a solid 280 and it never fluctuated! The only difference is before I parked it I worked at a different store and drove the car immediately on the freeway at 70 mph the entire way…. Now im driving to a different store and the car is doing 75 on the freeway the entire way? That wouldn’t justify the decrease by 8 or 9 mpg… Something has to be wrong in this whole equation…
The car has never been tuned except when it rolled off the assembly line and the only mods that have been changed is a roush exhaust when I bought the thing back in 07. I have replaced the spark plugs, fuel filter, water pump, ac compressor, radiator, all hoses, all of the idler pulleys…. Any comments or ideas on where to start would be greatly appreciated! Im thinking maybe start with the 02 sensors, maybe a cat plugged but I don’t smell any sort of oder that would indicate so. Ive been pondering on where to start and don’t want to just go throw money at something replacing a bunch of sensors that happen to be just fine! Thank you for your time and help guys! Hopefully we can get this Beautiful Stang back to where she was!
Welcome.

Glad to have you with us.

I do not own one of the newer Mach 1's but I will offer my $.02 I would suspect clogged or dirty injectors as the culprit. Modern gas is notorious for it's bad effects if allowed to sit.

I would recommend some good injector cleaner and gas treatment and I believe that you will see a return to the previous power and mileage.

If nothing else it will be the cheapest remedy that you can try.
I have a 03 gt that did the same thing. Does the engine miss one hard time every now and then? I do agree with Steven. It was dirty injectors on my gt. When you have gas problems with this setup the car will not flash any codes. MAF sensor can cause this but will through a code at you. The only thing fuel treatments being dumped in the tank didn't fix mine. Nor seafoaming the brake booster hose. I manually cleaned and replaced my injectors O-rings and lubed them. Ran great for 30,000 more miles and started all over again. I replaced them that time. Worked great till I traded the car for my current 73 mach 1. I also recommend replacing the fuel filter on that car regularly for optimum fuel millage and low end torque. I changed mine every 5,000 miles with my oil. Hope this helps.
Both guys are probably both right on target.(barring any electronic issues) Todays gas is crap. Depending on where it came from I've seen it go to "varnish" in as little as a month. Shock So if you're not gonna drive it every week or two, Gears and run most of the fuel through it. Then you better invest in some Stabil. Read the bottle, as for how much is needed, but adding a couple ounces every time you put gas in it couldn't hurt, after the initial dose. You may even consider draining the fuel and starting with fresh before you do anything else. Lousy fuel can wreak havoc on performance and fuel mileage. Hope it helps. If it doesn't you might want to take it to a reputable Ford Dealer as they can run very in depth diagnostics and it may show something amiss. Good Luck JTS 71 Mach1
Thanks Guys!
Looks as though its time to get those injectors cleaned and see if it starts acting correctly….Would you suggest taking it to a shop and having them cleaned? is it a diy and replacing the seals? or should i just say stop the nonsense and fork out the cash in order to buy new ones?
I would personally try some quality injector cleaner and some type of de-water treatment as it is the most economical and basic treatment. If you do have some water in your fuel new injectors won't help and you will have paid for nothing.

As to the do-it-yourself aspect. It really all depends on your mechanical aptitude. It is not a hard job just be careful not to pinch the seals and make sure they are secure. You surely do not want fuel being sprayed on the motor while going down the highway.
I have replaced injectors in the past not on this car, but others and haven't had a problem so i figured cleaning them won't be that bad….
I constantly run Lucus through the tank every few tanks, would you have any suggestions on brand or type of cleaner or dewater treatment? Also what is the correct procedure for taking them out and cleaning them as i have never done this. I also have never used a dewater treatment so I'm unfamiliar with them entirely.
My next question i have is I've gone through 2 tanks with the car acting in this sort of manner. Would that have been enough time that if i pull the plugs would one of them have discoloration if one of the injectors happens to be bad? Then it would narrow it down to a single injector that has to be replaced. Obviously all the injectors cannot be bad and maybe just one is having the issue…..and at 90$ a pop i don't wanna have to replace all of them if that isn't the issue at hand.
Another quick question also if i could. Could the 02 sensors be throwing a soft failure that could cause these mannerisms without throwing a code? I was thinking maybe take them out and soak them in gas overnight to see if there is a massive build up of carbon that could be contributing to the problem.
Today i went out and banged on the cats with a rubber mallet hammer to see if there was any sort of something rattling around indicating that it was partially plugged and it didn't make any sort of sounds so that is taken out of the equation.

Thanks for the help and support guys!
Hello cdubb34. You would throw a code after at least 50 miles If it was the cats or o2 sensor. You have 4 o2 sensors. The 2 up front for fuel mixture and the back two are for down flow.(cat restriction) These 4 sensors are the same but can't be reversed after any running time. Your computer will throw a code if you have any exhaust leaks blockage or any failure in the electrical, vacuum leaks, or mass air flow system. That's the tough part about doing upgrades without throwing a code in this car. I know your car really well. Injectors are simple. Remove cold air tube, screws holding the fuel rails, (8mm socket) there are o-rings on top of each injector. Remove injectors, soak in sea foam over night, air gun them, replace your plugs since you're right there, oil o-rings, reinstall fuel rail,(apply pressure to each injector), and install intake hose. Have a full tank of premium non-ethanol and run the poop out of her. Hope this helps.
1973Mach1351C - Thanks for jumping right in and helping out with the great advice.
So found out the problem once and for all.....thank you snap on computer!
The coolant temperature sensor was bad! That was why it was running rich and getting terrible gas mileage!
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