First off thanks to all you people out there that post helpful information. And now I finally need some.

1) bought 1989 RS 2.8L V6 March 2002
2) Purchased splitfire plugs 8mm wires K&N air and oil filter and went synthetic.
3) Drove and Drove and Drove with maintenance oil changes, etc etc...
4) Got some STP fuel cleaner to see if that would help make it run better. Please cut me some slack as I am new to this obsession.
5) After about a week the car started idling really rough when I would pull up to a stoplight. It actually stalled 3 times over the course of abour 4 months.
6) Finally after about 6-7 months I was going around a corner and the car just stalled out. I was able to steer it into a parking lot where I later had it towed to my house.

I had been reading this board the whole time and started going through stuff that I figured needed replaced anyways.
1) Distributor
2) Can and Rotor
3) PVC valve
4) EGR valve
5) IAC valve
6) O2 sensor

After all that the car would maybe idle for a few seconds but nothing longer. Yesterday I read about fouled spark plugs so I pulled mine when I got home and they were pretty black and smelled a little like gas. So I am planning on replacing those. In addtion, I will replace the wires.

To ensure it wasn't a catalytic converter problem I ripped that off, hehehe. Now I can get a new exhaust system.

Also I have bought new fuel injectors and will be putting those on tomorrow.

Now the problem. I looked under the car and saw some coolant. I am not sure if it is coming from the intake manifold or out of a head gasket. I will replace the intake manifold because I am already most of the way there, but I am really intimidated about taking off the head and replacing the gasket. Also I heard, on this board, that replacing the gasket can cause blow by to start happening.

Oh yeah If I was to replace the head gasket can anyone tell me how I should go about working with the rocker arms and rods?


I don't think that I am ready to rebuild the engine quite yet so what should I do?


Thanks again all for the help.

James

 

ok if your head gasket was blown, your car would be smoking like a freight train. same goes with burnt rings and pistons.

your whole ingitions is obviously new, so youve ruled that out.

im WILLING to bet its your fuel pump/filter/injectors..

remember a car only needs three things to run, air fuel and fire.

check all three of those first before thinking the head gasket is shot. also make sure your timing is correct. wires in the RIGHT order, and no plugs are cracked/broken.

definatly figure out where that coolant it leaking from, my beat is its a hose, a blow head/manifold gasket would be making the car smoke whit eoput the tail pipes pretty heavily

 

Thank you for the help.

James

 

you got that right i just fixed my blown head gasket

 

The water is probably coming from the intake's back RH corner (by #8 cylinder) they like to leak out the gasket there. If the plugs were black and smelled like gas then I'd definately look at the injectors as leaking or the regulator.