Help, I have never had this problem

Jae 'Bird

Jae 'Bird

2nd Gear Poster
Joined
Dec 11, 2023
Messages
75
Age
19
Location
Edmonton, Canada
Vehicle Details
1990 Ford Thunderbird Base with PEP 151A, 3.8L NA V-6
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I consider myself lucky that so far I have never had any real engine trouble so I have never needed to do a whole lot, just maintenance. However, my day of reckoning has come. I had spilled pop on to the shifter (I don't think this caused my issue I describe farther down) a couple of days ago and the very next day I had the center console taken apart to clean it and put it back together. Once I did, I started it up and test drove it just because. Well I noticed that when I would stop there would be a small but noticeable stutter to the engine and the car would shake a tiny bit, it goes away completely when I'm driving at any speed. More detailed info below to help you help me.
- Does it in overdrive, drive, and reverse ( I didn't try it in 1st)
- Does NOT do it in park, or neutral
Here's somethings I have done recently so you are up to speed.
- I did a differential fluid change in early August and had no problems
- I changed the spark plugs two weeks ago with NGK G-Power Platinum, gapped properly and torqued to spec. The old champion plugs I pulled out were gapped at 0.045in. (WAY below spec which is 0.054in.) I had a small issue with getting the plug wire on one of the new plugs but I figured I did get it because when I started it up after I changed em, the car ran perfect right after I did the plugs
- This stutter is not causing a CEL and the car does not feel down on power
I am going to check out the engine bay tomorrow morning and see if anything looks out of place im just putting this post up now so that if I cant find anything wrong its already up
I will keep you posted and I am infinitely grateful for any help or suggestions you guys have
its a '90 3.8l na btw
 
What 89 TBird said. Also, OBD-I on your car doesn't really have a way to identify and report a cylinder misfire. How old are the wires? Might not be a bad time to change them anyway. When it is dark you can spritz some water (with a spray bottle or something similar, you don't need to hose down the engine bay) over the plug wires and see if you see any sparks jumping.
 
yeah the plug wires are original so I might have to replace em. I will check it out tonight and see what I can see, thanks guys
Update: I went out to look and its running a bit better but with the engine bay open I can hear what might be the spark arcing to the plug so I agree that new plugs might be in order so that I can get them fully seated, now it seems like plug wires are harder to get in my neck of the woods but I found a couple brands that do have em. My question is are there any wire brands to stay away from? I found Blue Streak (Hygrade motor) ones and I found BWD wires as well, does any one have experience with either of these? They seem to be a factory replacement set.
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BLUE STREAK (HYGRADE MOTOR) - 26658 - Spark Plug Wire Set

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BWD AUTOMOTIVE - CH8636D - Ignition Spark Plug Wire Set

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Either one of those sets should work just fine. I think Blue Streak is made by Standard which is a brand I trust. BWD is also pretty decent. And if you're doing wires......see how this snowballs? Cap and rotor too?
 
good point, is the rotor hard to do? I know it might seem like a dumb question, but Isn't the rotor in the engine? I just don't want to mess something up
 
You said the car ran perfect after the plug change, so the following is just an anecdote. When I changed wires (and plugs), I remember the first start up was a massive ~20 second stutter, then several waves of shorter stutters that went away within an hour or so, then they became less frequent. It was very parabolic. I don't know if it was dirt and debris getting filtered, or computer relearning or what
 
That's a good point, although I am probably due for new wires anyway, plus the cap and rotor are original as well, I have no record of it being replaced and the records go back to the 90's at least, the car has been in the family since 91 so yeah I think its due
 
RockAuto has a close out on Standard Motor Products for cap, rotor and wires. They may not have one or the other on close out for your vehicle, but some cheap prices compared to local shops. Same product most of the time.
 
Ah Awesome, thanks for the tip. Although one problem I've found with rock Auto is the crazy shipping prices to get it to Canada. I've had shipping go upwards of $100 Canadian for a $20 part when I can just get the part here for $80 and free shipping. Its the one thing I'm jealous of you guys in the states for.
 
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