Here's a good one. My 88 5.0 164K miles Bird is giving me headaches. Started with a drip onto the passenger side exhaust pipe at the heat shield. It would come and go. Thought it was when I used the A/C and it was compressor water. Then it progressed to a small puddle under the pipe. Looked like red/brown tranny fluid. Oh boy. Took it to the tranny shop and they said it wasn't coming from the tranny. (And the tranny's has always run ok...) Funny, it looked like tranny fluid. So, I put a clear plastic cup under it and turns out, in a clear cup, it looks like oil! Great. So, I use some engine gunk cleaner on the back of the engine and on the tranny dust cover to clean it off in case it's just from valve cover gasket leaks. Wash it off with water. No more smoke. But now the engine runs rough! Replaced the valve cover gaskets and intake gasket, next day engine runs even rougher! Checked my plugs and the one nearest to the driver is oily. Cleaned it and regapped them all, engine runs ok for about 5 minutes, then rough again. No oil in radiator, which I just replaced, with the thermostat, because it was leaking and the temp would go up. (Temp ok now) Next day engine wouldn't start. AAA tried to jump it, no good. Idiot said "sounds like the starter.." It was the battery. Replaced it stars fine. Moron. Anyway, cleaned EGR valve, swapped an ICV and TPS with a spare, no cahnge in roughness.
Now I'm rambling because there's too much going on at once... any help???
ooff, I feel your pain.
I guess the best place to start would be to see if the car is throwing any diagnostic codes and work from there...
I think there's too much going on to start a guessing game right now.
I got half way into his post and thougth of you Fred!
Fred is correct... Start with the trouble codes.
I was thinking the same thing. Someone else with my luck :(
Anyway, welcome to the club Frank.
I agree with everyone else about checking the codes.
I find it interesting that this all did not start with the car running bad but because of an oil leak.
It has been a problem child since the cleaning and valve cover/intake gasket replacement. Is the intake gasket leaking? That would cause rough running.
How about fuel pressure/fuel filter? It runs good for about 5 mins then it s out.
Battery ped out. Could you have something "needed" that is shorted or draining the battery?
Just some rambling thoughts. Hope you get it figured out.
Maybe you got water in a sensor when cleaning it up. Error codes may find it. Maybe you broke a vacuum line working on it. Was the plug oily on the outside from the leak or on the electrodes?
I dont know if you've done it, pull the distributor cap off and check it for moisture.
8birdy8's car had water in the cap from a cleaning two days prior.