please help

[bugman742002]

i have a 93 mustang with the 2.3 in it. i had the compression tested the other day and was told that all 4 cyl were at 50 psi. it currently has 160,000-170,00 miles on it. it doesn't burn any oil but drinks gas like it has a big block under the hood. 8-12 in the city and 17-20 on the hwy. anyone have an idea what it could possibly be?

[Boost1egt]

hi bugman. I have some questions. How often do you change the oil on the car? M/T or A/T?

[bugman742002]

i change the oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first. it's an automatic.

[Boost1egt]

ok, thanks. Why do you say it doesn´t burn oil?

[bugman742002]

i drain the same amount of oil as i put in at every oil change. i don't have to add any to it between oil changes either.

[Boost1egt]

Oh, I see. I asked this, because sometimes, when we change the oil when we should, (like you do) we don`t perceive an important consumption of oil like we would see if we drive the car 4 or 5 months without changing the oil.
Have you checked the sparkplugs to see how they´re burning? How do they look?

[bugman742002]

plugs look normal but will have to check them again tomorrow. also it is starting to run a little warmer than it usually does. it's normally near the lower part of the gauge now it comes up to the middle of the gauge when i stop at a stop light. and the radiator is still full so no coolant loss so far.

[Boost1egt]

When an engine runs rich, it runs hotter. Check if the MAP sensor its out of calibration.
How does the car feel? Do you feel like it has lost a significant amount of power.

[bugman742002]

yes it has lost alot of power. what bothers me is the low compression readings. i may have to recheck that latter today or friday.

[Boost1egt]

Yea, the engine´s probably tired. If you let the engine warm up for a while, and remove the oil fill cap, you can expect some gray vapor to come out when an engine´s tired.

[bugman742002]

ok will check that later this morning. so it looks like it is time for a rebuild.

[Boost1egt]

Yea. Thanks for the patience, man. Hope that was helpful. Dont forget to let us know what you find if you find something.

[bugman742002]

thank you for giving me a few ideas and things to check out. i was ready to pull my hair out and torch the car. i will let you know what i come up with as the culprit.