So...I have a 1996 GT...about as stock as stock can get. I have been forced to drive it lately (my 03 was a gift to the repo guy) anyways...the car has been started and ran but I hadn't gone out to actually drive it for a while. I noticed my thermostat housing leaking so I figured it was my gasket...I changed it out and it still leaks which brings me to my first question...could it be that the housing is f-d and I need a new one? Maybe I tighted it to much and crushed the new gasket???...

Second problem and this is the big one...I noticed the car was bucking pretty hard when I'm accelerating. I figured I'd change out the spark plugs...so I go to change them and as I'm popping off the boots...I notice that there's coolant down where the spark plugs are (from the thermostat housing leaking)...well...I have a friend who has a shop about 4 miles away from me so I soaked up as much as I could with paper towles and ear swabs...popped the boots back on and started drivng down to the shop. Well...I do't know If I fouled the plugs by doing that or what but I ended up making it about a mile b4 I turned around and came back home. The check engine light was flashing at me...which I've never seen happen b4...anyways...I got out and it smelt like something was burning. I'm guessing that the coolant I couldn't get to that was by the sparkplug arc'd burning part of the head and caused the spark plug to misfire. (The car was bucking REALLY bad on the way back home after I decided to turn around and it seemed like it couldn't make a whole lot of power) so bassically I'm asking if you guys think this is right??? and how I go about fixing it...thanx in advance

 

Anyone...anyone at all???

 

I assume you have the stock intake on that thing? They're bad about cracking right around the thermostat housing. But the flashing check engine light means you have a misfire, which you probably already knew. I'd still pull the plugs and change 'em. You might as well plan and changing that intake soon.

 

I'll take another peek at the intake (It cracked on me a few years ago) I was more so worried about the head and wether I could have f-d it up any. Thanx for the reply

 

If you didn't get a intake manifold with an aluminum coolant crossover when you had it changed before then its cracked again and needs to be replaced. Assuming of course it is leaking from the manifold and not from the gasket.

A flashing SES light like he said means an engine missfire. Most likely from the coolant getting to them. Just pull them out and replace them when you replace the intake manifold.

You might want to upgrade to the PI intake manifold (from 99-04 GT's) with an aluminum coolant crossover. Its a bolt on with a little work fits the non PI heads and gives you a slight power boost over the stock non-PI parts you have on your car right now.

After that toss in some NGK TR55 plugs gaped at .054" and your good to go.

 

Changing the thermostat is a promise for coolant in the spark plug holes! Check all holes! Change all plugs and maybe wires. Coolant does not disapear like water.