I’m aware how crazy this is gonna sound, but please bear with me for I drive this car every day. My Mustang will not run properly if it is over 65° outside temperature. When it gets warmer than that, I will be driving along and it will start to sputter, cough, backfire, knock, and eventually die. I will pull over, turn it off, let it rest 5 minutes or so, turn the key 3 ones and let the fuel pump prime and she will generally start back up and run fine. The warmer the temperature outside, the longer she has to rest and the shorter the length I can drive before I have to shut her down again. With summer already here in March, this is a critical problem because sometimes I can’t pull over and get stuck in a lane of traffic. I cannot sell her because I took her to a dealership to fix this problem and they put in a $3900 computer. The problem is not fixed AND no one can hook up to my car and run diagnostics because it saying “linking failure”. I have to have a dependable vehicle and unfortunately it has to be this POS. Thanks for your help in advance. I promise I’m not crazy!
RESPONSE
This could be one of those that is as simple as replacing the Mass Air Flow Sensor. But you will need to be able to connect to the engines on board computer to run diagnostics. Without the codes it is just guessing and throwing parts at it.
Linking Failure
Concentrate your efforts first on fixing the “linking failure” issue. Once you can connect and get the codes we can pinpoint the cause. This can sometimes be remedied by checking and replacing blown fuses.
Additionally when the engine will not start is when to check to see if it is not getting fuel or spark. Knowing what is it isn’t getting may help rule out some options.