running rough!!

[vinnie201]

my car has been running rough a few days now, changed plugs, filters, injectro cleaner. i have no codes. there is alot of shaking going on. feels like a misfire, or like the timing is off. i was at a stop light going to the barber shop and she acted up. after my haircut stared her up and she was fine. an hour later i let my bro use the car and it comes back all f'ed up and hasnt been the same since.
i did have a cold start problem be4 this, now she starts on a dime and runs like crap. there is a weird winding type of noise (kinda like a wind up toy) wen i rev, and exhaust deinitely does not sound the same. any ideas? i remember driving thru a river in my ford taurus wen it shit the bed and it feels the exact same way. and in the benz drove thru a flooded st didnt think it was deep enuf to effect anything. but now im wondering.
under the car noticed tubing from the front of the engine into cats is loose, corroded on one end. dunno if its heat shielding on the tube thats rotted away, or if my exhaust is just shot. she goes in tomorrow for an inspection. wondering if any body has any insight. i also changed mas and all coils about 6months ago. i dont think its the wiring harness either cuz the problem was not intermittent. it jus showed up and now it doesnt want to leave.
also wen running my car smells really rich in gasoline....

[vinnie201]

wen thru exhaust inspec. not cats or exhaust. can an o2 sensor on the way out cause this?

[NW_Merc]

Does it have a MAF sensor?

[mykg4orce]

i had a similar issue, it turned out to be a faulty spar plug connector. Try changing them out.

[vinnie201]

pickin the plug connectors up tomorrow, let u guys kno the verdict after i change em.

EDIT:

changed the connectors today and the car is worse. she runs the same but now she won't start if the engine is warm or will take a while to crank. crank sensor? anybody experience misfires with a bad crank sensor or am i just grasping at straws?

i did some more fiddling, my purge valve isnt pulsating even tho my car was idling for 10 min. wud this be becuz of misfire or is the valve stuk open? and my engine bay smells like gas, more than its supposed to. i changed this valve in 2006. someone pls shoot me

[vinnie201]

i discvered the cause of all my grief....i am victim to the engine wiring harness deteriorating, sucks to be me

[mykg4orce]

how did you find out?

[vinnie201]

everytime i would move the wiring to the coil the car would immediately start running better, i openedup the black casing and it definitely was the wiring.the insulation literally was crumbling.

does anyone kno the diff between the two harnesses (from 000000-F1500000 and from F150000 onwards). if i need the first would it be possible to use the 2nd? wat is diff about them?

[mykg4orce]

glad you found out why. now you can fix it.

[vinnie201]

ok harness is on its way, going to put it on next week sometime. ill post the outcome

UPDATE: just finishing up now, i need to splice a set of 6 wires which apparently did not come with the new engine harness. and yes i had the correct part number. incase anyone runs into this prob, it was going from the tranny to a big rectangular connector on the drivers front fenderwell. I cut it the old existing wiring and placed the old connector end (it was able to separate from the other 2) on the new rectangular connector piece which happened to have a nice little empty spot waiting for it. gotta run to get some splices now, wasnt too hard of a job. hope the car starts lol

[vinnie201]

ok car started but runs like crap!! and sounds like crap!! the idle bounces up and down,and she is makin lil fart noises at idle(backfire). unpluged mass and she gets worse, so i kno its not the mas. im on the verge of buying a purge valve cuz i have not heard the son of a b click not once in 20 min. and shes runnin rich i can smell the gas. would the throttle body cause this?

[vinnie201]

ok NEW UPDATE!!!

something is figgy with my coils. only the front coil position fires for some reason. i have tested all three coils in the front position and they all work, yet in the back 2 positions they will not fire. i dont know if it is the plugs or wat. the leads from coil to plugs were changed, looking for any ideas here guys?!?! could it be the longer leads??

[vinnie201]

narrowed it down, some leads were loose (from the coil boots)altho they didnt look it, they needed to click into place. i have 1 bad coil. switched it around and the bastard wont fire anywhere, car is running alot better less shaking just gotta get that coil in there

[vinnie201]

coil in, car runs great no more bouncing idle either!! and my coil was still covered under warranty so it was free wooooo!

[strictlyspeakin]

thanks for the follow up. it's nice to see the end solutions!

[DirectLA]

What a nightmare, but very happy to hear you got it sorted out. I know how miserable it is to have your car go on the fritz (is that German for "goes to sh*t?).