Won't Start - EGR problems

Hi! The check engine light in my 2000 Taurus has been on and off for the past 1.5 years. The car ran fine, so I never bothered with it. About 2 months ago, the car refused to start--well, actually, the engine would turn over and start but then sputter and die. If I would wait 20 mins or so and try again, it would start right up.

It would do this about every other week. When this became more frequent (once every couple days), I took it to the dealership and they put it on the computer and came up with a DPFE sensor and EGR valve codes. They wanted to replace both the sensor and the valve for around $500, which seemed quite unreasonable to me.


The car now refuses to start properly. It starts, sputters, and dies no matter how many times I try or how long I wait. It is dead in the driveway. I have done some research on the web and it seems like there are a few possibilities. One is that the EGR valve needs to be cleaned/replaced. The other is that the sensor needs to be replaced. Finally, there could be a vacuum leak.

In other posts discussing EGR problems, the folks did not have problems starting their cars. Given my description of the situation, what would be your diagnosis?

Thanks so much!

Wulfjaws

Generally, the DPFE sensor will not cause a vehicle to not start. Also, replacing the EGR valve is entirely unreasonable, shame on them. Ford's been having problems with those DPFE sensors for about seven years now and repairing a hard componant of the EGR system is not a good fix at all. I believe that your starting and your EGR concerns are two different concerns. I be that if you put a fuel pressure gauge on the vehicle when it won't start you'd find you have no fuel pressure. We've seen that more than once on the Taurus. I'd put the sensor on myself if I were you, it's a lot cheaper and only a five minute fix. Good luck with it and I hope it works out okay for ya.

I believe that your starting and your EGR concerns are two different concerns. I bet that if you put a fuel pressure gauge on the vehicle when it won't start you'd find you have no fuel pressure. We've seen that more than once on the Taurus. I'd put the sensor on myself if I were you, it's a lot cheaper and only a five minute fix. Good luck with it and I hope it works out okay for ya.

Thanks for the response! What can I do to fix the lack of fuel pressure? Or what causes the lack of fuel pressure?

Wulfjaws

Just a follow up question: could the idle air control valve be a factor in my problem? One person I talked to said that was a possibility.

Thanks.

First, if you do show a lack of fuel pressure, it's probably a fuel pump. In theory you should check power and ground at the pump when it's acting up. In practice, we just verify lack of fuel pressure and put a pump/filter on it. Second, IAC's have caused no start problems before but it's kinda rare. They're more commonly associated with rough idle. A simple way to check is to just crack the throttle plate a little when it won't start and see if that fixes the concern as all the IAC does is let a little air bypass the throttle plate when the plate is closed. Good luck with it and let us know what you find.

Well, it did turn out to be the IAC. Thanks for your help!