2001 LS not accelerating smoothly

I am having trouble with my 2001 Lincoln LS V8. It idles rough sometimes. The car is starting to sputter when I reach about 70mph and/or when I up an incline; and sometimes it sputters simply when I accelerate too fast. Can anybody offer some advice?

Fuel pump or fuel filter.

thanks,I will try that. Where is the best place to get a fuel filter/pump? How much do they normally run?

Haven't had to replace mine yet... I'd try the discount auto places first, but don't hold your breath for the pump. You'll probably end up at either the dealership ($$$) or online at a place like www.fordpartsnetwork.com (http://www.fordpartsnetwork.com).

Pumps are accessed from inside the car, under the rear seat bench. Filter is behind the driver-side inner fender/splash shield. You'll have to remove the wheel.

will a bad fuel pump/filter cause the check engine light to blink?

Sounds like you might have a miss caused by a bad vacuum line, bad coil, or leaky valve cover gaskets which are letting oil into the spark plug wells. If you have a coil that is misfiring often enough, it can trip the CEL due to the misfire monitor. Have the codes read, many of the chain auto parts stores will read them for free. If you have a P030x code where "x" is the cylinder number misfiring, you probably have a bad coil and/or spark plug on that cylinder.

-Rod

Sounds like you might have a miss caused by a bad vacuum line, bad coil, or leaky valve cover gaskets which are letting oil into the spark plug wells. If you have a coil that is misfiring often enough, it can trip the CEL due to the misfire monitor. Have the codes read, many of the chain auto parts stores will read them for free. If you have a P030x code where "x" is the cylinder number misfiring, you probably have a bad coil and/or spark plug on that cylinder.

-Rod

Can a misfire cause sputtering?

Oh yeah, that's usually what indicates a misfire. When a cylinder misfires, it does ignite on the power stroke for some reason, either improper air/fuel mixture or bad/lack of spark. You will definitely notice a sputter in the way the car is running. If the misfire occurs enough, it will also cause the check engine light to illuminate.

-Rod

Oh yeah, that's usually what indicates a misfire. When a cylinder misfires, it does ignite on the power stroke for some reason, either improper air/fuel mixture or bad/lack of spark. You will definitely notice a sputter in the way the car is running. If the misfire occurs enough, it will also cause the check engine light to illuminate.

-Rod
And I take it that this will cause poor gas mileage?

Yes, I suppose a misfire could cause poor gas mileage, but I try not to let a miss go long enough to find out how it effects mileage. If a cylinder is not firing, the remaining cylinders have to work harder to pull the load. If the PCM is reading that the exhaust is lean due to a faulty injector/fuel issue, then it will richen the air/fuel mixture to attempt to compensate as well, which will waste additional fuel since you have a cylinder that is not contributing to the amount of fuel in the exhaust but is contributing to the amount of air in the exhaust.

-Rod