98 taurus trouble codes

my car has been running rough and im getting some varying codes. new plugs, new wires, new thermostat, pcv, air filter and ran injector cleaner also. i have noticed more than normal condensation comming out of the tailpipe and some occasional first start lifter or valve chatter. oil level is good, and there isnt any water on the dipstick. the codes that ive been getting are, p0305 "cylider 5 misfire detected", p0340 "camshaft position sensor circuit malfunction and p0411 "secondary air injection system incorrect flow detected" i have an AutoXray scan system so i can monitor and scan and reset the computer, but i have not had training in proper use of the equip.

I was looking thru my book, the first code could be directly related to the second code, faulty cps did show up as a possible reason for misfire,, the third code could be any number of things related to air injection system, I think if I'm reading correctly there is more than one type of system available, could be a belt-driven or electric air pump, 0411 shows on both, there's a relay or two in there, I believe there's a fuse for the circuit also, some have air bypass or air diverter solenoid, check your system for anything loose, broken wires, air line, etc. There's a couple of guys on here that are good with the electrical end of it..

I am having the same type of missfire in my 2002 24V with 37800K. Could someone tell me what a "CPS" is and where I can find it on my duretec engine.
Thanks for any help Folks !!
Rob Roy

I want to say it's located on the front cover towards the top up by where the cams are, there may be a couple of different styles,, I think one of the engines, not sure if it's the 24v or the 12v, requires a special tool to make sure the cam position sensor is properly aligned upon installation, something to do with the fuel system being out of time with the engine, possibly causing damage.. I'm pretty sure it's the 12v engine... I'll look it up, in the meantime someone else will most likely know more,, I think there are other threads on here about failing camshaft sensors, seems not too uncommon... I think that the injectors and ignition use this signal so if it's wacky could cause issues.

thanks for the reply.

i replaced the cam sensor . the drive assy. looked great. computer still reads misfire on #5(p0305). pulled #5 plug and it was a little oily. these are all new bosch plat. plugs. i checked a couple of others and they were perfect. after i replaced the cam sensor(2fixed bolts, no alignment needed, per the manual) i now have a huge amount of white smoke and major condenstation comming out of the exhaust pipe. any thoughts. maybe a head gasket? the exhaust does smell like antifreeze. no oil on the dipstick. heat never worked right. maybe #5 injector? coil fires like a demon all around! oh yeah, the p0411 code was the rear bank diverter valve hose was left off! duh!

You could possibly have a bad head gasket or other issue. However, if you have coolant leaking into a cylinder, the spark plug in the offending cylinder will usually be very clean. Coolant (and water) in a combustion chamber has a tendency to really clean things up.

Is there a chance that the "oily" residue on the spark plug is unburned fuel? Maybe try swapping that plug with one from another cylinder and see if the residue and misfire code follow the plug or stay in cylinder 5. If it follows the plug, then you may have a bad plug. If it stays on cylinder 5, you may have a bad plug wire for cylinder 5, or you may have a problem with the cylinder.

The white smoke and condensation you are seeing could possibly be unburned fuel from cylinder #5 not firing. The catalytic converter will convert some of the unburned fuel to water, but it is hard on it to try to convert large quantities of unburned hydrocarbons to water vapor for very long.

Can you find someone with a cooling system pressure tester? If so, try pressurizing your cooling system and watch it for a few minutes. If the pressure drops, you have a leak somewhere. Could be head gasket, could be cracked block, could be a leak elsewhere in the system. However, if it maintains pressure, you probably don't have a head gasket problem.

-Rod

I've read on a couple of other forums, bosch sparkplugs don't necessarily work well, seem to have problems with misfires, replace them with Motorcraft plugs.. the general consensus from the mechanics was to stick with oem, might cost more but less trouble..

im gonna do a compression test and put in motorcraft plugs. maybe it will help. still getting a p0340 code. i replaced the sensor and the shaft looked brand new.

If someone has replaced the syncronizer shaft previously and did not index it properly, it will continue to give you that code.

ill try to check the index of the syncronizer shaft. i believe it should be 38 degrees from the center line of the motor. if thats correct then you shouldnt have to have the alignment tool. any thoughts?

ive replaced all the plugs with Motocraft plugs and it made zero difference. #5 plug is not firing. i have good fire at the plug, but the cylinder is not firing. could a faulty injector cause this problem? when i pull the #5 plug it appears to have just a little bit of water on the electrode tip. the plug doesnt smell like gas, but if just isnt firing it would and if the injector was clogged it wouldnt, right?

I would expect that if the plug isn't firing, but the air/fuel mixture is, the plug would be moist. If you are certain that the cylinder is not getting fuel, then it could be a bad injector, plugged injector, or bad wiring not signaling the injector to fire.

You may be able to borrow a Noid light set to test the wiring to the injector. You will also want to borrow a compression tester to make sure the cylinder has proper compression. To fire, the cylinder needs air, fuel, spark, and compression, and all must be at the proper ratio/level and occur at the proper time. Since the engine runs and only one cylinder is reporting a misfire, the timing is probably correct.

-Rod

ive got an noid light set and ill check the connector. i did a compression test yesterday and that cylinder was a little low, but the manual said minimum of 100 psi and it was 115 psi. if ive got to remove the injector, how involved is that?

I don't see where you ever specified which engine your Taurus has. I suspect though the most difficult part of replacing an injector is writing the check for the new injector and possibly finding the spring lock tool to release the fuel line from the fuel rail. Since you have a noid light set, it wouldn't surprise me if you have the spring lock tool as well.

-Rod

its 98 ohv and no i dont have the spring lock tool, but i have no problem buying tools. a man's tools are his toys. my wife dont understand but who cares!

You can probably rent the tools at your local chain auto parts store, but I understand about buying tools. That's why as a hobbyist I have an OTC Genisys scan tool that is worth more than my Taurus SHO trade-in value. :)

-Rod

i checked the connector with the noid light and its working. the injector has the correct amount of ohms so im not sure if i should pull it anyway. im about ready to take it to a shop but diapers are really expensive nowdays and extra cash is hard to come by. the motor seemed like it was running good but with a little miss and a lot of white smoke comming out of the tailpipe. it seems like the smoke is getting worse. it smells moist not like exhaust. im leaning back toward a head gasket but that would be rotten timing right now.

i changed the injector to no avail and the smoke got a lot worse.

i changed the injector to no avail and the smoke got a lot worse.

Is your coolant level going down? If you remove the radiator cap with the cooling system cool and start the engine, does the coolant in the radiator bubble?

-Rod

i dont know about bubbling, but my level has been going down alot. ive been adding a good bit of coolant lately.

And you are not seeing puddles of coolant anywhere besides under the tailpipe?

-Rod

no, ive been putting in alot of fluid. i expected to see some leaking somewhere but i havent. i was hoping it was just evaporating. when runing it looks like a mosquito truck that sprays down south in the summer time.

Yeah, that doesn't sound good. Sorry.

-Rod

Could it possibly be a gasket problem?

i think it about has to be a this point.

Don't bother wasting more time, find someone reliable who can do a leakdown test on it, I don't believe it's a whole lot of money, even at the dealer,, like the others have said, if the headgasket is blown, you'll see occasional bubbles in the rad bottle,you can definately smell coolant in the exhaust, no mistaking that smell, also depending on the problem severity the engine may even hesitate during cranking before it fires up

ill try to check the index of the syncronizer shaft. i believe it should be 38 degrees from the center line of the motor. if thats correct then you shouldnt have to have the alignment tool. any thoughts?

The tool aligns the position of the synchronizer shaft relative to the plastic CMP Sensor. When CYL #1 is at TDC the tool aligns the shaft vane with the sensor to ensure the vane cuts through the magnetic field to signal the event to the proper computer. The angle to the engine center line is used to ensure the cable to the sensor will reach. There are 14 teeth to the synchronizer shaft. 360/14= 26 deg. If the wrong tooth on the shaft is used, the sensor will be rotated by multiples of 26 degs and the cable may not reach.

When my CMP broke, all I received was the CEL. Otherwise the engine ran with no problems. I am sure that the part is in there to ensure that all engines run properly while accounting for various tolerances of the components. I lucked out and did not need it. I had to replace it to get through the Maryland emissions inspection requirement of no CEL.