2000 Ford Taurus-ICM & PCM

Dealership says a short in the ignition module (single module in 2000 Taurus) has affected the PCM. Took to dealer as my wife says (wife's car) car hesitates at times on acceleration. Dealership says need to replace both the ICM and PCM plus wires,etc. at $1,500. Appears that an ohm meter can be used to check the ICM. Had my wife take the car to AutoZone to hook up their OBD. No error codes but person says that it most likely would not show up on their handheld unit? True? The in dash light indicating a fault hasn't lit up which makes me somewhat suspicious regarding the diagnosis, especially in light of the cost.

Welcome to the forum!

Which engine does you wife's Taurus have (12V or 24V DOHC)? Have you had a tune-up performed on the car (fuel filter, plugs, wires)? How many miles are on the car? How about fuel injector cleaner, have you tried any injector cleaner?

Like you, I would be hesitant to replace the ignition control module and especially the PCM for the symptom you describe. I'd start with a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and follow that up with cleaning the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. Then I'd pull the spark plugs and inspect them. Also, a better scan tool can monitor the component parameters to check for misfires on specific cylinders, even if they are below the threshhold to set the check engine light.

-Rod

Rod-Thanks mucho for the response. Engine is standard 12V. Car has 126k on it. It's been a while since it's had a tune up. I'm going to follow your recommendations and pull the plugs (replace), replace plug wires (they're still the originals), clean the MAF sensor and then run some injector cleaner thru it. Also, replace the fuel filter. I don't know if it has ever been replaced. We'll see how it comes out!

Gus

That sounds like a good plan. Even under the best conditions, the plugs and wires are only rated to last 100k.

Good luck!

-Rod