1996 Taurus running rough

[DrewB]

I've got a 1996 Taurus with a 6 cyl 3.0L DOHC. A few weeks ago it started running rough. I'd had some problems ever since I got it with it stalling when it gets low on fuel, so I decided to change the fuel filter. This helped it a bit, but didn't solve the problem. The check engine light was coming on, so I had the codes checked. It came back with P0301 and P0302, cylinder 1 & 2 misfiring. So I decided to change the plugs and wires. The plugs were burnt out, but the wires still looked to be in good condition. After changing them and reseting the computer, it seemed to run pretty good for a few miles. Then the check engine light came back on and it started running rough and missing again. In addition, the brakes were giving problems and the transmission began shifting erratically like it had a vacuum leak. I checked all the hoses that I could see and checked the gasket on the intake manifold (since I had to take it off to replace the plugs). There was nothing visible wrong, and spraying them with carb cleaner produced no results. On a hunch, I tried replacing the coil pack. After that, it ran as bad or worse. It is running so rough that it won't idle. Anybody have any suggestions to try on it?

[colungag]

Sounds like your transmission temperature sensor. I had the same problem on my 97

[DrewB]

Thanks for the tip. Turns out that one of the oil journals leading to the camshaft was clogged and the cam cracked at that juncture. It wasn't visible until I got the engine completly apart, but was keeping those four valves from opening.