1992 Ford Taurus Stalling out Intermittently

[cellist]

I have a 1992 Ford Taurus and have read the forum messages about the stalling in other cars. My car will stall out a little differently, so I wanted to make sure it may be the same problem.

I can drive the car for a short distance and the "Check engine" light comes on. At first, we thought it was a computer problem and in checking the transmission at a reputable transmission place, there was nothing wrong with the transmission other than needing maintenance. There was a EGR Valve (now replaced) and an Idle above range (411 is the code the mechanic put before that).

Now, the car will stall out intermittently. There is no rhyme or reason for it, no real pattern. When it stalls, I'm stranded for as long as it takes the car to get cold (I think) and then I can start it again and it's fine for a couple of days. The car can stall in traffic as I come to a stop light, it can stall at an intersection. When it stalls, it won't start up right away.

We've changed the fuel pump, the distributor manifold (because it wasn't sparking) and I still have the problem. The mechanics have checked the fuel line, the fuel filter...to no avail. They cleaned the throttle and said that there is something there that may need replaced. Note: The shop is reputable and they dont' like just putting parts in for the heck of it. The can't seem to find the problem though because the car doesn't do the problem when it is with them.

The other night, we discovered...after the car had been sitting for 1 1/2 hours that it was still hot and it wouldn't start. I had a friend with me who popped the hood--just to look under it because he didn't know what else to do---and a few minutes later, the car finally started. He suggested putting "Heet" into the gas tank in case it was a case of moisture. Did that, still having the problem. Oh, and it has over 134,000 miles on it (doing well..will restore and put a new engine in eventually).

So, my question is...could this be a bad Idle Air Bypass Valve or something else? I have a really good car otherwise and I want to restore it because I love this model. Also, I don't have the money to just keep putting money where the problem isn't (Although all of the things so far replaced would need to be replaced anyway)..so, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[CharlotteHawk]

I had a 91 Tauras wagon which ran the same symptoms you describe at a little less mileage. It turned out to be the computer itself that was getting to hot and shutting off the ignition system.