93 taurus bucking/hesitation help

[rjett3345]

I have a 93 taurus and it started bucking slightly between 15-30 mph. Someone at work told me to put fuel injector cleaner in there, so i did, and it cleared up. On the next tank of gas it came back, so after that i used super unleaded and it went away completely. Now after that tank was almost empty it came back, so now im using super unleaded, and its worse than ever. Its bucking all the time, from stopped to 70mph on the highway, all the way through it bucks and if i slam on the gas it hesitates and then goes, sometimes w/o bucking but most of the time it still does. I dont know what the cause could be and everyone tells me something different. I bought the car about 8,000 miles ago so now it has 110,000 on it. anyone have any suggestions as to what is causing this, this is my only vehicle and i have to use it to go to work and class and all that, is it hurting my engine to drive the car like this? Please help.

[TaurusKing]

Use of super gas probably has nothing to do with it, is your check engine light on??, or has it come on and gone off??? You need to have someone scan for codes, if you're planning on keeping this car, I recommend you invest around $30 or so dollars and get yourself a code reader,, extremely simple to use and gives you at least somewhere to start looking, you may have a failing monitored part, sensor and this system won't necessarily set the check engine light unless there's total failure of the part, there's plenty that could cause it, get it scanned there could be something there.. what engine do you have, 3.0 I hope???

[rjett3345]

yes i have the 3.0L v6. The reason i mention the super unleaded is because the first time i used it instead of regular it completely cleared up the problem, but then it came back after a couple hundred miles. So i could go get it scanned or just spend the 30 or so on a scanner for myself? Where can i get one, autozone or a place like that? Where would i get the codes at (after i get the error code if there is one, where can i look to see what the code means). I havent had the car but a couple months and have no clue how the other owner cared for the car, and i dont wanna spend a bunch of money on this and that and it not fix the problem. What are some of the problems that could cause this? Is my car in danger if i continue to drive it around like this? Thanks for the replies. Oh, and no the check engine light has never come on that ive seen.

[TaurusKing]

You can buy scanners at any autoparts store, most will do it for free and tell you what the code means... if you're going to keep the car for a while, probably a good idea to invest the dollars for the tool, it can also do a few other things, one of which is checking for a weak cylinder by shutting off each injector, all these extras are easy to run.. as far as solutions right now, too many things could cause it, first thing you should do is check as many vacuum and electrical connections underhood as is possible, make sure all is still hooked up, no cracked or broken lines or seperated wires.. pull your distributor cap, make sure all is well under it, clean it up if any corrosion there or replace it, then go get it scanned see if any codes show up, remember it could be something that wouldn't show up on a scan.. bad plug wire, etc.. get yourself a tube of dielectric silicone compound, Ford recommends it when you take plug wires off and re-install them, small amount smeared on plug end, works on rotors within distributor, etc

[rjett3345]

So i get in my car and go to work yesterday and nothing happened on the way. No bucking no hesitation, no anything out of the ordinary. So that afternoon i decided to go home (not my apartment but home, which is 90 miles away). I went all the way home and came back without any problems whatsoever. As soon as i get back home it starts to act up again. I just went down the road and its starting to buck and hesitate and not take gas again. It went over 180 miles without any sort of problem and then it starts up again. I just dont get it. I dont have alot of cash so taking it to a shop isnt really an option right now. My dad said for sure its the fuel filter, something about pressure building up and some other mumbo jumbo he was saying that makes it act up and then completely stop. My roomate who works on his truck all the time says to start with the plugs and wires, and a new distributor cap and rotor first. anyone know what it is, if it stops completely for almost 200 miles then starts up again?

[shorod]

That's real tough to say without more information. Does your friend who works on cars have a fuel pressure guage that will fit your fuel rail? If so, measure the fuel pressure at the fuel rail sometime when it's acting up. If you have low fuel pressure, then start by replacing the fuel filter. If that doesn't remedy the situation, then it may be a failing fuel pump. The fuel pump is an electric motor and it can work fine for a long drive, then as the fuel level decreases, which acts as a heat sink for the fuel pump, the pump motor begins to heat up and slow down, causing decreased fuel pressure.

Have you noticed if the hesitation corresponds to fuel level in any way?

If the fuel pressure remains in specification, then it may be a fuel injector issue or an ignition issue (plugs and/or wires).

Or, you might have a coolant temperature sensor or thermostat that is out of range (long shot). As you're driving on the highway, there is enough air flowing to keep the coolant at the proper temp. As you slow down in town, the coolant heats up and the out of range sensor or thermostat thinks the temp is drastically different than it really is and leans or richens the fuel mixture.

I can understand not having a lot of money to pay a professional, but without a better diagnosis, you could spend a lot of money at the local parts store replacing parts and not fixing the issue, possibly even more than a professional with the proper training and tools would cost.

-Rod

[seasonalskier2006]

like rod said it may be an injector, but it could also be because you are putting super gas in to your car, the gasses are different for a reason and you have specific injectors and different gas types will cause a "gunk" to build up on the injectors.

[68convert]

That happened to my first 93. Turned out to be dirty gas. Ruined my fuel pump and had to have my tank drained and cleaned.Thank god it was under warranty.

Tony

[rjett3345]

well i changed my plugs, wires, rotor and distributor cap, and it went away. It still seems a lil weak tho, seems like the power that used to be there isnt there anymore. I have a replacement fuel filter i just havent gotten around to changing it yet, maybe thatll help with the loss of power. Anyway thanks for all the help, all is well in Taurus land for me right now.

[jeremy06]

I have the same problem, happens all the time(the bucking) for a stop sign/stoplight. Once it starts to take off from the stop sign the first gear shift it bucks after it picks up a little more speed it runs and shifts fine.

1997 3.0 auto, changed DPFE sensor with no change( i was told to change it) I do have a check engine light on excessive flow EGR, I don't know if this could be related to the bucking problem...... HELP

[wafrederick]

It could be the IAC Motor also and these are a very common problem with Ford products.Unbolt it with it still plugged in and have someone turn the key on and off.It should move with the key on and go back with the key turned off

[shorod]

Originally Posted by jeremy06

I have the same problem, happens all the time(the bucking) for a stop sign/stoplight. Once it starts to take off from the stop sign the first gear shift it bucks after it picks up a little more speed it runs and shifts fine.

1997 3.0 auto, changed DPFE sensor with no change( i was told to change it) I do have a check engine light on excessive flow EGR, I don't know if this could be related to the bucking problem...... HELP

Sounds like a misfire. Have you had a tune up performed on the car, consisting of fuel filter, spark plugs, and spark plug wires? Also, which 3.0L do you have, the 24V Duratech or the 12V Vulcan?

Do you have the precise code numbers in the form P0123? If so, please search the forum for them. If you don't find that they've been addressed before, then post them here.

Have you removed the EGR and cleaned it? It may not be closing all the way.

Since this is a duplicate post of the thread you started, I'm going to delete the new thread.

-Rod

[jeremy06]

Sorry for the multiple post, just noticed both topics as "very similar" and had wanted to voice my problem. 12V Vulcan engine, will be doing a full tune-up with in the next few days.(plugs,wires,FF, not yet aware if this engine has a distributor in which case, rotor,cap...etc