Misfires, Idles High, No heat, check engine light, the list goes on and on.

[Bree_j]

This car is driving me crazy. Ford Taurus LX 1998 V.6 3.0 130K
I'm not sure which info is relevant so I'll list everything that's happened.
I bought this car a month ago. As soon as I brought it home, I noticed a small oil leak. A few days later, I noticed a slight misfire and had the plugs and wireset changed. This didn't help. It was misfiring between 40-50 mph and it idled high (around 1300 rpm when in park upon startup) (it drops back down after idling for a few minutes)The check engine light came on and I took it to a autoparts store and had the codes pulled. It was the camshaft position sensor. I bought the part and had it replaced. This seemed to help the high idle for a day or two and then the check engine light came back on and it started again. I took it back to the parts store and it came up with the same code. The guy cleared the code and the check engine light went off. Twenty minutes later, it came back on. My heat doesn't work but the air does. The heat comes on but it only trickles a luke warm heat. The clock loses time if the car isn't driven everyday. The radio when turned on tells me that there are no FM stations and after a fiddle with it, it starts working again. Meanwhile, the miss has gotten more profound and now when it misses, the rpms shoot up to about 2000 and then they drop suddenly to 1500. I used fuel injection cleaner and I think it made it worse. Someone told me to put rubbing alcohol in the tank to absorb any water but I'm afraid to do that until I find out more info. Today the check engine light when off and hasn't come back on (knock wood) I'm sure this is gonna cost a fortune but I'd like a few opinions about where to start. Thanks in advance.

[TaurusKing]

You need to get the codes read and post them here, then people here can give you ideas,,, code doesn't necessarily mean part replacement, could be wiring, resistance, bad connection, a multitude of things.. heater issue could be blend door not working correctly, partially plugged core, again several things, you must have electronic dash with the LX version??? Radio could again be caused by any of several things, clock also... I think, not sure, that the mlps, or neutral safety switch, has played a role in some of these items, with the wiring issues anyway,,, someone can correct me on that, maybe not.. anyway, post the code you're getting...

[Bree_j]

Thanks TaurusKing. My husband is going to look at the car today and I'll run it up to Autozone and ask them to give me the code number. I'll post it here when I get it.

Some one mentioned to me that because I added a fuel additive and the problem got worse, I probably need to change the fuel filter. That seems logical and its a cheap fix if it works. So, I'm going to pick up one of those today and have it replaced.

Also, I checked the carfax history report and learned that my car was used as a "fleet" vehicle and 30K was put on it last year. I kinda think that it wasn't properly maintained during this time and I need a major tuneup among other things.

Thanks again!

[way2old]

If the code is a P0340, look at the piece the sensor bolts to. There is a little "C" shaped piece that will bend and cause the code to come on. If there is no problem with the sensor or the piece it bolts to (syncronizer), look at the DPFE sensor. If it is metal, replace it with the updated plastic one. The metal sensor will create a magnetic field that the cam sensor wiring picks up as a wrong signal. Good luck and keep us informed.

[Bree_j]

Thanks way2old. My husband looked at the car today and the hose that goes from the engine into the coolant is cool at one end and hot on the other so we think the thermostat may be stuck and we've ordered a new one.

As for the codes, there are no codes stored on the car and the check engine light has gone out. I've bought a new fuel filter and we're gonna install it tomorrow. The funny thing is that, yesterday it was cold and pouring buckets of rain and the car ran like crap. Today, it's sunny and warm and the car ran great except for the slight misfire every now and again, so that has me baffled. I thought maybe it was getting moisture somewhere it shouldn't have. (I know nothing about cars.) Maybe it's just a coincidence.

Thanks and I'll keep ya posted on how everything goes tomorrow when the work is done.

Bree

[way2old]

If there is a misfire and wires and plugs have been changed, the coils may be the cause. When it gets dark, mist the coils with water and start car and look for a light show. Hi tech hillbilly way to find intermittent misfire.

[Bree_j]

Awesome! I'll try that. That's one I hadn't heard yet. Its good to get some real advice about this car. I've scoured the internet for days before I found and learned how to use this forum. Before now all I heard was "It's a Ford and that's what ya get!" or "It's a head gasket. Sell it now before it costs ya a fortune." First off, my dad and husband swear by fords and secondly, I know it's not the head gasket cause it shows no signs. The oil isn't milky, it doesn't give off white smoke etc.... Anyway, Thanks and I'll keep ya posted.

[Millermagic]

Yeah, the Vulcan isn't the engine that blows head gaskits all the time. Thats the Essex, which in my opinion is an awesome engine. What you started off with, I was going to say CMP (camshaft position sensor) ... but then I read it in the next sentence.

The high idle problem and radio problem could be related - if you disconnect the battery, you will lose the radio settings and the computer has to "relearn" the specifics of that particular engine and your driving style. Maybe when you turn the car off, the computer loses power along with the radio.

The heat problem sounds like either thermostat or clogged heater core (common problem). I had a thermostat that failed shut and I had no heat last winter and after 20 or so minutes of driving it would have terrible spark knock. Changing the T-stat helped.

Now you say the engine will rev up to 2000 RPM while driving down the road? That might be transmission related. If the transmission isn't bad, I'd stick with the car.

[Bree_j]

Thanks again everyone. We changed the fuel filter and it seems like it's got better power, the one that was replaced was probably the original. I've been worried about a transmission problem as well. I'm a fanatic about checking my fluid and making sure it's the right color and it doesn't have a burnt smell. So far it's been good but I freak out about things like that anyway.

I'm pretty sure the thermostat is stuck open but I had another question: Are the coils just called coils or are they the coil pack or what? Where would these be? If I can learn where they are I can test them, but I have no idea where to even look. My husband's not much on working on cars so I always deal with everything and make sure the cars get their repair and maintenance. So if someone could tell me where they're at it would be much appreciated. I don't know alot about cars, but with this taurus it looks like I'm going to get some experience.


Thanks again!

[Millermagic]

Coil packs for the Vulcan engine.

As far as the trans fluid, there are a few schools of though on that. Some people would say change the fluid and some say not. Sometimes changing the fluid can help or if it has never been dome, some claim that it ate up their trans.

[Salty25]

Bree,

I have a 97 that would not blow heat. I had the same indicator as you, hose getting hot at one end but cold at the other.

I found it was my water pump. When I pulled my pump off the vains were flat as a wall. I replaced it and now I have plenty of heat.

Not saying it is the problem but it seems this engine does have some significant waterpump problems.

[Bree_j]

Thanks Salty,

I never thought about that! Thanks! What are they symptoms of a failing water pump? Is there anyway to test it?

We live in Myrtle Beach South Carolina so I won't have to worry about horribly cold days for a little while and I hope to get this all straightened out before the temps start dropping.

And Millermagic, how will I know when it's time to change the transmission fluid? Do you recommend doing it?

Thanks guys!

Bree

[Bree_j]

New symptoms for my clunker: I noticed today that with a half tank of gas, when I make a sharp turn, the car flutters and it's starting to misfire and flutter more often than it did before. Check Engine Light has stayed off and there are no codes. I think it may be water in the tank and my brother told me to pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol in to evaporate the water. He claims it works better than anything on the market but I'm leery about putting this in the tank. So my questions are:

1. Does this sound like there may be water in the tank?
and 2. If so, is it a good idea to put rubbing alcohol in?

I thought at first today that it was a tranny problem because it would rev up, go into third gear, misfire, gear down, and then gear up again. But my husband says it's probably only doing that because of the misfire.

I'm going on a 600 mile trip for Thanksgiving to visit my family and I want my car in top shape by then. Any suggestions?

I've thought about biting the bullet and taking it to a mechanic so they can run a diagnostic test on it but I just don't want to be over charged for something simple that I or my husband can do at home. So do ya think this is something I should just let the ford dealer handle?

[shorod]

Originally Posted by Bree_j

1. Does this sound like there may be water in the tank?
and 2. If so, is it a good idea to put rubbing alcohol in?

My brain's not functioning really well right now, so I cannot come up with many suggestions for you. However, there will be no real benefit from adding rubbing alcohol to the fuel. Isopropyl alcohol is what you want to use. Rubbing alcohol is Isopropyl that has already been diluted with water, it will no longer continue to absorb additional water. If you read the label on rubbing alcohol it will say something to the effect of "70% isopropyl." The remaining 30% is water. Maybe I have those percentages backward.

-Rod

[Bree_j]

Thanks Rod. I think I'll have to skip on the alcohol then. Will dry gas work to elimanate the problem if there is water in the tank. Fuel system cleaners haven't helped but I was hoping dry gas might.