Little thumping while idling

[pauleypav609]

2003 Taurus wagon,24 valve DOHC,Duratec
Has anyone encountered a periodic rumble/burp/thumping while idling in gear.RPM gauge fluctuates slightly.
Could it be clogged fuel injector or maybe a sign of something more serious on the horizon.
Thanks for any and all help with this.

[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds like a misfire. When was the last tune up performed? What year is your Taurus, and which engine does it have?

-Rod

[pauleypav609]

It's been a while since the last tune up.I replaced the wires and 3 of the spark plugs when the car had 30,000 miles on it,it now has 74,000.
Do you have to remove the OH cam to replace the 3 rear spark plugs?
If so probally time for a professional tune up.
Thanks for the fast response.

[shorod]

You certainly won't have to remove the cam to change out the last 3, but it would likely be an easier job if you removed the upper intake manifold. I haven't worked on a 2003 Taurus, but even on my V6 and V8 SHOs where I did remove the upper intake, after the first time it took less than an hour hood up to hood down to change out the bank 1 (rear) spark plugs and wires(V6)/Coil on Plugs(V8).

-Rod

[pauleypav609]

Thanks Rod,
Not sure what I was thinkin',that's just it I wasn't thinkin'.
Intake manifold that's it.
Would you recommend a slightly knowledgeable amateur tackleing the job?

[shorod]

Again, I don't have experience on the 2003, so I'm not sure how much more difficult they could make it than the mid to late 90's engines. If you have a pretty wide selection of sockets, extensions, and wobbles, patience, and are mechanically inclined, I don't think you'd have too much difficulty performing the job.

-Rod