2002 Taurus High rpm, struggling accerlation and speed

[02Ford]

Hello, Ive read many forums and this one particularly stood out to me with threads that have a lot of participation and educated responses.

My issue; I have an 2002 Ford Taurus with 95,000 miles. Ive had idle control problems in the past and recently got a valve job done this summer to correct rough idling and engine shaking, which im still paying for. My car had acceleration trouble and took a lot longer than usual to pick up. (v6 3.0) It also would not get beyond 60mph and when going uphill would lose all power, forcing me to put on my hazards when on a major highway as I dropped to around 40mph. After the valve job the conditions improved but I could feel the power was not fully restored. I am a college student and have been taking summer classes so I have not been able to return home (430 miles away) to get my car to the mechanic. I have heard that it may be my computer that needs to be reprogrammed. I am at a lost and really begining to hate this car!

Also if I put my pedal to the floor the acceleration will not increase nor go above 60mph. The rpms will shoot all the way up and the engine roars but maintains the same slow speed. Please, any ideas or suggestions will help. I have recently replaced the coil, spark plugs and inginiton wires.

[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

At any time recently has your Check Engine Light come on? Have you tried to calculate the fuel economy, and if so, what is it?

Other than the comment that the engine will roar but the car won't pick up speed, I was ready to say you have a tune up issue (plugs, wires, coil, air filter, fuel filter). That really sounds like a transmission issue. I don't understand why someone would have suggested you needed a valve job. When the engine roars, does it sound pretty smooth, or is it a very rough running engine? If it's rough, it might be a vacuum leak or still an ignition issue. Maybe the transmission is downshifting to try to make up for the throttle position and lack of speed. The engine is misfiring so badly though that it is not able to generate enough torque to pick up speed.

You might also consider a problem with the MAF sensor.

-Rod

[02Ford]

Yea I have not actually calculated the exact fuel economy but I know for a fact that it is significantly less because for a trip I constantly make I require alot more gas to make now. My check engine light is on but has been since I replaced the crankshaft and sensor. Also the valve job did help stability of the engine which once shook whenever below 20mph and when in drive and turning. Now its returned to the terrible condition minus the engine shaking the car.
I can also feel the gears shift as the rpms race up then it violently shifts into the next gear as if it were manual. If I hold the pedal down too far it will remain in a high rpm and not shift to the next gear; in order for it to shift to the next gear I have to ease off the pedal so it can shift and pick up more speed. What is an MAF sensor? And I want to say the engine sounds kind of rough but unsure because Ive never heard it so loud when moving at such a slow speed. This has been getting worse over the last three months but still drives daily as I go to and from work like a sunday driver.

[plymouthsrock]

Some thoughts- it sounds as if you're getting delayed shifts in the transmission, and maybe never reaching top gear, but that still could be performance related (clogged cat, etc.). Maybe you can find someone handy with a vacuum gauge to ck engine vacuum, also ck codes?

[shorod]

With the poor fuel economy, I'm guessing you have a misfire in the ignition, or a MAF sensor issue. MAF = Mass Air Flow sensor. It is located between the air filter and the throttle body. Probably has either 3 or 5 wires going to it. If it were me, I'd start by trying to very carefully clean the MAF with MAF Sensor Cleaner available at many auto parts stores. I think you're symptoms though are too intense for it to be just a dirty MAF issue though, and you might have a plug wire or two that are not making good connection. You could try pulling all the plugs and looking for one or more that are dark and maybe even wet with fuel.

-Rod

[02Ford]

I have read a lot about my similar problem where people have thought it to be a clogged cat or required to replace both the front and back. How do I determine if it is a clogged cat or not??

And I actually replaced my MAF about a year ago but can check if that is the issue. I will take out my plugs replace and inspect each of them. And like I said this problem has been ongoing and progressively getting worse, so that is why I want to outrule my tranny but still keep it as a possibilty. I will get an updated version of my codes and see what it reads.

[shorod]

If you have a vacuum gauge, you can get a good idea if the cats are restricted via the manifold vacuum. As you probably know, the vacuum will only exist if the air coming in to the engine has a way to get out of the engine. I don't recall what the number should be, you should probably search around for that.

Of course, converters rarely fail due to age, if they are bad they are probably bad due to something not being right long term in the air/fuel ratio. If you replace the converters and that seems to help, be sure to make sure the air/fuel ratio is where it should be, otherwise it will be a short term fix.

Also, since your fuel economy is poor, I hesitate to suspect that the problem is with the converters, yet. It would seem fuel is not getting ignited.

-Rod

[plymouthsrock]

As far as testing for a restricted exhaust, using a vacuum gauge takes some experience- it's not the absolute reading, as much as the action of the gauge under throttle and release conditions- if you suspect this condition, usuing a backpressure tester is more positive- it screws in to the O2 sensor port, and using a gauge, should be no more than 2PSI backpressure @2000 rpm.

[02Ford]

Okay both of these suggestions are things that I will have to take to a mechanic and beyond my scope of ability and available equipment.
My other question would be whether or not a refurbished crank shaft and sensor from Autozone that is defective would throw off the air/fuel alignment?
I had the chirping from crankshaft that I replaced and ever since my check engine light never turned out.

[rdh2]

Originally Posted by 02Ford

Okay both of these suggestions are things that I will have to take to a mechanic and beyond my scope of ability and available equipment.
My other question would be whether or not a refurbished crank shaft and sensor from Autozone that is defective would throw off the air/fuel alignment?
I had the chirping from crankshaft that I replaced and ever since my check engine light never turned out.

HOLD EVERYTHING!

If you had the common chirping noise, the part that should have been replaced is the Camshaft Synchronizer and Camshaft Position Sensor (CPS). The synchronizer also drives the oil pump (just like the old distributor did).

If that is not installed correctly, you can have serious performance issues and poor fuel economy. The CPS determines when the fuel injectors cycle.

You need to have the codes read to determine a course of action for the CEL. I suspect that there is a problem with the synchro/CPS or its installation.

Also, if the part (synchro and CPS) that was installed was from Dorman, I would suggest you have it replaced soon. The Dorman units are prone to failure due to lack of quality. If the synchro fails, it can prevent the oil pump from functioning and destroy the engine. the failures of the Dorman unit have been well documented. My

[wills66]

What was wrong with your with your car, I'm having the same problem's.....