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2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3


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trapper
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May 2, 2012, 8:02 PM

Post #1 of 10 (6811 views)
2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

2001 Ford Taurus 3.0 Liter EFI. Check engine light came on. Filled car with Premium gasoline. 3 drive cycles and the engine light went off. Later came on again. Codes indicated misfire on Cyl 1,2,3. Replaced plugs, wires and coil pack -> Misfire reduced to Cyl. 1 & 2. Car runs well at speed i.e 60 mph but idles like a bucking bronco. The engine begins to smooth out @ 1500 to 2000 rpms. Idle RPM is about 900. What ties cyl. 1,2,3 together besides coil pack?


Tom Greenleaf
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May 3, 2012, 6:48 AM

Post #2 of 10 (6758 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

Basics - What did the old plugs look like compared to other ones? This still could be several things like vacuum leaking anywhere, intake manifold leaks, low compression so do a compression check or marginal fuel delivery. I'm surprised that use of premium fuel made a difference as it was designed for "regular" fuel and for the most part premium when not suggested and is on some is just a waste.

Premium vs Regular Gas: Jury still out on if there is higher quality of the fuel itself and personally don't know. It's an octane rating and shouldn't be about the quality?



Discretesignals
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May 3, 2012, 3:09 PM

Post #3 of 10 (6742 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

Is this a DOHC or OHV 3.0L?





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trapper
New User

May 3, 2012, 3:43 PM

Post #4 of 10 (6733 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

Thanks for the reply Tom. I took the car to a mechanic today and he told me that the valves are burnt. He couldn't explain why cylinder #3 improved after I changed the plugs, wires, and coil pack. All of the plugs looked "normal" when compared to the chart in the Haynes manual. Is it possible for a car to run well at highway speeds and rough when idling due to burnt valves? I would have assumed that if they were burnt the car would run poorly all of the time. I tried to find vacuum leaks but I am not sure of the best way to do that.


Discretesignals
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May 3, 2012, 3:46 PM

Post #5 of 10 (6731 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

OHV or DOHC?

If the valves are indeed burnt, there is a reason why. The cause should be figured out, so it doesn't happen again after the repair.





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trapper
New User

May 3, 2012, 3:48 PM

Post #6 of 10 (6728 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

This is not the DOHC or the Flex fuel OHV it is the standard 3.0 Liter.


Discretesignals
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May 3, 2012, 4:01 PM

Post #7 of 10 (6725 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

Not too uncommon to see an OHV with burnt valves. Depending on which valves were burnt (usually the exhaust) it may run better at higher engine speeds because manifold pressure is higher.

Might want to be sure the camshaft sycronizer is in the right position. If the cam sensor angle is off, your injection timing will be off also and can result in burnt valves.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.


trapper
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May 3, 2012, 4:37 PM

Post #8 of 10 (6715 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

I will have to find the cam shaft sync.. I'm wondering if I can take the heads off myself and take them to a shop for repair. The mech that I talked to wanted about $1400 to do this work. I'm not sure if I want to sink that kind of money into this car with 170,000 miles on it. Would I need special tools to remove the heads?


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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May 3, 2012, 5:10 PM

Post #9 of 10 (6707 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

Just your normal set of metric sockets and wrenches. If you have experience pulling heads, this one isn't that difficult. Get yourself some good service information.

When you go to put the heads back on, you'll need a torque wrench and an angle gauge. If you don't have an angle gauge, you can mark the tops of the bolts with a paint pin because you have to turn them in 90 degree increments twice after initial torque.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on May 3, 2012, 5:16 PM)


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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May 3, 2012, 5:15 PM

Post #10 of 10 (6703 views)
Re: 2001 Taurus Misfires on Cyl. 1,2,3 Sign In

Just curious. Did you have any problems with the engine pinging under acceleration or has it had overheating problems?





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.






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