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2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.


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rusty95
Novice

May 9, 2015, 3:32 PM

Post #1 of 19 (2888 views)
  post locked   2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

The car is a 00 Ford Taurus 3.0 flex fuel. 84,000 miles.

Bought the car about 6 months ago and it ran great. It was a well taken care of car. When I started to use it it ran great all the time but then I noticed that if you didn't warm it up it would have a miss, but no engine light. Then it started to miss when you got stuck in traffic. On the open road it runs great just misses in traffic. Now the engine light will either blink or come on solid with a code 0301. If I put Sea Foam in the tank it will clear up and run great even in traffic. I can drive it long enough for it to pass state inspection and set all the monitors. One day the car will run great and the next it will misfire. I took the plenum off to replace the number 1 injector. I am also changing the plus and wires. They were original. It sounds like a dirty injector or one that isn't working right.

I still have the car apart waiting for an injector I ordered. Any thing else that could be wrong. Maybe someone had a similar problem and could help. If these changes don't fix it I will change the coil pack, as that is still original.


(This post was edited by rusty95 on May 9, 2015, 4:10 PM)


Discretesignals
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May 9, 2015, 7:08 PM

Post #2 of 19 (2873 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

Is this DOHC or OHV?

Hmmm. Did you do any testing to prove it was an injector issue?

Did you inspect the plugs and wires? Check for good coil KV output? Seems like your guessing and not testing.





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 9, 2015, 7:09 PM)


rusty95
Novice

May 9, 2015, 7:22 PM

Post #3 of 19 (2869 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

Thank you for the quick reply. it's the OHV motor. Plugs and wires were original. I would have changed them either way. The plugs were also tan in color and looked normal for 15 year old plugs. As for the injector, the reason I am changing that is when I added injector cleaner it ran better and the problem is intermittent and the miss happens and gets worse when the car sits in traffic. Maybe the injector is allowing to much gas to enter the cylinder. At $30 I can afford to change it. As for the coil, if the problem is still there when I get the car together I will check it out. Considering that the problem dosen't happen all the time what else could it be.


(This post was edited by rusty95 on May 9, 2015, 7:34 PM)


Discretesignals
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May 9, 2015, 7:36 PM

Post #4 of 19 (2862 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

Plugs and wire change is probably good idea if they are original. Injectors going bad isn't very common on those and adding cleaner to the fuel could be just a coincidence.

Trick is to see what goes missing while the misfire is occurring. That would give you direction.





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rusty95
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May 9, 2015, 8:20 PM

Post #5 of 19 (2856 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  


In Reply To
Plugs and wire change is probably good idea if they are original. Injectors going bad isn't very common on those and adding cleaner to the fuel could be just a coincidence.

Trick is to see what goes missing while the misfire is occurring. That would give you direction.


It's a coincidence that happened a few times. I have had a couple bad injectors. With them the problem happened all the time. This miss only happenes if the car isn't warmed up and in traffic. That is what is making me scratch my head on this one. And considering the plenum is off for the plugs and wires change I won't put it together and find out it is a bad injector and have to rip it apart again. I won't be able to get the car running until I get the new injector. I had to order one, no one had it in stock. If it isn't the injector I only wasted $30.



Discretesignals
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May 10, 2015, 5:50 AM

Post #6 of 19 (2834 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  


Quote
It's a coincidence that happened a few times. I have had a couple bad injectors. With them the problem happened all the time.


You have had to replace injectors on this vehicle before with only 84 K miles? If so, what was faulty on them?





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


rusty95
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May 10, 2015, 7:00 AM

Post #7 of 19 (2820 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  


In Reply To

Quote
It's a coincidence that happened a few times. I have had a couple bad injectors. With them the problem happened all the time.


You have had to replace injectors on this vehicle before with only 84 K miles? If so, what was faulty on them?


You misunderstood me. I have replaced injectors on other cars a with similar problem. So it isn't all that uncommon to have injector problems. I recently had a 95 Grand Prix with a bad miss and used injector cleaner and it went away. Maybe some dirt in the gas.

I can't seem to get the right injector for this car at the local parts stores. I will have to go to Ford to find one on Monday.
If the problem is the injector or if it isn't, it is still getting changed while I still can get to it. The injector itself may be good but might be clogged.


(This post was edited by rusty95 on May 10, 2015, 7:04 AM)


Discretesignals
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May 10, 2015, 7:27 AM

Post #8 of 19 (2816 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

You could swap the suspect injector with another cylinder's injector to see if your misfire moves. Might save yourself some money and hassle if the misfire stays in the same cylinder after your swap.





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rusty95
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May 10, 2015, 7:31 AM

Post #9 of 19 (2814 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

I agree I could do that. But there would be a 50-50 chance I would be taking the top off again. If I put a new injector in there and it dosen't work I move on to the next thing to check.


The problem is intermittent do you think it could be something major.


Discretesignals
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May 10, 2015, 7:59 AM

Post #10 of 19 (2811 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

Can't really give you a good answer to that because really don't know what is causing the misfire.

I know DIY don't have all the tools professionals use to troubleshoot misfire issues, but from experience on those if an injector is dirty and causing misfires, it probably won't be intermittent. There could possibly be an electrical problem. What is the resistance of the suspect injector compared to the others? Of course, some injectors might not show coil problems until they are exposed to certain temperatures. You could have an electrical injector circuit issue, but if that is the case you would probably be getting an injector circuit code (P0201).

Ignition coil problems are common on those. Adjustable spark tester might be able to pick up on a coil fault. Then again ignition coils may become faulty depending on the temperature they are exposed to.

Not all injectors are the same and some are designed to be more deposit resistant. It wasn't too uncommon to see dirty injector discs on the old GM multec injectors causing misfires. The Ford's EV injectors didn't really have too many problems in my travels. I've only had to replace EV injectors once that were leaking with pressure on them. The only thing we could come up with is someone put something in the fuel tank cause they all were leaking (extremely unusual).





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 10, 2015, 8:06 AM)


Hammer Time
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May 10, 2015, 8:19 AM

Post #11 of 19 (2805 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

I could understand an injector acting that way. The engine calls for more fuel during warm up and that injector may not be capable of doing it. Professional tech don't like replacing parts that have not been determined to be faulty but in this situation I tend to agree with the path you are taking.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Discretesignals
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May 10, 2015, 8:29 AM

Post #12 of 19 (2803 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

Could possibly be an injector flow issue. Definitely not saying that is an impossible scenario. Normally when we suspect an injector flow issue in the shop we perform an injector balance test. Kind of hard to do when you don't have the tools, so swapping injectors to prove an injector problem would be a good choice for someone limited on funds or for one who doesn't like replacing stuff unless they know for a fact it is junk.





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


Hammer Time
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May 10, 2015, 8:32 AM

Post #13 of 19 (2800 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

For $30 I wouldn't pull that plenum off again either.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Discretesignals
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May 10, 2015, 8:36 AM

Post #14 of 19 (2798 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

If he buys that injector from Ford, it's going to be around $100





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 10, 2015, 8:36 AM)


rusty95
Novice

May 10, 2015, 8:47 AM

Post #15 of 19 (2793 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

I have a place by me that gets Motorcraft parts and he said it would be less than dealer. The dealer is my last option.


I also don't like wasting money on parts. I was a Ford tech back in the late 70's to mid 80's then went to Chevy. After Chevy I went to Nissan as a writer. Then opened a collision shop. I like body work over mechanical. Haven't been a mechanic professionally for 25 years, but still do all my own work. I appreciate the help you guys bring here.


(This post was edited by rusty95 on May 10, 2015, 8:51 AM)


rusty95
Novice

May 10, 2015, 8:55 AM

Post #16 of 19 (2791 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  


In Reply To
Can't really give you a good answer to that because really don't know what is causing the misfire.

I know DIY don't have all the tools professionals use to troubleshoot misfire issues, but from experience on those if an injector is dirty and causing misfires, it probably won't be intermittent. There could possibly be an electrical problem. What is the resistance of the suspect injector compared to the others? Of course, some injectors might not show coil problems until they are exposed to certain temperatures. You could have an electrical injector circuit issue, but if that is the case you would probably be getting an injector circuit code (P0201).

Ignition coil problems are common on those. Adjustable spark tester might be able to pick up on a coil fault. Then again ignition coils may become faulty depending on the temperature they are exposed to.

Not all injectors are the same and some are designed to be more deposit resistant. It wasn't too uncommon to see dirty injector discs on the old GM multec injectors causing misfires. The Ford's EV injectors didn't really have too many problems in my travels. I've only had to replace EV injectors once that were leaking with pressure on them. The only thing we could come up with is someone put something in the fuel tank cause they all were leaking (extremely unusual).




I could also see the coil pac as being bad. It started in the cold weather. It could be arcing when cold and as it warms up it seals itself.


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Discretesignals profile image

May 10, 2015, 9:19 AM

Post #17 of 19 (2788 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

If you do have the plenum and injector rail out, probably wouldn't be a bad idea to look down into #1 intake runner and look at the top of the intake valve and check for excessive carbon buildup. Especially if this was a grandma car that didn't see over 40 mph and was lucky to get 2 miles of drive time to the grocery store...LOL





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 10, 2015, 9:21 AM)


rusty95
Novice

May 13, 2015, 2:05 PM

Post #18 of 19 (2745 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

Got the injector today, had to get one from Ford nobody by me had them. Put it all together and it started right up. Had a gas leak at an injector and changed the o ring. Put it back together and it ran great. No miss when not warmed up like before and it idled smooth. So it was either the plugs and wires or the injector. I am leaning toward the injector. Thanks for the help guys.


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Discretesignals profile image

May 13, 2015, 5:42 PM

Post #19 of 19 (2740 views)
  post locked   Re: 2000 Taurus misfire on cylinder 1.  

Good to read you got it figured out. Smile

Thanks for the follow up! Might help others in the future. Closed as solved.





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






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