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95 mercury sable sputtering when cold or when going uphill?


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Bennyblanco07
Novice

Jul 17, 2011, 7:45 PM

Post #1 of 6 (2416 views)
95 mercury sable sputtering when cold or when going uphill? Sign In

So I bought this 95 mercury sable couple months ago off the impound. It is not in the greatest condition, lots of rust, etc but it ran great until I noticed this problem. It either happens when engine is cold or at normal temp when driving uphill at say, 20-30 mph. it just starts sputtering as it is on it's last drop of gas. I had a mechanic ride along today and he said to bring it to his shop. He says could be a plugged injector, dirty fuel filter or worst case fuel pump ($300 repair per him). I told him this begun as soon as the rainy season began.

He said he can start by doing some injector flush, etc. My question before taking it with him is this. First of all, I think this junkie is overdue for a fuel filter replacement as it appears rusty and just old. however, my logic tells me that this may be contributing to the issue but it may not alone be the main factor for sputtering in conditions where the car faces resistance either uphill or when cold.

I don't want to be throwing money around, which also tells me that if it had a plugged dripping injector the issue would be more consistent and at various speeds. These are just theories obviously so if anyone has any insight or feedback please let me know. This is a v6 3.0 automatic, thanks!


(This post was edited by Bennyblanco07 on Jul 17, 2011, 8:04 PM)


Sidom
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Jul 17, 2011, 11:04 PM

Post #2 of 6 (2397 views)
Re: 95 mercury sable sputtering when cold or when going uphill? Sign In

A fuel filter wouldn't be a bad idea even if it wasn't running poorly.... This is something you need anyway. Take care of all the overdue maintenance stuff you can, you may get lucky & solve your problem just taking car of the new car.

Just from what you posted I would check as many of the electrical connections and grounds as I could. Could be coincidence but rainy weather does cause problems with bad electrical connections...

I'm not sure of his tools or experience but a test drive with a scanner could help narrow the search. Looking at the datastream seeing what the fuel trims are doing could help point him in the right direction....


Bennyblanco07
Novice

Jul 19, 2011, 10:34 PM

Post #3 of 6 (2375 views)
Re: 95 mercury sable sputtering when cold or when going uphill? Sign In

Thanks guys, today my suspicions about rain and humidity were confirmed. All day car acted fine and then a thunderstorm hit late afternoon. Car not only sputtered but the temperature gauge hit H and then retreated slightly and stayed there. The guy from auto zone thinks some sensor, thermostat, I was thinking more like the ignition control module but either way I'm lost...


zmame
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zmame profile image

Jul 20, 2011, 1:09 AM

Post #4 of 6 (2371 views)
Re: 95 mercury sable sputtering when cold or when going uphill? Sign In

Could be wire, plugs, cap, rotor or coil too.. I would wait till next dry day start it up and put some water in a spray bottle and start spraying each wire one by one, then cap and then the coil till it starts to run rough. Also look for arcing on the wires don't touch any of the components while the engine is running you might get shocked.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Jul 20, 2011, 3:14 AM

Post #5 of 6 (2370 views)
Re: 95 mercury sable sputtering when cold or when going uphill? Sign In


Quote
The guy from auto zone thinks some sensor, thermostat,


That would probably make me do do just the opposite. Those guys are about as far from being technicians as you can get. They are mostly part time sales clerks and wannabe technicians but aren't. They are there to sell parts.



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Bennyblanco07
Novice

Jul 23, 2011, 10:37 PM

Post #6 of 6 (2356 views)
Re: 95 mercury sable sputtering when cold or when going uphill? Sign In

Thanks Gus, I ended up doing a full tune up, plugs, wire set, fuel filter cap and rotor and thermostat. Running smooth!






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