[way2qk4u2c]

I know this is my first post here however I have had 2 SHO's and now i just bought another taurus for a winter car - so the 2011 stang can sit in the garage. I just picked this taurus up 3 days ago and was wondering if you guys can help me. My last SHO was a 94 so im hoping somethings changed since then.

The taurus i picked up is a 2001 Taurus SEL with the 24 valve duratec. It has 124,000 miles on it and recently just had a tune up- new plugs, wires etc.

My first question is
1. Start car in morning let it warm up- first 15 min of the drive to work - at stop lights it seems like the car engages to the tranny periodically like a surge. Imagine you have a spinning flywheel and you hit it for a split second so you interupt the spinning pattern- this is what it feels like. What would cause this (torque converter starting to engage prematurely) also after about 20-25 min it doesnt really do it anymore.

2. The auto lamps- when its in the auto lamp mode all th elights come on but the headlamps- however if i move to the headlight mode they come on. what would cause this?

3. The engine smells like its leaking oil and burning in the engine bay- what are the common places to check on this engine?

4. The steering- it pulls to the left a little and has a slight knotch from middle to going right. He said he had new ball joints- tie rods and alignment done?

The joys of owning a used car- any help would be appreciated and id like to do most of my repairs myself since i was able to do alot of it on my SHO's (timing belt, rack n pinion, fuel pump, A/C, water pump)

Also im Mike from Chicago IL and hope to keep my taurus running like new

Thanks guys

 

[sheila]

For the burning oil smell, i would check the valve (cam) covers and pcv valve and hose assy. Its buried down in front of the uim.

 

[way2qk4u2c]

I will try to clean the engine really well and see if i can tell where the oil is coming from. Il check the covers for sure.

the trans thing- after thinking about it maybe its not the trans and its the engine intermittently misfiring at idle. Cuz it feels like a jolt when it happens and it doesnt seem to lunge the car forward or anything. However i have great acceleration and no hesitation at all. It only happens at idle sitting at a light. The longer i sit at the light the more prone it will happen- almost like the engine gets in a routine and starts getting worse the longer it sits at idle. Another test i should do is see if it does it while in park.

 

[sheila]

Any trouble codes (light)? Rough idle and oil smell sure sounds like pcv hose assy. to me.

 

[sheila]

Do a search on here or check the topic finder. Both features are at the top of this page. There are a bajillion threads concerning the pcv hose, esp. on the tec.

 

[sheila]

When done, eat a couple of slices of deep dish pie and beers from genos east for me!

 

[way2qk4u2c]

Im a big fan of Lou malnatis pizza LOL....

Supposedly the seller replaced the PCV but ill double check that tonight

Yeah i went to lunch today and right away had a hesitation from the start- it cleared up after it warmed up better. however i wonder if he didnt replace the coil pack.

no check engine light- however i didnt bring it to auto zone to check the codes.

 

[sheila]

Problem would probably be the hose, not the valve itself. If the problem is disappearing once its warmed up, could be intake gaskets seeping when cold and swelling and sealing once warmed up. I forgot about lou malnatis. Great place, but im partial to ginos east.

 

[way2qk4u2c]

Can torque converter shudder happen from 0-10 mph or is that something that happens while on the highway?

 

[way2qk4u2c]

So when i got home i opened up the hood and looked around.

It looks like it has new spark plugs and wires for sure- motorcraft brand
however the coil pack looks like it wasnt replaced? but i could be wrong

the PCV hose looks new as well- its shiny black and the ford number is readable on it- while other hoses look older than that.

all vacuum hoses look new as well. it has new egr- maf sensor- tps - iac

So my question is this- can a coil pack do what im feeling- hesitation when cold from 0-10mph after 10 mph if i gun it - it goes well. after few minutes there is no more hesitation. Is this a engine problem or a trans problem? is the studdering im feeling a engine misfiring or a torqe converter....help me eliminate this issue lol

 

[way2qk4u2c]

i cant find oil leaking anywhere either....

the trans fluid looks very clean - i was thinking of putting amsoil in it- should I or no?

 

[way2qk4u2c]

Also the spark plug wires were not wet or anythign but when i pulled a spark plug out it was pretty wet (oily) and blacker than i would have thought- so is the engine running rich? they are brand new plugs for sure

 

[sheila]

I would think if it was a coil misfire, youd be getting a po300 series trouble code with a flashing or solid light. Sure sounds like a vac. leak as opposed to an ignition misfire, yet if bad enough, should throw a po171 and/or po174 code. Maybe run it by autozone to check for pending or stored codes, and then by a tranny shop for a free diagnosis. Maybe one of the tranny gurus here will chime in. Those hoses and sensors are new and not just detailed and armor-alled up? If bottom of the plugs (porcelain and upper threads) are oily, its prob. spark plug hole o-ring seals (part of a valve (cam) cover kit). If electrodes are oily, oil seepage. If electrodes are sooty, it is indeed running rich prob. accompanied with po172 and/or po175.

 

[sheila]

P.S.: Several members here use the amsoil synthetic atf. Im sure its merconV compatible.

 

[sheila]

P.S.: If electrodes are fuel-soaked, odds are that cylinder isnt firing.

 

[way2qk4u2c]

^^ great post- that helps alot

The plugs were oily around the threads and the electrode was really clean

Yeah its so weird- it only happens like 2 stop lights and then it clears up. Im going to try some fresh fuel maybe it was sitting long time.

Next on the list head to autozone and check codes out. and then to tranny shop.

The hoses are not armoralled up- the engine bay is pretty dirty and only a few hoses look new- you can tell them from the rest lol.

Yeah i wonder if the misfire or hesitation doesnt happen enough or long enough to throw a code just yet which is annoying. Or maybe its not a sensor and like you said maybe a leaky gasket and expands once warmed up.

 

[way2qk4u2c]

i found this post- this guy describes exactly like what i feel

When started cold, I engage drive and hit the gas I get a hesitation. Almost like.. power then no power, although it happens very quickly. As soon as I'm moving more than a couple mph it goes away. This also happens if I throw it in neutral and stab the throttle, in the very bottom of the RPM range. I just did a full tune-up (plugs/wires/filter/fuel filter), so I can rule that out. It goes away once the car is warmed up. What else can I try?

his thread didnt have any answers on it

 

[way2qk4u2c]

i wonder if this is my problem...
2000 Taurus

 

[way2qk4u2c]

then we have this guy

Again, many thanks for the advice.
After cleaning my MAF, the majority of the hesitaion was removed.

I will look to the EGR for the remaining hesitation at 1500 rpms.

After replacing the EGR and DPFE the rough starts and hesitation are back again.
When AC is on, the starts are even rougher.

Might the MAF be bad?
Could the coil pack be bad? (It has 120,000 miles on it).

 

[way2qk4u2c]

crap the more i read about this hesitation while cold the more i see its super common and no one really fixes it... what the hell.

it seems like a lean condition while cold- i remember my SHO having a similiar problem back in the day but it was from the IAC valve.

I guess ill have to live with it until it throws a code or ges worse to really figure it out.