I have a 97 ford taurus that when it is at idle (either in driver or park) it over heats. But if you give it some gas and the rpms get up to over 2300 the temp starts dropping immidiatly down to where it should be. Also the heater in the car stopped working not sure if the problems are connected.
View 10 RepliesCar surges/rocking at idle whether at idle or in park but runs fine. have new plugs and wires new 02 sensor and mas air flow but still the same problem..
View 8 RepliesRadiator replaced 2 yrs. ago - required major rust cleanout; reservoir replaced shortly thereafter. Recently engine always hot, antifreeze disappearing, reservoir always looks rusty, nothing much coming out underneath, mechanic pressure tested and couldn't find a leak, told to watch for antifreeze in oil, none apparent. Now suddenly car ran hot, antifreeze came out of reservoir, cap replaced, still couldn't find leak. Today said head gasket blown. Repair head gasket, but can't guarantee wouldn't still have radiator problems. Suggested could try Blue Devil head gasket repair but may not work.
Is it worth :
(a) trying the Blue Devil;
(b) repairing the head gasket?
Or will I still have major repair needs with radiator etc.? I really can't afford even a cheap replacement car.
I drive a hot mess of a vehicle. It is a 1997 for taurus that's got more than its fair share of miles on it.My big brother drove this car when he was 16 and I am 22. I am a college kid and I don't do much to my car knowing it will die soon but at the same time I don't have much money to do much. We have a good relationship most of the time and I gladly provide gas and regular oil changes in exchange for transportation.
My car when its warm outside especially idles very rough. So rough that at times it stalls out. It seems to happen most often and to the worst degree when the outside temp is very high and it has been running recently and I'm trying to start it up again. At other times and temperatures it has idled rough but not bad enough to stall. Once I start driving, or moving, its fine. The rough idle makes my car sound like a boat, that's the best way I can explain it.
Why my car does this? How to fix it?
2007 Ranger 4.0l, idles rough at low rpm, in park or drive, with or without the AC on.
View 1 RepliesThe trucks seems to Idle Rough in Park and Drive, Cold or Hot. It mellows out as soon as I give it gas but at stop lights or in park it goes back to a seemingly rough idle.
This is my first Ford Ranger and dont know if its normal. No code or dummy lights.
2007 2WD 4cyl
'97 Taurus GL Wagon 197k: Some of this stuff has been going on for some time now (several months ... maybe even a year).
1.) Driving Itself:
Car seems to drive itself on my way home from work which is a long, flat road in the 45-55 mph speed range. Once I get into this range, I can take my foot off the gas pedal and the car pretty much maintains speed until I get to an upgrade. I've even noticed times when I'm not pressing the pedal but the car is slightly speeding up to the point where I have to keep tapping the brake to keep from getting too close to the car in front of me.
2.) Stalling/High Idle:
Sometimes when I come to a less than smooth stop at a light - say, a yellow light that quickly turns red and I have to stop quicker than I'd want, the car will stall out. This has only happened a couple of times in the last 6 months, but it had never done this at all up to this point, so it's a new phenomena. Otherwise, the idle is usually at 600 rpm (except recently I've been seeing high idles of 2000 rpm every so often, which is really weird!!). Also, it seems like if I park the car on an incline, the engine will turn over many more times trying to "catch" and start - and the whole start-up sequence just feels weak - like it's not getting enough gas.
3.) Tach Bouncing:
This one's got me the most concerned because I think it's the most serious (and potentially the most costly to fix). I completely transfused the tranny fluid a few months ago as a possible solution, by the way, so the fluid (Dexron Mercon IV) is fresh. At about 1500 rpm on the tach, the tach sometimes starts bouncing up and down on the scale and I can feel a metallic engagement/disengagement cycle. If I get above or below this area on the tach, however, no problem. Also, taking off from a standstill -even though I accelerate very slowly and smoothly because I KNOW the tranny is "soft" and will 'slip and slap' if I don't - I'm recently starting to feel a very very brief grinding-like slippage feeling that does not hinder acceleration much at all, but feels very unsettling. This is a new feeling and it only happens every now and then (so far).
You're gonna say the tranny's on its way out, right?
I have a 1997 ford f150 5.4 litre truck and the truck runs real rough kinda surging in park and in drive and reverse i have a couple oxygen sensor codes P 0171, P0174, P0136, P1131, P1151 and an idle air control valve code P1506...
View 5 RepliesI was driving my 1998 Ford F150 the other day and pulled into a driveway. At that time, the transmission quit pulling like I put it in neutral. It shifts from park and goes into reverse but not drive. It has the 4.6L and is 2 wheel drive.
View 4 RepliesI have a 2001 f150 crew cab 4x2 82k miles 4.6 with a 4r70w. Was pulling it over a curb and it popped now it will shift into reverse and load the motor like its pulling against a wall. In drive it will move some but still will lock up and stop moving. I assumed something in the rear had broken from the way it would roll a few feet and lock. Replaced the rear and still have same problem. Is there something I can replace to fix a stuck park or does the transmission need replaced or rebuilt?
View 1 RepliesWhat "normal" rpm should be for V8 idling? In my Phaeton I have 620-650rpm in Park position and when I press brake pedal and shift to Drive (or stop at the traffic light) rpm's goes down to ~520rpm. Moreover it goes down to ~500rpm when I turn on defrost of rear glass.
500-550rpm make an annoying vibrations of my car. I've observed it from 2 months. Could winter make this "phenomena" or it may be linked with replacement of generator on November? What is the normal rpm "level" at idle for Phaeton V8?
My mechanic told me there is no possibility to raise up rpm at idle in Phaeton. I asked him to do 750/650rpm (park/drive) but he says it is no possible. Rpm are regulated and controlled by ECU and no possibility to tune it. Is he right?
2001 f150 supercrew 5.4 triton... Recently did a tune up plugs,coil packs,filters,belt the whole 9 yards. The truck starts fine accelerates great and cruises down the road great without missing a beat.
But every now and then when you stop at a light or park it begins to idle down to the point where it almost stalls. When it does this i usually stab the throttle and it revs right up without missing a beat and idles fine for a a while then same thing all over again.
Could this be the idle air control? Seems like something simple due to the fact it runs down the road and accelerates like a big dog.
I have a '98 F150 4.2l with 230k miles on it. A couple of days ago when starting, I noticed that the engine kept racing instead of idling down like it normally does and the weather here in Arkansas has approached the 80 degree mark. The engine also doesn't idle down when shifting (I have a manual tranny). Where to start? I don't have any codes stored other than two for bank 1 and bank 2 running lean but they popped up many miles ago. I'm thinking either a vacuum leak or throttle control. I checked the operation of the cable and the throttle valve and they appear to be fine. Maybe the idle air control?
View 4 RepliesI bought this truck used and when it's in drive the engine idles rough and seems about to stall when the ac is on at a stop sign or red light.. I've tried it w/o the ac on and it seems a little better but not as smooth. Idle in park is fine.
When I should start looking? Spark-plugs? spark plugs wires, disturber cap, fuel filter etc...
I have a 1997 explorer xlt 2 wheel drive 4 door. It's got 189,000 miles on it. It's shakes a lot on idle when put in drive. I've replaced a lot of stuff. I've also lost a lot of power. I can put the gas pedal to the floor and still not get enough power. The shaking feels like it's about the stall out but it doesn't. Oh and there a rear main leak if that works.
View 2 RepliesI have a 1997 Dodge Dakota V8 (automatic) with about 140k and live in Vermont. Recently, my truck will konk out while I am sitting at a red light. As I'm sitting there, the RPM's keep going down below 700, until finally stalling out completely. When I shift into Park/Neutral then turn ignition, it will start right back up again. To get around this, I have been shifting into Neutral while I wait at the light, then back into Drive when it turns green. I have recently installed a new battery and exhaust system. I am wondering if this is occurring because of worn plugs, a dirty air filter, cracked vacuum hose, or bad alternator?
View 2 RepliesI have a 1998 Ford Taurus SE 6cyl 24 valve Duratec with about 135k miles on it. It has started to overheat. It has a closed system with the thermostat on the bottom passenger side. It isn't leaking coolant but it does boil when it heats up and you can hear it whistle/pop around the overflow cap. I have drained the whole system using the petcock valve and have changed out the thermostat (which because of its location requires all the fluid to be changed or you get green rain). So, new thermostat, new coolant, still overheats. The defroster air is blowing cold. It has a belt driven water pump but I haven't touched this. Both electric fans are working.
I don't see anything in the oil. It is still a nice dark color, not milky or anything. I saw no oil in the coolant I drained. When it first starts, there is a few seconds of puffs of white/gray smoke but it is very light and goes away quickly. There is no water running out the tailpipes.
My question is, what is your guess on the cause? I'm at the point with the car, with its age and miles that I'm not willing to dump a lot of extra $$ into it -- so there will be no head gasket change -- but don't want to junk it if its something simple. I do most of my own work on my cars. How can I diagnose it further? Should I just change the water pump and if that doesn't work then what?
96 Taurus 3.0 liter OHV will not shift out of Park. I tried the workaround in the owners manual where you take the key out, re-insert it, turn it to the OFF position then start car in neutral, but shifter still will not come out of Park. Fuse #5 is fine, and all my brake lights work. Steering wheel is not locked.
View 6 RepliesI have a 92 Ford Taurus that runs warm, can overheat, especially in city driving. When driving at faster speeds with less stopping does not give any trouble. The radiator is full. I tried putting a new thermostat in and it overheat just the same. I took it out and it would run warm but not overheat. I flushed out the tranny. There are not leaks. Seems like water will come out to easy from the radiator cap. Thinking maybe it is blocked up some inside the engine. Can a water pump be kicking in and out at lower RPM's
View 15 RepliesOkay, admittedly my car isn't top of the line. But I'd rather keep it. It all started one day getting stuck in traffic. Some kid claims something broke, causing him to serve in front of a bus bus and sending the bus into a creek. Luckily, all the kids had been dropped off, and the driver wasn't hurt. In my angrier moments, I figure the kid was texting but have no proof. I was stuck in traffic for 90 minutes, and within sight of getting out of the traffic mess, there was a loud bang and it overheats. Off to the side of the road, call the wife, she picks me up. Take it to the local shop, which replaces the Radiator and the Thermostat.
From then on, if I get stuck in slow traffic or at stop lights, it heats up quick. The dash temperature gauge has the word "NORMAL" spelled vertically. After a few traffic lights, the pointer is at the O or even the N. Before the next incident (below), running too hot would cause difficulty starting unless I pumped the gas pedal, or let it cool down for awhile.
Another incident: a rather sudden loss of power driving. The mechanic claims that the catalytic converters are clogged (the car has two). He opens up one of them, "unclogs" it. This didn't solve the problem. It did seem to clear up the starting problem. There's plenty of coolant in the reservoir.
About three weeks ago I noticed a slight shudder in my 2008 Ford Taurus with app. 75,000 miles (automatic). It did not come from the steering wheel, but the car itself seemed to be shaking, but only slightly. Like someone who's had too much caffeine holding out an unsteady hand kind of shudder. It was going in for an oil change anyway, so I had my mechanic check it out, even thought the shudder was gone the next day. It came back, for a few moments while the mechanic was driving. He couldn't tell what was causing it, but said not to worry.
Two days later when I was in the car for the first time that day the car jerked when I put it in reverse out of park. I checked the transmission fluid, and, sure enough, it was about a quart low. All symptoms went away. I took it back in to double check that there was no leak and that everything seemed in good working order. The car was given the all-clear.
Then this week the shudder returned, again, only sometimes. It doesn't seem related to temperature, distance driven, or weather. And the maddening thing is that it only does it sometimes. I checked the transmission fluid again and it is still in the safe zone.
Two days ago, after being parked overnight, the car shook very noticeably for about ten seconds the first time I switched it out of park, first into reverse, then into drive. This was different to the other shudder (I know, seriously). This was a shake, like the bass in a super strong stereo was cranked. Then it stopped and the car drove just fine. I parked it for twelve hours then switched the gears again. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Today it had no issue when I first switched gears, but while I drove (for about a half an hour) that original slight shudder was there. This time at all speeds, not just low ones. I went where I needed to go, drove it again about four hours later and it was fine. No shudder, nothing and this drive went through road work with stop and go traffic as well as some time on a highway at speeds up to 55mph. I drove it another time after that, and again, no symptoms. Finally, I drove to the store. The shudder had returned. I parked, shopped for about 15-20 minutes, returned to the car, and it hesitated to accelerate as I pulled out of the spot. It did not jerk or seem to try to catch up. It simply delayed, but accelerated smoothly.
I parked again and let it rest for about 10 minutes, started it up, and no trouble at all. Even that weird shudder was gone. I think this car is toying with me. I'm taking it back to the mechanic, but the trouble is that it doesn't always have these symptoms. I drove it Thursday on a two hour trip and back again with no issues at all. This might make it difficult for the mechanic to diagnose, but at least it's a guy I trust. There are no warning lights on, no smells (unless they are faint as I don't smell things well), and no strange sounds.