Help - my wife's getting too comfortable driving my Chevies, I need to get her '92 F*rd Taurus SW fixed ASAP, so I'm turning to you all for some help. It's a 3.8l FI V6 that idles real low, and occasionally stalls - if not Hot when it stalls, it can't be started until it Cools. The stalling's 'embarassing' and she refuses to drive it until I get it fixed. I'm trying to avoid the $80.50/hr the dealer wants to diagnose (since there's no Check Engine light, hence no codes.) Chilton says vacuum leak, Fuel Injection System, Air Filter, EGR and/or PCV valves, Fuel pump, head gasket. I checked all vacuum lines and can't find a leak, replaced Air Filter & PCV. EGR would be next, but they're $115 - wouldn't I get an Engine Code if it were bad? Have I done all I can, and am now at the mercy of the dealer?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, my humblest apologies for posting a F*rd question here, but it is Chevy related - I'm gonna lose one of mine if I don't fix the wife's car. Thanks.

I would be looking at cleaning the injectors and definitely decarboning the throttle body. These engines are notorious for these issues and will affect idle and starting quality. Don't skimp on the injector cleaning...get any profesional to hook a direct inject to the fuel rail.

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Steve Jack - ConceptOne Pulleys and Brackets / Engineering & Marketing Technologies

Let me add the idle control passages and motor. It is usually a good idea to remove the idle air motor to clean it and the passages and use a top engine cleaner like GM sells, the aerosol one.

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Leo Paugh
Maryland Chevelle Club #017
A.C.E.S.#3731
progress has little to do with speed, but lots to do with direction.
Maryland Chevelle Club (http://www.chevelles.net/mcc/mcc.htm)

my wife had one the cat.converter was bad.doing the same thing,any muffler shop can check it for back pressure.my wife drove hers till it burned up http://www.chevelles.com/forum/confused.gif.good luck.JIMK

Welcome to Tauraus hell! My daughter had one for two years, always had some malady, went through 4 or 5 ECM's, various sensors, valves, tuneups, exhaust manifold; 3 different garages couldn't find the answer. Never could get it to run right. Thats in addition to the transmission that was replaced at 82K right before she got it and need replacement again at 120K when she traded it in (about $2500 a pop).

Right after she traded it in on a new car it was announced the the early Taurus (don't) recall the cut-off date) had cronic ECM and other electronic problems and a class action law suit against Ford was being considered. She is hanging onto the receipts in case it is settled.

I hope you have better luck than she did.

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OrrieG
64 Malibu HT Survivor (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/OrrieG1.jpg)