Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

pod · March 2010

I had scratched my drivers side headlight lens with an abrasive cleaner and decided to try a walmart product rather than try to replace it (expensive since the whole unit has to be replaced; you can't just replace the plastic outer lens). It is called "CV" or something like that. It is in a 10"x8" aluminum foil package and costs $20. It has specifically and clearly marked abrasive papers and cleaner and sealant and provides all you need (except a source of water--recommend spray bottle to keep lens wet during first rubbings).
It takes about 20 minutes each side to follow the instructions and the lenses are looking like brand new. I couldn't believe how well this worked. The lenses are like brand new and clear as new glass! No hard work required just persistent gentle rubbing as in the instructions. The capper is that it seals the finished product with a hardener which should make a repeat in 10 years unnecessary. This is a rare product which does what it says for $20. I wanted to pass this on simply because it is so good and inexpensive.

pod · April 2010

Had the time today to change the fuel filter. Cost about $9 at walmart. The hardest part is getting a safe elevation of the passenger rear of the tire. I have a floor jack and put it on one on the wishbones with a 2x6 between. Once off the ground the filter and hoses are very accessible with just my head under the car. The prep is: (1) remove fuse 16 from engine fuse box. This is power to the fuel pump. (2) start the car and let it use up the fuel between the pump and injectors (2-3 minutes then it stalled). This prevents high pressure in the lines and spraying gas when you break the connection. (3) a regular (non-phillips) screwdriver. (4)some rags to soak up the inevitable drippage of gasoline when you are removing the filter. (safety glasses just in case).
The plastic clips can be lifted from the fuel hose with the tip of the screw driver (think of lifting a staple from wood with a screwdriver). Gentle pressure and they come off in one piece (the filter comes with a pair as well if you break them). Then pry the end of the hose off the fuel cannister with the flat blade of the screwdriver. They came off easily even after 140K miles. The cannister is secured with a radiator hose clamp. Unscrew it, jiggle the cannister out of the protective metal shield (there to prevent road debris from rusting the cannister) and reverse these steps to connect the new cannister.
Once done turn the key from off to on (but not start) 5-10 times. You will hear the fuel pump come on strongly at first and then more quietly. Turn the key to start and off you go. It didn't even have to crank more than usual.
The drainage from the pump side of the cannister was foul looking: black-brown but liquid, no sludge or large particulate pieces. I haven't cut the cannister open yet to see the inside situation.
Further reading of how often to change the fuel filter has convinced me that they don't need to be changed very often. New Toyotas, I read, say it never needs to be changed. I have read other stories about fuel filters not being changed for 250K. The symptom of a clogged filter would be hesitation and reduced acceleration and reduced top speed (none of which I noted at 140K miles). One poster made a good point,however. He opined that the fuel pump has to work harder to push the fuel through a partially spent filter and that would shorten the life of the pump. Certainly the back pressure on the pump for a given flow would be higher. Since replacing the fuel pump requires dropping the gas tank it is expensive.
In any case I think everyone can be confident that changing the filter every 40-50K is more than sufficient.
Again kudos to the design engineers. Many cars require a special tool to disconnect the hoses from the cannister. Also every thing is right there in front of you and easily accessible.
Takes about 45 minutes the first time. I will never change it again but if I had to I could do it in 20 minutes now that I know the routine.

pod · April 2010

I noticed you said the plugs "must" be changed at 100,000 miles. I'm at 140,000+ and the car is running fine. I understand that this is a long time for plugs to last but if the car runs smoothly and I get good mileage (about 24 mpg average city and highway) I am reluctant to mess around with the electronics. When I look under the hood I can't even see where the plugs are (the black plastic covers and the fuel injector rail may obscure them). Has any one had experience changing the plugs on a 2000-2006 Sable, is it difficult, does it require any special tools or skill? I have plenty of experience changing plugs on old carbeurated cars with distributors but the electronic ignition and fuel injection changes have made me a bit timid to poke around. Any advice?

savetheland · April 2010

You have to remove upper manifold with MAF, air filter and etc. There are some manuals on the net with pictures and tricks how to do that. You have to order gaskets too. I decided to not bother myself with it because it is not couple of hours work esp if you are not trained on the subject. If something goes wrong it will disable your car for several days or week. I changed plugs at 90 miles service at dealership and it costs a lot of money, I believe something like around $400 or may be $500.

pod · April 2010

Thanks for that information. I'll pass on the preventative maintenance and wait for symptoms and then let the dealer do the job. If it does cost that much, that would be the first substantive criticism I have of the engineering of the car.

savetheland · May 2010

Yeah, thats what sucks about Fords (and may be other American cars) - unlike German engineers they do not design cars for easy maintainance.

ynwia1 · May 2010

I have a 06 Taurus SE, 3.0L 12v, Engine Code U. 40K miles. Bought at 27K miles. A few days ago, I drove 3 miles to a store, turned off the engine and this happened.

It will start, but the engine vibrates and sputters like misfire. Engine light is one. Hit on the gas and the engine is not running faster or responding. The car would not go either. There is also dark smoke coming out of the tail pipe.

This car has a history of hard cold start. I had to try 2-4 times to start the engine in the morning. Meanwhile, I had to hit on the gas pedal hard while cranking the engine. I have got 9 codes:

1. P0190: Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Malfunction, or Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor "A" Circuit

2. P0191: Fuel Rail Pressure Circuit Range/Performance, or Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor "A" Circuit Range/Performance

3. P2196: O2 Sensor Signal Biased/Stuck Rich Bank 1 Sensor 1

4. P2198: O2 Sensor Signal Biased/Stuck Rich Bank 2 Sensor 1

5. P0190(pd): Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Malfunction

6. P0191(pd): Fuel Rail Pressure Circuit Range/Performance

7. P0300(pd): Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected

8. P2196(pd): Undefined code

9. P2198(pd): Undefined code

Any idea what could cause the problem? How to find out which part to replace? Thanks a lot

pod · May 2010

I am not an expert but I will start the speculation and perhaps some real mechanics will be draw in. At first I thought it sounded like a fuel delivery problem. If there was a problem with the fuel pump, the fuel filter (unlikely unless you got a bad batch of gas which had particualtes in it which is said to be unlikely these days because there are filters in the pumps at the gas station), or some constriction before the fuel rail, the low pressures would set off the po190 and po191 sensors and the car would not fire properly and might start hard for a few days before the full failure. The lack of fuel would cause random multiple cylinder misfires po300. The hooker is that the oxygen sensor codes seem to be saying that the exhaust is running rich. I would expect a "lean" code if the fuel delivery was limiting.

Let's hope someone can pick it up from there. It is possible to measure the fuel rail pressure. There is a valve just like the ones on a bicycle tire which is very visible about the middle of the engine compartment on the top. It allows measurement of the fuel rail pressure but I am not sure what type of pressure reader it requires (could you use the one you measure tire pressures with?). Another idea is to crank it with the fuel line to the fuel rail disconnected and see if gas squirts out at a good rate. Point it away from the engine compartment with an extension hose if you need to. Be sure the engine is completely cold and nothing is sparking or that may turn out to be a very bad idea.

I hope someone who knows something chimes in and educates us both.

rogerb34 · May 2010

Car has 34k miles and would start with some cranking and sometimes needed a 10 sec break and recrank.
I removed the Idle Air Valve and flushed with electric motor cleaner. Starts are ok now.
The valve had minor exhaust residue and the cleaner flushed out the area not visible.
Some earlier Sable models had a similar problem.

nordite · January 2011

I have a 2002 Mercury Sable that Stalls Intermittently. I read the computer code and the only one that comes up is P0191. I did have a problem with the gas cap where it would not seal properly. I finally got that fixed and the car has been running good until recently when it will start fine, run fine, then I will stop off at the store, come back out and once again it starts up fine then all of a sudden it sputters and dies. I try starting it a couple of times and it starts right up and runs fine again. The code referres to the fuel rail pressure sensor. Has anyone else run into this? So far I have not found any good answers to what is going on. I suppose it could be some kind of contamination due to the loose gas cap but that seems like a stretch.

Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

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