Problem with the car I use for work.
10-25-2009, 05:50 AM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Problem with the car I use for work.
I am having a problem with the car I use to go back and forth to work with. The problem is very intermittent. It started about 3 years ago, I had started restoring a GTO and put the gas that was left over into the tank of the taurus. About 3 days later I was driving on the parkway and the car lost power and stalled. The car restarted and hesitated then after awhile ran fine. It felt like vapor lock. I assumed it was bad gas and added some injector cleaner. The problem went away for 3 years.
About a 3 months ago I gassed up at the same station that I always do. About a day later I was on the parkway and had the same problem. After it stalled I let it sit for about 5 minutes. It started up and ran fine. I put injector cleaner in it and it ran fine.
Until today. I was coming home from work and just got off the parkway and it started hesitating like before. I drove it home and the more I drove it the more it lost power. I got to my driveway and parked it. Came out about 1 hour later and started it. It stalled and then I got it running. It ran like it had vapor lock. After a few minutes it started to run fine again. I drove to the auto parts store and added some injector cleaner and went and got some more gas. As of right now the car runs fine.
When it starts to stall it feels like it is starving for gas. If I press on the gas pedal nothing happens and the RPMS drop. I was thinking maybe the gas filter is clogged, but it has only happened a couple of times in the past 3 years. Then I was thinking that maybe there is a filter on the pickup in the tank, like the older cars had, If that is clogged it would cause that problem and when the sucking from the pump is stopped the debris would fall off letting the car run good again.
Any ideas. I was a dealer mechanic for about 10 years back in the 70's and 80's so I know my way around a car.
The car is a 96 Taurus with the 3.0 DOHC motor.
About a 3 months ago I gassed up at the same station that I always do. About a day later I was on the parkway and had the same problem. After it stalled I let it sit for about 5 minutes. It started up and ran fine. I put injector cleaner in it and it ran fine.
Until today. I was coming home from work and just got off the parkway and it started hesitating like before. I drove it home and the more I drove it the more it lost power. I got to my driveway and parked it. Came out about 1 hour later and started it. It stalled and then I got it running. It ran like it had vapor lock. After a few minutes it started to run fine again. I drove to the auto parts store and added some injector cleaner and went and got some more gas. As of right now the car runs fine.
When it starts to stall it feels like it is starving for gas. If I press on the gas pedal nothing happens and the RPMS drop. I was thinking maybe the gas filter is clogged, but it has only happened a couple of times in the past 3 years. Then I was thinking that maybe there is a filter on the pickup in the tank, like the older cars had, If that is clogged it would cause that problem and when the sucking from the pump is stopped the debris would fall off letting the car run good again.
Any ideas. I was a dealer mechanic for about 10 years back in the 70's and 80's so I know my way around a car.
The car is a 96 Taurus with the 3.0 DOHC motor.
10-25-2009, 10:36 AM
#4
Race Director
So you haven't replaced the filter? They can act funny depending on the temperature. I have had similar problems to what you describe in one of my old cars that wasn't fuel injected and a year old car that was fuel injected, plugged filter. I have never heard of vapor lock in a fuel injected car.
10-25-2009, 11:57 AM
#5
Race Director
Thread Starter
I didn't say it was vapor lock, it seems like vapor lock. I haven't replaced the filter. But if that was the problem it would stall all the time. But it still needs to be changed, but I don't think it is the problem.
