Big Tune Up 2001 Taurus

[SuperDave456]

So, my Sister is out of town and I get to work on her car.

My Father, still paying for her college, is going to reimburse me for the expenses.

The engine light has been on for the past 6 months. She doesn't understand that the light is a bad thing even thought she is working on her Masters degree. She is 2000 miles over due for the sticker on the windshield, probably not a bad thing as most Quick Lube places say "3000 miles", so a total of 5000 or there abouts on this OCI (although she was at least 1.5 quarts low when I went and picked up the car). I added 1/2 a quart just to bring it up to the bottom line of the dipstick.

She has 105,000 miles on the Taurus and I plan on servicing the transmission, changing oil, changing plugs wires and coil pack, and possibly flushing the brakes this weekend.

I went by AutoZone and the check engine light was cause by a small evap leak, probably the 10 year old gas cap, and a misfire on the 5th cylinder. I picked up Motorcraft plugs, Bosh Wires, the only brand coil pack they carried and a new gas cap.

I did this same thing on my 2002 Taurus 6 months ago, but I used NGK double platinum plugs.
The guy behind the counter said that Ford's have trouble with anything but Motorcraft plugs.
How true is this?
Why I ask is I have this whine / static when I have the raido on certain stations. I know it is in relating to engine RPM and the electrical system, but can't figure out what it is.

Could this sound be the NGK double platinum plugs that are in my 2002 Taurus? Should I of paid the extra and gone to Motorcraft? It sounds like a short, but I haven't been able to find the source. Could it be new plugs the car just doesn't like?

What are your opinions?

 

[Thax]

I doubt the NGK plugs will make any difference on the radio ,however those plugs probably arent better than the Motorcraft plugs for your Taurus. Motorcraft parts are good stuff ,I trust them. I guess I just follow the OEM recommendations , AC Delco for GM ,Motorcraft for Ford's and Champion for Chrysler as far as plugs go.

 

[190E26FTW]

The whine is from a bad ground somewhere. Do you have aftermarket radio or factory one in? Check the ground wire coming out of the radio and see where it leads. Could be loose contact or rust and it will cause the whine. Also check the ground cable on your alternator as that could be loose. Check the alternator first as thats the easier one than the radio.

 

[TXMXTruck]

I cannot speak for 4 cylinders (I know the Taurus is a V6), but some Ford V6 and V8 are known to run like [censored] if anything other than Motorcraft plugs are used. Plenty of strong evidence can be found in most Ford forums.

I agree with the other posters. I don't think the NGK plugs have anything to do with the radio problem.

 

[tomcat27]

FWIW: Motorcraft plugs are made by Autolite. why are you replacing the coil pack? it's not a normal maintenance item unless you have a problem with it.

 

[rshaw125]

You can't go wrong with Motorcraft. Whether plugs or their oil. Mercon V in the trans.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Plugs can cause radio noise if they are the non-resistor type. Cars are built much better now but back in the day Fords were highly notorious for radio noise, especially on AM stations. If it's a crackling-static sound that sounds like bacon sizzling in a pan you have ignition noise. The noise is from the spark plugs firing, that is why it sounds like a sizzling type of noise. If you have a whining noise that changes in pitch with your RPM, that is alternator whine. Check the battery positive and negative connections, be sure they are clean and tight. Check the connections at the alternator too.

Check to see if you used resistor type plugs and it is best to use the OEM plug, which on a Ford would be Motorcraft. Replace the plugs if they are the non-resistor type. If your car has plug wires, they can also induce the noise into the system. You need a good quality wire that is made for radio noise suppression. Most of these type plug wires will say "radio noise suppression core", either on the wire itself or the box they are packaged in. If you have wires and they are original, changing them out may eliminate the noise.

Radio noise can also ride into the system through the antenna cable. A good test is to have the engine running, remove the radio from the dash and unplug the antenna. If the noise goes away, either the shield on the antenna coax cable is bad or corroded or the antenna cable is run to close to a source of ignition noise, like a plug wire, ignition wire harness or a BCM/PCM. You can go back to the antenna location, remove it from the fender or quarter panel and use a wire brush and solvent to clean away any rust or corrosion on the metal underneath, and also on the antenna mounting base. Some Fords have a grounding strap on the antenna base, if so clean the connections there too. You can buy a filter at any good car audio store that goes between the antenna plug and the antenna receptacle on the radio. Most of the time the filters work and will choke out the noise.

You can also check for radiated noise. Have the engine running, and the radio on. If the noise goes away when you pull the radio out from the dash, you may have a radiated noise. It's hard to get rid of sometimes. It comes from the electromagnetic field generated by current passing through all the wire harnesses in the dash. The first thing to try is re-grounding the radio. Use about a 14 gauge wire and extend the ground wire for the radio down to one of the kick panels, and ground it to clean bare metal there under an existing factory bolt or nut.

A lot of system noises, engine noises and alternator whine will find their way into the radio via the ground connections. Re-routing the radio ground first may solve this noise for you right away. There are also inline choke filters you can buy at car audio stores that you splice in on the power wire of the radio. Sometimes that is the only thing that will eliminate alternator whine. It kind of depends on the car and the condition of its electrical system. If you have any other audio gear, such as an amplifier, run your radio ground wire back to the amp location and ground them both at the same point. Your better ground point for that would be under a seat belt bolt, or if there is an existing bolt close by that goes into the frame of the car.

 

[pottymouth]

Is your Taurus the Vulcan or the Duratec? My wife's '01 Vulcan has no problems on Autolite plugs. I don't mess with platinum plugs in that car since they are so easy to change. The rear 3 on the Duratec are a real pain and platinums are worth the price because of the extended life.

Unless the NGK's are non-resistor, I doubt it is the plugs causing the problem. If the wires have a lot of miles and heat cycling on them and you flexed them very much while changing the plugs, I would suspect them as the source. This assumes that you didn't do any other work or change anything else in the car immediately prior to the noise occuring.

 

[SuperDave456]

Ok, had the heater core replaced in my other Taurus and I have had some radio trouble afterwards, will go that route after I check the alternator first.

I'm replacing the coil pack as it has been 105,000 miles and for the extra $40 I am going to go ahead and do it. Ford does it when they do a "Tune up".

Thanks for the info on the ground.

 

[JTK]

It would be real important to check the front-end components on a Tauri of that vintage as well; Wheel bearings, ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar end-links, etc.. If everything is original, you can almost guarantee something needs attention.

Joel

 

[mechtech2]

Cracking and popping head on the radio are from the ignition .

There is a capacitor on the side of the alternator, which is most likely the problem.

 

[mshu7]

I purchased an '01 Taurus Duratec V6 a few months back with 100K on the odometer. When I took it to my mechanic, he noticed the two rear springs were broke and said that it's common on these cars. So, make sure you check all your springs. I ended up having him put two new rear strut/spring assemblies on. I should probably do the front soon as well since I assume they are original.

I also just did the following maintenance now at 105K as well.

Oil/filter
Rotate tires
Regane in the fuel tank
Fuel filter
Air filter
Cabin filter
Trans flush
Coolant flush
P/S flush
Brake flush
Spark plugs & wires
Serpentine belt

It runs like a champ now

 

[Greggy_D]

Yep...I would stick with OEM Motorcraft plugs AND wires.

 

[mshu7]

^^^ Yes, that's one thing I forgot to mention. While I was employed as a service advisor at a Ford dealership, I talked to a mechanic and the parts manager regarding spark plugs for my Taurus and they both said to go with MC plugs/wires because other brands other brands tend to cause problems in those cars.

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: pottymouth


Unless the NGK's are non-resistor, I doubt it is the plugs causing the problem. If the wires have a lot of miles and heat cycling on them and you flexed them very much while changing the plugs, I would suspect them as the source. This assumes that you didn't do any other work or change anything else in the car immediately prior to the noise occuring.


+1 I'd be looking at the wires, not plugs. Back when I did alot of custom radio work, wires were the problem.