2002 taurus dohc 160,000 miles. In O/D with compressor engaged when accelerating to get on highway car shudders badly and doesn't want to downshift. No CEL has come on. The vehicle otherwise runs great and doesn't have any other problems. 60,000 miles since last tuneup, 10,000 miles since trans flush and fill, and fuel, air filter replacement.
Country: United StatesMake: FordModel: Taurus SELYear: 2002Engine: 3.0L DOHC
Hello and thank you for trusting me with your question. I will do my best to help you with your Taurus problem.These cars shift relatively early to help increase fuel economy. Therefore, there is more load on the engine when accelerating, particularly with the a/c on. The shuddering you are feeling is likely not in the transmission, but is due to the engine misfiring. I've had a couple of these cars that had basically the same symptoms. The fix is to replace the spark plugs and plug wires. One car had to have the ignition coil replaced as well. This should fix the problem.If you would like any additional information or have more questions please don’t hesitate to ask! Please remember to only rate my answer when you are 100% satisfied. IF you feel the need to rate "Poor Service" or "Bad Service", please stop and reply to me via the REPLY TO EXPERT button with the issue you have. I will be happy to continue further and do everything I can to provide you with the service you seek.I am not paid unless I get a rating of 3 to 5 Stars/Smiley Faces. If I have helped you with your question, please give me an appropriate rating so that I get credit for helping you.Thank you,David
Experience: ASE Master Certification. 25 yrs experience
Thanks again. You verified what I was thinking. I will be replacing the plugs, wires, and coil with new Motorcraft components tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks for the positive feedback. Will be glad to hear an update.
Dave,
I replaced plugs, wires, and coil pack. The coil pack had two cracks in the epoxy and one of the plugs had carbon tracking. The car runs fine now.
Thanks again.
Bill
You are welcome. Have had a couple of Taurus and a Sable before so I have experienced this before. Glad to be of assistance to you. Thank you for the update and have a great day.