1995 Ford Taurus Engine changes

Hi Jack. No, no check engine light and I just finished letting it run to get the temp up and the fan did come on and did it's job. When I first start this thing up in the a.M. You couldn't as for a sweeter running engine and when I stop and restart, the pedal doesn't respond and the temp goes up. I have a "new" rebuilt water pump in, cleaned and put the EGR valve back in. New thermostat (180). If I had to guess at when the problem starts, I would have to say when it hits a certain temperature.

The fan comes on when the needle is about a 1/4 " away from the red marker. It does it's job and it goes off. No, it doesn't feel like its choking for air. I don't think the exhaust is plugged since I can feel it coming out. There's a hole in the muffler and if I put my hand over the pipe, the exhaust goes out the hole. I compared the exhaust coming out of this car to my 95 Buick and it feels about the same. It does rev up in park. I have a radiator cleaner in it now, but I don't think it's dirty. I just came back from a drive to the store and going over, everything was great, although the temp went to about the middle of the gauge. I started it up and got the same result. If I step on the pedal thinking that I'll get "zoom", I get mush, but when I back off the pedal a bit it starts to pick up. As I continued to go home, the trip got worse and the temp was fluctuating the whoel time, but never went below the middle.

As I said before, when I first start in the a.M, the car can't run any better. My first ride amounts to about twenty minutes and I stop to go in a store. I come out start the car up and apply the same amount of pressure to the pedal that I would in the initial start of the day, but I don't get the same reaction, so I call that mush. Maybe spongy would be a better word. I notice that if I ease up on that pressure(because it seems like holding the pedal down retards the acceleration) it starts to pickup but not nearly what I experience in the initial startup. So, by that time I'm on the way home and the car is not running good, few coughs, and dragging, lacking zip and then I have to go up this hill and then the temp goes way up as I climb that hill and after I get to the top and go down, the engine cools some but generally, it stays between the center and the red zone. The coolant level is fine. When I drained to add the cleaner, I had about 12- 13 quarts of liquid and I think that's the capacity. There are no leaks. I replaced the ECT which had a little variance in the resistance test, and it was original equip, but it made no difference. Also have a new fuel filter. I removed and cleaned the EGR valve. I also did a simple vacuum test with a hose and my mouth and the plunger worked OK.

I wish a check engine light would come on. The thing that baffles me is why I have that period from the time I start up in the morning that is so perfect and then after it heats up and I restart, I have the problem. Why isn't there a problem right off. It's been suggested by others that the cats are clogged. There is no evidence of that and if they were, wouldn't that be obvious as soon as I start it up in the a.M? What mechanical possibilities are you leaning toward?

I'm not prepared to do that since, it's no easy thing to do. I'm convinced that the cats aren't clogged because of the way the car rides so good until it heats up. People that I talk to agree that if the cats were clogged it would show up at the start and not after the car heats up.

How can I measure the fuel pressure as a layman?

How about a common tire pressure gage. Also, I need to know what the pressure should be.

Haven't had any luck borrowing/renting a suitable pressure gauge yet, but per your suggestion to check for vacuum leak, I hooked up a vacuum gauge at the port on the upper intake manifold and got a reading of 14-15, which I think should be in the area of 18-24, correct me if I'm wrong.

I did another check on that. It does idle steady at that range and then when I rev up it drops down for an instant and then goes back up and won't go any higher than 16 even if I go higher on the rev. When I finally let it go, it jums to about 20, but quickly settles to the 14-15 area at idle.

The consensus of opinions tells me that if the fuel pressure was low or bad, that I would experience problems continually and not on a basis that my car is experiencing now. I'm leaving this forum on this problem and will seek help or advice elsewhere. Thank You. Bob Sukovich

updated 7/1/10
I was able to get a combo vacuum/fuel pressure gage and checked both. The fuel pressure went to the top of the scale and the vacuum checked out at 17-17 1/2 contrarty to the 14-15 that I got with my old gage. My last message indicated that I was going to go to other sources and post my problem there and one of the replies that I got from a member that it sounded like my engine was "eating a head gasket". There are absolutely no indications that I have a head gasked problem; no water in the oil (discoloration), no change in color on the oil filler cap or the rad cap. So, as my young son, at the age of 6, once told me as he wandered further from the house, "I am getting loster." Regards, Bob