We have a 2003 Ford Taurus SEL 24v dohc. About 48,000 miles on it. The engine seems to jump/misfire or something sometimes while sitting at a stoplight. Also when trying to speed up and kick out of overdrive there can be a lot of jerking and sluggishness, kind of like the feeling of really bad plug wires.

I changed the fuel filter, air filter, and cleaned the Mass Air Flow sensor. Have new plugs to put in. Any thoughts before I buy new wires too?

Also, no codes present at this time.

 

Is the CEL coming on? Have you checked for any codes? Being you have the 24v Duratec engine, you have no plug wires. Only COPs (Coil On Plugs). Check for moisture/water down in the plug area as the boots tend to loose their sealing capabilities. If moisture is present, this will cause misfiring. Sometimes it will set a code, sometimes it won't, but will more times than not. When replacing the plugs, make sure that you put some dielectrical grease on the plug end and inside the boot where it meets the plug. This will eliminate spark leakage. I had this issue with the 2000 Taurus I sold to my Son. Issue cropped up at 90,000 miles. Plug hex heads were rusted up to the point that a socket would not grip the plug for removal. See my fix for that problem here:

http://www.bt-andf.com/new.php "Rounded Bolts and Rusted Spark Plugs No Problem"

 

well i have a 2002 3.0L taurus and it is having the same problem. low rpm's and leaving stop light it acts like it has a miss somewhere. i recently changed plugs and plugwires but still doing it. what would make it do this at low rpm's and i have noticed it does it worse with the a/c on. could it be the fuel filter and where is it located on this year car.

 

I have a 2003 Taurus 3.0L V6 OHV(pushrod engine) same problem. I had complete tune up spark plugs,wires,coolant flush, wynns trans flush kit, flush and added shudderguard treatment all for $704.08 in August 2007 (the car was still jerking). It felt like at a stop the engine wanted to shut off. Three months later still jerking took it to someone else they replaced the mass air flow and cam sensor assembly for $ 734.00. The car purrs like a kitten. I am glad to have discovered the issue. Both times no codes reported any detection of problems. I hope this helps.

 

I have a 2002 DOHC with the same problem. So far I've changed the plugs, wires and fuel filter. It seemed to have gotten worse when I changed the wires. Occasionally it will put up the codes "Missfire on start-up", "missfire on cylinder 1" and "random missfire". Very frustrating.....