1995 Other Mercury Models 95 merc grand marquis surges and h

1995 MERCURY
126,000 MILES • V8 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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Greetings. I've got a real stumper here, two pro mechanics have already tried and failed.

My 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis (V8) runs fine until, from time to time, the engine surges and hesitates. Sometimes sitting at stop lights the cur lurches forward, or driving (highway, streets, anywhere) the acceleration disappears almost completely, only to blast back intermittently. Using the gas pedal doesn't help, just have to ride it out. Premium gas seems to limit the occurrences a bit, but nothing has gotten rid of it yet. The fuel pump has been replaced, for instance, while the transmission has almost completely been ruled out as a suspect. One possibility is a vacuum seal, or so another mechanic told me when I described the symptoms. Spark plugs? I'm at my wit's end!

** Another note: I'd swear the cold weather also limited this problem. It does seem as though it's worse in the hot weather. That may or may not be relevant.
Apr 30, 2009 at 4:30 AM
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RASMATAZ
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Dirty fuel injectors (cleaning the injectors often fixes this).
Bad MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor
Bad TPS (throttle position) sensor
Bad or dirty MAF (mass airflow) sensor
Low fuel pressure (leaky fuel pressure regulator or weak fuel pump)
Vacuum leaks (intake manifold, vacuum hoses, throttle body, EGR valve)
Bad gasoline (fuel contaminated with water or too much alcohol)

Sometimes, what feels like a hesitation is actually ignition misfire rather than lean misfire. The causes of ignition misfire may include:

Dirty or worn spark plugs
Bad plug wires
Weak ignition coil
Wet plug wires
Apr 30, 2009 at 4:38 AM
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Hah! Turns out it was the EGR valve...and the solenoid switch needed to be changed too, but the real problem was that damn valve. Wish I'd know a long time ago, the gods know how much damage I've done to the rest of my engine all this time.
Oct 27, 2009 at 3:09 AM
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