New problem with my daughters 1996 Taurus with automatic transmission...
My wife drove the Taurus yesterday and it was running beautifully. I got in the car today to head to town and it started right up as always. But as soon as I put it in gear (reverse) it died. No stuttering, or noises, or anything, just like the key was turned off, except all the dash lights were still on. It's a little harder to start again (like it's flooded or something), but starts right back up and idles smoothly (around 1000 rpm).
I tried to move the car 5 or 6 times and it died every time. I finally gave up and took my own car to town.
When I got back home I tried the Taurus again. It started fine, but died as soon as I put it in gear. After a couple more tries, it finally stayed running when I put it in gear. It acted like it was going to die again, but recovered at the last second. I backed it into the area where we normally park it and shut it off. However, when I restarted the car and tried putting it in gear again, it continued to die each time.
We've had temps in the upper 20's the last few days. The battery is brand new and cranks the car fine. No problems there. When it runs, it runs very nice. We've had the Taurus a little over a year now, and have never had a problem with it stalling like this.
Any ideas? Simple things to look for first?
Thanks,
Anthony