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91 taurus cranks--won't start when weather is damp

My 91 taurus wagon is usually pretty reliable. Recently though, it seems though that when the weather is damp, I can crank the engine over for a long time before it may start. It usually will start after quite a while of cranking. The battery is pretty good but sometimes it seems the battery will run out of juice before the car will start.

My mechanic says it is probably the wiring. And that it could use plugs. He said maybe two hours labor. That seems like a long time to me. He's also talking about 70 bucks for NAPA wires.

If I change the plug wires it may help. I looked at the wires at the distributor cap and couldn't tell right off if the cap was the kind that the wires will attach to or whether I need to replace the whole cap.

Anybody know about this kind of stuff? Appreciate your help.

Bill

Reply to
Bill
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Wires are a doable DIY. Easier on a 3.0 than a 3.8. A good set of aftermarket wires should be 20 to 40 dollars. Change the plugs and the dist cap while your at it.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Urz

Note he said GOOD set, plug wires are no place to save money... like brake parts, never buy the cheapest

And I hate to tell you this, but the coil is also supect under those symptoms. Run the warmed up engine in the dark and look at the coil.. you may see bluish light or sparks between the metal frame and the bobbin.

In daylight, look for dusty deposits there.

A coil is a DIY project, even if you dont want to mess with cap, plugs and wires.. fairly simple to change and they cost about $20. go for Echlin brand rather than Wells.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

Ok, Thanks Guys,

Now I know where the plugs, wires and distributor cap are, but where is the coil located? Sorry, but I really don't know much about all this stuff. I have changed plugs and wires before And I think I once changed a distributor cap years ago, but never a coil. I think I have a Chiltons here for it though.

Reply to
Bill

Follow the wire from the center of the distributor cap... that's the coil

Mind, it may not be causing the problem... but if oyu look at it while engine runs, in dark...

Also if plugs wires and cap dont fix the problem

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

If I where going to buy wires for a Taurus I'd go with a motorcraft set from rockauto.com for $30 instead of a Napa set for $70

Reply to
Petebert

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