2000 wont idle - HELP . . .

1999superduty

New Member
Jan 26, 2011
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2000 mustang with 102k on it. It ran pretty good, but was starting to get a little rough idle and it wasnt as smooth as the RPMs increased.

I changed spark plugs (used Motorocraft AGSF42FM) and installed new plug wires (NAPA Belden, since stupid Ford dealer sold me the wrong Motorcraft part number, and it was weekend and couldnt wait till Monday). I have triple checked the spark plug wire routing and it is correct.

At the same time I changed the plugs and wires, I also cleaned the MAF sensor using MAF sensor cleaner. I removed the MAF again and it appears to be in good condition, no damage to the MAF sensor wires.

Upon starting the car, it runs extremely rough and won't idle. If I push the gas pedal it will run at higher RPMs. It seems to smooth out a little at higher RPM - but still not running the way it should be. Once you let it go back to idle, it will typically die. It runs rough like some slight backfiring and dieseling.

In order to facilitate changing the plug wires, I unbolted the upper intake plenum. This allowed me to get to the plug wires behind the intake.

The car isnt really setting any codes. It set P0151, which led me to believe the coil pack got fried somehow during the work. I checked the coil using a plug and wire connected to each coil tower. It had a hearty spark on every tower.

After clearing the 151 code, it has not reappeared (car hasnt been driven). As a point of reference, the P0151 code was NOT present prior to changing the wires/plugs.

The plugs I removed from the vehicle were very worn.

What could this problem be? This is very frustrating.
 
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Update - replaced MAF sensor and coil pack. No change, so i guess those parts are still good. I removed all the upper intake bolts and tilted the intake to see if the gasket was messed up, and it wasnt, so i guess it isnt a massive vacuum leak from the intake.

What about those spark plugs? They are not the same as the original. They are what Ford calls finewire and my understanding are used as a replacement for the original style plug. Its what the dealer gave me, so I assume they are good for this application.

Anyone with some suggestions. I have an Auto Enginuity Scan tool which can do live monitoring. Just not sure what to monitor to discover the problem.
 
DOUBLE check the V6 coil pack plug routing. Confirm that the spark plug wires are NOT touching any metal parts.

The next thing to rule out is any vacuum leaks. Even a tiny leak will cause issues.

Are there any exhaust leaks?

The P0151 could also be the source of a poor idle. Check the wiring to the Driver's side front O2 sensor.

P0151 - HO2S Sensor Circuit Out of Range Low Voltage (HO2S-21)