sensor engine mercury 1996

Unfortunately this car is known for having major engine electrical wire harness failures. It can be a major wiring problem If you have no codes it will be hard to pinpoint the concern. Take a good look at the wiring to various sensors under the hood and check the insulation on them for flaking apart.There used to be a recall for this, you may want to call you local dealer and see if the recall is still open on your car, it was good for 10 years or 100k,whichever came first.

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I'd like to get a more specific answer. What is actually happening when the hesitation occurs? Is it electrical or mechanical? I have yet to get an good answer from anyone whether its an engine or transmission problem. How likely is it to completely fail and stop the car? Is it possible (or likely) to retrieve problem codes from the transmission?

Edited by Customer (name blocked for privacy) on September 15 2005 at 9:12am

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The car is 1700 miles away right now. If and when it makes it home, I will check the wires. Lastly, if there was a MPL sensor issure a code would be stored and the CEL would come on, right? Are trouble codes stored for the transmission and if so are they retained when the car is turned off. From your replies it doesn't seem that you think its a mechanical issue with the transmission.

Thanks for the info.

If the MLP sensor has a dead short, it might set a code, usually in cases as you are thinking, the analog sensor fails intermittently and does not show a fault long enough for it to set a code. You have to verify a fault with them by lookin at the input it sends to the PCM with a scan tool or back probing the sensor and monitoring voltage drops/fluctuations.So it may not set the CEL.

Trouble codes for the trans are stored in memory and do not reset every time you recycle the key. This may be OBD I or OBD II depending on the production date. But both systems retain trouble codes. I dont believe it is a trans fault, but you need to check the whole car over,check the basics. If the wiring looks ok, check for any codes stored in memory. This is the best advice I can offer you up to now.

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