1989 Mercury Sable GS 3.0L runs rough and idles down and stalls

Problem With Idle Air Bypass Valve May Cause Engine ...

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If you experience difficulty starting the engine when cold, stalling at idle, ... Also, this summer electric locks stopped working and recently car seems to idle high whensitting or when I put heat on. ... I was either braking and barely moving in traffic andwhen I would also turn on the ... 2004 Mercury Sable- 3.0L V699,000Visitor.

03 MERCURY SABLE ROUGH IDLE CAUSE - YouTube

O2 sensor po136,front and back sensor to be replace.

mercury sable This sort of sounds like some technical issue.. try to fix it yourself. It's easy, my mom tried

I have had a few with the Idle air control solenoid sticking. Check for vacuum leaks also especially the pcv hose

Possible Idle air control, simple to change on the throttle body

this is a difficult one..
check for vacuum leaks by possibly a visual inspection and then spraying starting fluid around hoses , intake and so on..if any change, you might have found a vacuum leak/bad gasket.
otherwise, DO clean the Idle Air Control Valve 1st.
then check and clean EGR valve next..

you got a miss in the ign. system do a full tune-up, wires, plugs and filters

Mercury had a recall on 3.0 duratech motors in 2000 and 2001. If you get a fuel smell at startup then you might have a bad lower intake gasket, it could cause a miss if seal is cracked. Article No. 01-4-3 you can get it on AllData.

Also, check the PC rubber L piece that runs from the PVC valve to under the throttle control - it could be busted.

Make sure ignition wires are not cracked. If you haven't tuned it up in over 30-40K consider doing that.

Check your vacuum hoses (They are 3/8" Rubber hosing on the right side of the engine, you will need to remove the air intake piping (Also remove the throttle body to make accessing them easier) This is the #1 cause of high idling in the 3.0 OHV and 3.0 DOHC sable engines.

blown head gskt?