Ford Repair: 1999 Taurus, mass air flow sensor, mass air flow


Question
QUESTION: I have a 99 Taurus.  After it has been driving for a while, as I slow down for traffic, when I go to re-accelerate there is no power when I step on the gas.  I can't get over 45 mph after this, unless I shut off the car and restart it.  I have replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, gas tank, spark plugs and wires, throttle position senson, and mass air-flow sensor.  When the car is first started, it runs great, but after 20 mins on the freeway, this problem starts.  Also, when idling, if I hit the gas, I can't get the RPMs to go above 3500.  The engine seems like it is trying to get there, but can't.

The car has been in and out of the shop for 3 months.  My local mechanic is baffled!  It only has 43,000 miles on it, and would like for it to drive normally........

ANSWER: is your check engine light on?-i realize this is a problem but you have put to many parts on this vehicle and although all of them can cause the problem you describe it's plain to see they weren't but everyone of them could have been checked to verify they weren't the problem-via fuel pressure test/testing maf and tps sensors-why the gas tank is there something your not telling-why only 43k miles has it been sitting?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes it had been sitting for 4 years, that's why the gas tank needed replacing.  I was getting codes for the maf and tps, that's why I replaced them.  And after replacing both, the car ran great with no problems, for about a week.  But after the one week or so, it's right back to where I am now.  If I go out in the morning, or after the car is nice and cool, there are no problems. If I drive to work in the am (40 miles) I don't usually have any problems, but on the way home, as soon as I encounter a usual traffic backup, the car loses power.  I have to turn it off, restart it, and then I can usually get back up to speed, for a short time.  Then I have to do that all over again, all the way home.  If I take it for a short drive, it is fine.  The idling thing, where I step on the gas and can't get it to go past 3500 rpms happens all the time, whether it is a cold engine or a warm one.

Answer
that year may have a rev limiter on it keeping a no load rpm below a certain rpm to keep from damaging the engine-it would sound like it is cutting out because the pcm will be cutting off part of the injectors-
now if it has been sitting that long you may actually have injector problems i would first ohm test all you can reach after they are warm or hot and see if they are in specs that even if they are within specs they can still be causing fuel problems-they wouldn't be the first thing i looked at but keep them in the back of your mind-i would be interested in knowing if you have any codes stored now especially a cam sensor code-do you have any chirping that sounds like it might be a belt intermittently. follow up please