Ford Repair: 2000 ford taurus sel, o2 sensors, mechanic shop


Question
i have a 2000 ford taurus sel. it has a 3.0L duratech 24v v-6. in the morning or anytime the engine is cold, its surges when in gear or low idle. it starts and has idled as high as 2000 rpms during the initial warm up idle. then comes down to normal range and starts surging. my check engine light is on. when i got it checked i was told fuel is lean on bank 1 and bank 2. i replaced fuel filter and added seafoam to the tank in case of water or contaminents. i checked the oil, plugs, wires, air filter, and added injector cleaner. i was told that it was my O2 sensors and it was from inducing water into the fuel system. i havent had the chance or money to replace the o2 sensors yet, but i plan to do so this weekend. my question is, does this sound accurate or is there something else i should inspect before i spend the money. those sensors arent cheap and id hate to spend money i dont have too. o yea, and the check engine light didnt come on until AFTER i did the tune up and replaced all the filters. i got it reset and it stayed off for about 3 days, then came on, got it reset again, stayed off for 2 days, then came on and now when i reset it, the light returns the first time i start the engine. hope that ive been descriptive enough on the problem im having and i look forward to any wisdom you may provide me regarding this matter. ill also have you know that i was raised under the hood of a car, so im very mechanically inclined, ive just never encountered this problem so im asking around for opinions. im determined to figure this out without a shop, its a good learning experience. also know i have access to computer scanners and other advanced tools as i have 2 relatives out of state with a mechanic shop, whom have been giving me hell saying i should know how to fix cars by now haha. anyways, thank you for your time, and i hope to hear from you soon. thanks again.

Answer
Kenneth
      at first i was going to tell you go have it checked by a garage but because of your honesty in admitting the check engine light came on after you did tune up i will try to help you-

  first lean codes mean just that it is running lean-most likely caused by vacuum leak-dirty or bad mass airflow sensor-other causes can be dirty injector/s-stuck egr valve or dirty iac motor and yes o2 sensors but in your case i don't think it would be a sensor and two would be rare-first visually check for vacuum hoses off-cracked---listen for hissing noise--take a can of carb cleaner and spray around intake and see if rpm smooths out or changes-pull your idle air control motor off and clean it-pull your air inlel tube from throttle bore and clean it in front of and behind the throttle plate-have someone hold the accel. down so you can clean back-use a wooden handle small brush usually less than 2 dollars at hardware or farm supply store-you can use old tooth brush but the heads sometimes break off when you put a little pressure on them so i use a wooden brush-also pull your mass airflow sensor off just the black part not the big aluminum housing-one torx screw may have epoxy in it you can get this one loose with a pair if needle nose vise grips-(gently)
look at the two small wires in it and if they have any dirt on them spray carb or brake cleaner on them and blow them off be very careful these are like filaments in a light bulb if you break one it will have to be replaced-good luck and follow up if you need help although it will probably be late when i answer. good luck.