Intermittent Diagnostic Techniques: Notes

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 31 other vehicles, including the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer, 2006 Mercury Monterey, 2006 Mercury Montego, 2006 Mercury Milan, and 2006 Mercury Mariner. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Intermittent diagnostic techniques help find and isolate the root cause of intermittent concerns associated with the electronic engine control (EEC) system. The information is organized to help find the concern and carry out the repair. The process of finding and isolating an intermittent concern starts with recreating a fault symptom, accumulating powertrain control module (PCM) data, and comparing that data to typical values, then analyzing the results. Refer to the diagnostic tool manufacturer's instruction manual for the functions described below.

Before proceeding, be sure that:

Customary mechanical system tests and inspections do not reveal a concern. NOTE: Mechanical component conditions can make a PCM system react abnormally.
Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), if available, are reviewed.
Quick Test and associated diagnostic subroutines have been completed without finding a concern, and the symptom is still present.