I have a 2002 Duratec that has a miss under load. While driving at low rpm's and try to accelerate slightly, it will miss. While idling in drive and I turn on the AC, the miss will start. Before I take it to a garage and they start randomly replacing things..... does anyone have any ideas???

 

A basic tune up should really help you.

 

I asked the garage what a tune-up is these days, and he basically said all they do is replace the plugs. That, I already did.

 

What kind of plugs did you use? If they are Champion or a generic plug, you may still have the same problem. I recommend Motorcraft plugs in Fords. Is the check engine light on yet? If it is have the codes read and post the code number back here. If it is not on yet, see if you can get someone to hook up a scanner that has mode $06 capabilities. This will show you which cylinder has the miss.

 

No check engine light, so no codes. Do places like AutoZone have those scanners?

 

I was just looking on the internet at scanners/code readers. Do you know what type is the best to get (and fairly inexpensive)?

Here is the description of one I was looking at.
AutoScanner Plus OBD II Diagnostic Code Reader/Scanner

 

To get the capabilities to read the parameters to see which cylinder is missing, you will be looking at a minimum of 250$. The more you pay, the more you can do. If you just read the codes and do generic parameters(about 20 items) you can probably get by with around 100$.

 

Looks like this one covers it all???

EZ-Scan 4000 Features
[ul]Scan Collects All Values from Vehicles
On-Board Computer
Supports multiple trouble code requests, generic codes (mode 3), pending codes (mode 7), enhanced codes (mode 13)
On-screen definitions of OBD II generic and OBD II manufacturer specific codes
Detects OBD-II Freeze Frame Information
Displays Readiness Test Status
Displays O2 Sensor Test
Test Results (mode 6)
Vehicle ID (mode 9)
Set Measurement Units in SAE/Metric
Live Data Stream Monitoring
29 Frame Capture Mode
Set Capture Frame Interval from 0500ms to 5000ms
Reset Check Engine Lights
Quick Step™ Data Navigation
Customize Data Views
Internet Upgradeable [/ul]

 

Looks like it will do what you want to do. Just remember, you need to know what you are looking at and what it should read. If you are really lucky, the tool will give you low and high parameters and you can see if the sensors fall into the range. If you purchase it, let us know how you like it and we can give you the Ford parameters. Good luck.