Hi everyone, I own a 1998 Mercury Mystique with a 4-cylinder engine and approximately 22,000 miles. The car runs smoothly under normal conditions, but it fails state emissions testing due to persistent P1380 and P13
I'm not certain about cam timing since no diagnostic tests have been performed yet. I'm looking for guidance on where to begin troubleshooting. Is there a component that controls camshaft timing and can be easily tested or replaced? Does this seem like a likely cause based on the P1380/P1381 codes? Thanks, b. sling
Check the timing belt — it's one of the most common culprits in older Mercury Mystique models with similar engine configurations.
Thanks, I'll check that out. b.sling
I have a 1998 Ford Contour with the same engine and emissions issue. The Variable Cam Timing (VCT) sensor might be faulty — either the VCT sensor or a dirty oil condition could trigger these codes. There's no EGR valve in this engine; instead, Ford uses a VCT system. I had to replace the VCT sensor in 2001 at around 18,000 miles, and it cost $1,000 at a dealership. The car runs fine but fails emissions tests. You might try contacting Ford to see if this is covered under their emissions warranty. For more details, refer to: http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/july2002/techtis.cfm. Good luck!
Sorry, the correct link is: http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/july2002/techtips.cfm
That's a helpful resource — thanks for sharing!
The link is very useful. It seems likely that diagnostic testing will confirm the need for costly repairs, especially since Ford replaced traditional EGR valves with VCT systems to achieve similar emissions control functions. This design change may have led to higher repair costs when components fail. I also own a Ford Expedition where I've had to replace multiple individual coil packs — another example of what I see as an unnecessarily expensive engineering solution. While these innovations are technically feasible, they often result in higher consumer repair costs. I'm not trying to be critical, but it's frustrating that such design choices aren't evaluated for long-term cost-effectiveness in everyday vehicles.
Could the camshaft timing be out of specification? This is a common issue with some 4-cylinder engines in this model year.