[sweaty]

I have a 2000 Ford Taurus Wagon with the ohv engine. It misfires occasionally and gas mileage has decreased to 14-15 mpg lately in suburban driving. It has usually gotten 20 mpg. The heater also seems to take a long time to give out heat.

 

[paintdrying]

Most cost effective way is take it into a shop and have a scan done. If you have not done a full tune up in a while their is no point trying to be a detective.

 

[Autotech1602]

I have a 2000 Ford Taurus Wagon with the ohv engine. It misfires occasionally and gas mileage has decreased to 14-15 mpg lately in suburban driving. It has usually gotten 20 mpg. The heater also seems to take a long time to give out heat.

Those engines have a couple of problems. First off is the check engine light on and if it is what are the codes. Could just be a maintenance tune up or could be a mass airflow sensor problem. And for your heat its more likely a clogged heater core. I would ate the heater core lie removed and flush the heater core first. Also have the heater core lines looked at to see if they are rotten and or leaking

 

[edselsouth1]

2000 Taurus misfire, etc.....

I've had seven Tauruses from model years '97 up through a 2000. Try the following:
1.Check codes first (OBD II). Take care of those problems(see #2 & #4 below). Cylinder misfire should show up as one of the codes. After resolving code issues, clear the codes.
2.Perform tune up as required. (Also see #4 below)
3.If you are going to pay labor to remove and replace a heater core, Replace the core vs. flushing it and taking a chance. Cores are fairly cheap.
4.Of the seven Tauruses I had, five of those had to have the coil pack replaced. That was the main cause of misfire. Misfiring means that the plugs are not getting spark at the proper time, or not at all, and raw gas has probably ruined the plug(s), and should be replaced.
5. Check for codes again, and so on.....
Good luck with your repairs.