B3159 Mercury Sable is described as Fuel System Too Rich, which basically means bank 1's oxygen sensor has detected a rich condition of fuel. This means there's not enough oxygen in the exhaust from too much fuel being delivered into the air and gas mixture for combusion. There are two wires dedicated for each coil; one is battery feed which usually comes from the distribution center, and the other one for the coil driver circuit from the PCM. The PCM grounds or ungrounds the circuit to activate or deactivate the coil.
Possible Causes :
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Look for damage to the tank indicating impact that may have damaged the fuel pump or sender. Look at the plug wires to make sure they are not burnt or laying on the exhaust. Check to make sure they are not burnt or corroded. If in doubt, get some Electrical Contact cleaner at any parts store if cleaning of the terminals is needed.
Diagnostic trouble code B3159 Mercury Sable is not difficult to diagnose and repair. Thus, it always pays to have a qualified technician to look after your vehicle should this error code arise.
Diagnosing this code requires the engine to be in good running shape, without unmetered air entering the engine. If other codes that relates to misfiring condition, lean running or air entering the engine is present, then you must first fix those error codes before B3159 Mercury Sable.
Fortunately, B3159 Mercury Sable is a fairly common OBD code, meaning that it applies to all makes and models of vehicles made after 1996.