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I've gotten wierd looks from many mechanics when I mention this. Worn out brakes very rapidly.
Had 90 & 94 Taurus, each with over 150k miles...never a problem like this.
Did you ever find a solution?
:lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
James H
My 1996 Mercury Sable "intermittedly" will not start, for no reason that is obvious to me anyway. I get in the COLD engine car and turn the key and it cranks real good but the motor simply does not start. Where do I begin looking for the bugaboo ?? I know I have some looseness in the ignition switch; could it be that? If I turn the key on but don't crank, I think I can hear the fuel pump coming on; all indications are that the battery is just fine...I have the service manual for the vehicle, but there are so many possibilities listed in the troubleshooting section that I really don't know where to start. If anyone has had a similar experience with the same model, I would appreciate hearing your stories so I can see if there is a solution in there somewhere. Oh yeah, I also checked the emergency fuel pump cutoff switch in the trunk, and the button was already depressed.
You probably have a loose ignition lock cylinder. Did you replace it yourself? I have the same exact problem. When I bought the car, used, 8 months ago, I asked the dealer "why does the alarm ring every time I open the driver's side door, even when the key is not in the ignition?" He said that was just the way the alarm system works and I believed him because I had never owned a vehicle with an alarm system (my previous vehicle was an old van). Anyway, after putsing around for a while I discovered that if I jiggled the ignition lock cylinder while the door was open, the alarm bell would stop. Told the dealer about it and he said "ah gee, you've got a loose ignition lock cylinder; too bad the car is now out of warranty (30 days only)" Sometimes my car (1996 mercury sable) will crank but not start and I wonder if it is because of a loose wire in that cylinder. You may just need to dismantle the lock cylinder and put it back in again. I have the Haynes service manual and the instructions for doing that seem simple but I usually end up breaking more than I fix so I've been reluctant to try it so far...I don't think the computer learned anything; you probably just jiggled the cylinder the right way and it stopped alarming, but the problem will start again if you jiggle the cylinder the wrong way on another day (while pulling your keys out).
HA HA !! This one I think I may have actually found the SOLUTION to!!
I have a 96 Sable with 3.0 Vulcan V6...but I think that is irrelevant...the problem, which occurred exactly as you describe, turned out for me to be real simple: I changed the air filter and after a while the computer adjusted air flow mix thru the throttle body. Sounds complicated but this is essentially the modern electronic "carburator". A mechanic told me that the "engine surge" symptom was most likely dirt in the Idle Air Control Valve which controls idle speed. He did'nt have time to work on it that day & told me to come back in 3 days. I then rationalized that maybe the dirt got in that there Idle Air Control from the air intake, which starts at the air filter. I opened the air filter box and found an old dead leaf from last autumn underneath it. I bought a new air filter at walmart and put it in. Then I went on a 3 day trip and still had the excessive rpms when slowing down or even while stopped at red lights (gets really dangerous when it surges forward at a red light)...it felt kind of like in the old days when carburators had butterfly valves that would stick in the closed position thereby causing an over-rich gas to air ratio. But a week later, I suddenly noticed the problem was gone, and I can only assume the new air filter did the trick and my computer had to "learn" for a while, because there is a sensor right in there with the Idle Air control assembly, where the air , clean or dirty flows to from the air filter box. Try a $5 possibility, unless you know for sure the air filter was recently changed.
Edge
First 55k miles were all turnpike hi-speed cruising. Last 10k, just crawling. Problem was there from day one!
Once rented an 03 Tortoise for the day...same problem but small engine in that car.
Scratches in my head are getting deeper!!!
Two months ago I had the entire cooling system replaced, radiator, hoses and such.
Ford Taurus/Sable 1986-1995 Repair Information
To install:
14.Lightly oil all bolt threads before installation.
15. Clean cylinder head, intake manifold, valve rocker arm cover and cylinder head gasket contact surfaces. If cylinder head was removed for a cylinder head gasket replacement, check flatness of cylinder head and block gasket surfaces.
16. Position the new head gasket(s) onto cylinder block using dowels for alignment. Position cylinder head(s) onto block.
17. Apply a thin coating of pipe sealant with Teflon® to the threads of the short cylinder head bolts, nearest to the exhaust manifold. Do not apply sealant to the long bolts. Install the cylinder head bolts.
18. For vehicles through 1994, tighten the cylinder head attaching bolts, in sequence, to the following specifications:
* Step 1:37 ft. lbs. (50 Nm)
* Step 2:45 ft. lbs. (60 Nm)
* Step 3:52 ft. lbs. (70 Nm)
* Step 4:59 ft. lbs. (80 Nm)
21. For 1993-95 vehicles, retighten the cylinder head bolts, in sequence, one at a time in the following manner:
1. Long cylinder head bolts: Loosen the bolts and back them out 2-3 turns. Retighten to 11-18 ft. lbs. (15-25 Nm). Then tighten the bolt an additional 85-95° and go to the next bolt in sequence.
2. Short cylinder head bolts: Loosen the bolt and back them out 2-3 turns. Retighten to 7-15 ft. lbs. (10-20 Nm). Then tighten the bolt an additional 85-95°.
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My only problem, in Maryland, would be to pay insurance on a backup car AND a main car; insurance premium nearly doubles in my state for two cars and then of course there is the extra tag renewal fee...
1995 taurus SHO is making slight clicking or ticking noise just behind the climate control unit or maybe behind the center vents. This noise is present at all times while driving, parked and can be heard with climate control showing OFF. Don't know or can't tell is this noise is present when running heater or A/c but I am sure it is there.
Also, recently noticed that a/c is not working as well as it should be. Heater works damn good and maybe this is a hint????
ONly way to make this noise go away is to turn off the ignition. Previous owner mentioned it being some "heater door"
Could this be something I can fix by removing the entire dashboard??
Help!!!
Edge
Have you checked your oil level?? Sounds like it may be low. If not, you either have a low oil pressure situation or the oil pressure sensor itself may be bad.
Edge
I saw that you had a post about your taurus. Right now mine is over heating it was only here and there with the a/c on and now its like anytime i drive. I thougth it was the thermostat and so i canged it. Still overheats and now it seems like its the water pump. I was told its a pain in the butt to change it out ones self. So i was wondering what it would take to get it changed like any special tools or any if i have to raise or lower the engin (Had to put an alternator in and it was a pain). My taurus is a 1996 3.0L with the dohc. Just looking for suggestions.
Thanks,
Cole
Ford Taurus/Sable 1996-1999 Repair Guide
Water Pump, 3.0L DOHC Engine
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Drain the engine cooling system.
2. Remove the water pump drive belt.
3. Disconnect the radiator and heater hoses from the water pump.
4. If equipped, remove the A/C compressor-to-water pump brace.
5. Unfasten the four nuts securing the water pump to the engine and remove the water pump.
To install:
6. Clean the water pump to engine gasket sealing surfaces.
7. Install the water pump using a new gasket and install the four retaining nuts. Tighten the retaining nuts to 15-22 ft. lbs. (20-30 Nm).
8. Connect the radiator and heater hoses to the water pump. Make sure the clamps are securely tightened.
9. If equipped, install the A/C compressor-to-water pump brace. Tighten the brace bolts to 15-22 ft. lbs. (20-30 Nm).
10. Remove the water pump drive belt.
11. Fill the engine cooling system, then connect the negative battery cable.
12. Start the engine and allow it to reach normal operating temperature, then check for coolant leaks and proper engine operation.
The arm that is connected to the motor has a knuckle that snaps into a plastic guide that slides in a track on the window. I was able to pry the two apart when I disassembled it but can not get the knuckle to snap back into the guide. Is there a trick to this? There was no other way of removing the motor and arm assembly from the window without prying the two apart.
Thanks in advance.
The battery light is on in the dash but the alternator checks good and the car has a new battery installed.
Now the speedometer does not work, the air does not work and there is no amps getting to the battery from the alternator.
Everything else appears to work and the car starts and runs good.
All the fuses in the power distribution box appear to be good.
Is there a relay in the box or another fuse that I should check?
Thanks for any help. jre
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Here is my thought on what happened here. The Water Pump (original) is the fault, Ford in there wonderful saving money and giving themselves those great bounas. The Pump RUSTS out and now you have rust fragments running through engine. This is why you probably had orange looking Anti Freeze. So, it gets to the freeze plugs and they begin to fails, little by little and then something happends. something like a thermostat fails and then you have some pressure and bingo your screwed.
Your are looking at 8 Hours of labor to pull everything and then the cost of your parts. As I stated replace your oil pan and gaskit, etc.
Hope this information helps.
What had me check the codes is the motor wont shift out of second, could this be the problem or is there something else also.
Now I believe every fuse in the system is good. Are there any relays involved in these two items?
Thank you, I really appreciate your help.
jre
I'm just sorry that I got rid of my '90 Taurus. It only had 187k when I replaced it with this Sable. I had never had ONE problem with the car. In fact, it was still getting ~30mpg, and I had almost 80k on the last set of tires. Wifey was afraid of me breaking down in the fast lane of NJ Turnpike, so issued sex ultimatum about replacing it!!!
He was not positive what was causing the noise but felt it was probably the front struts and quoted a price of appox. $400 to replace the struts and something else attached to or near them,I forget what the name of the part is.He said he wouldn't know for sure until he "got it apart".
My question is,after doing a search here I have seen this noise mentioned with varying degrees of sucess in fixing it.Just looking for others experience with this problem,I'm willing to part with the money if it will fix the problem but don't want to spend $400 if it is still going to make noise afterwards.
Also felt a vibration in the steering wheel when applying the brakes at high speed,mechanic said pads looked alright,he said it was probably rotors,which seems to make sense.Was just wondering if this vibration was related to the clunking noise or not.
1999 Ford Taurus Station Wagon
24 ohv 3.0 liter engine, 72,000 miles floor mounted automatic transmission shift
Problem: on an intermittent basis, after driving the car, making a stop or two doing errands before getting home for the day, I get in the car and the starter motor turns the engine over but the engine will not start. This has always happened in warm to hot weather. After sitting for about 30 to ninety minutes the engine starts. I know that it is not the barometric module because the gas mileage is normal (almost 20 miles/gal) . I have had the barometric module fail twice prior to the failure of the barometric module the gas mileage falls to 10 miles/gal or less. I checked the emergency fuel switch no problem, Any ideas?