Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

filmstudent · April 2001

Wow!
You Ford owners are very helpful! I am looking into the cd changer. Right now, I have a Discman plugged into the tape deck. Quality is poor and it always skips so the cd changer is intriguing. I'm glad I didnt get ripped off:) The site was very informative, although I don't think they deliver to Canada. I sent them an email...still waiting.

fowler3 · April 2001

you can find other web sites for car information at:

thecarconnection.com

newcartestdrive.com

motortrend.com

caranddriver.com

automobilemag.com

and for Canada

automotive-review.com

fowler3

harmar · April 2001

Motorweek's Pat Goss (PBS stations) once noted that spraying a can of Lysol Disinfectant ($3 - 4 cost) through the cowl intake will often kill the offensive microbes, thereby saving an expensive disassembly of the system. Start engine, turn AC on high, open windows, spray entire Lysol contents gradually through the intake. Good luck!

teo · April 2001

Is to turn up the heater all the way up and leave it running for about 15 to 20 minutes until all the mildew sitting in the air ducts is killed. If the bad smell is severe, repeat the process about once or twice more.

The Lysol technique is a fiasco since it cures the problem temporarily and the bad smell and mildew often returns in a short period of time. The heater solution is more effective and long lasting. Take it from me...I live in hot and muggy South Florida.

In order to prevent the mildew buildup, during the hot summer months run the A/C on the 'recirc' position for about 5 to 10 minutes until the car's interior cools down to a comfortable temp. Then after that, select the 'Fresh' position to open the exterior air inlet doors while still running the A/C...this will flush any unwanted mildew and will prevent more buildups and bad smells. Little unkwon fact that can make a big difference in the way your climate control system works.

PBS' 'Autoweek' is an interesting show but some of their views and opinions sound too Mickey Mouse to me...Pat Goss is all right, but he can also give the wrong info once in a good while ;-)

minnesotaart · April 2001

I think the problem is more prevalent in cars with the auto temperature control, like my SEL. The owner's manual says to always leave the system on to reduce the chance of the smell. This can be a problem because there are times when you just want some fresh air and the system is kicking in either the heater of the A/C to try and compensate! I wish there was a plain old "vent" setting on that automatic system.

stnel · April 2001

I've had that mildew smell in the a/c for some time now in my '91 Grand Am. I've never noticed a "recirc" and "fresh" position in my car. It must be for newer cars.

I got my prices mixed up in an earlier post. I was confusing the prices for the SEL and SES. Believe the SEL is a bit more expensive.

iusecad · April 2001

I think I read in my '90 Vic owners manual that when you have the a/c set to MAX that is the recirc setting. NORM is the one that pulls in fresh air. Do most other cars have two settings?

In the Vic, I've noticed before that if I use the A/C for awhile, then switch to the VENT, there is a mildewy smell. But, I have no choice. That a/c is just too cold...

woodge · April 2001

Update on the return of our 2000 SE to Ford (Flex Fuel Vulcan engine ping, and wet moisture on inside passenger side windshield). See posting: 790 & 797.

The Internet Sales Manager at the dealership called yesterday afternoon and said that the 2001 SES we decided upon had just arrived the dealership (dealer trade). We have a 11:30 a.m. appointment.

What I found interesting is the loaner vehicle we have driving since Monday (2000 SE Wagon, 3.0 Vulcan, NO Flex)has quite as engine ping problem when under load/start off. I will advise the dealer when I turn it in today. (Hummmm!!)

Oregon has a problem in there is no state wide regular gas testing program. There are spot checks when someone complains about a specific supplier or station. Several local (Portland) news
channels have done reports about this, and said that Oregon has some of the worst contaminated gas in the U.S.A.

Getting back to the mildew/condensation concerns in the heater/air conditioning. The dealer even went as far as to have our 2000 SE put through a special system which took any/all moisture out of the vehicle (two days). Didn't work!!!

I spoke last night with my close friend in California whom is a service tech for Ford. He said yes the dealerships have sprayed the systems with a deodorant, however the smell will come back in time. Again the best fix that has been found is the addition of the fan inside the heater box which will eleminate the condinsation/mildew build up.

I will stop back and leave a post about the new 2001 SES.....Wish us luck...

stnel · April 2001

My a/c has two settings - normal and max. I also have something that's bi-level (B/L). I've never really known what that is since I've never used it. I think it may pertain to the heater.

ezaircon4jc · April 2001

Bi-level is cool air out of the vents and warmer air out of the heater vents under the dash simultaneously. The vent setting on my '96 Sable is the picture of the arrow pointing toward the upper body. Max is the same as "recirc" and Norm is the same as "fresh". Ours has 100k on the Duratec and just needed a water pump and a/c clutch. I've used the auto setting here in So. Cal. exclusively and have never had a mildew smell. I keep it on 71. The car has been GREAT! The above repairs are consistant with the mileage.

marsha7 · April 2001

is the CD unit really a plug-in?...and WHERE is the plug-in portion...is it on the back of the radio, or are all of the cars prewired for CD with the wires and a plug already in the trunk?...I might consider adding the CD, but if I have to "disassemble" the car and the dash, it might be more than I am willing to tackle...

marsha7 · April 2001

GM cars, to my knowledge, use Norm for fresh air and Max for recirculate...it was that way on my 1968 Catalina, 1972 Ventura, and 1998 Regal...

minnesotaart · April 2001

Everything is located in the trunk. The "real" radio is under the carpet behind the left wheel well. The stuff in the dash is just a control unit. All you literally have to do, once you mount the unit under the package shelf in the trunk, is plug one end of the supplied cable into the unit and the other end into the radio unit mounted on the wheel well. Then it all works!

stnel · April 2001

regarding bi-level, recirc and fresh. I noticed that bi-level was in a place where there wasn't a red or blue line. Guess that's why--if you get cool air and warm air at the same time.

A woman down the street has a '96 Taurus and I talked to her about it. She said she hasn't had any major problems. I don't know if she has a Duratec or Vulcan but my guess is that it's a Vulcan.

pat · April 2001

Hi folks,

Now that we have moved to our new platform, we no longer have the requirement to stop and restart discussions after the numbers of posts exceed a certain limit. To keep from confusing our newer members down the road, we are going through the discussion list bit by bit and dropping the "part" numbers associated with some of our extended discussions.

Since this will be the permanent home for discussion of the Taurus, I have removed the "Two" from the title of this discussion and altered the name of the archived version to distinguish it from this one.

Please continue....

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

iusecad · April 2001

there's a way to tell which engine is in the car: if it has a Duratec, there's a badge on the front fender between the wheel and door. I think it says Duratec - 24 Valve. The Vulcan has no badge. And if it's the Flex Fuel motor, than there's a badge that says FFV.

I like the badging because I can cruise the car lot and quickly pick out the ones I want to look at...

woodge · April 2001

Well we turned in the 2000 SE FFV yesterday and I must say the dealer was all prepared, i.e. paper work and the new 2001 SE was spit-shined and ready to go. We were there about 35 minutes total most of which was waiting to sign documents.

We took the new SES (3.0 Vulcan) on a short trip to our daughters home last evening for dinner. All highway and we noted that the car runs very smooth and performs very well.

This morning I was looking the car over and found that the car is missing the standard 60/40 split fold down rear seat! This option is standard on the SES model! There is no notation on the window sticker that points out this car is the missing option.

The window sticker does have in bold letters below the total sticker price the following:

STD#4 Adjustment--MOON -$890.00

Could this be a factory credit for the missing seat? As an option on the SE it is only $130.00. I have a call into our sale person.

Anybody out there know what this adjustment is for?

If the adjustment is for something else, they WILL put a split seat in the vehicle, that's for sure!

Thanks,
Woodge in Oregon

stnel · April 2001

iusecad - I'll check out those badges the next time I go to the Ford place. That's a neat thing to do. I had planned on testing driving a Taurus yesterday but some things came up. I'll have to wait until next week.

woodge - Do you have a moon roof? I looked up the options on the Taurus in Edmunds and the moon roofs cost about $800 or so.

minnesotaart · April 2001

You can't go by the badges. They did not use the bagdes in 96 or 97 (I'm sure about 96, pretty sure about 97). I just saw a 96 LX yesterday with the Duratec and there were no badges (which, by the way, say "24V" for 24 valves over the top of the letters "DOHC" meaning Double OverHead Cam). On 96s and 97s, which you can tell because they have a split air intake on the lower part of the bumper, just look for dual exhausts. That was standard with the Duratec. The Vulcan had a single exhaust as did the Flexible Fuel engine. Also, on the 96s and 97s, the LX was the TOP of the line version (it was GL, then SE then LX). In 98, it became the BOTTOM of the line (only had LX and SE). On 98s and 99s, which you can tell because the lower air intake is one big opening and because there is a blue Ford oval centered in the "grille", look for the 24V DOHC badges. Dual exhaust on the Duratec was standard for the early part of 98, then they did away with it (during the middle of the 98 model year) and have not offered it since. 00 and 01 Duratecs also have the 24V DOHC badges. At the beginning of the 00 model year, there was only LX and SE. Then, they came out with SEL and SES in addition to SE. But, they didn't label the actual cars this way until April 1, 2000 (the window sticker DID indicate which model was which). For example, my 2000 SEL was built in March, 2000. On the back, it says SE yet my window sticker clearly states SEL. If the car had been built on April 1 or later, it would have said SEL on the back. Same story for the SES designation.

By the way, none of this discussion has anything to do with the SHO model, which is an entirely different animal (and was dropped after the 1999s).

And finally, to woodge, "yes", the credit on your sticker is for the deletion of the moonroof option. Did you have any type of "Special Value Package" on your car which might have included a moonroof? That's all I can think of since the moonroof is not standard on any model. It was optional on my SEL. You are, however, supposed to have a 60/40 split rear seat on an SES. Does the rear of the car say SES? Very curious indeed!

iusecad · April 2001

Well, my dad's '96 LX had the badges & dual exhaust. (Couldn't rember exactly what the badges said.)

Sorry I assumed that all Duratecs had the badging based on that one car. My bad!

stnel · April 2001

As far as Duratec vs Vulcan engines go, I believe the LX and SE will have the Vulcan. I don't think the Duratec is an option for those trims. I think the sticker says 12V for the Vulcan. It would make sense that the sticker would have 24V for the Duratec but I haven't noticed since I'm only looking at LX's.

woodge · April 2001

THANK YOU for your response!!!

Yes,the new 2001 SES does say "SES" on the rear deck!

There was no mention on the factory window sticker of/for an optional Moon Roof, or a "Special Value Package".

You are so correct, the Moon Roof option would indeed be an extra priced option in/around the credit shown of $890.00.

Thus our friends at Ford owe me a 60/40 split rear seat, just as stated in standard options for "SES" on the window sticker.

Oh my, am I going to have fun with these folks on Monday morning!

Cheers,
Woodge in Oregon

ezaircon4jc · April 2001

One thing that differentiated Sable & Taurus Duratec's is the dual exhaust. Sable had it untill MY2000. My '96 does NOT have the badge. If any '96 has it, it is an add-on. BTW, the badge is from the old Yamaha V6 powered SHO's. I believe the badge was used from '91-'95.
My first Sable ('86) had the Vulcan. It was O.K. IMHO, power is a little low for the weight of the car and a full load of family. The Duratec is sooooo much better, power wise of course. One of the reasons that I didn't really consider the Sable/Taurus this time around is the elimination of the duals. That and the drum brakes, retracting antenna and no JBL stereo. I do like the new design, inside and out. It just seems that Ford cheapend the car. So I showed Ford, I went out and bought a Lincoln LS :~)!

stnel · April 2001

Is the badge simply a label on the front fender specifying if a engine is a Duratec? Or is there more to it?

I test drove a car recently with 180 horsepower and that car seemed to take off. My car that I have now has 110 or 115 horsepower. I imagine the 155 hp of the Vulcan will satisfy my needs. I can imagine how fast 200 hp is!

boltz · April 2001

A family member is considering buying a '97 Taurus GL with 70k on it for approx. $7,000.
Curious to here from owners about reliability. Most cars have weaknesses and Consumer Reports cites electrical along with body integrity and hardware as Taurus' main trouble spots. Anyone care to agree or disagree? What about drivetrain and engine issues? This particular car has the Vulcan engine. I have never owned a Ford but you see a ton of them around. It seems like a competent enough car and the price is right in the ball park. I would appreciate people's thoughts. Thanks.

99taurus · April 2001

Well Actually, the 6 disc CD changer you bragged about from www.radiosandmore.com does not come with factory wiring. It says on the web page that it requires a wiring harness at an additional $41.00. This harness plugs in to the CD changer and then also into the tuner. The whole process only took me 1/2 hour not 3 hours. For that price I chose to go with the Kenwood 10 disc cd changer instead of Aiwa. Post number 574 from back in December states :

“I have recently purchased a 10 disc Kenwood (KDC-C715) and the adapter to put in my 99 Taurus. The Best price I was able to find for the CD Changer was 174.95 plus shipping for the KDC-C715 (10 disc) and 164.95 plus shipping for the KDC-C665 (6 disc) at http://www.sbhcorp.com/strken.htm#cdchanger.

The P.I.E. adapter cable I purchased at http://www.audio-etcetera.com. They listed the adapter at $89.95, but were willing to match a lower priced add at http://www.audio-warehouse.com/pie/pieindex.html for $77.00 (with purchase of the CD changer at $205.00). Since AudioEtcetera.com did not carry the CD changer, they matched the price any way at 77.00 plus $10.00 shipping to Utah.

If you are in the market for a CD changer all I can say is look around. After a few hours on the web I was able to find many prices that just kept getting lower and lower. Theses may not be the lowest prices, but I am satisfied. As far as mounting it, that would depend on what you carry in your trunk. The most common are on the Drivers rear Quarter panel in the trunk right by the radio controller, or like some one else mentioned, next to one of the rear speakers under the "third brake light".

Kenwood also makes an FM modulated model of both the 10 disk and 6 disk that runs a bit cheaper (10 disk KDC-C515 $199.99, and 6 disk KDC-C465 for $189.00) but the signal is converted to analog and broadcasted on a FM station. Not as good of a frequency response as using the digital input with the converter above. It will sound as good as your best received FM station, but about $70.00 cheaper.

I hope this has helped a few of you. TTFN’

Just in case this question arises, Yes the 10 disk works great!! Even though the button on the face plate says 1-6, you will find that if you press it forward it will scroll to disk 8,9,and 10 just fine.

A good rule of thumb to go by when looking to see if a Taurus has a Duratec… If it does not have a badge on the side front fender saying 24valve, look at the tail pipes. If there are two exhaust pipes (one on each side) coming out of the rear, chances are it has a Duratec. There are few occasions that the exhaust has been altered after market (not like any one would change factory conditions right) modifications. If the car is on a car lot and you have access, look under the hood, that tells all! As someone mentioned, if it is a SHO version the V8 badge will look like the 24 valve badge, if you are considering a race, don’t confuse the two (only about 20HP difference). The SHO is also marked on the back instead of SE or LX ECT. The SHO version also comes with a lot of other distinguishing features like a different front bumper skirt, rear tail lights (between the lights are painted to match, not the burgundy color as others) exhaust is different, there is a list of things but most importantly the price!

Boltz, since you asked, yes I would recommend this as a good car. I would check the history of the Trany as some people have stated in the post that it can cause problems around this mileage. My father in-law has a 97 with over 80,000 no problems. The low blue book is about $4,600 and high retail being around $8,700 Based on Kelley. This is not accounting for any options.

Sorry for the lengthy message, I have been away for a while and missed a bit.

woodge · April 2001

As mentioned in my previous posting our new 2001 SES which was swapped in exchange for our 2000 SE, has no 60/40 fold down rear seat (this is a standard feature on the SES model).

The Internet Sales Manager at the dealer called me back late this morning and was taken back by my discovery. He had never ran into a situation like this and really didn't know how to rectify the problem. He is going to talk with the folks at Ford and get back to me.

Not Rocket Science: Order a new rear seat and exchange them!

Well I am awaiting his response.

Cheers,
Woodge in Oregon

sable93 · April 2001

Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out how many people have had transmission problems with the '96s and on. It seems like the problems are becoming more and more common. I'm hoping that maybe in time, we can get a class action lawsuit going.

minnesotaart · April 2001

Well, I stand corrected. It does seem that they now charge separately for the wiring harness. When I bought mine last fall, they did not, but then, the price was $329. So, I guess they cut the price by charging separately for the wiring harness. You'll notice that the old price (in the ad on their web site) was $309 (including the wiring) before they cut it to $265 (without the wiring). With wiring at $41, the price would be $306. Amazing, eh? Marketing!

stnel · April 2001

Off the beaten track - I hope you two are doing okay in Minnesota with the floods that I've been hearing about. Don't know if either of you are in the flood prone areas or not but hope you manage.

minnesotaart · April 2001

I am fine (flood-wise) where I am, just sick of the weather!

iusecad · April 2001

basement's just a little wet...

minnesotaart · April 2001

I can't wait to see Ford's solution to this! I have a feeling that there is more to the swap than just the seat back part, but perhaps not (hope I am wrong). For what it's worth, there are a lot of Taurus rental cars (like Hertz) in Minnesota with Oregon plates. Why, I have no idea, but they are generally SES models. I have a theory. I'll bet the rental companies order their fleet cars without the 60/40 rear seat so that the trunk is more "secure" for their customers (or some such logic). I wonder if you got a car intended for a rental fleet? Next time I see one around here that's an SES, I'll try and see if it has the 60/40 rear seat. Just a theory, mind you. If true though, I wonder what other changes there might be???

fdthird · April 2001

Remember that Ford owns Hertz so perhaps there is a connection.

I remember renting a Torino from Hertz in the late 60s/early 70s that still used a 2 speed auto long after Ford stop producing them for the public so who knows what special builds there might be.

stnel · April 2001

When I was looking at Tauruses the other day, there was an SES for the same sticker price as the LX. They were both new cars. When I go back to this Ford place, I'll check the details on the SES to see if they left off any of the standard features. In particular, I'll check the 60/40 rear seat.

I keep planning on going there to test drive a Taurus but things keep getting in the way.

minnesotaart - You may have something to this rental car theory. Your standard SES runs around $1500 more than an LX.

woodge · April 2001

Just got off the phone with our salesperson at the dealership.

He called to advise me that they have ordered a new fold down rear seat for our SES and that the customer service advisor (GREAT GUY!!!) will contact me for a service appointment to have it installed.

Saga Complete? (we will see)

Cheers
Woodge in Oregon

iusecad · April 2001

I'm just curious, is the dealer you're dealing with Blue Oval Certified?

segirl7 · April 2001

2 year's ago I was hit head on driver side to driver side and pushed backward's into a jeep, in my 95 taurus. Now my husband and I have new car's and gave the taurus to our 17 year old son. The problem is we've been taking the car in for minor thing's since the accident, the last being just the other day because of over heating. ( apparently the fan wasn't working,and the fuse was blown). In my opinion the car should have been totaled in the accident but the guy's insurance chose to fix it. Ok, but now, when car was at the garage I asked the mechanic if this was going to be a safe car for our son and he tell's me he can't say because he doesn't want to trash someone else's work!! Well HELLO, this is my son were talking about and I can't get an answer. This is the garage we use all the time and I'm really disapointed with this answer and I did tell them that. Anyway I guess what I'm looking for is either help on where to go to get an idea on the safty of this car, or any suggestion's from any one on what to do. Funny when we were driving the car I never gave this a second thought, but now this is really bothering me. Do you think the car is safe? It still run's fine but mechanic saw body work done and I think he was trying to imply fan breaking was result of a 2 year old accident.(Buy the way, my husband put a new fan motor in about 6 month's ago) Thank's all. Eileen

fdthird · April 2001

Just my 2 cents but if I had lost faith in the car (and if you are questioning it I think you have lost faith) I would think about selling it and buying something else for him.

That's the reason my son is driving a new Focus and not my old '89 Taurus.

Also, if the car is starting to "nickel and dime" you to death, in the long run it may make sense to go to another vehicle.

woodge · April 2001

Yes, the Ford dealer whom I purchased my last three vehicles from is a "Blue Oval" dealership. They are also the largest Ford dealer in Northwest.

I have had my ups and downs with this dealer, however they are much better than several other auto dealerships in the area. I try to work with them to resolve problems/concerns. But my patience dwindles quickly when I know I'm being lied to.

fdthird · April 2001

You got a new car...a lot more than others who've had problems with cars have ever gotten.

Now they are going to fix the seat problem...

I'd have to say you've been treated pretty well. I never had such good fortune with a lemon.

stnel · April 2001

I finally test drove a Taurus today. My one problem was when I looked over my left shoulder for cars in order to change lanes, I couldn't really see the traffic. The car I drove had power seats. Can you change the height with power seats? That may make a difference. I forgot to ask the salesman about that.

Overall, I liked the car but I could see myself getting into an accident (which I don't want to do, of course) with that blind spot.

ezaircon4jc · April 2001

stnel: Yes, the seat goes up and down with the power option.
FM modulated CD changers: Have one in my '96 Sable and it STINKS! I wouldn't go this route ever again!

stnel · April 2001

I'll have to test drive another Taurus and this time I'll be on the look out for seat height. I always buy the "no frills" base cars so am not used to power seats. Do you have a problem seeing traffic when you look over your left shoulder?

I never really got the opportunity to test the brakes adequately since I was in traffic. I wouldn't want to hit the brakes too hard and get rear ended. I've got another dealership in mind where I can test another car on a less crowded road.

hockey2 · April 2001

I have a 97 Taurus with 59k on it. I just had the emissions and safety check done and passed. Now the Service engine light soon comes on and stays on. Any ideas. No drop in gas milage or power etc..

Thanks

danielj6 · April 2001

The Ford Taurus is a strong car but when a car (any car) is in an accident such as the one you describe its structural integrity is affected. Besides, if you're questioning its safety it would be a good idea to sell it/trade it for something else. Personally, I would get a Ford Crown Vic/Merc Grand Marquis/Buick Le Sabre or any other large American car for my child. He might think that the above choices are not "cool" ones but they provide sufficient shielding
mass for protection.
Regarding you're mechanic, he may be afraid that in case your son gets into an accident and ends up hurt you could sue him for giving you bad advise (CYA).
I would let my own instinct lead me so I'd get rid of it. Your instinct is telling you something by causing you to have doubts. Listen to it.
Regards!

bolivar · April 2001

My 2 cents worth.

If the wreck was 2 years ago, most things related to the wreck should have already 'happened'.

Don't get on your mechanic's back. You are asking a vague, non-specific question and wanting a yes or no answer. He shouldn't have to make this kind of decision.

And, with a 17 year old boy, the trouble he can get into with a car will be mostly unrelated to whether it's been wrecked or not.

dlarusso15 · April 2001

O.K. I've owned a '94 SO for about 2.5 yr now and have loved it the whole time. BUT, for the past 2 months it has been BUCKING LIKE MAD while driving (on highway, in parking lots and pretty much anywhere, under any condition and at any time). Bad enough that I stopped driving it. The other down side, is that I brought it to two garages and $400 later... neither one has any clue what was wrong.

At first I thought it was water in the gas line or something but I added Octane booster and water remover and it still does it. It seems to do it whenever it wants-every 5 ins, every 50 ins, whenever.

Has anyone else had this problem? At this point I'm willing to try almost anything. Thanks

mdr6404 · April 2001

How does everyone like the 24 valve engine in 2001 Taurus, power, milage, reliability! Should I spend the extra money or not?

ezaircon4jc · April 2001

When looking over my left shoulder, I try to look through the rear window. It usually takes me a day or two with a new car to iron out all the blind spots. Even though mine is a '96, I really love it. It has been a great "Family Truckster". It is now relegated to grocery getter duties as our LS is the primary family hauler. Some have complained about the line since it's introduction. I think as long as the engine is broken in gently, the car is reliable. I change the oil at 500 mi, 1000 mi, the every 3000. We've run our last 3 cars well over 100k with only normal things wearing out. I personally believe people expect too much from their machines. Fluids must be changed and suspension parts do wear out. Enough, off my soap box :~)

Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Sedans Pre-2008

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