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Comments
started having a valve rattle noise after the first couple of thousand miles. It only has this noise right at 3900-4000 rpm under full throttle. The dealer refuses to release any TSBs and I don't
trust them due to some history with them. I don't
want my immaculate, low mileage car operated on
needlessly (as they love to do to collect money
from Ford) to address a common NON-problem. Any
similar experiences? Something common? Serious?
Accelerate slowly, brake slowly, follow your service manual and change your oil every 3k and you car will give you a long and serviceable life, regardless of the make.
Just my 2 cents
My '93 Taurus GL wagon has 94,000 miles on it and aside from a problem with the fuel pump, radiator, starter, windshield wiper switch and some other minor things I haven't had many problems with the car. According to some of the posts I've read, I may be one of the lucky ones. I am however concerned about the car as I approach the century mark. What should I look out for?
Also, has anyone had a problem with the fuel pump on this car that turned out to be something other than the fuel pump. I did. I have to look in my records again to recall what it was that was causing the pump to not operate when called on. (the diagnostic code for fuel pump failure kept showing up but it was not the pump itself)
I'll post this info later if anyone is interested and everyone hasn't sold all the Taurus' in the country.
about the Taurus ,whats the opinion on the 1996 Ford contour?
Thanks
Let's save this one for discussion of Taurus maintenance.
Click here to go there.
Pat
Have you thought about a SHO?
For $5K, I bought my '93 Sable w/ 3.8L engine about 9 months ago. If you are buying anything older, you should be able to get it for less.
going downhill has a lot to do with gravity and momentum. You might want to think about it differently. You can take your foot off the gas, and not loose much speed. That is great for gas mileage!! If you want to slow down your car, just tap the brakes a few times. In my '93 Sable, I've noticed that the car tends to hold onto speed more than other cars on the street and on the highway. If I tap the brake, it will slow down. This wasn't a glitch. It is just the car's personality. As for slippery road surfaces, you should be driving a little slower than usual, and with more distance between your car, and the car in front of you.
Oh, I also just noticed you mention driving manual cars for a while, where a lot of people use down shifting to slow their cars down. Us auto folks just use the brake.
I understand what you're saying, but our other car is a 94 Mercury Grand Marquis and it doesn't exhibit this behavior. The Taurus should at least slow down a little when the overdrive is locked out. Also, when I shift into drive and release the brake on a level road surface, the Taurus will actually go fast enough on its own for the transmission to invoke a 1-2 upshift. I suspect that Ford may have set up the engine management system this way to counter the natural tendency some front-wheel drive cars have to fishtail when sudden deceleration occurs. I have experienced this with other front drivers. But this Taurus feels like its on the verge of becoming an Audi 5000!
BTW, thanks for the input.
"Government engineers analyze the problem. If warranted, the manufacturer is asked to conduct a recall. If the manufacturer does not initiate a recall, the government can order the manufacturer to do a recall.
We do not have to receive a set number of reports before we look into a problem. We gather all available information on a problem. Your report is important to us."
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/
Taurus. The mechanic replaced it and ran a
computer test on the alternator. The test read
something like alternator"has a bad diode". The
mechanic said he felt the alternator did not need
to be replaced. A second mechanic at Pep Boys w/out
seeing the car felt that it should be replaced on
the basis of the test. Any thoughts.
Have you ever had the tranny fluid changed? How many miles are on your car. My parents' 1993 3.8 was beginning to shudder with 110,000 miles on it. The tranny is still original. I told them it was time for a tranny fluid and filter change. A local garage (he works daytime at a ford garage) did the change and also put a shudder protector of some sort in it as well. It is not shuddering anymore!
Taurus:
1200 miles hit a deer (not the cars fault)
65k alternator
75k waterpump
125k air conditioning
130k power steering pump
losing 1qt about every 1000-1500 miles
clean air intake and replace several intake parts
I wanted 200k out of it but I guess I would be happy with 150k after reading some of the posts here. Perhaps I got a good one but in my car, that 3.0 liter trusty old pushrod Vulcan V6 engine just keep plugging along. It still runs accelerates well and I have done nothing special to maintain it. All I did were regular oil (4000-6000 miles) and fluid changes (probably a little more frequently that required).
Since it has been pretty good we got Contour. That was a fatal mistake I will not make again. Although it is fun to drive (V6), over the last year it been in the shop every 3 months for several annoying problems from stalling (still doing it), sticky accelerator, various electrical problems, the oxygen sensor 3 times (finally fixed), uneven brake wear, 3 unrelated recalls, a loud sound from the engine (still doing it), and theres plenty more but I dont want to cause too much clutter. Its only at 50k!!!!!!!!!
I called Ford......dont bother. Their customer help line is useless and might as well be a recording. Too bad....not only did they lose a loyal customer and I'm spreading the word because they pissed me off.
my 97 Taurus GL with 34,600 has developed a high pitched rattling sound. It occurs after the car is warmed up when I press down the accelerator. If I take my foot off the gas, the sound stops.
I took it the the dealer and they told me I have excessive engine pinging. They ran a bunch of tests and replaced the mass airflow sensor assembly. Two days later and the pinging is back. I use 87 octane like the owners manual says. Any suggestions? The car is still under warranty until May.
1-If not, see if pump motor is getting voltage, check for burned out fuse, or could be a bad switch. Could always apply 12 volts to the pump motor to see if it still works.
2-If so, the washer lines or nozzles may be clogged or frozen. Pull the hose from pump outlet and see if washer fluid gets pumped out. A seperate hose would be useful to check this so that fluid is not sprayed all over the place.
A hair dryer could be used to thaw out the frozen lines if necessary. Use the winter mix of washer fluid as it has an antifreeze in the blend to keep the system from freezing.
good luck
Soon, they'll all be in the boneyard and no one will worry about them anymore. The tears from the repairs may take a little longer to forget!
Problem are hard to diagnose over the internet, especially sounds.
Maybe check for something loose under the hood.
Wish I could be of more help, but I am kind of stumped on this one.