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Problem started about a month ago where smoke spewed out of hood, no heat and leaking anti-freeze.
Brought it to my local mechanic and told me it was head gasket. Replaced it with trade in of new refurbished gaskets at cost of $1,500 and did a tune-up for a total of almost $1,800.
Car appeared to work that day. Drove to work, no heat and gauge was still sitting "dead red" (hot).
Brought it back and they looked again. Checked it and said it was fixed again. Brought it back the next day with no heat and gauge on hot again.
This time they took the entire engine down and said one of the refurbished gaskets was shot. replaced it under warranty.
anyway, drove it away and had heat for one day, but was losing antifreeze. Brought it back again and it was fixed. Drove it again for one day and it had no heat again.
After arguing with mechanic, they agreed to take another look. Replaced thermostat.
Problem now is i get plenty of heat, but when i stop at a traffic light then accelerate, the heat gauge goes up to between the "A" and "L" of normal. As soon as i'm moving, it goes back down. Have plenty of heat, car running well, but no luck with the gauge.
Mechanic tells me he replaced the thermostat with a "195." The 195, he claims, needs to be recalibrated because the car computer is still reading the old thermostat settings prior to the changes.
Is this for real or what?
any help appreciated.
TIA...
On to my Taurus. A 2000 with 101,000 miles. I had the trans. fluid changed in July 2002 at 81,000 miles. Lately it's been shifting a little slow and fluid level is fine. Took it in today and they told me the fluid was fairly dark and they replaced it with a "synthetic" trans. fluid (don't recall the first change being done w/synth. fluid; and this change was $20 higher due to synth. whereas the last change was regular price...maybe last shop didn't use synth. fluid?). Anyway, what IS synth. fluid and does the Taurus call for it? I was a bit disappointed that the last change only lasted for 20k miles - I thought a change should last for 30k plus. Thoughts?
Thanks,
Rob
Dexron III is NOT the same either (and that's what most places automatically use unless you specifically ask. Up until Mercon V showed up, I think only Chrysler products used a special fluid (from 1987 models onward) except for much older Fords (type F for Fords in the 1970s and earlier), so few shops bothered to stock more than the Dexron II/III. Now that Chrysler is not the only one needing a different type, shops are more aware of the differences. You should still ask to be sure...
Note that Ford calls for changes every 30,000 miles (normal service) or 21,000 (severe service), so dirty fluid developing so quickly after only one change at 81K doesn't seem too unusual.
So, you've been bitten by the infamous Ford 3.8 head gasket problem, eh? My wife has a '92 with the 3.8, and we're feeling quite lucky that we haven't blown our gaskets out yet. The car has been burning coolant for about a year now, so I'm thinking we're dangerously close. Car shopping commences in May, and I'm going to unload that thing (hopefully) before it blows up!
At any rate, I just wanted to say that I've replaced my wife's thermostat before, and I don't recall what type it was although I do know I replaced it with whatever was specified by Ford as appropriate for the car.
Did your mechanic say what your old thermostat was or why he changed to a different one? Judging by your description it looks like it must have been something lower than a 195 degree thermostat (since your temp. gauge indicates higher temps. now), but that seems odd becuase most of the one's I've replaced are 195 or higher. I personally wouldn't bother changing to a different variety unless I had a problem with the car overheating or not warming up quickly enough.
Of course, my conclusion about the original thermostat could be completely wrong if there is another problem which is causing the engine to run hot, and the mechanic really just put the same kind of thermostat in and is telling you it's a different one so you won't suspect the engine work he just did as the cause of the difference in normal operating temperature. That's a tough one to solve without spending additional money to get a second opinion, but I'll leave that up to you. I would start by trying to find out if your Taurus would normally have a 195 degree thermostat, becuase if so, that should definitely make you suspicious. You could probably just inquire with the parts guy at the local Ford dealer or even a NAPA store about what sort of thermostat your car would normally take.
As for the temperature gauge, the mechanic is correct (although the wording is a bit strange). There is a temperature sensor (separate from the thermostat) which provides the readings that display on your temperature gauge. If your mechanic installed a thermostat which opens at a higher temperature, the coolant is going to be hotter most of the time, and therefore the reading on the guage will be higher. I'm not sure if anything can be "recalibrated" to affect the temp. gauge in that car (perhaps in the computer or the gauge itself), but I believe he was probably attempting to communicate the notion that with the different thermostat, the gauge's indication of what is "Low", "Normal", or "Hot" is going to be a bit skewed. This is why I have always liked the GM temp. gauges with the actual numbers on them. They probably aren't dead on accurate, but at least it's easier to provide a number to a mechanic than a description like: "about 2/3 between normal and hot...".
Good luck...
Thanks.
Thanks. Tweetyt2
However, buying a used car, no matter what make, is always a risk. Try to get the maintenance history, etc, and learn as much about the particular car you can. Your extended warranty may make sense so you won't get badly burned by an expensive repair, that might be a result of abuse or poor maintenance.
Mt 2000 SES with the Duratec DOHC V-6 has been excellent, now at about 25K miles.
My next door neighbor is a Ford mechanic (but he only works on the brand new exec cars for Ford HQ) and said it's probably time to have the trans. rebuilt. He can put me in touch with a good/cheap guy that is semi-retired and would charge $1200-$1500 as opposed to the ~$3000 a shop would charge.
My question: does anyone know how long I can drive the car in this condition without it getting too much worse? Are we talking about 1000 miles or 10,000 miles? I typically drive my car a total of 10 miles/day (5 miles to work and 5 miles back) so I don't stress it too much. Also, are there any additives or other "stuff" I can dump in the trans. to help 'ol Bessie along?
Thanks,
Rob
By the way, did your buddy do the T-tec flush or not? I just had my trans flushed but it was done at a regular oil change shop.
I'll let you know what happens.
Thanks,
Rob
The filter should always be changed after this t-tec flush system yet the ones running it only see time savings and greater profit without considering the impact on the consumer.
Don't forget the site is www.auto-rx.net this is devoted to the transmission, the www auto-rx.com is devoted to cleaning the motor
Also, dome light stays on all the time, so I pulled bulb.
All doors are closed. No doors are ajar. Dealer says it is common problem on Taurus. About $100 to fix. Anybody have this problem?
Same 2000 Taurus has had 4 sets of front brake rotors in last 15,000 miles (from 40,000 miles to 65,00 miles). Well known tire dealer is replacing them for free each time, but neither he nor I know what can be casuing failures. Anybody have this problem? I had new front and rear brakes and new rotors put on at 40,000 miles. Other than that, car seems OK.
Thanks. Dan
I find Edmunds has a nice search feature. If you type in door ajar in the search box, it lists all the posts that have those words and you can click on the appropriate post.
Wow. That's a problem. I thought my 97's consumption of a set every two years was trouble. I would thank the tire dealer for his honest effort, and then find someone who knows what the heck they're doing. Unless you're chauferred by Jackie Stewart, you're looking at a mechanical problem somehwere. Either the dealer is using substandard postwar East-German rotors, or there is a problem with your vehicle or his installation. I'm guessing you have aluminum wheels, in which case I would question the tech performing the work on your Taurus about his torque methods. The lugs on your Taurus need to be torqued in steps according to the factory-specified procedure (5-point star pattern, in steps, only to the maximum recommended torque. NO IMPACT WRENCHES!!!)
If that's being done correctly, begin suspecting the calipers. Check for obvious signs like difficulty turning the front wheels by hand after new rotor installation, or poor gas mileage. Deteriorating brake hoses can also drag calipers.
Another possibility is the pressure differential valve, located in the rear supension area. This modulates brake fluid pressure, when brakes are applied, between front and rear brakes. It is vertically adjusted with the ride height of the rear end so that a heavier load (3 adults in the back seat, for example) allows more brake power to the rears, relative to the fronts. It could be defective or out-of-adjustment. You may suspect it if the front pads are wearing out a much faster rate (say, 3-4 times) than the rear shoes. You could have a severe suspension alignment problem, but you would have noticed that through excessive tire wear or strange steering. A malfunctioning master cylinder can also be a problem, as well as an out-of-round wheel spindle. So, there are a lot of potential problems, but I think the four sets of rotors were more of a symptom than the problem. I would invest in a few hours of diagnotic time with someone who specializes in brake work. Make sure you discuss the problem thoroughly with him and help get started in the right direction.
To: jrc346 re: the T-bird transmission. How many miles were on your son's car when the problem started? That's good news by the way.
Thanks,
Rob
It has been that way for sometime. We bought the car used at 89,000K miles and it did it then. I asked the previous owner (a friend of mine) about it and he said it did it ever since he bought it at 45,000K miles. It hasn't gotten much worse or even worse at all. There is nothing sloppy about the shifting, just a pause between 1st and 2nd and sometimes a very brief pause between 2nd and 3rd (though this happens less frequently). I have heard that this really isn't a big deal, just that the pause has to do with the clutch packs filling with fluid? I am in no way a transmition specialist, but I remember hearing this somewhere. All I do with the transmition on that car is change the transmition fluid and filter every 15-20K to keep it clean inside. I don't want to instigate false hope, but I am just saying that I have had no problems with this (problem?), and other than that, the transmition has been a strong runner.
On the paint front, the car seems to be fine except it attracts oxidation like CRAZY! It's black so it shows everything, but it's sharp when clean and waxed.
You can peel all of that off and replace it. The car may or may not be painted underneath and if you take it off you might find it painted and not need to replace the vinyl.
The exception is on some of the earlier Taurus G models. These were less expensive, and had only the window rubber and painted metal in that area. They did not apply the vinyl to keep the cost down.
There's also the plastic panel that runs from fenderwell to fenderwell. It's either black or painted depending on year and trim line. If you have a black one and that's peeling, it's probably damaged. If it's painted and peeling, then you can remove it and repaint it.
Those are the only trim pieces on the Taurus I can think of. There's no rubbery sort of stone chip protection on the bottom of the doors that I can recall. Some cars use this, but the plastic trim panel keeps that from being needed.
I wonder if that stuff is replaceable easily--maybe not, given that it's kind of embedded with the rubber.
I have a '98 (built in May, '98 though) and these parts are doing fine. I wonder if they changed something or I'm just going to see the same thing and it's not there yet.
Maybe see if there's a pick-your-part kind of junkyard nearby and see what you can yank and use? At least that way you'd know if it was a big pain or even possible to get the strips out without trashing your own car...
Then again, I wonder if that stuff is actually the same as what goes between the doors. If it is, you'd be able to easily get more, but the disassembly might be worse than the installation.
If sending pictures, please send them to kasmith@chek.com
Thanks
Ken
TO: ALL, this is going to be the stupid question of the week. Where in the heck is the trans. filler tube on a 2000 Taurus???
Thanks,
Rob
This week I dropped off my car at the shop for an emissions inspection, and dealer's service changed a bulb to the cost of $2.64 for the bulb and $20.00 for labor. Hourly rate is $90.00 per hour.
If so you may want to try searching this thread under words like "steering", etc. to try and find either my post (someone answered but I forget what it was now because I decided to live w/it for now) or someone else's.
Good luck, Rob
*****
I bought a 2000 Tore-[non-permissible content removed] 2 weeks ago and had this problem as well. Well fixing the faulty brake switch, I also tracked this down. There is a rubber boot similar to a CV boot near the gas pedal. The steering shaft goes through this boot and a white "puck" like part rubs on the inside of the boot. Push the boot towards the floor, compressing it, use dielectic grease and liberally applied it to this surface eliminating the friction and the noise.
*****
But I honestly don't know if this could be the problem because my noise is coming RIGHT from where the steering wheel meets the stationary base of the steering column, not from anywhere near the gas pedal. I too feel like if I could just squirt a little WD-40 somewhere in that crack that maybe my problem would go away. I am due to have my car in the shop this next Wednesday (my check engine light came on again after the shop told me a new EGR valve had solved my problem...problem still exists) and I'll ask those guys if they've seen it before and have a "cheap fix".
- Rob
The dealer did NOT have the owner's manual or security code info. I found an owner's manual .pdf here on the net http://www.fleet.ford.com and downloaded it, where it mentions the factory security code for the keyless entry option is on the computer module.
I can't find the computer module in this car! There is a fuse box below the dash on the driver's side, also another under the hood up front , but nothing that looks like it has a 5-digit security code taped to it.
Can someone tell me where to look for the factory security code on this car?
Thanks!
I also hope they can catch the steering noise. If the several of us are having the problem on this little board I'm sure it's a wider problem. I'm hoping my shop can solve it. If not I may have to go out and cut the grass the same time as my neighbor and "convienently" ask him about ANOTHER problem. Actually my Taurus has served me well and I'm generally happy with it.
- Rob
The door locks are controlled by a different module, the Generic Electronic Module (GEM), if you can believe it. It is located under the dash in the steering column area. Remove the instrument panel steering column cover for access.
What are you trying to do? Program a keyless entry transmitter or the keypad on the door? In both cases the first step is to enter the "permanent factory code" which is maybe what you are looking for? They don't say where to find it.
Rob, thanks for the tip on the DPFE. I found it in the manual, it is part of the EGR system, not the PCV system. It stands for Differential Pressure Feedback Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve or sensor. whew. This sensor controls EGR flow by measuring the pressure drop across a metering orifice. The EGR valve is opened or closed using vacuum via a solinoid which is controlled by the differential pressure sensor. This way the EGR valve is used as a pressure regulator which results in a well controlled flow rate. The two engine versions use a different type of DPF device but both are an electronic sensor with vacuum inputs.
Thanks again.
He also replaced the DPFE and the car runs fine now. If anyone ever wants to try and replace it I think it would be fairly easy to do. It's located in an awkward spot (what isn't in a car these days) but looks pretty simple. Find the EGR valve on top of the engine and go back, towards the windshield, about 12-18" and you'll find the DPFE tucked behind the engine near the windshield.
- Rob
And how did you know to look for the code there? I didn't see any mention of it in the manual.
I had it into dealer service dept last night. They found and fixed the problem quickly-I was there less than 45 minutes. They replaced the front stabilizer (sway bar) connecting links. Problem is solved and since I was still under warranty, no cost to me. Based on the statement, I would have paid $82.33 if it wasn't under warranty.
So, if you start hearing suspension clunks, the front stabilizer bar connecting links may be the culprit. Hopefully the new ones were redesigned and will last longer than the first. (26K miles)
Service was fast and professional and service department has excellent hours, 7AM-11PM weekdays and 8AM-5PM Saturday. I got the car in for service on the same day I called.