Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum

Duratec Connecting rods

fordlover35 — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:09:03 GMT

Ford Duratec Performance Parts K1 V6 Duratec Rods 3.0 Duratec ConRods

Does anybody or has anybody heard of using these? I am looking into building a performance duratec to put into my 1997 LX.

Gen4 Suspension Improvements

Exocet — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:59:55 GMT

Looking at making some suspension improvements (springs, struts, & shocks) to my 2000 Sable. Would like to firm things up a bit, but don't want a pounding ride (especially over NY's pot-holed roads).

For springs, I'm looking at the Moog CC897s for the rear springs. For the front springs, I'm considering a set of Gen3 springs. The Moog site lists them at 169 lbs/in, whereas the Gen4's are 142 lbs/in. So, a bit firmer.

Now for the struts/shocks, I was under the impression that the Gen4s were a bit firmer than the Gen3. I contacted KYB and they indicated that their GR2's have the same dampening between the Gen3 and Gen4 versions. So, maybe only the OEM struts/shocks are different?

Not looking to spend a small fortune here, just make things a bit better.

Which drivetrain do you prefer?

The White Falcon — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:52:41 GMT

It's simple. Which do you prefer: FWD, RWD, or AWD?

Tell us why in the comments!

ABS engages last few feet of a stop

rwills2 — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:11:15 GMT

Sometimes, when making a slightly harder stop, the ABS kicks in during the last few feet. The ABS light never comes on and the only code my friend could find was ABS brake switch open. While a sticking caliper is possible I guess, I can't figure out what this code is referring to. The only ABS brake switch I can find a reference to is the brake pedal travel switch. And I don't know where that is located.

P1151 and P0152 Codes

lgench — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:18:56 GMT

You folks have helped me in the past with my 95 Sable, now having problem with my "new" 2003 Sable with Duratec engine. 77,000 miles. I have searched forum. When I clear these codes with my OBD II scanner, they come back within a few minutes. Car runs fine. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Is it possible to disable the PATS system?

Kestas — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:07:01 GMT

Is it possible to disable the antitheft portion of the ignition key system (PATS)? I think it's a money making scam for the automakers, more that it's an antitheft device. I don't relish the idea of paying a lot of money for replacement keys for an older car.

Suspension + cv axle overhaul

ben1 — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:28:46 GMT

Hello everyone! I have been wanting to install some new parts in my Taurus for a long time and now it is finally the time! I have a couple of sounds in my car when turning, going through the potholes and when putting the car in the gear (especially when putting it into reverse).

I hope that replacing these parts will fix my issues; some are original parts (~180k mileage). I did some research and I decided on getting parts from O'Reilly's because of their good warranty policy.

Parts I will be getting:

CV axles
CV axle seals
Sway bar links
Inner & Outer tie rods
Control arms

All these parts are Masterpro with the exception of CV axle seals and they are all for both sides of the vehicle. I could get MOOG parts for similar price, however as I wont drive the car very much, then most likely I will run out of the warranty before anything happens.

Is there anything else I need to get from the store to install these parts? I have a good amount of tools and I will get the specific tools through the auto shops' rental programs. I am the most worried about control arms & cv axle installs. Any recommendations, ideas, helpful tips are all welcome! You guys have been a super good resource so far!

Electrical Gremlin king

catimann — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:09:11 GMT

My Girl Friend has a 98 SW with all the options, power everything. When she bought it the antenna didn't work the the original owner said they cut the wires because it would just continuously go up and down. We laughed and bought the car, who cares right?
It has progressed down the road for 3 years and the car owes us nothing with only a few issues, replaced fuel & water pumps.

The electrical gremlins were a standing joke. Adjust the mirror and the door locks go up and down. Intermittent wipers decide on there own when to be intermittent. Check engine light comes on, then goes off after 5 min, 5 hours, 5 days, who knows. Most have been things one can ignore. Oh and the best one was the door locks go up and down all day if it is a few degrees below freezing!!! This is only a short list!!!!

The other evening the lights stayed on after the car was off, key out. My fix was to disconnect the battery and after that did not solve it install a battery shut off terminal. In the mean time she has learned the lights will turn off if you play with the dimmer switch.
Then I noticed the running lights and brake lights were no longer working! Ok now we have a very unsafe car and it needs a fix.

Any thoughts are welcome as she likes the silly thing. However if I can buy one for $500-1200 here I am inclined to just do that even if the money is tight.

We did read one similar problem on another web site that said all these issues could be from the ignition switch.

Thanks so much

Computer codes '91

rccharles — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:00:24 GMT

Ford Taurus GL 1991 3.0L 6cyl
42,000 miles. My mother drove it to the golf course and back.

My car is hesitant to accelerate unless I press hard on the gas petal. Jack rabbit starts are best at a light. Seriously!
A normal start often causes stuttering/hesitation.

The car failed the pollution test because not enough volumn of "air" was coming out of the exhaust. ( just for info. I'm going to have to take the car into the ship for this. )

What do I need to do to fix these codes?

car cold in driveway and after car was run for 1/2 hour. car parked in driveway. Engine is off.

( got the same codes in both cases )

179 R adaptive fuel lean limit reached at part throttle, system rich, cylinder bank no. 1 ( 1990 on)

634 o,c,r MLP sensor voltage higher or lower than expected ( 1990 on)

after car was run for 1/2 hour. car is parked by running in driveway. did the steering wheel to the right. pressed brake.

173 o,r HEGO < or EGO or oxygen > sensor indicates rich condition, cylinder bank no. 1 ( 1990 on )

538 r invalid cylinder balance test caused by CID sensor circuit fault (1991 on )

It's nice to know what these codes mean, but what do I do about them?

Robert

Rear Wheels Concern/Question

FT2006se — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:12:20 GMT

I have a concern about my 2006 Taurus. I am only the second owner of this car and when I got it, it only had 38,000 orginal miles on it. The car is in immaculate shape for being a 2006. Anyhow, not knowing a lot about a taurus and the way they were built from factory, my concern is about the rear wheels. Is it normal for the rear wheels to look like they turn inward when standing from the side of the car? Perhaps its an illusion to the eye. Almost reminds you of the car getting hit from the side or something and never knowing it.I have the history of the car and its never been reported of an accident or major rear repair but take a look at the picture I have included and tell me what I most likely just dont know. Probably nothing to worry about I assume but just wanted to have any info I can get. Thanks for all input given.

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Removal of rear drivers side quarter panel?

trcoburn — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:42:34 GMT

Hello!

So here is my situation. A few months back i got in a small accident involving my rear quarter panel on my 2001 Ford Taurus Sedan. Just recently the bumper came off while driving and now I am looking to repair the majority of the damage from the accident.

My question for everyone is how do you remove the rear drivers side quarter panel on a 2001 Ford Taurus? I plan on grabbing one from a local junkyard that already has the panel, but I have no idea how to remove one. I have done quite a bit of research and haven't found much of anything even talking about the subject. I would figure that this would be popular subject with the common wheel well rust many taurus's encounter.

If anyone can enlighten me on this that would be great!

Thanks!

My A/C is blowing hot D:

NyteFire — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:24:13 GMT

121000 miles
I have manual controls.

I've read a few topics but I don't know how I should start to diagnose the problem. I guess the first thing I should try doing is moving the dial between cold and hot a few times to see if that actuator door is stuck. In the past when I was outside my vehicle and the AC was running I could have a "click" every so often which I would assume would be the AC compressor kicking in. I'll check for that sound next. If I'm not hearing the clicking sound what would my next course of action be?

Edit

My RPMs do fluctuate when I turn off/on my AC and I do hear a "click" when I turn my AC off and then to MAX, I'm assuming that would be the compressor. There is water (condensation) pooling under my vehicle. I turned the climate knob a few times and now it's blowing cool air rather then just warm air

Unmarked Car - Anecdote

unit731 — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:06:37 GMT

1997 Wagon 3.0 OHV

While driving through the high plains of New Mexico. This month.
All flat.
No homes. No businesses. No nothing for as far as eye can see.
Sunny Day.

Speed limit 75 MPH.

I put cruise control on 70 MPH.

Up ahead were 3 cars - all about 10 car lengths apart. Going about the same speed as me.
All cars in right lane of divided highway - two lanes each side.

My plates are from a state far far away from New Mexico.

What was this officer doing and why?

I'm about a mile or so behind the ahead 3 cars.

In rearview mirror way behind me I see a white car approach. It comes right behind me.
I don't pay much attention. A minute or so goes by and I again look in rearview mirror. Car gone.
So I look to my left and car is on my left blind side slowly passing me.
As it slowly passes me I notice a laptop on the passenger seat - raised some - facing driver - opened.
The white car was new looking and not any kind of stripped down model - viewing the nice wheels.
A white 4 door sedan. Not a Dodge nor Crown Victoria.

Car passes me and up ahead it pulls right up to back of first car closest to me. 60 seconds or so it passes that car and get behind the middle car. 60 seconds or so - and all of these hidden red and blue lights go on.
Middle car pulled over.

I kept going.

I do not have New Mexico plates - I'm just passing through the state.

KN Air Filter

Lrobby99 — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:24:17 GMT

Hi
Hope I'm not overlooking any long settled threads on this topic. Just installed a new KN air filter the other day. The KN gasket seems a little more thick and it was a little difficult to get the top back on, but seems to be seated fine.

Any experiences out there with the KN filtering the 3.5L Cyclone? Or KN air filters in other cars? This is my first one. I use their oil filter often on my cycle. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to also ask if the KN oil filters are popular around here? But, I'm sure there is a thread on that!

Let me introduce m 3.0 Vulcan G2 Taurus from... RUSSIA!

lew1992 — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:19:48 GMT

Hello all American Taurus-lovers!
Sorry for my a little bit bad English.
My name is Lev, I'm 21 and I'm from Moscow... Yes, from the capital of Russia.
I've got my driver license at 11th may 2012 and at 12th may 2012 I've bought 1991 Mercury Sable G2 Station Wagon (In documents it was 1991, but already G2). Here it is:

But the story is not about it, because it's a history!
From august 2012 to march 2013 I've got a 1989 Chrysler Dynasty, but it was burned by stupid repairmen.
Here it is too (its best time):

But now, in the end of march, I've got a question - What can I buy for everyday ride? Russian cars are awfull, European cars of 80-90s have manual transmissionand are too small for me....
I've got only 45 000 roubles (1500USD)/ I know, in America you can by beautyfull car for this money... In Russia - NO. I was very-very lucky, when at 17th april 2013 I found my new car - Ford Taurus G2 Station Wagon GL (3/0 V6 Vulcan inside) from 1992. Since 1995 it was in Russia and has only two owners before me.
ITS PRICE WAS 1500 USD AND IT'S REALLY CHEAP FOR RUSSIA!
And let me introduce - the look of my Taurus when I bought it:
1. NO POWER STEERING
2. NO HEAD LIGHTS
3. NO SIDE MIRRORS
4. NO ODOMETER (It's broken, but it's NOT the crime in Russia unlike in USA)
5. SPEEDOMETER IS BROKEN

Well, I rode my new Taurus home with the help of friend (I couldn't drive it without power steering).
Taurus near my home:

Then I made power steering, head lights and side mirrors.
Another problems are really small for me and I don't have money to remove them now.
And, surely,I washed my Taurus for festival,where I brougt lot of retro-crap in it:

Well, from 17th april to 23th may I rode nearly 2000 km on my Taurus. It has a lot of little problems in engine and electric engineering, but it runs well, I like it and I will never buy anything but american cars (my golden dream are Lincoln Town Car '93/ Buick roadmaster '94/ Cadillac Fleetwood '95)
In Russia there is also Taurus-Club, G2 and G1 are still in everday use, but there is not so much Taururses on the streets of Moscow and especially on the streets of another cities. Taurus is the most low-cost used car in Russia in the ratio of price to quality, but no one buys it, because people are scared of mythical non-repairablity and heavy fuel consumption of these cars.

And for nice ending - some photos from summer colony in 60 km from Moscow:

Thank you for reading and watching!
Sorry for mistakes!

Steering will not return to center

gus erickson — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:54:09 GMT

I bought my 01 Taurus in December 2012. It had 103k miles on it. I have driven it 15,000 miles. We had a grinding noise in the front and some brake noise. We found a bad bearing, did brakes and struts. Now when you drive the car straight the steering wheel and steering will twitch from side to side. When you make a turn(either direction) It will pull the steering all the way to the lock. It will not return to center. This is while driving. You have to hold the wheel back from spinning all the way to the lock. We replaced the power steering pump 10,000 miles ago and it has been fine. We've looked and cannot find anything loose or broken. Any ideas? TIA

Big Red 2 ton lever jack on sale at Pepboys $25

NyteFire — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:47:16 GMT

And here I thought level jacks were super expensive

Changing O2 sensors

cpusavant — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:57:37 GMT

Have to get some work done on my car, & one of the things they mentioned was they needed to replace the O2 sensors. I've got to take it in anyways, since the timing cover needs to be replaced (it's leaking) and I definitely do not feel comfortable doing that repair myself.

On review, it seems somewhat easy, but I'm not sure. How easy is replacing the sensors? I'm a relative novice when it comes to repairs. I can do basic stuff myself - oil change, spark plugs, brakes, etc - but some more complex stuff makes me nervous. Also, how many sensors are there? I've seen 2 & 4 in different places.

My Taurus is a 2006 Taurus SEL Vulcan 3.0L V6.

Wierd yellow powder on #4 plug and threads 2002 Duratec

bighank — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:50:07 GMT

Pulled front plugs after about 15K miles. Motorcraft platiniums. Gaps were about .060 to .065. Cleaned and regapped to .054. #4 plug had funny yellow/orange powder like material on the plug including the threads going into the block. Was also coating the round 4 to 5 inches from the plug hole to the top of the area where the plug wire goes. Factory wires and boots.

Did not look like rust but I am not sure what is is. Cleaned up plug and bored hole with carb and choke cleaner and reinstalled.

All plugs showed normal grey deposits in the center electrode. Not oil fouled or burnt.

Any ideas what this powder is? Rust, pixie dust?

O2 sensors

tbm3fan — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:35:36 GMT

Quick question. I noticed, when looking on Rock Auto, that they list two O2 sensors (DY831, DY745) for upstream and one part number for the downstream (DY1089). These are Motorcraft numbers while others only specify one number upstream and one downstream.

Implies to me that both downstream are the same both the upstream sensors are different for each bank according to Motorcraft? Am I reading that right or not? Or, are the aftermarket ones like Bosch and Standard correct?

If money was no option......

98SilverSable — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:13:28 GMT

I have found my beast.....

The Hennessey Performance VelociRaptor SUV :D

VelociRaptor SUV | Hennessey Performance

Cooling Fan Not Coming On

Blackthorne — Thu, 23 May 2013 03:03:41 GMT

I tried digging through similar threads, but most were "fan is not coming on at all" or "Fan is running all the time".

Edit: 94 Taurus GL 3.0 OHV Vulcan

The fan comes on when I turn on the A/C, but without the A/C running it does not come on at either the low or high temps to cool.

Thermostat is fairly new (6 months). Shouldn't be a fuse right? Otherwise i'd think the fan would be dead all the time. CCRM? Cooling Temp Sensor?

Any other short quickie tests I could use to check any or all of the above? School year is closing out, so I be crazy busy for the next couple of weeks.

Thanks in advance.

Taurus Number 2 after a VW

mikey_Vr — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:43:29 GMT

Hi Everyone... I have been absent to the forums for a long period of time but now and then I would check out the forums!

My first Taurus (2004 SEL Black on Black 24V)

Sold it and got a VW (Crashed, Written off)

Then after a year of not driving and finally getting insurance, I bought my 2002 Taurus SEL 24V Grey on Black Leather

Plans are to keep up on the maintenance and do a few audio upgrades, exhaust (from the old Taurus) and a full detail!

Ill also be posting a few questions in the next few days!!

possible engine swap?

Bullet — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:01:12 GMT

Hello fellow Taurus owners. I'm new here. I currently own a 2002 wagon with a vulcan engine. The car was my grandmothers which she bought brand new. She is no longer with us but I inherited it. At first my initial reaction to the car was oh boy, a grocery getter. Ill be sure to get all the girls with this. But some time has passed and I find myself loving the sleek lines and the way she cruises but still has the power if I need it. I was wondering how hard it would be, or how much it would it cost to put a SHO engine into the wagon to really just set it off. I put tints on last weekend and I keep it very clean. I see my silver bullet having the potential to become a real SHO stopper lol. Thanks for reading!

2002 DOHC - Installing intake manifold, FI, EGR gaskets - any tricks or suggestions

bighank — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:04:03 GMT

Have a massive vacuum leak. Ready to replace UIM, LIM, FI, and EGR gaskets. Have the Felpro kit containing all the above gaskets.
Is there anything I should do besides just placing the gaskets in and torqueing them down?
I saw somewhere that you should put some adhesive or silicone on the edges of the manifolds or on the gaskets themselves to hold them in place.
Have never worked with rubber gaskets before.

GT5 Snow Driving

ShelbyRacer78 — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:59:14 GMT

Great News Breeves002 and I just found out that a 98 SHO is better( :lol2: ) in the snow than a Nissan GT-R. One with FWD the other with AWD.

A Thank You for all your help with the SHO

Sable476 — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:47:36 GMT

So I figured that since all of you have been so helpful in trouble shooting the SHO i would treat you all to some V8 music especially since my IMRC box is functional now. Enjoy :D

SHO - YouTube" target="_blank">Flat out in a V8 SHO - YouTube

I was planning on going a little longer but i saw a Vic's head lights off in the distance so i figured it would be better to slow down a tad...dont think they would be pleased with me going almost 80 in a 40.

Rocker panel rust

Markanthony404 — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:22:21 GMT

My 03 Sable will not pass PA inspection because of some rocker panel rust. Hopefully I can get some good advice on how to fix this. I could have someone cut off the rust and weld on new metal or buy new rocker panels and have someone put them on? The shop that inspected it told me another option would be to use fiberglass to patch up the holes. This car is a beater so I really don't care about the looks but I'd like to keep it for another 2 - 3 years. Right now my budget is around 500$. Thanks!

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painting Taurus wheels

NewFordguy88 — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:08:14 GMT

Im considering painting my stock 03' Taurus wheels black since they are a lil scraped and scratched. Anyone know best way to do this, and what paint to use?

New from central Florida

13limitless — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:52:01 GMT

My wife and I just recently purchased a ex-rental 13 limited almost fully loaded. We bought it after we totaled our Pontiac G8 gt. The car is nothing short of impressive in size, features, ride, build quality, ect.. And we are happy with our choice so far. We live in Port Saint Lucie FL, not sure how many members are in my area but there sure are a lot of Taurus owners around lol..
We have done a few things to make it ours like black out the windows and smoke the headlights as well as a custom touch on the rear lights. We may do some more things in the future but this car is on family duty so nothing extream.
We are a car family and try to attend local shows when we can. Other cars in the family are a 92 Honda civic daily driver and a 96 Pontiac Trans Am LT1 6 speed toy/ weekend car.
Here are some pics of the cars.
Attachment 66476
Attachment 66477
Attachment 66478

And my Trans Am
Attachment 66479
Attachment 66480

My name is Albert and my wife is Maggie by the way, I (Albert) will probably do most of the posting.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

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This car needs to be louder

Frozen Taurus — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:36:32 GMT

This thing is way too quiet under hard acceleration, I see/hear a Corsa exhaust system in the future :D

Torque Converter On Its Way Out?

jerseyharold — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:28:23 GMT

The car is my '05 SE flex-fuel wagon with 130K miles. Last night, there was a rubbing/grinding when I put it into park that lasted about 5 seconds. It did the same thing one time today. It runs well and shifts okay otherwise.

There are two more things it does that may or may not be related. The first is that there is a little (very slight) grind when upshifting at 35-40 MPH. The other is an intermittent uneven, rolling idle. If the TQ is on its way out, can it be causing the uneven idle?

Thanks for any ideas.

Harold

Duratec A/C Problem

Klopp — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:43:40 GMT

Hi there.

After a log time the 2002 taurus is finally running.
Had to change the crankshaft, piston rods, piston rings, all the gaskets, new thermostat, new oil and temperature switch and new oil pump. Didint machine the heads.
Here is the original post if somebody is interested
http://www.taurusclub.com/forum/82-m...-engine-3.html

Anyway, the AC was working fine for the first 40Km, but suddenly stopped cooling.

About a week ago (was very hot day) i started the car and AC, but wasn't blowing cold air, so i give it some time to see if started to cool, when i noticed some smell of clutch smoke. I turn the car off and checked the engine and found the AC clutch smoking (smelled like brake/clutch smoke).

Today i got a pair of manifold gauges and checked the AC pressure and this is what i got:

With the AC off the pressure is about 28Psi in high and low side (80�F)
With the AC on, the pressure reading are:

High side: 100Psi Max
Low side: 10-28 Psi

The AC clutch is working fine (is not slipping or anything), But it is cycling on and off repeatedly in very short time periods.
Is not cooling AT all. The vents are as warm as the outside.

What are the normal pressure readings for this car? If the pressure is ok, what could be going wrong?

Any help appreciated

By the way, is a 2002 Ford Taurus duratec 24v DOHC

Andres Klopp

2000 Taurus Vulcan will not start

gtau — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:54:49 GMT

Hello Everyone.

My 2000 Taurus Vulcan will not start after I left her in parking last night. Just changed oil pan gasket to stop oil leak. Works fine for a couple of weeks.

I tried to shift it to Neutral to start, and the brake feels all tight up, and she will not shift.

I heard soft click when my wife tried to start her up. Checked battery quickly, voltage seems to be fine. I disconnected and reconnected battery, and it did not help.

I will try to jump start it this PM after work. Hope it is the battery. Can't remember the exact time this battery was put in. Maybe 3 or 4 years ago: I really need to track all these things more closely.

Any suggestion? (come on, I saw all you guys watching this thread over there)

Thanks for all your input.:(

Newly posted 5 MPH speed limit. Speedometer doesn't go that low!

RavenLX — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:39:48 GMT

How do you know you're going 5 mph? My car's speedometer only goes to 10 at the lowest. Halfway down from 10 is the peg meaning no movement. They just posted a sign at our complex that we are to go 5 mph speed limit. It would mean I would have to be riding the brakes (wearing them out) or speeding?

The way in goes past the office, too.

So what do you do when your car doesn't have a 5 mph? How do you tell?

And if you get ticketed or a notice from the landlord to pay a "fine" for "speeding", is it permissible in court to say your car's speedometer doesn't go that low so you can't possibly know?

When I stop then take my foot off the brake but not on the gas, it goes to 10 mph. I do about that just pulling out of my parking spot (and riding the brake yet to be careful).

This is confusing.

Transmission Interchange 93-95 SHO

protoffroad — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:23:40 GMT

Hi everyone!

According to the shop I took my 95 Taurus Sho to, I need a 'new' transmission. I found a used one for cheap here locally, but it is from a 1993.

Will these two transmissions interchange?

Are the electronics the same?

Should I grab any other parts to simplify the changeover?

Thanks in advance!

Can't read scanner

Mez — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:23:36 GMT

I have a 2004 Taurus/Flex Fuel. When I am driving the tach, speedometer, temp gauge, quits working and the battery light comes on. When I have a scanner hooked up to it everything says not available on the scanner. When everything starts working again all of the info starts working on the scanner. I checked wiring and found nothing loose or any wiring rubbed.
Was wondering if this could be a powertrain control module problem.

Would appreciate any info on this. Thanks

r134a

sheila — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:18:08 GMT

Fwiw, if anyone has a Big Lots! store nearby and is in need of r134a refrigerant, they have it for $8/12oz. can. No leak sealers/additives. Wallyworld has it for $9.99/12oz. can. Sam's Club has a 30lb. tank for $79. Get a set of a/c manifold gauges/hoses from Harbor Freight Tools for $40-45 and you'll be an hvac tech, lol!

2001 Taurus SE fleet car retiring to Florida

ratio411 — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:48:17 GMT

My mother was given a Taurus that was a liquor salesman's car in the Baltimore area. I brought it back to Florida, and have begun improvements to make it a nice comfortable occaisional driver.

The car has been exposed to some really harsh environmental conditions with the wild seasonal weather changes up north, and exposure to salt/chemical treated roads. Luckily there are no outward signs of this at all on the body, and what is under the car and under the hood is more surface rust/corrosion, as opposed to rust through or structural damage.

The exterior was hit on the trunk lid, and the headlights were badly fogged. So I used headlight restore, and it worked great. Then I found a donor 02 Taurus SES the same color, in a local salvage yard, and pulled the undamaged trunk lid. So the exterior of the car is perfect now.

The interior was really bad on this car. That donor 02 SES in the same color really helped out. It had a really nice fold down rear seat, and even though our rear seat was about the only part of the interior in decent shape, I swapped anyway for the convienence. There were several spots of old, nasty glue around the inside. I guess the salesman had note pads, calendars, and ??? stuck around the car for his work. Then the front seats and carpet were heavily stained do-do brown, coffee spills I assume. So, some smooth (non-pumice) Go-Jo hand cleaner was called for. I went over the entire interior with it and removed all gunk. Turned out great... All that is left are a couple of small cig burns in the driver's side headliner.

The aftermarket stereo and chincey adapter are now gone too, thanks to the 02 SES and it's factory stereo still in perfect condition.

Next to come out of the SES is the driver's power seat track.

Then I'll tint the windows, as that is pretty much a must here in Florida.
(20% all around but the forward side windows which can only be 35%)

Then I will hunt down the reason for a misfire on cylinder 4.

I look forward to talking Taurus as I make more improvements.

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tuning frequency

bassFreake — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:06:45 GMT

anyone know where abouts our cars peak with tuning? from what I've heard the fusion peaks at like 30Hz, I don't have a termlab or anything to test where mine peaks though

2002 DOHC A/C compressor question

redmenace — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:23:32 GMT

Shop says the AC compressor is shot and wants 850.00 to replace it. As usual, money is tight and I know alot of the cost is the labor to remove and replace due to the PITA location. Just replaced the compressor clutch last year so pretty sure I can get the compressor out. But, I've never tinkered with a cooling system so a couple questions
1. Anything special about dropping the old refridgerant?
2. Any pitfalls to avoid? Read the new compressor needs to be oiled before installing but anything else that might not be obvious to a rank amateur?
3. Provided all goes well with the replacement, can it be driven w/o the system charged? Don't have gauges etc to recharge. Is recharging that hard to do or should it be left to a professional?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Misfire

tmancdx — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:27:51 GMT

2000 Vulcan started running rough. Starts ok. Does not die. Just runs rough. Light was on previously but ran ok. When this started the light began to flash. Autozone scanned twice and got 302 & 340 both times. I only go very short distances (less than 2 miles). A couple of times after I had it scanned, I drove it and it ran ok. So there is some intermittentcy to the problem. But mostly rough. No smoke. No chirping noise from cam sensor. Tried taking electrical connector off and reattaching to cam sensor. Can't hear any obvious vacuum leaks. Pulling PVC valve out does not make it run any rougher. What should I try first?

door sensor problem

lpbennett — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:10:23 GMT

Ok here I am again with another problem. Sometimes or I should say most times I get the light on that says a door is ajar. I have figured out it is the drivers door as to where my problem lies.....but not sure what to do about it. For instance last night I went out to get something out of my car and shut the door and the light stayed on. I have to drive it just a little ways to get the light to shut off and then shut the key off before any doors are open get out and then the light will shut off. But I cant open door again or when I shut it more than likely it wont show I shut the door and the light will stay on. Is there a fuse I can just remove so I dont have to keep dealing with this??? Any suggestions would be helpful??!! :rolleyes2:

Woohoo! Got my 1/4 torque wrench today. It's tranny flush time!

NyteFire — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:27:42 GMT

Just got my 1/4 inch torque wrench from Amazon. Tomorrow will be tranny flush time after I'm done with work!

Anyone Got A Mechanic They Trust?

cruisin97 — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:24:36 GMT

The title says it all.

Got a 99 Taurus with a leaking gas tank. Called the 2 shop I have used for years for a price on repair.

One won't return my calls, the other doesn't want to do the job, because they had a similar job several months ago and it turned out to be a diaster.

Car is located in upstate NY, about halfway between NYC and Albany.

Grinding sound from 2000-3000 rpm

taurusGRIFTY — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:12:02 GMT

Hi everybody, love this forum, you guys have helped me a ton without knowing it for years. First post, and it's about a strange problem with my 2003 taurus SES. I have a grinding sound that usually kicks in loud when I'm at about 2500 rpm, from the front end somewhere. Around 2100 I can hear what I can best describe as "pin-prick clicks", and the sound evolves to a roaring grind by 2500. Any ideas? No check engine light, gas mileage is fine, and performance otherwise is fine. There's a bit of power loss in that zone, but it's not severe. The sound seems to be present regardless of gear. Just had a full flush and filter change on my trans, no help. Occasionally i'll hear the very same sound when idling through a drive through or stopping in a parking place. Suspicious it's suspension, but honestly i'm not the most natural car guy so I'd love some groupthink from you wonderful dudes here. Thanks!!

Vibration when braking... NOT warped rotors

Simon182 — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:49:18 GMT

Whenever I brake from any speed above 35 or 40 mph the whole car shakes/vibrates. I highly doubt that it's warped rotors because I changed them less than 15,000 miles ago so they should be fine. What else could it be?

Also I didn't want to start a new thread for a short question, but if i turn on my A/C the rpm's drop and fluctuate for about 10 seconds then it's fine. I'm pretty sure it's fine but I wanna double check if this happens to anyone else?

Weird Speedometer Problem

MikeF12 — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:11:00 GMT

97, LX sedan, 24 Valve. I had a new battery installed a little while back. Since then, the speedometer and odometer usually don't work when the car is first started. Tach and everything else work normally.

Sometimes the speedo starts working after I make a right turn. Sometimes, it starts working after a goose on the accelerator. And sometimes, but not often, it takes longer and just seems to start working at random. Once in a great while, it stops working as I'm driving down the road; I goose it once or twice and it starts working again. It's starting to drive me nuts.

Again, everything else is working normally.

Anyone have any idea what's going on and how to fix it?

Thanks,
Mike

Wheel nut problem

zinger — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:25:44 GMT

I was doing a tire rotation on my bull yesterday and i was finished and just torquing the nuts up, when i was tightening the last one it seemed to not be tightening so i kept tightening then snap off come the wheel stud. So, i went to part source and ordered a new one, picked it up, then it didnt fit. So i went to the jy and got a set of 5, no problems. I just thought it was weird that it wasnt tightening.
Question 1. Why was it feeling like it was turning but yet it was just snapping the stud?
Question 2. What is the torque spec for 2003 SE Vulcan?

My caliper just split...

Nikzilla — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:59:42 GMT

I had my caliper hanging on the strut by zipties while I was hammering the strut into place to slip it into the spindle when my caliper just suddenly flew apart.

I dunno what to do now, there is no way I can get the caliper back together. The outer caliper is literally almost a quarter inch smaller than the inner caliper.

Any advice?