[mooler]

my car just passed the 118,000 mile mark....and she is dyin on me

i think all 4 struts need replacing...the shop says none do. I had a plate engraved that says Worlds Most Dangerous Car that i put on my dashboard because the ride quailty is terrible. i can barely control her.

she stalls if she doesnt warm up in this winter weather.

she leaks antifreeze

the shop tells me that they see coolant in cylinder #5...they put a sealer in there...they say sometime it lasts forever, sometimes it doesnt.

my question is...

my car is sagging really low....both front and back. maybe like 3 inches clearance all around from the tires. do i need new struts? and if i do, should i get the mounts and springs replaced also?

also, i hear a terrible clunking noise from the passenger rear side
is it the rear sway bar that is making the clunking? because they told me i dont need a new rear sway bar.

My car is barely driveable right now.

1993 taurus GL 3.8l

 

[diesel600]

Sounds like a head gasket is going. With that, everything else, and the age of the car, it might be time for a trade.

 

[civicex]

You could probably buy an used Taurus in much better condition with the money you would spend to fix yours.

 

[jason8225]

Originally posted by civicex@Feb 18 2004, 01:49 AM
You could probably buy an used Taurus in much better condition with the money you would spend to fix yours.

yup

 

[Damon]

Originally posted by jason8225+Feb 18 2004, 03:12 AM-->QUOTE (jason8225 @ Feb 18 2004, 03:12 AM)

<!--QuoteBegin-civicex

@Feb 18 2004, 01:49 AM
You could probably buy an used Taurus in much better condition with the money you would spend to fix yours.

yup

[/b]

I third that.

But if you really want to get it fixed, get new struts AND springs.

Problem (well one of them) solved.

-Damon

 

[mooler]

thanks guys for the quick replies.....

I knew what i was gonna hear about the head gasket. I just didnt wanna hear it.

the white smoke tipped me off. although in this cold weather its hard to tell if its just water vapor or actual smoke.

well once the head gasket goes, im gonna get a new (used) car. the the money i got right now, i cant afford a new (used) car, but ill figure somethin out

btw how hard is it to replace the head gasket -- meaning DIY style?

 

[UnDeR EsTiMaTeD]

Originally posted by mooler@Feb 17 2004, 11:39 PM
btw how hard is it to replace the head gasket -- meaning DIY style?

Not easy. I replaced mine and it took me almost 2 weeks. There was a lot of labor involved, and I'll tell ya, it was a lot easier tearing apart than putting it back together.

 

[jason8225]

Originally posted by mooler@Feb 18 2004, 02:39 AM
thanks guys for the quick replies.....

I knew what i was gonna hear about the head gasket. I just didnt wanna hear it.

the white smoke tipped me off. although in this cold weather its hard to tell if its just water vapor or actual smoke.

well once the head gasket goes, im gonna get a new (used) car. the the money i got right now, i cant afford a new (used) car, but ill figure somethin out

btw how hard is it to replace the head gasket -- meaning DIY style?

If you can afford to get a new (used) car, I would just drive your current car til it dies, then somebody would probably still pay you a few hundred bucks for it, then look at used Taurii

Not sure how much you would want to spend, but Gen 4's are getting very cheap.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do and, of course, we're always here to help.

 

[zeptoplix]

I wouldn't rank the headgaskets up to high in the difficulty list. The hardest part will be getting the exhaust manifolds off (simply because of where they are, the bolts on mine were easily removed. If your head is warped that will cause a few more problems than just replacing the headgaskets (you'll have to get the head machined or get a new one. ) All in all it took me about 14 hours to complete. Cost me aboot $200 (gaskets and a junkyard set of heads)

 

[Racer X]

Originally posted by Zeptoplix@Feb 18 2004, 01:09 PM
Cost me aboot $200...

He said aboot.

Anyway, it's just hard getting around in the engine bay of the 3.8L. The job itself isn't all that technical. If you decide to to this, the heads should be milled, weather they're warped or not. Not milling them is just asking for the gasket to fail again.

The clunking in the rear is either sway links or strut mounts. My money is on the strut mounts, since mine are shot too, but the struts and springs are in great shape. Up front, clunking is more commonly caused by worn sway links than anything, but a bad ball joint or tie rod end could also cause the same symptom.

The cold weather stalling sounds to me like a sticking IAC valve.

The coolant leak:
Check your hoses. They might just require tightening. Or they could possibly just need replacing. Either way, not expensive. Oh, also, check the water inlet pipe that goes into the water pump. It's the black pipe that runs from the lower radiator hose to the water pump. If this pipe is wet with coolant, they your leak is from a worn seal up where it fits into the pump. The seal is $0.59, and takes all of an hour to replace, wheels off to wheels on, with hand tools.

Aside from the head gasket, you just need to make a bunch of small repairs is seems to get your car road worthy. Any more questions, just ask us; we're here all the time.

 

[zeptoplix]

LMFAO!! I was wondering if anyone would actually pick up on that! lol. It was typo, but then i thought oh well, you peeps to the south would get a kick out of it

Make sure your endlinks on the back aren't broke. One of mine was and it impeded ride quality somewhat (in cornering and such )

 

[sabledale]

I had a bad clunk in my rear passenger side too. It was a broken spring. Mabey you struts are fine like they say but the mounts or springs may be bad. If you dive in their to fix mounts or springs you might as well do struts because of the chance of damaging them.

 

[sabledale]

New rear springs, mounts, and struts that carry a lifetime parts and labor warenty cost me $400 installed. I'm happy as my car rides smooth and corners well again. Just to finish off the rear I put new stabilizer links on myself. $20 per side and a half hour of work isn't bad. Had to cut the suckers off though because of the locknuts.