Taurus Car Club of America : Ford Taurus Forum banner

What would you do

4K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  chartmaker 
#1 ·
So I am now the owner of a new to me 02 Taurus SES with just shy of 95k on the odometer. Runs like lit was new and no known issues other than limited heat. Got it from an older couple who drove it since new and have a long history of maintenance. If you were me what are somethings that I should be aware off, common problems or issues that pop up frequently on these cars. I guess I have the Vulcan engine. Still looking for the type of tranny a something.

Thought?
 
#3 ·
So I am now the owner of a new to me 02 Taurus SES with just shy of 95k on the odometer. Runs like lit was new and no known issues other than limited heat. Got it from an older couple who drove it since new and have a long history of maintenance. If you were me what are somethings that I should be aware off, common problems or issues that pop up frequently on these cars. I guess I have the Vulcan engine. Still looking for the type of tranny a something.

Thought?
Attached is a summary of Ford rec of maint. You will not go wrong with that. Along with the plugs, best check the coil as it likely is cracked and will cause a misfire in time. Easy test: use a spray bottle with tap water, and with warm idling engine spritz the coil lightly with water. If the engine changes at all, the coil is cracked. I have had 3 G-4's OE coil crack.
I am on Bulls # 7,8,9. Those all '03 with DOHC engine. All 9 bought used, and all but one went to my daughters after I used them in my work. None ever had a engine or tran issue. Key is maintence.


Living in the serious rust belt, brakes are a constant issue as well as body rust. I have 3 Bulls with 3 drivers until college starts in the fall.


Best of luck.
-chart-
 

Attachments

#5 ·
Inspect springs and struts first; springs have history of breakage, inspect brakes, Flush cooling system with Motorcraft VC-9, fresh Anti-freeze, make sure to have THREE keys on hand in case one gets lost: key programming is free if you have two keys left; if you have one key left, it will cost over $100.
 
#7 ·
If uou have a Vulcan then search Clinton Flush for that heat problem and consider changing the engine type in your user panel . I'd definitely do a trans pan drop if there's no record of a recent one, plenty of threads here on it. If you have a Tec the trans is an AX4N, if it's s Vulcan the trans type can be ID'd by the door sticker
 
#8 ·
Serpentine Belt. I'm on my 4th one since I bought the car in 2009. They tend to dry up and crack in heat.
I'm starting to change it annually just to be safe.
As others have said - change all your filters and fluids to start out fresh.
I don't put a lot of miles on mine ( little old lady bahhahaa) but do new shocks/struts/springs about every 3 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kekaye56
#9 ·
^^^^^ What brand belts are you using? I have used Goodyear Gatorbacks (now known as Continental Elite) for many years on all my cars with zero issues. They last nearly forever, and never ever squeak.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kekaye56
#11 ·
I appreciate all's input. I did do a work through of the engine and transmission on this and found that both the Oil and Tranny fluid look great. I know the Oil was recently changed as I have the receipt in the glove box, but the tranny fluid was nice and red, with no sediment, at least from the dip stick. However, I did notice that the coolant was not good at all, which may be the reason I have little to no heat. I will be searching for a flush thread here later on that as well as the Clinton Flush. Plugs, wires, and Coil looked fine. Looking forward to tackling some of the minor issues with it and seeing how many miles I can get out of it.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Since no one else addressed it I think I know what your heater problem might be. I live near Pittsburgh and a good heater is essential. My 2002 Taurus had a very poor heater. The problem turned out to be a previous owner used some type of stop leak product. The heater core was stopped up by that product. It has been several years and I thought I could not repair it myself so I paid approx $400 for labor and a new heater core. Since I took my car to a mechanic I can't tell you how to check yours - MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE HERE CAN HELP WITH THAT?

Last the very best thing I have ever done for my 2002 Taurus is replacing the idler pulley and tensioner pulley. Power and performance improved dramatically. Worn bearings on these pulleys really makes a major difference. The parts are cheap and might as well replace the serpentine belt at the same time. Worn belt pulley bearings really make the engine work harder. You might save this for when you have a few more miles on your Taurus. Here is a video on the TENSIONER PULLEY replacement (it shows the idler pulley which is easier to replace). Not much room for your hands on this but I am a novice repairman and managed without any problem.
 
#18 ·
So I am now the owner of a new to me 02 Taurus SES with just shy of 95k on the odometer. Runs like lit was new and no known issues other than limited heat. Got it from an older couple who drove it since new and have a long history of maintenance. If you were me what are somethings that I should be aware off, common problems or issues that pop up frequently on these cars. I guess I have the Vulcan engine. Still looking for the type of tranny a something.

Thought?

I have had 2 my 4 fail, one sudden and dumped the coolant all over the engine, ('02 Lin Cont). '03 Sable seeping out and crud all over the top of the coolant tank. And thanks for the reminder, I just bought '03 Taurus and need to order a new cap from RA.


-chart-
 

Attachments

#21 ·
The cap on the left is OE that came on most Ford products. It had a high failure rate and Ford got rid of inventory and got the new design shown on the right. Available at RA ~$7. I checked my '03 Taurus and it has already been replaced. My '03 Sables had the OE cap and I replaced them.


-chart-
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top