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Taurus/Sable Maintenance & Repair

2996 messages,  Last post on Dec 01, 2012 at 9:47 AM

You are in the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 47 of 300

#456 of 2996 99 TAURUS POWER STEERING RACK PROBLEM by bcutcliffe

Mar 04, 2002 (10:54 am)

My wife and I purchased a 1999 Taurus SE from a Ford dealership in May 2000. The vehicle had 17,000 miles on it at the time and we did not purchase an extended warrantry. The odometer presently reads 46,000.
 
Until very recently, we have been extremely pleased with the car in all respects, with the exception of gas milage (but I guess that comes with the changeover from 4 cyl to 6 cyl. and we do appreciate the improved acceleration). However, this past week, and for the first time, my wfe (principal operator) noticed a whinning sound and discovered the power steering fluid to be low. Adding fluid did not resolve the problem and a Ford dealership advised us that the power steering rack required replacement. Cost: $750.00!
 
I am 61 years of age and have owned numerous vehicles and have never experienced any problem with a power steering rack in any automobile. The '99 Taurus has been well maintained. The dealership indicated it might be able to help us out somewhat, and I was wondering if anyone was aware of any service bulletin(s) covering this specific problem. Admitedly, the car is out of the 36,000 or 36 month warrantry, but one does not expect to encounter major repair problems at 46,000 miles. I would also be interested in hearing from other late model Taurus' owners who have experienced this problem.
 
Thanks,
 
B. Cutcliffe

#457 of 2996 Re: 452, power steering problem by ehenness

Mar 07, 2002 (5:34 am)

B. Cutliffe--
 
Can you get a second opinion? I only ask because Ford power steering pumps are notorious for being noisy. Have been for years. The one in my '83 LTD was also noisy (sounded just like the one in my '98 Taurus). It's kind of a whine/groan, and it gets a bit louder when you turn the wheel. You tend to hear it only at idle or at low speeds.
 
Do you have any other symptoms (like hard steering, binding steering, big leaks on the ground, etc)? If the only things you see are noise and low fluid, it may be normal. Note that you can get a fluid drop if the reservoir is overfilled--it will leak out when it gets hot, and eventually the level will drop. If you only see a smear of fluid around the neck of the filler, that may be what happened. Do you see any signs of a large leak either under the hood or on the ground?
 
I'd see if there are any other signs that the rack is bad (leaks at other than the pump itself, crunching noises, hard steering, pulls that don't come from the road surface or tires, etc.) and maybe get a second opinion. The only time I've ever heard of a bad rack is on cars that are several years old and/or very high mileage. Add to that the fact that the Taurus pump (at least the one on the Vulcan engine--non-Duratech) is typically noisy, and you may not have a problem at all.
 
Good luck and keep us posted.

#458 of 2996 Fuel Pump problem w/ 2000 Taurus by terryt4

Mar 07, 2002 (12:44 pm)

I use my Taurus for my job. I have 80,000 miles on it and in that time I have had 3 fuel pumps put on it. Has anyone had/heard of this beening a reoccuring problem?

#459 of 2996 Re: fuel pumps by ehenness

Mar 11, 2002 (7:45 am)

Haven't heard it's a problem with the Taurus/Sable. Do you always run the tank almost all the way to empty? That can cause overheating of the fuel pump (the gas in the tank keeps the pump cool), and constant overheating can cause failure. Not saying that that is definitely the cause, but if you run it down to fumes every time before you fill the tank, it's a possibility.

#460 of 2996 Brown Coolant......Again by willis3

Mar 11, 2002 (4:45 pm)

I posted about 2 months ago about my coolant turning brown. Well, just checking under the hood again and guess what.... the coolant is brown again. To top that off, "Check Engine Soon" light came on while driving, seems like an ignition problem.
 
I think it's time to part with this car...... Your thoughts...

#461 of 2996 3K ball joint inspection? by usaf52

Mar 11, 2002 (8:05 pm)

Reading Edmund's maintenance guide on their home page, I searched 2002 Taurus/Sable. Oil change recommendation is every 3000 miles Plus inspection of ball joints is also recommended at 3K. Sounds strange. Any problems with ball joints?

#462 of 2996 Steering components should be inspected by mrdetailer

Mar 12, 2002 (9:50 am)

on any car, not just the Taurus.

#463 of 2996 97 Taurus Update by willis3

Mar 12, 2002 (10:39 am)

Further to my posting in #456, ignition coil is not firing for Cylinder #2. This is a $200 repair + labor, something which I would not expect to fail.
 
The car only has 63k miles, anyone else have this part go on them?

#464 of 2996 mrdetailer by usaf52

Mar 12, 2002 (2:43 pm)

Taurus/Sable was the only vehicle I researched that had "inspect ball joints every 3K' as part of their maintenance schedule. I realize various parts must be "inspected", but Ford was the only one to make it part of every 3K, thereby making it necessary to RETURN TO THE DEALER.

#465 of 2996 terryt4 by vince4

Mar 13, 2002 (1:11 am)

80,000 miles already! Mine has 18,000.
 
There was a recall on 2000s for fuel pumps. Mine was replaced just before I picked up the car (former fleet car). I assume you know this since you've seen the dealer a time or two.

Messages Page 47 of 300

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