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Sedans Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable Wagons
474 messages, Last post on Jan 19, 2009 at 12:24 PM
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Hi All, I have a 1999 Taurus Wagon, this afternoon while driving, I realized that when increasing speed up to 60mph on the freeway there is this rattling from the engine that sounds almost like a diesel, a kind of intense knocking.( I drive about 70 miles a day.) I went to my local mechanic (very nice guy) where the problem didnt show up till the car was in gear and you rev it. (ie if its in park and you rev it, you dont hear the diesel like sound.) The mechanic says its a motor problem (by the way he isolated the sound, by listening through a hose...touching it to different parts of the engine to find where the sound was oroiginating, which felt kind of unscientific for me.) I figured I'd go get a second opinion tomorrow, but wanted to ask here, just incase there are some suggestions.He says motor repair will cost about $2,000+ . He suggested trading it in and not repairing it as it could develop other problems, so I dont think he was just trying to make some money off me by misdiagnosing the problem. At this age and mileage (130,000miles) I dont want to spend too much on the car as it may not be worth that much more.And there could be further problems , whereby I might end up spending say $5000 or more ....you get my drift  If I could get it to last for about 5 more months, I'd be ready to get a new vehicle around then. I will take it to a dealer as a last resort, but they will probably charge $100 - 200 just to diagnose the problem (just guessing at the moment). 2. Has any of you dealt with companies like firestone etc for jobs of this type Any recommendations of any sort will be appreciated. thanks Myxo
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Replying to: myxo (Mar 13, 2006 7:34 pm) Pinging can also be harmful to the life of the engine, depending on how severe it is. That makes the higher cost of the premium gas worth it, even if you didn't get better gas mileage. Before selling it, or putting a lot of money into it, I would suggest first trying a tank of premium gas along with a good fuel system cleaner. If it disappears, that was your problem. You may still have to run premium, but as I said earlier, you prolong the life of the engine, you enjoy more power, and you can get better gas mileage if you want it. I plan on driving mine to 225,000 before giving it to my daughter for her first car. It has been a fantastic car, but then I'm a nut on maintenance. When it comes time to replace, I hope to get a new Ford 500 or Freestyle. Let me know what happens.
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Replying to: beancounter (Apr 05, 2006 2:16 pm) I appreciate you taking the time to share this tip. I will definetely try it in a couple of days when its time to fill up. I have been driving it "slowly and evenly" , hoping it keeps going to end of the year when car deals may be sweeter. Incidentally, I only get about 16-18mpg. Been that way for a while. I also want to change my oil soon at about 2500miles. It just occured to me the other day that this problem could be because I mixed oil grades about 2weeks before this problem began. I mistakenly picked up 10w40 castrol (a whole case from sams). I used about 2 bottles before realizing it, so I ttopped it off with 3.5 more bottles of 5w30of the same brand and SAE, probably a big mistake. I will give you some feedback soon as I try the premium fuel.Keeping my fingers crossed. cheers
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Replying to: myxo (Apr 05, 2006 4:01 pm) I have stayed away from the "chain" repair stores and the dealerships. I found a good local mechanic that I have gotten to know very well and have complete faith in. He doesn't have to answer to shareholders or some big corporate office. All I get is honest answers and no high pressure. I have turned all maintenance over to him including brakes, and exhaust work (if and when I need that). His prices may be a little higher if you had the exact same work done elsewhere (and I'm not even sure that's true), but I know he has saved me a ton by not selling me a lot of unnecessary parts & labor. The money I pay him also stays right in the local economy. I finally got my dad convinced to find a local mechanic where he lives after showing him what his maintenance per 1000 miles was costing him compared to mine. Dealer wanted $600 or so to fix an A/C problem. His new mechanic took the time to diagnose the problem and fixed it for about $150. Needless to say, I don't think he'll be going back to his dealership any time soon. Since then, he has had a few other things done. He now enjoys peace of mind when he drops his car off, something he never really had much of before.
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Replying to: beancounter (Apr 18, 2006 2:45 pm) Yes it was during an oil change, I had gone out and bought a box of oil, somehow I picked up a 10w40 instead of 5w30 that I normally use. I noticed my error only after I had drained the engine and poured in a couple of bottles, so I added a few bottles of 5w30 that I had around the garage. I actually dont use any oil between oil changes (as the level seems to be well maintained.) I have been using the high octane gas for about a week and a half. I would say there is a huge improvement in the performance. (I changed my oil too around the same time even though it wasnt 3000 miles yet(back to 5w30). But I think the improvement is likely due to the unleaded premium. Anyways,I will keep observing the car. The knocking is not totally eliminated, but its not as bad as before. My next move is to use some engine additive( I used Seafaom sometime ago)..I just need to research which brand is ideal. I agree with you about using local(trusted) mechanics. I actually have developed a freiedship with mine. Interesting thing is that I bought him some gifts at Xmas time, that seemed to have been highly appreciated, as the relationship has solidified. He even shows me how to fix some simple things myself so I dont have to pay any thing (like when my antifreeze reservoir was leaking and he gave me instructions on how to replace it. I bought the reservoir from the dealer and in 10 min had it repaired.) I will post any change in the performance.. I hope it keeps improving. Again, thanks for sharing. I think your high octne tip will end up helping my engine last a little longer. cheers
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Replying to: myxo (Apr 19, 2006 7:18 am) In addition to the higher octane gas, there was a TSB (Tech Service Bulletin) issued to the dealers re: excessive pinging or knocking. Back at around 30K miles, I had them perform what they called an "Octane adjstmt" while the car was still under warranty. It helped a little (and I was using 89 oct at the time), but I later had to make the switch to 93 octane, and that took care of the rest of the noise. It hasn't made a sound since, and I'm at 165K now. If you've never had it done, it may solve the rest of your problem too. Your dealer may even do that at no charge, or your own mech may be able to do the same thing. I think all it was was a slight reprogramming of the engine's computer. My mechanic also has a 3 part fuel system cleaner that he performed on my car at around 90K. Cleaned everything including cylinders, injectors, upper and lower intakes, and throttle body. That may be something to look into also. I'm sure it probably does a better, or more thorough job than the "off the shelf" additives, but then it cost quite a bit more. Only had it done that one time, but I thought it was worth it. It may also give you a noticeable boost in gas mileage. Keep me posted. |
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| This noise, about the fequency of an ambulance siren, cuts in about 30mph and increases as wheel rotation increases. It's coming from the left front wheel brake area. The car is a '99 Taurus wagon, standard, with four wheel disk brakes and ABS. | |
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Replying to: johnwng (Apr 24, 2002 12:28 pm)
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They need to pull the code/s when the light is on...OBDII will store some codes but others you need to check with the light actually on. Some "faults" can be traced to bad wiring or ground faults. Vulcan engines will also plug the EGR tubing in the manifold with carbon...older model engines also had a small tube to the sensor that can go bad. Vacuum leaks...?? Did they clear the codes?? Try a different repair shop?
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Replying to: tkfitz (May 22, 2006 5:25 pm) |
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