- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
- Messages
- 29,558
I always liked the 80s era Taurus.
I just sold the Taurus
- Thread starter gregk24
- Start date
I think it was the O rings the leaked all the time on Fords. But you probably could have just gotten away with giving it a recharge with just a can of R134a from Walmart. I noticed the basic can went from $5 to $8.88 when I just grabbed one for a spare recently. I had the Duratec which was a better engine. Probably a 2004 or 2005 SEL model. They stopped after 2005 on the Taurus with the Duratec but you could still get the Sable with the Duratec in the LS trim. Duratec would be the S in the 8th digit of the vin, U was Vulcan and 2 was the flex fuel Vulcan. That was supposed to be a higher end car than the Taurus but I never liked the looks even though it had fog lights where the Taurus never had fog lights. I replaced a bunch of coolant hoses on the Duratec but never did the water pump. The water pump belt did shred on me once but it was an easy fix to just replace the belt as it was just a single belt on the side of the engine and had around 200k at that point and I had never changed it.
Hermann
Site Donor 2023
It was time 
Always assume Atikovi is flipping.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
I would have done the same thing. 
My daily is an '02. Bought it 4 years ago with 96k for $2300 It has 143k now.
Replaced oil pan gasket and cam synchro shortly after I bought it. Replaced a slightly blown head gasket a month ago. Steering pump leaks slowly. Timing cover sprang a slow leak that K-Seal has held good so far. Trans is ok so far.
A/C is colder than my wife but compressor whines. It's got a mild tap on cold start that goes away in a minute. Didn't find any leaky lifters or loose rockers when I did the head gasket so not sure what the tap is about. The heads were clean, no sludge and varnish wasn't bad.
Replaced oil pan gasket and cam synchro shortly after I bought it. Replaced a slightly blown head gasket a month ago. Steering pump leaks slowly. Timing cover sprang a slow leak that K-Seal has held good so far. Trans is ok so far.
A/C is colder than my wife but compressor whines. It's got a mild tap on cold start that goes away in a minute. Didn't find any leaky lifters or loose rockers when I did the head gasket so not sure what the tap is about. The heads were clean, no sludge and varnish wasn't bad.
I had one of these as my first car. I do wish it didn't rust out, it was an okay vehicle. Always got pretty good fuel economy. Never left me walking. Very comfortable seats.
The biggest thing that always stood out to me from this car was the ridiculous AC. I remember we took it to Alabama / Ga one summer and it was triple digits outside we had to turn the AC down because it was so cold inside. I'm sure the effect was somewhat due to how how it was outside but the AC always blew at 35 degrees.
The biggest thing that always stood out to me from this car was the ridiculous AC. I remember we took it to Alabama / Ga one summer and it was triple digits outside we had to turn the AC down because it was so cold inside. I'm sure the effect was somewhat due to how how it was outside but the AC always blew at 35 degrees.
Oh yeah, I replaced the O ring gaskets on the steering pump, went to a Ford dealer for the part and it was one of those things that they always had in stock cause I guess those leaked all the time. I did do an intake manifold gasket and PVC at the same time once, but that was the Duratec.
Not if it has over 500k miles, can't even get much more than $3500 for something like that.
I had a 2004 Taurus that I bought with 41K miles on it.
Quite possibly the worst car I ever owned as far as something was always needing repair.
On the plus side it was quiet,rode smooth and was very comfortable.
A great highway cruiser.
When it didn't need repairs I really enjoyed that car.
Quite possibly the worst car I ever owned as far as something was always needing repair.
On the plus side it was quiet,rode smooth and was very comfortable.
A great highway cruiser.
When it didn't need repairs I really enjoyed that car.
The electric fans on those Tauruses where massively over sized. No wonder the AC worked well.
when 1st out: "the coke bottle" (what they called the style).
Influenced the car designs to this day.
Japanese followed, then even europeans.
Just like the vedub bug was decimating the merican auto industry, came out w/falcon - created the 1).muscle car/ pony era - stang, justa sporty falcon; and 2).created the SUV era still today asa bronco was justa 4WD falcon).
Influenced the car designs to this day.
Japanese followed, then even europeans.
Just like the vedub bug was decimating the merican auto industry, came out w/falcon - created the 1).muscle car/ pony era - stang, justa sporty falcon; and 2).created the SUV era still today asa bronco was justa 4WD falcon).
Yes! The AC in the Taurus put our other cars to shame.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
That's just like my old Camry. It beats every other car I've had and driven.
I also have one. Same 2000 model with Vulcan engine. 180k kms. Replaced the coolant overflow tank, serpentine belt, idler pulley, belt tensioner, thermostat two years ago. Since then never needed to top up the coolant. I plan to run it until the wheels fell off so I bought a new cam synchro. I just dont have the time to install it yet. Well there is no squeeky noise as of the moment so the urgency is low. One time when I put the hood to check the fluids, an old man drive by and jokingly shouted, "That's why I got rid of my ford, it's Fix or repair daily." But the funny thing is, he's driving a Jeep. Lol.
For me, Taurus is a Toyota in Ford's clothing. Lol.
For me, Taurus is a Toyota in Ford's clothing. Lol.
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2022
- Messages
- 344
Had a '99 that we drove up to about 245k, then passed to a friend who put another 10 to 20k on it. Had a rebuilt engine, overdrive started to slip at about 220k. Otherwise a great car.
Called it the white chariot in our college days.
Called it the white chariot in our college days.
Funny, I was thinking the other day, I bought a used entry level 4 cyl n/a '89 Jetta in the 90s. a/c must have been a dealer or port installed add-on.... I swear it must have been sized for a XL Suburban because it was ice cold and WAY more volume than necessary... You could consistently see the "fog" like when you open the freezer door.
I am almost surprised; so many vehicles are so similar these days and I know the manufacturers are always looking for a leg up on the competition. why does no one make and promote Super Size air conditioning on their cars? We've all experienced models that have mediocre at best a/c... It would be nice to know before getting into a new car or truck that the a/c was beast.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
And here in Phoenix, A/C is on full blast for months at a time. Only after about 20-30 min driving on the highway I may lower my A/C speed from 7 (max) to 6.
Engineering is all about compromise. If you make a bigger system, it's going to weigh more and get you worse gas mileage. So there are pros and cons to every decision the auto makers make. But usually they say American cars tends to have A/C that's a beast and other countries not so much because Americans like their A/C extra cold but they don't care that much in other countries. Or maybe because something like over 50% of Americans are overweight/obese, the heavier people are, the more A/C they want as there's less surface area per pound for those overweight and they're usually the ones who complain the most about being hot.
because the automakers view vehicles these days as just mobile IPhones/Play Stations designed by computer geeks much more interested in promoting how the latest model has G5/Bluetooth connectivity between your cigarette lighter and your house vacuum cleaner.
Had the 04 Taurus in signature out today for a ride with a friend, seats are amazingly comfortable and the temperature today was 95 degrees here when we went for my prescriptions. AC was super cold and that old Vulcan motor just purrrs right along. Cream puff for 400 bucks, new plugs/plug wires and valve cover gaskets with getting the heater core blown out also -- money well spent soo far and hopefully lasts acouple years yet. Also new front quick struts helped with the sagging front.
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