2001 taurus sel having major problems need advice please
 

Hello All,
I am glad i found you guys!! I have been having a problem with my 2001 Ford taurus SeL DOCH.. I had my vehicle inspection done say on March 24th and it passed with no codes. Okay within a week after the inspection I was heading to my daughters dr appt. After driving about 15 miles to get there my car lost power. I had to pull over and checked to see what the problem was. I noticed my passenger side front brake was locked up. I tried to use a crow bar to pull it off the rotor but no luck. I drove it about 4 tenths of a mile to closes store so i could call AAA to get a tow. The car would not go over 20mph and even floored same thing and rpm's would not go over 2,000. The car made a rattling noise as well but did not over heat! They brought it to a reputable garage in town. The garage said my brake line was crimped and something about rust. They put new hoses on both sides and only charged me $40.. Well here is the fun part!! I got in my car the rattling was still there and same thing would not go over 20mph and rpms stayed around 2,000.. I went back to the garage and they had me pull it in the bay. Had me press the gas and obviously heard it. They jacked the car up in the front with the engine off and took a tool and was tapping under the front under my engine and could hear like coins in a can. They say my catalyst converter was broke in half. Now they are shopping around for the cheapest one they can find for me. Now when I bought this car 4 years ago I heard a rattling when starting it and after it would warm up it disappeared or would just be little to no sound. After a year I haven't heard it really just off and on, But the car drove okay I did notice it has lost power over the years tho. On the highway pushing 90 I could smell that sulfur smell but I was told you can smell your own that it is from a car in front of you. I get oil changes and use seafoam every 4k.. So my question is after doing searches people say tranny issues could also cause this. I checked my fluid and it was red. Before this happened I would do 70mph down highway and my rpms would be about 2600 doing up to 90 it would be around 3000-3100rpms. I am not a mechanic so have no idea if those readings are normal. I would hate to spend money on the converter and find out it was the tranny as well too. I am thinking maybe the converter got hot and crimped my line but surprised garage did not bring up this problem after fixing the brake hoses seeing they drove it across the street to park it. They are a decent garage and always have lots of work. The owner said he didn't put in rotors or calipers to run up the bill just drive it and see how that does. So I am looking to see if anyone had this problem or any suggestions at all. I can't do anything as the cars at the garage. It is just weird having it inspected and no codes and within a week or so this happens!! So can anyone please help with prior problems like this or thoughts like I said I can not afford to put in new converter and also have a tranny problem!! Thank you sorry such a long post just nervous as heck...

This is my own humble opinion.
That R/F caliper should without a doubt be replaced as well as the pads. Why?, when a caliper gets that hot as you explained the rubber seals and components have been destroyed or are very close to it. It is only a matter of time before it fails and then it could cost you a lot more when you need the brakes and they won't be there.
Brake lines rusting are a common problem if you drive on salted roads, no question there.
And, yes a converter can break apart internally,rattle and give no symptoms other than the noise, but eventually it will break apart into smaller pieces and block the flow of exhaust and result in a low power complaint. There are some things where you have a chance to choose what to do, but in this case as I see it you have very little choice. You presently or will soon have a car that won't do both, stop and go!

Hello and thank you for your opinion. The garage called me yesterday with my estimate. They are going to order my converter now that i okay it. Thy was nice and shopped around. He said that replacing the new converter and cleaning the other one with parts and labor was going to cost $525.00.. This is lower than I thought it would cost me! As you mentioned about the brakes that makes all sense to me. The good part of that is all I have to do is buy the parts and my friend can do that for me. I did read that it could cause rotor to warp. Do you think I should do drivers side as well? My friend did the brakes last summer just pads because he said my rotors where fine, but should I just get a pair of rotors and calipers? Thank you so much!!! I was afraid it was going to be the tranny but garage said no the converter would make it so I couldn't go over 20mph and 2,000rpm's. Makes me feel better with a opinion. God bless you and thank you again!!! thank you forum members for letting me part of the community!!! I want to fix things this summer like all new hoses and so on. Have tranny checked and put one in if i have to I love this car! But tranny probably what over 3 grand?

The folks on this forum are among the best and always welcome new members.
The temptation to do only one side with calipers etc is always there, but if they have never been replaced previously now is a good time to install rebuilt calipers, new rotors and pads. Many times the rotors do not wear evenly, they develop what we call a taper and when new pads are put up against tapered rotors bad things happen. The lower part of the pad is the only part contacting the rotor and it will wear where you cannot easily see it. Inspecting it from top it looks like there is plenty of material there when at the bottom of the pad it could be ready to start chewing the rotor.
Also , poor braking can be present until the pad wears enough to get full contact with the rotor. That is why most reputable shops will either have the rotors cut or replace them. Shortcuts where brakes are involved is a gamble at best.
Unless you are aware of some special problem with the trans ,relax, it could have a problem tomorrow or 5 years from now .
I would have to dust off my crystal ball to provide a different answer there and it really doesn't work too good !

Paul Polish: Hanky gave you spot on advise. Replace the brakes on both sides, calipers, rotors and pads. But don't go with the cheapest parts. I usually had good experience with Wagner products and not so good experience with Brakebest from O'Reilly's. I would be careful with any store brand now.
Also completely flush the brake fluid at this time. Brake fluid should be replaced every 3 years anyway and it is not expensive.
The tranny should get a service (change of fluid and filter) every 30000miles. My Windstar requires Mercon V fluid and I believe your Taurus has the same transmission. I specify Mercon V when I get the service done. My shop uses a generic base fluid and adds the additive pack that makes it a Mercon V equivalent. Your manual should tell you what you need or the shop has the information ready.
And I also agree with hanky's opinion that you drive and service your tranny until it dies.
Make it a habit to check the fluid level and check the places were you park for fresh fluid spots and puddles.
And hanky's best piece of advise? Relax!

Thanks for reminding to replace the brake fluid.

I got my car back and it runs better
 

Hi All,
I thank you for welcoming me. I got my car back yesterday and it was $525 for the new front converter and the back was clogged as well. The garage cleaned all the junk in the back one out because it is not hooked up to any sensors. I was nervous picking it up thinking it may not run, But it ran great!! I bought it used 4 years ago, and now all the rattling is gone from when I first got the car. The place I bought it from had a bad rep and I didn't find out till I bought it. Infact it failed inspection for a safety reason the inspector said it needed new struts. The guy didn't fix it till a month or more. I thought he had a couple months but thats emmitions only. Also the AC compressor was bad and he kept pushing it off. That winter the belt froze up and had to have that replaced and cost me $550. Anyways I took it up on the highway and tested my speeds and now it is faster take off and I don't have to give it half the gas I use to and the rpm's are 2 to 3 lines less than it use to be at speeds of 65 to 90. I believe that would save me on gas now. One time i got off the ramp and the wheel shook pretty moderatly.

As you folks said I am currently going to order new brake parts from advance auto and I am getting 2 Wagner rotors, The best break pads they have for $55 but they come with police something and hardware but says it is a exact fit for my car. I could get wagner pads but don't come with hardware or the police thing. So I not sure but the more expensive ones have the hardware and that police thing. Any advice on the pads would help not sure about the police thing? Also going to order the rebuilt calipers too. Cost me about $250 or so for all parts needed for brakes and my friend will put in this weekend for me so till then I will use car as less as possible!!

About the tranny and my concern is that on the regular roads it runs great but on the highway say if i give it the gas to pass a car sometimes the rpm's will go up to 5k but the car won't pick up much speed. If i let off and try again it will pick speed up and the rpm's won't go so high. So that said I have 120k on the car the fluids red but I am going to have it drained and put in a new filter. I think my friend can do that as well and i believe the store will take back the bad fluid too. Im not sure how to change brake fluid out so if anyone could let me know that would be a great help if my friend can do it when he is putting in all my new brake parts. He may know how but if not i can tell him thank you all once again!!! Great forums and have it in my favorites. I appreciate ALL the advice very much!! And Thank you for the kind words!!

good parts don't have to cost whole bunch. so as long as that car isn't a police car don't worry about that if your rotors aren't warped or so thin that they can't be turned you don't have to buy new ones. usually when a caliper sticks it's because someone didn't push the piston back all the way and strait using a c-clamp while the bleeder valve is open

You might be overdoing it with the pads if they are intended for police service. Wagner has some decent brake pads and hardware kits that may cost significantly less than the ones you are talking about.
Changing the brake fluid is as easy as bleeding the brakes. Since you will exchange the calipers bleeding needs to be done anyway. You simply keep pumping until new fluid comes out.

Grindman: hanky recommended replacing the caliper because it got severely overheated.

What you describe regarding the transmission is called slipping. Sometimes replacing the filter and fluid with the correct type of fluid can fix this. Sometimes it means the transmission needs to be replaced or rebuilt.

most people don't know how or why a caliper got stuck in the first place the only time I've had them stick is when someone else did the work and didn't use the c-clamp to push the piston back evenly and the first time you apply the brakes to stop in traffic it sticks and won't release that brake. now that it's gone bad and giving a bunch of problems the person must replace a few other parts as well. all i'm trying to say is that people can save a whole lot of money if they can go with quality used parts or rebuilt parts in which the salvage yards are full of. all one has to is go and look for them. I am not trying to start an argument either, nor am I trying to get someone into trouble by compromising their safety

Now I see your point. It's a valid one too.

Thank You All I Just Read Your Replies
 

Hello Again,
Today we did it and put new front brakes in. I will never have C.A.P. order parts again. I was suppose to have everything ready for this morning. They did not have my rotors and also gave me two right side calipers and didn't have a left in stock. So advance auto had my rotors and NAPA had my left caliper. In all I spent $234 with cores returned. My friend installed the fronts and the brakes are great!! When he bleed the brakes the fluid was green so we kept bleeding the front brakes till he got the right color of fluid. My car runs the best it ever has really and the brakes are awesome!! As far as the tranny it maybe slipping but not bad and like the other person said I will wait till it gives out, However I will change the fluid and filter. I notice that with the new converter my rpms are lower by a couple lines. For example driving 65 It runs at 2,400 at 75 it's about 2,600 and 85-90 runs at 3,000 rpms. Now I see what people said about having the DOCH it does have a lot of power NOW!! The tranny doesn't seem to skip on regular roads and less than it did on the highway so maybe when I change the fluid and filter it will take away whatever the problem was. From 65 to say 90 it doesn't seem to delay as much as it did for some reason.

Well the next major project in sight is front and back struts. The garage gave me a estimate of $450 for parts and labor for the rear with assembly and whatever else they do. Today I thought the caliper or pad came off with a loud clunk on the front drivers side front going down the highway but the brakes still worked great. My riend said I was going to need struts in the front today. Well I think that may have made the clunk sound. Now I have enough room on passenger front to make a fist up and down but on drivers side I have to put my fist sideways and just looking at the car I can see it leans down on the drivers side by a extra inch or so.

My question would be should I do front or rear struts first? I can not afford to do both at the same time seeing I just put almost $900 into it this month. I can do one each month and catch up on bills. I hate to come here with question after question but the car just has a mind of it's own. Like I said before it is a 2001 Ford Taurus SEL DOCH with 121K on it. I want to keep it I like it and have money into it and get oil changes every 4K and use the seafoam with gas every oil change as well. After I catch up with the problems above I am going to replace all the hoses I do Not have to get from ford I already had to order one for $180 something thats near the thermostat. And fix the rust above the rear tire. Any ideas if I am going to far with this car? I would be willing to put a rebuilt tranny in when one is needed or engine and I am sure thats a few grand each but pray they don't go together LoL!

Thank you for you opinions and suggestions I do appreciate it very much!! Thank You!!

This is not intended to scare you , but to make you aware of what does happen.
Taurus vehicles have had problems with the coil springs rusting to the point that they break. This is how the scenario goes.
The spring breaks, it cuts into the tire and ruins the tire and now the vehicle has to be towed. If possible have the struts inspected closely for the worst ones and have those replaced first. Again if you drive where they use a lot of salt on the roads the coil springs will all have to be replaced sooner or later. The best way to replace them is to get a complete strut assembly already assembled. Then have the front end alignment done . The rears are not immune to this problem. At one time there was some type of recall about this. Not sure of just what the outcome included, but might pay to inquire about it.

What hanky said!
But get quality parts! My choice: Monroe Sens-A-trac.
It is actually not very difficult to replace quick-strut assemblies. But you must have the wheels aligned right after doing this.

This is why it failed the inspection 4 years ago the garage said it was strut on same side after a month or so the guy said it was the drivers side spring. He said he replaced the struts on both sides and the drivers side spring. It has been 4 years and 40k miles but as you said we have lots of salt every year. My friend that did the brakes is going to take a look. It still drives straight down the highway but I just put new tires on all fours not even 7k miles ago. He said it sounds like I may have ran something over in the highway but from left to right the left side is no doubt a inch lower or more. So are you saying I can get the springs with the struts? Are they easy to install or do i have to rent the tool? The garage quoted me $450 for the back struts and assembly but the front might cost more huh? Well that was a $900 repair this month but I can not afford the struts till next month now. I would say front is more important because of the ball joints and suspension stuff is my guess. Can we do the struts ourselves with a jack or would I be better off paying the $450? I like buying the better quality parts either in the middle or top notch if affordable. The rotors were wagner and the pads too. Pads was $58.99 and rotors were $89 with tax but work awesome and of course rebuilt calipers. Like I said car is better than when I first got it with the new converter so much power! My plan is to just chip away at it. After I get the struts done next month I am going to replace all hoses I don't need to order from Ford. because I see them getting fat. May get front struts done next week if have to because I don't need new tires popped and balance and rotation and alignment is only $79 from town fair tire. So I will bring to garage and see what they say get a estimate and if it is easy to do I will have friend do. On my old pontiac I kmow I needed a tool to install but if this is a bolt in and cut strap my friend maybe able to handle or my other buddy. I am not really hands on and handicap with 4th degree burnt hand and finger amputation and rest is 3rd degree from when I was 17 with a head on collision and the tempo kept pumping the gas after crash. So I appreciate your help and thank you very much! Just not firmilar with the 2001 Taurus SEL DOCH. All I know is it is all breaking at once LOL!! Once again thank you I am going to get it checked and see if it is easy or hard to install front struts when you folks hit me back and then will ask my friends they help for free and can't beat that of course I do hook them up but a lot less than a garage for sure! When I catch up with rpairs and if the site takes donations I will send some money for the help cuz it is greatly appreciated!! Thanx

Thank you for your kind words.
I believe we are here because we want to share our knowledge and help save some trouble and $$ for anyone who asks. It is a good forum and we all help when we can.

Paul: if one side is lower than the other check if the spring is broken. Take off the wheel and jack it up on a jack stand and stick your head underneeth. Use a jack stand do not trust a hydraulic jack!!!!!
you can change a single strut or just a spring but most likely the other side will follow soon in failing.
To get a better idea on what is needed look at some Youtube videos.



you can save dow on parts as well. Go to RockAuto.com and PartsGeek etc. but I warn you: go only with good quality parts. I bought some "Raybestos" parts thinking they a quality but in reality they are a PITA.

I like these Fords. The DOHC engine is really nice and powerful. I just tested a Fusion with this engine and I loved it. But the body is prone to rust. So in addition to check for the broken spring see if the strut tower has rust.

one of those two bolts on the strut should have a lopsided washer on the head of it. if you can index that bolt then you don't have to take it to a shop and have it realigned the camber on those are 0 degrees or in other words strait up and down you could use a long level and make it plumb to get the same results and save a little money

YFI, You can also check on prices for loaded strut assemblies on EBAY. I just purchased a set of OEM loaded strut assemblies for my 2004 Freestar from a Ford Dealership for $125 + tax & Shipping ($162.00 for the pair). Took about 2 hours in the driveway to put replace them. Pretty cut and dry replacement. Setting side-by-side, the old drivers side was about 1" shorter and the pass side about 1.5" shorter than the new ones. I replaced mine because the drivers side strut was bleading oil pretty heavily.