New problem with Taurus - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Phil · #1 09-26-2010, 01:24 AM

Great. Now my daughter who lives in Florida and is married to a guy who could have a problem changing a light bulb calls and tells me he was driving her 2001 Taurus automatic and suddenly the engine was running but it was like it was in neutral with no power to the wheels. Any one got any good suggestions of what might be wrong?

colincoon · #2 09-26-2010, 01:53 AM

Yes, it's the Torque Converter. There was no recall or anything as far as I'm aware, but there was a study done by Ford and it showed that the torque converter becomes damaged over time and will act like it is in neutral.

Google it and see how often it has happened. This TC has been discontinued as of 2003 I believe.

Jim B. · #3 09-26-2010, 03:51 AM

Did he - with the engine running and the gearshift lever in park, with the parking brake on - open the hood and withdraw the automatic transmission dipstick, wipe the oil off it, and then insert the transmission dipstick all the way back in, withdraw it again, and thenmCHECK THE LEVEL, first?

Was it full or way down?

If way down, he should refill it but not OVER FILL it with factory recommended fluid.

Then try to drive it. If the fluid is brown and dirty and has never been verifiably changed it is a sign of neglect. Pinkish fluid is clean and does not smell.

If none of this works, he should take it to a good transmission shop or a GOOD and truthful Ford dealer for further diagnosis.

Or maybe he is a clueless typical driver that could know or care less, in which case he should go out and buy a brand new car and figure he got 9 years out of a 2001 Taurus and it is now toast and trade it in for $200 if he is lucky.

KarTek · #4 09-26-2010, 08:42 AM

Sounds like classic "low fluid" syndrome...

The Clk Man · #5 09-26-2010, 09:54 AM

Since your SIL can't change a light bulb, could the car have been in neutral? i'm just saying.

SwampYankee · #6 09-26-2010, 10:40 AM

Fluid level and torque converter would be the first two possibilities but don't discount a sensor issue.

Phil · #7 09-26-2010, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Did he - with the engine running and the gearshift lever in park, with the parking brake on - open the hood and withdraw the automatic transmission dipstick, wipe the oil off it, and then insert the transmission dipstick all the way back in, withdraw it again, and thenmCHECK THE LEVEL, first?

Was it full or way down?

If way down, he should refill it but not OVER FILL it with factory recommended fluid.

Then try to drive it. If the fluid is brown and dirty and has never been verifiably changed it is a sign of neglect. Pinkish fluid is clean and does not smell.

If none of this works, he should take it to a good transmission shop or a GOOD and truthful Ford dealer for further diagnosis.

Or maybe he is a clueless typical driver that could know or care less, in which case he should go out and buy a brand new car and figure he got 9 years out of a 2001 Taurus and it is now toast and trade it in for $200 if he is lucky.

See note about light bulb in initial post- I don't think he could find the dip stick let alone the engine. He took it to the dealer, service dept open on Saturday, and they want $800 to pull the transmission so they can check it out. My feeling is the fluid was low and wiped out the torque converter.

MS Fowler · #8 09-26-2010, 02:18 PM

Its a Taurus. The trannys don't last long. I replaced 1 in each of the Tauri(?) I owned.

Palangi · #9 09-26-2010, 06:07 PM

Yep,,, Taurus transmissions are not noted for their long life, although the later years were much better than the earlier years.

dannym · #10 09-27-2010, 07:42 AM

We went to the boneyard yesterday. Guess which section is the biggest?
You guessed it, the Ford section. Takes over half the yard. Must be over an acre of taurus's alone.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but once the tranny issue is fixed their going to have overheating problems. Then they'll have to replace the radiator, Which is dropped down from below, not pulled up. And which also is a total PITA.
Then they'll have to replace the head gasket, cause they don't take too well to be overheated. Especiall the heat here in FL.

Just preparing you so you won't be supprised when the call comes.

Danny

loepke72 · #11 09-27-2010, 11:43 AM

Most likely the torque converter. The splines for the oil pump drive shaft strip out causing no line pressure and therefore no engagement of the transmission in any gear. Fixed a lot of Windstars for this problem.

About the head gasket... If it's the OHV Vulcan 3.0L V6, it's more likely to be a cracked cylinder head. They tend to crack between the valve seats. New heads from the dealer are actually pretty cheap, at least they were the last time I checked (I think it was $250 for a new complete head with valves and springs).

Jim B. · #12 09-27-2010, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil

See note about light bulb in initial post- I don't think he could find the dip stick let alone the engine. He took it to the dealer, service dept open on Saturday, and they want $800 to pull the transmission so they can check it out. My feeling is the fluid was low and wiped out the torque converter.

Some folks don't know and don't care about how cars run and what needs to be watched and taken care of over time.

People like that need to buy NEW cars, and get rid of them when the warranty expires and when they are paid off.

Rinse and repeat.

Over and over

#13 09-27-2010, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Some folks don't know and don't care about how cars run and what needs to be watched and taken care of over time.

People like that need to buy NEW cars, and get rid of them when the warranty expires and when they are paid off.

Rinse and repeat.

Over and over

Very true, and there is nothing wrong with that approach (except, I would recommend buying low mileage used cars).

Most people consider their cars to be tools to perform a specific job, and they need to replace them when they can no longer perform that job reliably. That is exactly what I would recommend to my daughters, who have no interest in understanding how/why a car works or doesn't work.

Personally, I treat cars as a hobby. However, the second my refrigerator, stove, furnace, dishwasher, lawn mower, etc. becomes less than reliable it is replaced. I certainly have the ability to fix those things too, but they are not worth the time or effort because they are just tools that I expect to function with zero hassle.

Jim B. · #14 09-28-2010, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

Very true, and there is nothing wrong with that approach (except, I would recommend buying low mileage used cars).

Most people consider their cars to be tools to perform a specific job, and they need to replace them when they can no longer perform that job reliably. That is exactly what I would recommend to my daughters, who have no interest in understanding how/why a car works or doesn't work.

Personally, I treat cars as a hobby. However, the second my refrigerator, stove, furnace, dishwasher, lawn mower, etc. becomes less than reliable it is replaced. I certainly have the ability to fix those things too, but they are not worth the time or effort because they are just tools that I expect to function with zero hassle.

EXACTLY why the Toyota Corolla and Camry and Honda Accords have sold so well in the USA fo so long, they are like appliances that are reliable, and cheap to maintain for people who don't know, and don't want to know about cars..

Phil · #15 09-28-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Some folks don't know and don't care about how cars run and what needs to be watched and taken care of over time.

People like that need to buy NEW cars, and get rid of them when the warranty expires and when they are paid off.

Rinse and repeat.

Over and over

That's why I told both my daughters they either better be with someone who can fix things or someone who makes enough money to have things fixed. The older daughter missed on both counts so she calls me and asks what to do but she lives 3000 miles away so it's not that easy.