markn6275

I just had to put my two cents worth in here.
I purchased a 99 Sable in 2000. It had 36,000 on it when I bought it. I have driven this car daily for just over 5 years now. It now has over 265,000. During this 5 year period it has only left me stranded one time. Alternator bit the dust last summer going on vacation. It does have some issues as described here in this forum. Auto door locks are weak and don't function very well, Wipers will turn on by themselves for a cycle or two. The CEL has been on for most of the time I've had it, Door ajar light stays on, heater has some issues.
I have replaced the waterpump trying to resolve a overheating issue I had which actually was debri in between the radiator and condensor not letting the air flow as it should. Other then that just brakes and tires,oil changes and plugs. It has definatly been a good car for me until this past weekend when the engine finally has given out. Oil out the dipstick tube which usually indicated serious internal engine issues.

REST IN PEICE old Mercury Sable, You have served your master well.

Mark

elmariachi

Hi, this is my first post on the forums. First of all, I'm not very good with car repair so my description of problems may be off. I finally took it upon myself to ask a friend and search this forum for help on repairing my 97 gl Taurus.

I have 178k miles on it, and, until recently, there haven't been many problems. But, here are the majors:

1. I have the defective coolant reservoir. It is cracked and until I can afford to buy another one (I'll replace it), i'll seal it with high-temp silicone in the meantime. On top of that, my engine may be overheating due to other means. Either a pump failure (how would I know?) or my cap needs to be replaced. Or head gasket? (how would I know?)

2. My exhaust system was defective. After the rear catalytic converter and before that flex pipe area, I developed a crack before the bolted on joint. I've had mechanics try to weld it shut but since they can't get to the top of the crack- it gradually opens up. On top of that, since the metals are seemingly different on both sides (one side of the joint takes a long time to heat up compared to the other), it just re opens. It completely disconnected a few days ago when I was driving through a rainstorm. The quick cooling of the pipe from the rain probably caused one part of the pipe to contract too fast and it busted open. A friend and I welded what we could and covered the rest with JB Weld and some exhaust repair tape. It's quiet now but its only been a day.

3. My rear power windows keep failing. It doesn't seem to be the motors- because every now and then they'll move. I suppose its either a grounding issue or a fuse.

4. The bearings on my front passenger wheel need replaced again, after only maybe a year or two of being replaced by mechanics.

5. I had the brake light/gear disengage problem. One of the wires coming out of the brake pedal broke causing not only my brake lights to fail, but I couldn't put the car into gear unless i started the car in neutral. I fixed this by rigging the wire deeper into the pedal. THis happened a long time ago.

6. Overall, the wiring seems to be crap. My headlights shut off every now and then due to loose wiring in the attachment that connects directly to the lightbulbs.

There are other problems with the rear suspension that I can't adequately describe.

SHOZ123

Coolant tanks on the '96-'99 are a problem. All black toped ones will fail due to cracking. Cheap on eBay and they now have clear tops. Two different kinds. One for the DOHC motors and one for the Vulcan.

Window motor problem is the plug. Take it off and give the female contacts in the motor a slight twist with a needle nose. This provides for a better friction fit.

Y pipe is a problem I heard of before. Replacement with an after market one is best way. CATCO makes them.

Did you mechanic replace the knuckle or the bearings? Replacing the entire knuckle is the way to go.

tbird100636

I wouldn't use an aftermarket Y-Pipe considering most are aluminized pipe and rot out after a year and a half, compared to the factory original stainless steel piece, which lasts several years. Trust me, I know from personal experience on a 1990 Taurus GL w/a 3.0L Vulcan. As far as the window motor plug, if the terminals are not holding the pins on the motor, replace the connector. Twisting the pins on the motor can cause them to break off inside of the motor. Also check the wiring in the door jambs. A note. When replacing the coolant tank, replace the radiator cap too. It does not come with the tank and is a worthwhile investment.

SHOZ123

Wonder what ford wants for a Y-pipe wwith cats? bet it's over a grand.

When twisting the pins it is an ever so slight twist, just a couple of degrees. Twice the Ford dealer has ordered window motors but after they took the connector off and put it back on the motors have worked for years afterwards.

A new after market tank comes with a cap and a new sensor. eBay for under $40 delivered.

94'whiteSHO

lets see the only complaint i have against my SHO would be that it gets rusty! it sucks! but i live in new england so i cant avoid it. but i live with it and i get through it.

rlevy64614

ive had many so this is the deal. your head gasket will die costing a grand then shortly thereafter the transmission will drop dead for a second grand. you may or may not get the electrical woes and various ghosts that mess up the car like relays melted sockets and battery wires that are no good. lots of starter alternator woes and worst of all is the exploding cooling systems and tower..yuk. the sho does better try to get the bigger motor...

jwko

Lets see, I have had the cam sensor synchronizer assembly go bad which caused a chirping sound from the engine, brake rotors, drivers side back window wont roll down, door ajar light along with dome light comes on at radom times for no reason, fuel guage has been on full since 36,500 miles along with check engine light. Turns out engine light is on because fuel level indacator recieves no input signal, 86,000 miles now and I rufuse to fix it. Engine pings,pings,pings! Now thats really bad for the ringlands on the piston's so I took it in and was told once I put high octane in it I have to keep running it or have the PCM reprogrammed back to 87 octane, which they said they did, still pinging so I now run 91-93 octane for the sake of the engine. Air conditioner seeps out a little freon and I have to add a half a can or so a year so it wont cycle all the time. Lets see, just had to replace the master cylinder and rear shoes last week, no big deal. Windshield leaks on the top drivers side corner, headlights do not shine very far on dim. When car is cold engine surges after startup and sometimes while driving. I think thats about all, oh one more thing, the 3.0 Flex Fuel engine is gutless, you will get yourself killed trying to pass another car in this thing....Ok Im done bashing my wife's 2001 Taurus...

bull

We bought ours new in '01. The heater core needed to be replaced the summer of '06, and my resevoir developed a leak. A new resevoir at the dealer was $80 !! I sealed it with high temp epoxy instead.

SHOZ123

So did you change the coolant every two years after you bought the car?

The reservoir can be had for about $40 shipped if you look around.