Would you buy this Taurus? '99, 97K, Typical Heater Issues - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Whiskers · 01-05-2011, 09:23

Hai,

I am considering a 99 Taurus w. 97K miles. It's in lovely condition. However, it seems to have the heater issues that are typical w. this car. When I test drove it, it had a/c but no heat. The mechanic flushed out the heater and now it's blowing hot. I am afraid that this will be a money pit in the future. What is your opinion?

**R.S.LOGAN** · 01-05-2011, 11:47

Impossible to see into future re. possible heater probs. down the line . If that is all that is wrong with car , not bad . Could have a good check on cooling system for any sign of leaks or overheating / pressurising .

sixshooter · 01-05-2011, 22:10

No heat is hardly a flush problem at that odometer reading. My sable has 325,000 Km and I've never had anything wrong with the heater. I suspect he did something else; like bleed the air out or fill the rad up.

sixshooter · 01-05-2011, 22:12

I've always been under the impression that these cars were one of the best on the market and that's why Ford started making Taurus again.

**Bert** · 01-06-2011, 09:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixshooter

I've always been under the impression that these cars were one of the best on the market and that's why Ford started making Taurus again.

There are a lot of them still on the road with a lot of miles, and the heater hasn't been an issue. Chipset has many milrs on his too.

**R.S.LOGAN** · 01-06-2011, 09:51

Every possibility he did top up / bleed system , that is why I suggested having a good check on cooling system .

**360ci** · 01-08-2011, 06:15

I'll be soon passing 140K miles on my '99 SE sedan. What's this with the heater issue?

I thought a few years ago that the thing was blowing air too hot, so I replaced the thermostat with a lower 180F unit (stock is 195F).

I haven't had any problems with it, but I noticed that the coolant reservoir is nearly the same colour as the coolant itself, making checks a bit more difficult as I can't see the level from outside. I have to remove the cap, shake the vehicle slightly to get an estimate on where the level is. Nothing that isn't too typical in a vehicle that's 11, going on 12 years old! I cannot complain.

foggysail · 01-08-2011, 17:43

OK---there are a lot of lucky owners out there who have not had heater problems, I am not one of them.

I am into my 2nd 99 Taurus, both powered with the mighty Vulcan. Each has had heater problems. I got quite efficient in the first car pulling hoses. This time, I was determined not to rip hoses off each time I needed to back flush. OH--- I did find that the complete engine and heater required flushing. The brown casting sand is a bitch to completely get rid of even with high mileage.

The second car (I have another post on this one with a different problem) I cut both the feed line and the return lines. Next I inserted ball valves so I can block water flow to the engine. Next I installed drain cocks on both the feed and returns line. Now I can connect a garden hose to the return's drain cock, open the feed line's drain cock, turn on the water feed to the hose and back flush the heater all in about 5 minutes.

Results??? Mucho heat!

Foggy

**360ci** · 01-08-2011, 17:47

Nice!