taurus92

Hello,

I recently bought a used Taurus, that has been so far nothing but
problems. I am pretty much stuck with the car and the problems, so
please do not reccomend to try to give it back.

Originally, it used to overheat, oil light would come on, and it would
die while doing simple things like parallel parking. The guy who sold
me said that it was the battery and gave me a new one. It did not
really solve the problem. I took it to a mechanic and he found a
leacky water pump. That was replaced.

While the water pump was being replaced, radiator started to act
funny. It did not want circulate the coolant. The mechanic thought
that something was wrong with the cap and replaced it. Next thing, the
car was dead on the highway with coolant beeing spit out of the little
tube under the radiator cap.

I tried to pour whatever liquid was available ( a gallon of winshild
washer fluid) into the radiator, and tried to drive like that. That
was a bad idea. It died again and had to get it towed 150 miles back
home. I took it back to the same mechanic and he said that it was the
thermostat and replaced it.

However the engine was never the same (to say the least) and it had to
be replaced.

On the day I went to get my car back from the engine operation. It had
developed additional problems. Now the batterey light is on. And I saw
a green puddle under it. The mechanic said that it was the clamp and
he tightened it. As far as the battery light, he said that he has no
clue, he put it on the computer and everything seems ok.

That day I put a white paper under the car and next morning found a
nice big fat green drop. I did not have the time to take it to a
garage, but I continued to test. Next day there was another drop, and
the day after there were many tiny ones.

Meanwhile the car drives, but the heat gage worries me a bit. It goes
up all the way to the middle of the normal section.

Can anyone suggest what to do with this situation? Thanks

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ankhe105

#1: Get a different mechanic. Sounds very incompetent and giving you B.S.
answers that he should know.
#2: I'm not a mechanic but have done as much of my own work all most of
my life because of lack of funds at one time and now mostly because of #1
above.
#3: Sounds like the radiator and/or the heater core is plugged. You
could try flushing it out with a flush/fill kit that you can buy cheap at
any auto store or wal-mart. Your best bet however would be to take both
radiator and core out and get them cleaned properly at a radiator place
although the core is always a super-hassle to get out.
#4: The leaking coolant may just be because it's filled too high (I
think). May not be a big concern but should be watched to see if it gets
real bad.
#5: My guess on the battery light would be the alternator. First, make
sure the belt isn't too loose and, if not, get the alternator checked at
an auto parts store that you can trust.(Not that "mechanic"). Or so he
calls himself.
#6: I've been there and I feel your pain. Carry a couple gallons of
water at all times and get rid of that car when you are able to. Good
luck. I hope I helped

taurus92

"ankhe105" wrote:
> #1: Get a different mechanic. Sounds very incompetent and
> giving you B.S.
> answers that he should know.
> #2: I'm not a mechanic but have done as much of my own work
> all most of
> my life because of lack of funds at one time and now mostly
> because of #1
> above.
> #3: Sounds like the radiator and/or the heater core is
> plugged. You
> could try flushing it out with a flush/fill kit that you can
> buy cheap at
> any auto store or wal-mart. Your best bet however would be to
> take both
> radiator and core out and get them cleaned properly at a
> radiator place
> although the core is always a super-hassle to get out.
> #4: The leaking coolant may just be because it's filled too
> high (I
> think). May not be a big concern but should be watched to see
> if it gets
> real bad.
> #5: My guess on the battery light would be the alternator.
> First, make
> sure the belt isn't too loose and, if not, get the alternator
> checked at
> an auto parts store that you can trust.(Not that "mechanic").
> Or so he
> calls himself.
> #6: I've been there and I feel your pain. Carry a couple
> gallons of
> water at all times and get rid of that car when you are able
> to. Good
> luck. I hope I helped

Hi ankhe,

Thanks for your reply. How did you know that the battery light could
be connected to the belt? But I am getting ahead of myself. Proper
update is as follows:

I was finally able to take the car to a different mechanic. He said
that the radiator hoses were leaking and needed to be changed. He also
changed the belt. He wanted to change the alternator, because he said
that there is a dial inside that is probably damaged, but I did not
let him do that. It’s a good thing, because the battery light got
turned off by itself.

Happy that my car stopped overheating, I turned the A/C on, only to
discover that after a whimper of coolness it just pumps hot air at me.
The question is, should I try to put Freon by myself and hope that
that’s the problem, or spend $200 on a mechanic?

Thanks.

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