Ford Guys! '04 Taurus-Duratec 30 Nice?Trusty? $3k

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I found this and saw it in person.....

2004 Taurus SES $3000 145k
https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/cto/5359779683.html

It is nice. By far the best condition Taurus I have driven in my car search. I think it has the non coolant rusting more robust engine the Duratec.

It has new tires and the fluids (pictured below) appear really really clean.

Is it indeed the best engine option to get in a used Taurus whereas the Vulcans clog heater cores?

A few repair questions though..
1. Gas Cap evap check engine code
2. Slight slight clunk at steering radius center when turning the steering wheel at parking lot crawl speed.
3. slight brake shimmy when braking firmly at highway speed
4. Oil pan beneath is "moist" with oil (simply age?) not oily anywhere past that.
Opinions?

Pics below - Just click!

ENGINE BAY

COOLANT TANK & CLARITY

SES BODY

OIL SAMPLE

TRANS FLUID SAMPLE
 
Ive driven on lately and it is a delicious car. I have one with a vulcan, duratec is more agile if youre in a hurry. The fluids are better than mine.
 
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Originally Posted By: Pontual
Ive driven on lately and it is a delicious car. I have one with a vulcan, duratec is more agile if youre in a hurry. The fluids are better than mine.


I hear that these AX family of transmissions are as "somewhat" problematic as the GM 4T65e (I think that is the one in impalas)

Anyone have comments on the tranny, tips, shift rpm points to look at? I'll be driving it a second time and then making an offer.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
saw it in person


Good on you for going beyond posting threads. Did you hook-up a scan tool?

Many of these cars (Taurus/Sable) still out there running around; they're super cheap at auction, and prices at the dealer or thru a private seller are about the least expensive for a full-size sedan.

I swear every single one I see though has an awful sag in the rear end; fortunately for you, taxi package Monroe quick-struts (these are the entire/complete assembly) are only $100 each.
 
Had an 01 SEL (Vulcan engine) that just traded in recently.

They were reliable enough (not as reliable as a Corolla but still trust worthy that it will start and run daily), very affordable. The coolant rusting and expensive radiator repair is what concerns us, but transmission seems to be OK and rough shifting (doesn't look like they tune down engine power during shift so it will lurch forward when you reach a stop sign). The tranny has a tendency to clog the vent and burp a lot of ATF, and I suspect that is one of the reason many die so early, there's a TSB and you can order a metal elbow, add some fuel line to route the vent up as a snorkel to eliminate the problem.

I heard you cannot change Durtec plugs without taking out the intake manifold like the Vulcan, but I'm sure there're experts who can teach us how to do it.
 
The thing I am worried about most...

having heard that the Duratec is by faaar a "good" engine ( btw I looked in the oil filler and it was very clean inside and the timing chain was spotless),
is the transmission. It's probably that way with every car.

Maybe I can find a you tube video like Eric the Car Guy who can tell me how to inspect the AX series performance by watching the tach for shift points and firmness?

As far as performance at a stand still...It went into reverse nearly instantly, quicker than my new Toyota, and wasn't harsh. Shifting from N to D went into gear about the Same as my '13 Toyota... I'd say about 1 to 1.5 seconds unscientifically.
 
I believe 2003+ had the weaker spline on the transmission, but it's still a [censored] shoot, there are those out there that still last 200k plus even with the weaker spline. The AX4N was the better transmission, N meant it was a non synchronous transmission which meant you could jump gears from 1-3 or 3rd to 1st. The AX4S had to go through each gear before going to another. You do see them go at 100k though, but some of those problems listed are sometimes just low transmission fluid. Several cases of problems fixed with just adding fluid.

As for your repair questions, evap could be gas cap, rust on filler neck which could be fixed with RTV sealant or just bad filler neck which can also be replaced. Clunking could be many things, tie rods, motor mounts, ball joints, basically just standard front end stuff.
Brake shimmy is standard, just get a new set of rotors and pads at Advance auto, those items are pretty cheap. And moist oil pan is also standard, oil pan gasket, you normally have to drop the exhaust to change out the gasket. Or just keep it topped off with $2 Autozone oil. The cloudy coolant tank is nothing, just the way the plastic is, probably dirt on the tank, I've seen much worse.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
saw it in person


Good on you for going beyond posting threads. Did you hook-up a scan tool?

Many of these cars (Taurus/Sable) still out there running around; they're super cheap at auction, and prices at the dealer or thru a private seller are about the least expensive for a full-size sedan.

I swear every single one I see though has an awful sag in the rear end; fortunately for you, taxi package Monroe quick-struts (these are the entire/complete assembly) are only $100 each.


Yeah, the price of those struts keep coming down. Just look on rockauto, they used to be over $100 each, now something like $75-$85 each. They can probably be installed for around $100-$150 as long as the pinch bolts in the rears don't snap.
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
saw it in person


Good on you for going beyond posting threads. Did you hook-up a scan tool?

Many of these cars (Taurus/Sable) still out there running around; they're super cheap at auction, and prices at the dealer or thru a private seller are about the least expensive for a full-size sedan.

I swear every single one I see though has an awful sag in the rear end; fortunately for you, taxi package Monroe quick-struts (these are the entire/complete assembly) are only $100 each.


Yeah, the price of those struts keep coming down. Just look on rockauto, they used to be over $100 each, now something like $75-$85 each. They can probably be installed for around $100-$150 as long as the pinch bolts in the rears don't snap.


Monroe 271616 is $102.79 on RockAuto.
 
Had that engine on the wife's previous Escape.

Oil leaks were common with that vintage - either the oil pan gasket, timing chain cover gasket, or valve cover ones. Hers leaked/burned/whatever about a quart every 3-5k depending on the season. Didn't want to do the repair as at 158k it was not worth it. Timing chain cover gasket requires replacement of all 3 and takes forever - IIRC shop time is 8 hours, figure a weekend in your garage.

Yes, you need to take out the manifold to get to the back plugs. On her Escape it was not bad - it's a dry manifold. Basically disconnect things, remove the EGR tube and pull it off. Do the plugs, replace the gaskets and put it all back.

Can't speak to the transmission - her Escape had the CD4E and was original @ 158k when we traded it off.
 
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
I believe 2003+ had the weaker spline on the transmission, but it's still a [censored] shoot, there are those out there that still last 200k plus even with the weaker spline. The AX4N was the better transmission, N meant it was a non synchronous transmission which meant you could jump gears from 1-3 or 3rd to 1st. The cloudy coolant tank is nothing, just the way the plastic is, probably dirt on the tank, I've seen much worse.


I was impressed by how clean looking the coolant was, no concern about the cloudy tank plastic.

Is there a VIN element way to determine if the tranny is the better "N" series transmission?
 
for $3k i can buy 6 tauruses on craigslist. sounds like a solid deal if you buy 6 of them.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
The thing I am worried about most...

having heard that the Duratec is by faaar a "good" engine ( btw I looked in the oil filler and it was very clean inside and the timing chain was spotless),
is the transmission. It's probably that way with every car.p

Maybe I can find a you tube video like Eric the Car Guy who can tell me how to inspect the AX series performance by watching the tach for shift points and firmness?

As far as performance at a stand still...It went into reverse nearly instantly, quicker than my new Toyota, and wasn't harsh. Shifting from N to D went into gear about the Same as my '13 Toyota... I'd say about 1 to 1.5 seconds unscientifically.


Look like this tranny is still fine, as you described. Mine has the S(shift) weaker version and is fine at 82k miles of use, going strong. It depends on the usage/abusage, if its drive like you said, id buy. Specially for the charrete price you guys find...
 
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We had a fleet of cars with Taurus and Accord new from the 90s, both had same kind of reliability. The riding of Taurus is way better IMO, remmembers those big cars of the 70s.
 
Originally Posted By: stchman
To the OP:

Those older Ford Tauruses are POS.

I don't know what your budget is, but get a 08-09 Accord or Camry.


A couple threads ago it was $4k. No Camry's or Accord's for that money unless they are really trashed in those years.
 
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