so in my quest learn all about midsize cars i was reading reviews from people about the taurus. i here a lot about their weak transmissions. but out of 5 pages of reviews at 25 reviews per page i only saw two or three. i saw one head gasket failure and a heater core a couple reported broken coil springs and a lot of people had good things to say about them. i have been kind of Leary because the transmission woes on even considering buying one. i thought it would be an absolute slew of transmission failure reports. do you guys think maybe that over played? kind of like GM and head gaskets. its not untrue but not as common as some make it sound?
surprised by the reviews on Taurus
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Depends on the year and exact transmission you're looking at.
I have one of the better years and better transmissions, but it's still really slow to move between gears and the programming is not the best (optimized for fuel economy, those CAFE suckers!).
I baby it once I learnt about it. Gave it a full transmission service a year ago and it improved significantly.
Earlier year Taurus' had problems with transmissions, Vulcans had huge problems with coolant, poor rear suspension, especially springs in cold areas would rust through due to salt.
I have one of the better years and better transmissions, but it's still really slow to move between gears and the programming is not the best (optimized for fuel economy, those CAFE suckers!).
I baby it once I learnt about it. Gave it a full transmission service a year ago and it improved significantly.
Earlier year Taurus' had problems with transmissions, Vulcans had huge problems with coolant, poor rear suspension, especially springs in cold areas would rust through due to salt.
what year do you have? i read on another forum about the vulcan having a cooling system corrosion problem if not maintained is that what you are referring to?
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
what year do you have? i read on another forum about the vulcan having a cooling system corrosion problem if not maintained is that what you are referring to?
A have a 2004 Duratec.
And yes the Vulcan has cooling system corrosion. Worth establishing if it ended when they introduced Premium Gold or not. I think it was do to with Duratec being aluminium vs Vulcan iron.
what year do you have? i read on another forum about the vulcan having a cooling system corrosion problem if not maintained is that what you are referring to?
A have a 2004 Duratec.
And yes the Vulcan has cooling system corrosion. Worth establishing if it ended when they introduced Premium Gold or not. I think it was do to with Duratec being aluminium vs Vulcan iron.
which other years are like your 04 and have the better transmission?
Originally Posted By: MarkStock
And yes the Vulcan has cooling system corrosion. Worth establishing if it ended when they introduced Premium Gold or not. I think it was do to with Duratec being aluminium vs Vulcan iron.
The RWD version of this engine never had the problems the Taurus had, but the cooling systems were completely different. I don't think the switch to G05 solved the issues in the Taurus cooling system.
And yes the Vulcan has cooling system corrosion. Worth establishing if it ended when they introduced Premium Gold or not. I think it was do to with Duratec being aluminium vs Vulcan iron.
The RWD version of this engine never had the problems the Taurus had, but the cooling systems were completely different. I don't think the switch to G05 solved the issues in the Taurus cooling system.
FoMoCo had a recall on the early Vulcans for coolant corrosion problems. Got bad enough to eat the water pump impeller. If it has the recall done or is a later model, it is good to go.
Given all that, I would still take the lowly Vulcan over the Duratec. Duratec is just one engine I disliked working on. The 3.0 Vulcan is one of the most reliable engines FoMoCo ever put in a car.
Given all that, I would still take the lowly Vulcan over the Duratec. Duratec is just one engine I disliked working on. The 3.0 Vulcan is one of the most reliable engines FoMoCo ever put in a car.
By the time Ford was putting the AX4N in the cars, a lot of the transmission issues seemed to go down. The old AX4S was a little on the weak side and had a few other internal issues. From what I've seen of the AX4N, it likes to have it's fluid changed every 30k miles, they like Maxlife, and they'll lead long happy lives with regular maintenance and normal driving. Now if you start running them hard and neglect them, they don't last long. They're not quite so forgiving on missed services like the 4T60E in my experience.
If it's got a Duratec, then it has a AX4N on newer transmission behind it. The Vulcan engines got the older transmission, generally, though Ford would put the AX4N behind it too. Just have to check the car. I think they phased the old transmission out by the early 2000s.
A friend of mine had a 2000 Sable, 3.0 Duratec with the AX4N. That transmission shifted perfect at nearly 170k miles when an icy road a power pole ended that cars life. I seriously thought about trying to buy it and fix it, but the impact damaged the radiator and mixed ATF with coolant.
If it's got a Duratec, then it has a AX4N on newer transmission behind it. The Vulcan engines got the older transmission, generally, though Ford would put the AX4N behind it too. Just have to check the car. I think they phased the old transmission out by the early 2000s.
A friend of mine had a 2000 Sable, 3.0 Duratec with the AX4N. That transmission shifted perfect at nearly 170k miles when an icy road a power pole ended that cars life. I seriously thought about trying to buy it and fix it, but the impact damaged the radiator and mixed ATF with coolant.
I know a few that complained about or had failed transmissions on the late 90's early 2ks. In all cases they didn't change the fluid on time if ever, so check the records and the looks when you test drive. Modern transmission designs and fluids are more forgiving to the neglectors.
Check the rear suspension for leaks as well. My mngr at work said thats a common known issue and he checks every Taurus that gets brought in through the door.
The "worst" reliability cars have a 20%-35% failure rate in a few areas. So the chances are won't have problems with a "unreliable" car deemed by Consumer Reports or otherwise. A very reliable make is
A $3000 car is pure luck of the draw. Get what you like and is in best condition.
A $3000 car is pure luck of the draw. Get what you like and is in best condition.
The Go-5 coolant turns to mud in them too.wonder why?
my
My mother had a 99 taurus, vulcan, not sure what trans, that she ordered in fall '98. drove it until this past Jan.(2012) during that time she put around 120k mi on it. maintained religiously @ the purchasing dealership.
I don't recall a coolant/cooling system issue ever cropping up, though i do remember having to have a transmission line (to the trans cooler)replaced b/c of corrosion.
and about a month before they replaced the car, the right front spring broke, spitting our a bout a 1/4 of a round onto the pavemnet.
My buddy had a 97 taurus, w/ the vulcan, not sure what trans. He bought it w/ about 120k mi, and by the time he replaced it was much nearer to 200k,that car had every reason not to run from neglect, he never changed the oil filter, (it developed enough of a leak he was adding oil fairly regularly- apartment complex he lived in, had enough of an transition angle to the street that the pavement on the road had grooves from everyone bottoming out...) when he replaced that car w/his vibe(summer '10), he gave it to a friend of his that didn't have a car, with in a week, the rear strut towers had collapsed while he was on a pizza delivery run. just all of the sudden, boom. rear bumper is dragging the road, like a dog w/ worms.
My mother had a 99 taurus, vulcan, not sure what trans, that she ordered in fall '98. drove it until this past Jan.(2012) during that time she put around 120k mi on it. maintained religiously @ the purchasing dealership.
I don't recall a coolant/cooling system issue ever cropping up, though i do remember having to have a transmission line (to the trans cooler)replaced b/c of corrosion.
and about a month before they replaced the car, the right front spring broke, spitting our a bout a 1/4 of a round onto the pavemnet.
My buddy had a 97 taurus, w/ the vulcan, not sure what trans. He bought it w/ about 120k mi, and by the time he replaced it was much nearer to 200k,that car had every reason not to run from neglect, he never changed the oil filter, (it developed enough of a leak he was adding oil fairly regularly- apartment complex he lived in, had enough of an transition angle to the street that the pavement on the road had grooves from everyone bottoming out...) when he replaced that car w/his vibe(summer '10), he gave it to a friend of his that didn't have a car, with in a week, the rear strut towers had collapsed while he was on a pizza delivery run. just all of the sudden, boom. rear bumper is dragging the road, like a dog w/ worms.
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