Originally Posted By: Zako2
From the ops post, it seems like it may be the time to let the car go. The other time I had this 99 Taurus, that run flawlessly from 11 years, and then started having problems one after another. After spending some 5 grand on all the bills, and wrenching quite a bit myself, I finally sold it because I no longer had confidence in this car.
Speaking of rusting brake lines. This is why it's so important to flush all brake fluid (by bleeding brakes) regularly. I flush all brake fluid every time I change brake pads. Of course, I have also seen brake lines that are badly rusted from the outside as well, and that's something that can be an issue in the midwest.
By the way, it's entirely possible that a "new" replacement fuel line can start failing within a couple of years. The replacement parts that are not OEM parts from the dealership (which always seems to demand a 300% markup on them) are 95% garbage usually made in China. I have seen genuine OEM suspension parts work for a decade, and then their aftermarket replacement fail within a year. That's another issue to consider if you want to maintain a really old car.
I actually had the brake lines bled a few times since I've owned it, it was more likely an issue of all of the salty roads for 20 years. I do plan on getting a different vehicle in about a year or so when a friend of mine is going to be getting a new vehicle, he said he would sell me his current one, so I very likely will end up doing that.