bradleyheathhays

I'm doing some maintenance on my AC system and I'm looking for small cans of R134a refrigerant with UV leak indicator but NO sealant. I've heard that most refrigerant 'top off' cans have sealant in them even though the label doesn't mention it, so I thought I better ask. Guy at the local Oreillys said the one pictured doesn't have sealer. Any confirmation or other brand suggestions?

Anyone?

Before diagnosing Mom's '02 Taurus warm air A/C issue I watched a video which gave advice to check the fuse, relay, refrigerant and clutch, so here's how it went... The issue...room temp air comes from the vents when set to Max A/C and dialed to full cold, and warm air comes out when dialed to full hot. There is no sense of cold air at all. fuse - confirmed continuous by multimeter - with no key in the ignition one of the a/c fuse's terminals in the engine bay fuse box read 12+V and the other 0 V - refrigerant - a quick press of the schrader valve reveals refrigerant pressure in the system - compressor and clutch - the middle of the compressor clutch wheel turns when just a little force is applied but does not spin freely - When the engine is on and A/C turned to Max A/C, the compressor clutch has a pattern of engaging for just over 1 second and then releases for about 5, and repeats this on 1s off 5s pattern without interruption for 5 min while I observed. - relay - the video suggested testing the relay junction but the owner's manual doesn't show any of the engine bay relays labeled as being associated with the A/C, so that was a dead end. The clutch seems to be working ok so I'm guessing the relay is a non-issue. As I'm testing I notice the engine light is on where I hadn't noticed it before. Called Mom and she says it wasn't on before, so I guess it just tripped. DTC code reads P1633 which translates to 'keep alive power voltage too low.' Battery failed last month so it was replaced with a brand new one from Wally's. The only observation I can offer other than the above is that when the A/C is turned to Max and the compressor is doing it's 1s on 5s off pattern, during the 5s it's disengaged you can hear a faint scraping sound presumably coming from the compressor clutch that sounds like two very flat surfaces, one being spun and the other not, and they're barely touching. It doesn't make the sound during every 5s disengage interval, but it's definitely there. It seemed to show up more the longer the A/C system ran. The sound stops when the A/C control panel switch is turned to off. Could this be a bad pressure switch / sensor? I'm all ears

Anyone please? Still haven't figured this one out.

After replacing both front flexible brake lines and tightening everything back up I go to start flushing all 4 lines as the fluid is due to be flushed and there are tiny bubbles galore vacuum bleeding at all four brakes. Because I changed out the front lines I bleed those first just to get fluid in there. Although I keep the fluid reservoir filled during this whole process I get lots of continuous bubbles starting with bleeding the front lines, and then with both the rear. Working the hand vacuum pump through all this got Really tiring as 95% of what was coming through was bubbles. But I was determined to get all the old brake fluid out so I end up running just short of a 32oz can through all the lines until the fluid is clean, but I still have the bubble issue. Only thing I can think of is that I got turned around somehow and when I went to loosen the first old front brake line from the solid line I ended up tightening the compression fitting (?) about 2 full turns instead of loosening. Not having replaced a brake line in a while I'd forgotten brake lines generally loosen right up once they're cracked. But dumb me forced that D#!& nut around twice and I'm guessing ruined the threads at that connection, and now that's what's giving me all the bubbles. The hex part or 'nut' I over-tightened is on the hard line that comes in from the left in the pic below. Only 3 places I'm sure the air ISN"T coming from is the reservoir (as it was always filled), the soft line connection point top bleed screws, or where the vac line attaches to the bleeder screws as I watched the air come directly out of all the screw holes. Note, the picture shows some brake fluid on the threads of the nut I over-tightened. As a test I wiped the fluid off then pumped and mashed on the brake pedal hard (spongy) but no fluid came out again at that connection, it stayed dry. I guess it was on there from when I put it back together. Any advice on what to do next or how to figure out if the bubbles are coming from the connection I may have ruined? '02 Taurus with 100k miles btw. Thanks.

Well fellas looks like I was wrong about not needing advice on how to bleed these brakes. This is the first set of ABS brakes I'm bleeding and luckily someone in another forum reminded me that activating the solenoids in the ABS module is something that needs to be done. I've been described two options. One is to have an OBD reader advanced enough to do it itself....or (since I don't think either of my cheap readers will do this) to do the bleed like normal (2 person) then safely/slowly get it on a gravel driveway or surface where it will slide and lay on the brakes. This will activate the ABS which will work the solenoids. After that do another regular 2 person bleed, then go out sliding again. After a final third bleed all the air should be out and everything is hunkydory. Does this approach sound alright or do I need to pony up and spend the $ for the more advanced reader?

I'm preventatively changing out both my Mom's 02 Taurus' front brake lines and haven't done this in a while so thought I'd write in for some general advice. Changing out the flexible hoses that go from the brake caliper to the solid line. I should be fine with the brake bleeding afterwards, I'm more thinking about dealing with the 2 line connections. Do either of the connections get either say anti-seize or maybe even loc tite? I'm thinking I was told a while ago to use high-temp copper anti-seize on something I was dealing with at the front brake caliper but can't remember if it was the brake line connection or not. That might've been one of the caliper or caliper plate bolts actually. Also, I turned every page in the FSM that had anything to do with brakes and couldn't find a procedure for changing out those brake lines. Any idea what size wrench for the connection with the solid line? Only thing I could find was an old youtube video featuring a '98 and the guy said he used a 13mm. I'm all ears for any advice before I dive into this. Thanks.

Yeah, I'm all for spending some a little more and avoiding the headache of a complicated install. Forgot to mention though that before this happened there was something else going on in the suspension/steering. I'm thinking it's some kind of bushing because both tie rod ends are ok. What happens is that under moderate to heavy breaking the front end shimmys as if the wheels are being allowed to free steer left and right somewhat. Along with installing a new set of Monroe Quick Struts I'll probably go ahead and change out both A shaped control arms and lower ball joint. Although I'm not entirely sure how well the control arm bushings are doing, one ball joint has it's boot broken so I'm sure those are probably ready to go. The cars old but she's in good shape with low mileage so I might as well get those done while I'm in there. Any thoughts on replacing these extra parts? Going with Moog it adds about $150 to the project.

Thanks bbf. I had forgotten about spring compression clamps, prob on purpose. Had some dicey calls with those things in the past. I usually put at least 3 on any spring I'm working on. But yeah that'd probably be a better option than using a cut wheel. I've got two Monroe quick struts on the way so both of them will be replaced.

'02 Taurus 100k miles here, and as you can see from the first picture the top part of my right strut spring has broken off. WTH is this common? Never seen this before. Second picture shows the top components of the strut which should receive the top of the spring have broken off as well. Third picture looks up and shows where the top of the strut assembly should be and that the new top of the spring now rests on bare sheet metal. From viewing inside the hood there hasn't been any deformity yet. Problem is...with all that spring pressure in there I don't know how to get this thing out. Now that the top of the strut assembly is broken there's nothing to contain the upward force of the spring and it's gonna keep tension with the top of the wheel well the whole time it's being worked out. Any suggestions on how to go about this? Only thing I can think of is to tie the spring down all over with heavy tow straps and go at it with a cut wheel until it's cut through and the tension is relieved.

Have an '02 Taurus that just rolled over 100k so I'm looking to change out all the O2 sensors before the weather gets too cold. I go to look up oxygen sensor in the old FSM to see what this is gonna look like and I can't find the term 'oxygen sensor' listed anywhere. Not in either the Fuel System or Exhaust System sections or in the back index. The closest it's referenced in one of the two previously mentioned sections is something like a 'catalytic monitor.' And nowhere can I find the procedure for changing them out. Am I missing something here?

Turns out it's the starter. Cleaned both batt terminals and engine ground and got nothing. Tapped the starter a few times and it fired right up. I'm getting advice it's probably my starter solenoid and that I should just replace that at about 1/4 the cost of the starter. I've always heard when starters get old their elec connections wear and tapping is what remakes the connection again. I've never heard of just the solenoid going bad so I'm not sure what to think. Should I do the just the solenoid or the whole starter w/ a lifetime warranty? If the whole starter what kind should I look for? Want something decent with a warranty but not too expensive. Do most people just go for something like an Ultra from Oreiley's with the lifetime? I've got a 70$ credit at Napa so I was thinking maybe one of their reman Bosch around $120.

Anybody?

'96 Cherokee here and right now I'm dealing with a no start after a few weeks of suspicious symptoms. She's been driven a lot less over the past year and about a month ago she began starting a little slow. I've got an oversized battery in there so usually she cranks right up no problem. I started monitoring batt voltage and saw around 12.04 V with engine off and 14.10 V or so running. Right before I get the new battery I head to Advance and they run a battery/alternator test. Kid tells me my batt is bad but alternator is still good. So I lay out the $ and install the same size 34N EverStart Maxx 800 cca from Wally's and the slow start persists. Measuring the new battery with engine off yields consistent readings of just under 12.7 V, so for the past few weeks I began charging the batt at 2A which seemed to help. A few days ago I venture out for an errand and the engine doesn't restart to get me back home. I get no clicks or cranking at all with a key turn. Batt measures 12.67 V at the terminals. Dash gauges seem to react with the key on, voltmeter reading ~11.5 V, although I'm not sure how accurate that is. Fuel pump pressurizes. Something that happened right after battery change out, which may or may not help in diagnosing the problem, is that my pass side headlight only illuminated half way while the driver side stayed full bright. I have an LMC Truck aftermarket headlight wiring harness giving 55/100w low high beam. It's the kind where you run the lights straight off the battery through additional relays. Had to tinker with the light harness a bit to get the new batt in and may have compromised a connection? Maybe a ground? Either way the pass headlight started showing full bright after only 1 or 2 occurrences and has been right ever since. With my alternator testing good and a new battery I wondered if maybe a loose connection was draining my voltage. I was in the middle of testing batt V connected vs. disconnected over time but this no start happened before I could get it done. Last thing to mention is that recently I've been removing both my fuel pump and starter relays for security reasons. The way it's acting now is exactly like when trying to start with both relays removed. Being that the fuel pump is pressurizing should I consider testing the starter relay? Other than that could I have caused some kind of part failure by removing and reinstalling the relays maybe around 5-6 times over the last month? All ears

Unfortunately it looks like I have some people in my new neighborhood paying a little too much attention to my auto and for the first time I'm feeling a need to add some security system(s) to old yeller. I think just a basic remote arm system would do, not interested at all in remote start or unlock. I'm not familiar with modern alarm systems, but here's what I 'think' I need... - Door switches for all 5 doors (rear hatch). Probably a PITA to install but that's only an initial idea. - 'Bump' alarm (not sure what it would be called) for if a window breaks or if something is jarred - Geo-location function like a low track or something similar Additionally I'd like to install possibly 2 start kill switches. I'm not sure where inline these are normally installed but my impression is that directly in line with the key ignition switch would be common. But then what if someone jumps the starter with a screwdriver...would this type of switch work in that instance? So that leads me to the idea of a second ignition kill switch which would either be wired between the battery and starter motor, or between the starter motor and ground. And last...security lugs. So am I over thinking this here? What's your recommendation for what I really need and maybe a good but economic alarm system that can get this done?

I checked all the vac lines on the firewall from the vac source on the driver's side to where it goes into the cabin on the pass side and everything seemed ok. So I get inside and take the glove compartment out and go poking around to see if I can find a loose vac line. Well lo and behold, I did, and lucky enough nothing's broken. I found a loose junction of vac lines that resembles a wiring harness connection. Best guess is it got knocked loose when my aftermarket radio got installed last year. Couldn't find my radio removal tools (on order for next week) so I wasn't able to get as good a view as I wanted, but after a lot of squeezing under the dash to look I never found these lines connection point. Can anyone tell me exactly where these lines plug into?...

Thanks for the advice. I have very little understanding of this so far but I thought 'blend' door referred to the temperature blend door. My issue is primarily concerned with the door that controls the vents.

Have an '02 Taurus w/ 103k miles and about 6 months ago all the air, heat or a/c, started blowing only out of the defrost vents at the bottom of the windshield. All the settings work correctly except air has stopped blowing from the floor and dash vents entirely. I know the fix on this is probably easy, just getting to it is gonna be hard. I've had the dash off my '11 Crown Vic to replace the leaking heater core so I've got a little experience doing this sort of thing. Can any describe to me what switching door in the vent system has gone bad and how I might approach fixing it? Thanks

Just now rolling over 100k miles. Been feeling some steering weirdness so I get one front wheel up in the air and push at 3 and 9 and sure enough there's some wobble. Pushing at 12 and 6 gives no play at all. Although I'll probably be replacing the worn part myself I need some help diagnosing what all might need to be replaced. And since I need an alignment anyway I've made a deal w/ my local Goodyear tire shop to do a pre alignment inspection and identify my bad part(s) so I can replace them before they do the job. When I drop the car off what specific parts should I ask them to look at? I'm sure tie rod ends but what other kind of worn parts could be causing movement on the 3-9 push test?

I've got an '02 Ford Taurus with 99k miles that's got something loose in the front end but I'm not entirely sure what it is. When under moderate to hard braking there's a quick shaking in the front of the car and the steering wheel jerks in sync with the shaking. Jacked up one front wheel, left the other on the ground, and sure enough the wheel moves when pushed at 3 and 9 o'clock, but not at 12 and 6. Any advice on where to go from here?

I don't think this would have anything to do with it but it's worth mentioning. Two months back I did a slow speed rear end into the back of a lifted pickup. The front of my hood hit his trailer hitch right at the hood latch point which crumpled the hood and broke and pushed back the upper radiator support...what the hood latches into. The equipment on that support, radiator ect were also pushed back but luckily nothing came in contact with the engine. Pushing the upper radiator support back had the effect of pushing both front fenders outward about 3/8 inch. Just yesterday I got the car back from having the front bumper plastic and that upper radiator support piece replaced. I was referred to that shop but I'm not too sure how good they are..definitely cheap though. What I'm wondering is...is it possible something got disconnected then not reconnected properly from that job that's resulted in my transmission misbehaving?

Have an '02 Ford Taurus that's been grandma driven for all of it's 95k miles. After doing some very easy driving in town for a couple hours today I accelerated up to about 50 and noticed the car didn't seem to be responding to the gas pedal anymore. Looked down and the engine was doing 4k rpm so I let off the gas. Pumped the gas a couple times to see if the car responded and got nothing. Coasted to a stop in a safe lane and tested it in all the gears...nothing. The car stays put if you put it in park but you can roll it back when in any other gear position. The gear leaver on the tree does still give resistance when you move between gears. No music was playing and there was no noticeable sound whenever the breakage occurred. Called a friend and was advised to check the gear shift linkage at the top of the transmission. I'm not familiar with what the arm's full range of motion is supposed to be but I noted it's position while in park and low 1 and it seems to be moving well. Felt the connections and they seemed solid. Without the benefit of being able to do a proper run-up to a transmission fluid check I wiped and re-dipped the stick and it read fairly high although I hadn't added any fluid for at least 10k miles. The fluid was just a shade darker than light pink and although I didn't check specifically it didn't seem to have a burnt smell. There's no way low engine oil could cause something like this is there? Any ideas?

Damn, it took 30 years of driving to cause my first accident, and on Friday the damn 13th. Did a low speed rear end into the back of a lifted truck and got into it's trailer receiver. The only place it made contact with was at the very front center of the hood close to where it latches. Unfortunately the impact was enough that there's a longitudinal hump in the middle of the hood now, bowed 6 inches on each side above the quarter panels, which weren't involved at all thank God. Both my headlights are cracked at the top, but not because they got hit; I think it was because the hood and it's latch was pushed back during the collision possibly deforming the support structure, causing the to separate. The hood is lifted up about 3 inches above each headlight and when looking in at the support material just behind each headlight, one side shows cracks and the other cracks and about a 1/2 gap in the material. Can't tell but it may resemble fiberglass, not really sure? My best guess is that the whole front bumper is gonna have to come off and that entire front support piece be replaced. Any advice on how hard this can be? I do a lot of my own work but I really don't want to be getting into this especially with the weather getting so bad now. When I go junkyard shopping for parts, what year Tauruses are compatible with my '02?

I'm outfitting my middle aged '02 Taurus with a new starter and need some advice on what brand starter to get. I'm tempted to get this reman Motorcraft, the fourth one down in the orange remanufactured section.. CLICK HERE For $123 that seems reasonable for a OE reman. If not this one I'll probably be going for a reman of another brand so why not go OE? The other reman options I'm seeing at the car stores are... Napa brand Bosch Denso Driveworks at Advance Carquest Duralast Valucraft Ultima Bestest Should I go with the Motorcraft or one of these? $123 sounds almost too good although I really don't know.

Right thanks for the good advice. I've seen other places that mention the same oil contamination you mention. In the end I think that's what it's gonna be, but I'm interested in testing the starter's draw as you mentioned. How would you go about doing this...with a multimeter?