• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Car Problems: 2000 Ford Taurus

P

PCMarine

Diamond Member
I'm 16 years old and I recently purchased a 2000 Ford Taurus. The car was previously my dad's company car, which the company offered to sell to him for $4,700. So my dad bought it with the intent on selling it to me. I did just that, and paid in full roughly $5,000 after tax. The car has 65,000 miles on it and my dad kept it in great condition when he owned it (He takes great care with all of his cars).

Now, I've had it for roughly a week and all has been well, except a certain problem has gotten more and more prevelant. When I start the car, especially when it is cold, it is really reluctant to start. When I first got it, it would start after a few seconds or two of turning the key, but now I have to turn the key for a few seconds, turm the key to off before I break something 🙂, then repeat a few times till it starts. This seems pretty odd that this started happening since this is a relatively new car in great condition. My dad did say it happened to him when he owned it, but not as frequently as it happens to me now.

However, there was a 1 month overlap when my dad got his new car and I bought his old one, so it sat untouched in the garage for a month or so. Could it be "old" gas? What else could cause this to happen? I'm ready to take it to the mechanic, but I fear the high cost =\
 
any "check engine lights"?? Not sure if it would give you codes or not, but try calling around to some auto parts stores, some (local to me anyway) will do a simple code scan for free. It might narrow your search a little
 
first-NEVER buy a taurus
second-get a new starter. i just replaced the one in my truck, they are cheap and easy...it sounds like the problem i was having...now my car starts perfectly
 
Gas won't 'go bad' in a month 🙂

Could be a lot of things.....fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, coolant temp sensor....you'll have to take it to a shop, sorry 🙁



JC
 
I dunno about you guys, but me buying a pretty kick ass car @ 16 y/o is pretty cool, so I really don't care if "Taurus' suck" 🙂

Yea, I hardly know anything about cars, so I'll probably just take it to the shop. Any idea on cost?
 
dude trade it in and get something that suits you better unless the taurus suits you ..

I'm sure you'll get a lot more than what you paid ..
 
Originally posted by: PCMarine
I dunno about you guys, but me buying a pretty kick ass car @ 16 y/o is pretty cool, so I really don't care if "Taurus' suck" 🙂

Yea, I hardly know anything about cars, so I'll probably just take it to the shop. Any idea on cost?
Click to expand...


They'll prolly charge an hour's labor to diagnose it.
 
Originally posted by: PCMarine
I dunno about you guys, but me buying a pretty kick ass car @ 16 y/o is pretty cool, so I really don't care if "Taurus' suck" 🙂

Yea, I hardly know anything about cars, so I'll probably just take it to the shop. Any idea on cost?
Click to expand...

Yes, having a car at 16 is pretty cool.

A Ford Taurus isn't exactly the most desirable, though.
 
Nothing wrong with the Taurus. Not the coolest car for a teenager, but they are decent cars.


My question: What octane gas are you running? If you are not running regular (87), then do so, and your problem will likely go away. If not, then let me know and I can help you diagnose the problem.
Running higher octane gas in cold weather is a sure way to get hard start problems, though. That's not the only thing that can cause your concern, but it's the best place to start.
Let me know if it helps.
One more thing: next time it happens, try pushing the gas pedal down a bit....you know, like you're not supposed to on fuel injection cars. If the car will run that way, but shut off when you let off the gas, then your idle air control valve is sticking.
 
Originally posted by: ReiAyanami
65,000 miles isnt anywhere near new, either
Click to expand...
Yeah, but they were miles that his father put on the car. At least he has a good idea of how well the car was taken care of. You could buy other cars with 65K on them and not know any of the history.

You might want to check out this thread that Ornery posted yesterday: Problems with starting
 
Originally posted by: ReiAyanami
65,000 miles isnt anywhere near new, either
Click to expand...

The vast majority of those miles were highway miles as my dad had to travel a lot for business.

And I just run on the plain old regular (cheapest) gas 🙂, as from what i've heard, premium and super premium are really only for high performance cars.
 
It sounds like a weak or bad fuel pump module. What usually happens is the check valve in the pump assy. wears out and lets all the fuel drain back into the tank. Even though the fuel pump runs for a few seconds before starting it's no enough to charge the fuel rail completely. And when you are cranking the car, to start, the fuel pump circuit is disabled to prevent flooding. I would try this, next time you go to start it, cycle the key between on and off, not start, a couple of times and then try and start it. If it starts then the problem is the fuel pump module. If it still doesn?t start, then I would suggest a possible vacuum leak or a bad mass airflow sensor.
 
Originally posted by: PCMarine
I'm 16 years old and I recently purchased a 2000 Ford Taurus. The car was previously my dad's company car, which the company offered to sell to him for $4,700. So my dad bought it with the intent on selling it to me. I did just that, and paid in full roughly $5,000 after tax. The car has 65,000 miles on it and my dad kept it in great condition when he owned it (He takes great care with all of his cars).

Now, I've had it for roughly a week and all has been well, except a certain problem has gotten more and more prevelant. When I start the car, especially when it is cold, it is really reluctant to start. When I first got it, it would start after a few seconds or two of turning the key, but now I have to turn the key for a few seconds, turm the key to off before I break something 🙂, then repeat a few times till it starts. This seems pretty odd that this started happening since this is a relatively new car in great condition. My dad did say it happened to him when he owned it, but not as frequently as it happens to me now.

However, there was a 1 month overlap when my dad got his new car and I bought his old one, so it sat untouched in the garage for a month or so. Could it be "old" gas? What else could cause this to happen? I'm ready to take it to the mechanic, but I fear the high cost =\
Click to expand...


First thing to do is find out why it is not starting.

The 2 things to check for are Fuel and Spark.

If not getting fuel then check to see if the pump is kicking on when you put the key to the on. If not then you will need to check the relay and trace it back. Most cars the fuel pump runs off the relay for s couple of seconds then the oil pressure builds up and keeps the pump running. If the switch is not working then the car will not pump fuel until the oil pressure is up, hence the extended cranking.

But could be several things. Either start tracing, or find a good mechanic that knows what they are doing.

Don't try and fix it yourself unless you know what you are doing.

 
Since you're not running premium, the most likely cause of your problem is the idle air control (IAC) valve. You can prove this by cracking the gas open a bit while trying to start it cold.
If your symptom is hard to start, takes a lot of cranking to get it running, mostly in colder weather, but after you get it running it's fine until it cools off again...then the IAC will 99% of the time be your problem. It is very easy to diagnose, and equally easy to replace. If it's something else, you'll need to take it to a good mechanic.

edited for clarity
 
Thanks a lot Pacfanweb, I'll go talk to my dad about the IAC tomarrow, and I'll see if cracking the gas a little will work.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
It's a Ford.

What do you expect? 😛
Click to expand...

hahaha 😀

ford = expensive crap


in seriousness, though, some cars are known to 'hesitate' when it's cold outside. the ignition itself might be faulty, i would suggest looking at any consumer reports on your car to see if there have been any reported recalls or problems.
 
What was the resolution for this problem?

[Edit]: I found your resolution in another thread:
Well the majority of the problem was my own fault. Heh, keep in mind I am a new driver and just got the car, most of the problem was that I wasnt turning the key ALL the way to the right heh. So now Ive been turning it all the way and it's been starting nicely. However there were a couple of pretty cold days where it started a little sluggish, but it's alright now

Hehe I feel like an idiot.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top