Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with ford

The End of the Big 3?

billysumday — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:11:57 -0800

Will the government allow Ford and GM to fail? I know that there's no real answer to that question until it happens, but it seems more and more likely that at some point, the government will either have to actively bail out with a cash infusion at least one of the big automakers, or they will have to actively stand by and let one of them (most likely - Ford) implode. Ford's recent announcement of over $8 billion in losses in the last quarter alone does little to strike confidence in car buyers, investors, and manufacturers. Is it in the government's interest to have the Big 3 around anymore, or does it not particularly care one way or the other? Once upon a time they were bellweathers of the economy and a symbol of American dominance - I feel that that is no longer the case. It would be something to see a company like Ford have a fire sale and shut down its plants.

I find the decline of American automaking fascinating, and am personally hoping for a resurgence of quality and profitability, and a rise in efficiency, from American carmakers.

This question is a bit chatty, yes, but I'm also looking for specific or expert info here - what is the precedent for letting a company of this stature fail? Is it possible? Is it imminent? Would GM and Ford merge? What is the future American automaking?

ABS + Brake lights lit - is my Windstar safe to drive?

neilkod — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:14:11 -0800

Is my car safe to drive? My 2003 Ford Windstar's ABS + Brake lights intermittently go on. Searching yields lot of noise but I'm not sure what to make of it. Most of the search results are either 44-page forum threads, unanswered questions, or just things I don't understand. Of course, its a weekend and no service places around are open. We are planning on taking a 2hr drive this afternoon - I'd like to know if my van is safe to drive. Or at least, is there a definitive site I should be reading? I'm overwhelmed by the number of auto-repair sites/forums.

Additionally, the lights are not always lit - my most recent 4-mile drive yielded no lights at all. My brake fluid was on the lower-end of the acceptable range, but I just added more(haven't driven since). However, the manual says that low fluid would light just the brake light and not the ABS light.

According to search results, a common issue seems to be heat; we're having a scorching July in Utah.

I'm not sure if fordwindstarrecall.info is relevant, i have the brake + abs light issues but not the fuse/speedometer/cruise control issues.

A local Autozone said there are no error codes reported by the car's computer, but i'm not sure if that would include brake codes. The common code getting kicked around is c1185.

Why are hybrid vehicles so scarce?

middleclasstool — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:45:18 -0800

Why are hybrid vehicles so hard to find? My wife and I are new car shopping and have set a limit of ~30mpg as the minimum for fuel efficiency. Thing is, it's hard to find a non-hybrid that gets that unless it's small, and we've got one baby with a rear-facing seat and another planned for next year, so we'd like some extra leg room to accommodate them.

Enter the Ford Escape Hybrid. 34/30 mpg, the only hybrid SUV that gets mileage that good and is decently priced, appears to have decent room, and could actually be used to haul some stuff from time to time, which is a plus. We love the idea, want to test drive one.

Except nobody has them. I've checked dealers in Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Tulsa, and even Dallas. No dealer websites show them in inventory. My wife called a local dealer to ask about this, and was informed that they couldn't even order one for us if we wanted. They are literally nearly impossible to find in the US. Some cursory Googling tells us that other hybrid vehicles ain't much better.

So here's the question: why? Especially in a market where US automakers are struggling, if there's demand that high for your product, why are you not making more of them? The economics of this evades me -- what does creating artificial scarcity do for them financially, when they could just flat-out sell more cars? Is it artificial scarcity, or are they just seeing a bigger run on their vehicles than they anticipated? If it's the latter, why not ramp up production pronto?

Did Ford change the Aerostar seat size?

The Giant Squid — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:01:03 -0800

Will a 1997 Ford Aerostar third seat fit in a 1994 model? I'm assuming so, but Ford did make a number of changes to the 1997 model. I'm close to buying one, but I don't want to waste a trip.

Any help would be appreciated...

Swap out blower motor of 98 Mercury Mystique

charmston — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:04:46 -0800

I'm looking for detailed online directions to remove/change the blower motor from a 1998 Mercury Mystique (Ford Contour). I've checked the Contour Enthusiast Group and found nothing. Any suggestions?

Pontiac Aztek or Ford Focus

WizKid — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:52:25 -0800

Currently I drive a 2000 Ford Focus and looking in to buying a 2001 pontiac aztek for $5700. I need some recommendations on it. Hi All,

Currently I drive a 2000 Ford Focus with 96,000 miles (KBB-$3300) and my daily commute is around 2-3 mile round trip to work and weekend shopping for about 5 miles. Once a month I may drive to a friends place or some where for about 10-15 mile round trip. I recently replace to strut springs and cost me about $250. Other than the sound of things rattling and shaking there is nothing really wrong with it. But at the same time this is a basic model and it doesn't have cruise control, power windows, power doors, etc...

Recently I got my eyes on a 2001 pontiac aztek for $5700 (KBB-$5800) with 90,000 miles on it and thinking of selling my Ford Focus and going for the Aztek.
Features:
Air Conditioning Cruise Control Traction Control
Power Steering AM/FM Stereo Roof Rack
Power Windows Single Compact Disc Privacy Glass
Power Door Locks Dual Front Air Bags Alloy Wheels
Tilt Wheel ABS (4-Wheel)Power Seats, Ice Chest Console, Rear
Tailgate Bench, Rear 50/50 Seating
Premium Sound Leather, Heads up display
OnStar, Towing Pkg

As much as I like to go for an Honda or a Toyota seems like it's out of my price range. I'm looking for something below $6000.
Therefore I need a second opinion on this from fellow mefiers.
- What are the pros and cons of pontiac aztek ?
- Should I go for it or am I better off with the Ford Focus that I drive now?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. : I know some of you might think that I should be posting this question in an Auto forum. But most of the time users come to these forums when they have problems with their vehicles and with a subset of users like that it's difficult to get a general idea about the product.

How much dirt can I haul in a Ford Ranger?

worstkidever — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:06:43 -0800

How much dirt can I safely haul in a Ford Ranger? I own a 2002 Ford Ranger Edge supercab truck. It has a 3-liter, v6 engine, and automatic transmission. I need to move a lot of dirt, 1 cubic yard at a time in the truck bed (not on a trailer). I know the weight of the dirt, but I don't know how much my truck can safely haul without causing damage. I have seen a lot of different figures about the truck, but none of them come out and say "don't haul more than this amount". Can anyone shed some light on this?

PS. I will be checking the weight rating on the tires as well.

Help us get our crappy cars fixed.

santojulieta — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:37:38 -0800

Where in Chicago can I get the brakes on a '99 VW Jetta and '98 Ford Escort replaced reliably and cheaply? Do you love your Chicago mechanic? Does he/she do work on both Fords and VWs? We're in Lincoln Park (but willing to drive a bit for great service), and both of our cars desperately need brakes, though it's only crucial to fix one car this weekend. Where do you other MeFite Chicagoans take your own cars? Where do you NOT take your own cars?

"Ma'am, if you didn't have a vagina, these repairs would cost you considerably less."

numinous — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:55:45 -0800

[Automotive-Repair-Filter]: I dropped off my car at the dealership for it's scheduled maintenance and to have some loudness checked out. Now I'm being told that despite wheel-bearings being the noise-culprit, my car needs $1000+ worth of repairs. Am I getting shafted? After weeks (I know, I know) of my car growing louder and louder while driving at speeds greater than 40 mph, I finally dropped it off at the dealer to have the problem diagnosed (I know that going to a dealer is probably more expensive than a good mechanic will be. I only chose the dealer as my parents had given me the remaining balance on their Dealer Gift Card to use for payment). I dropped off my car - a 2001 Ford Focus Wagon - noting that my car grew increasingly louder at highway speeds, and that I needed the scheduled 75,000 maintenance.

Upon inspection, the service department representative called me and ran down a list of things that the mechanic felt needed repairing. They are (and seriously, I have no idea what half of this means):

^nd

^th

As an added bonus (read:WIN!), my car could stand for:

At the time of this posting, the rep. has given me a preliminary estimate of $890, which includes:

• the cost of the diagnosis ($100)
• transmission work ($605)
• my initial 75,000 mi. scheduled maintenance ($185)

but which does not include the cost of:

• wheel-bearings
• new tires
• new wiper-blades
• a brake-flush
• a power-steering flush
• replacement of bulbs
• all labor required therein

I am bottoming out on my loans as it is (thanks, university administration!), so paying this amount (a) seems like a joke, and (b) leaves me feeling apprehensive about putting food in my mouth for the next 3 months. For the diagnosis, transmission work, and 75k scheduled maintenance, does the amount of $890 seem reasonable? Am I being ripped-off? What is a reasonable price for this type of work? I live in Southern California, and the dealership is located in Costa Mesa, if this matters at all.

I would appreciate all input, as I will be speaking with the rep. sometime in the following day, and would like to go into the discussion equipped with the knowledge of whether I’m being taken for a ride, or if the amount appears reasonable. I will update this post with the additional estimates for the remaining work for which I have yet to receive the estimated amounts.

Please forgive the sarcastic tone of my post. I am feeling a little burnt by the feeling that I am being given a run for my money, and am not wholly trusting of dealerships that tend to exploit my automotive ignorance.

What to these take-off parts fit?

ShawnStruck — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:47:13 -0800

Can you help me figure out what model of Ford Pick-up truck these parts can fit? (links to large pictures of parts and serial numbers inside) Set of front shocks, serial number close-up)and a wide view

coil spring, wide view and best quality

Here's a front spindle and a close up of the serial number

Some rear shocks, wide view, and a close up of the serial number here.

So, anyone have any idea how I'd find out where these go to?

How do I find these mirrors & will this other mirror fit?

damehex — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:24:08 -0800

Will this replacement side-view mirror fit my Ford van? I have been researching for days and can't find an answer. Both of the sideview mirrors on my '05 Ford E-350 Super Duty van keep getting the glass torn out in my neighborhood. I've replaced them at the dealership with the fancy electric-controlled dual-glass Ford part, but it's extremely expensive and the theft just happens again the next night. They've gotten 5 mirrors so far and I am just about out of moneys.

I see some of these manual-adjustable single-glass parts in the neighborhood on E-350 vans. They don't seem as attractive to the sticky-fingered set. I want to install them! But the 7,000 online parts dealers I've found all have the same system: you put in your year, make, model, and what kind of parts you're looking for, and they show off what's in stock. This gets me always to the Kool-Vue part #FD24R (linked above) for $85 to $100. But! Nobody anywhere seems to have the driver's side half of the set. The kool-vue site doesn't seem to list it. Is it discontinued? I wrote to the two mails listed on the kool-vue site and one bounced, the other didn't earn me a reply.

So I guess my first question is: does anyone know where I could track down the damn Kool-Vue part #FD24L (maybe alternately called part #F4UZ17683A? I am extrapolating from here).

And then the question I came here to post: will this other part, #FD23L and #FD23R, fit my van? These look the same to me but maybe they have the bolts in a slightly different spot. I find them listed at the various web retailers as fitting E350 vans 1999 to 2002. Could I maybe find someone in Brooklyn to rig them up on my 2005?

I am glad to do phone work on this but I just don't know where to find an expert. The Ford dealerships all tell me to go screw myself when I bring up 3-rd party parts, and I can't handle the part they sell me at the dealership getting stolen again. It is too heartbreaking. Plus I've spent 1100 bucks there and currently have no mirrors.

Please advise.

Help Me, AskMe Click & Clack!

rossination — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 21:29:24 -0800

Help me diagnose my car's weird lurching problem. This is mostly for curiosity's sake, as I do plan on taking it to the mechanic tomorrow or Saturday. But I sort of want to know what I'm in for. It's a 1999 Ford Taurus with low mileage (around 60k) for its age. Just today, it's started "lurching" while driving -- all of a sudden it feels like you lose power and then it sort of kicks in again. Sometimes the car feels as if it slipped into Neutral. The check engine light just went on today as well (as if I didn't already know that something needed checking!). I am assuming this is some sort of transmission problem, but could it also be an issue with a fuel injector or filter?

If you haven't noticed yet, I know nothing about cars. As I mentioned, I'm planning on taking it in, but I'm sort of trying to get a feel for what kinds of things might need fixing or replacing, as well as a ballpark estimate of what it will cost.

Any guesses?

Help this 1993 Ford Probe start!

gregschoen — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:07:45 -0800

Help this 1993 Ford Probe start! My friend has a 1993 Ford Probe sitting in his driveway, we've decided to try and fix it. Here's the problem, it sounds like it really wants to start, but it just won't turn over.

According to someone who looked at it, the Distributor is fine, the distributor cap seemed to have power going through it, but nothing coming out of it, so we replaced it.

The spark plugs were replaced, the spark wires were replaced.

We replaced the battery due to it having sit for a year, and my stupid ass jumping it wrong. This leads to another problem, there seems to be a smell of burning electronics coming from the fuse box. (I'm very familliar with this smell.) It's not the main fuse and we tested the circuit relay and it tests out fine, it clicked when we applied voltage and the continuity seems to be working properly.

The smells seems like it's coming from what's labeled as the Air Conditioner Relay, but that particular part of the car hasn't worked in a long time.

The timing belt is apparently working fine, the gas has been sitting for over a year, so we don't know if that could be the problem, we added Heet to the engine and used some starting fluid to try to get the thing to turn over. My friend swears that it's doing the same thing it did before, so this doesn't seem to be a symptom of the car sitting.

Turn the key and it whurrs and tries to start, but it never actually turns over. Practical suggestions would be very much appreciated. We'd like to fix it but if it sounds like it's a losing battle, let me know. Thanks a bunch all!

Learning stick is the easy part.

thetenthstory — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 08:34:18 -0800

I have a 1964 (and a half) Mustang. The only problem is that it has not run since 1981. It has been on blocks in the garage. How much would it cost me to get it on the road again? I have an interest to restore the car but every person with car knowledge has given me a different opinion on what I could do myself, have others do, if I should keep it historic, what parts I should sell off it, etc. I know the basics of how to replace simple things but not major ones.

The car was gifted to me for a dollar 5 years ago. From my understanding, these were the major problems:
1. The wiring was starting to go.
2. One of the brake lines may have popped.
3. Engine was running but probably needs someone to work on a valve.
It was generating smoke and probably would not pass the state
inspection. Not to mention it has not run in 26 years.

I do not have any interest in selling the car.

I have not had someone come give me an estimate on what it would cost me to fix it up, but I figured the MeFi's are smart enough or could speak from experience. I would also appreciate advice on whether to keep it historic or not.

Bonus questions: Can anyone recommend someone near NYC that
specializes in fixing historic cars? Also, what the insurance would be for a clean record driver?

Exhaust pipes for 1985 Thunderbird

Venadium — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:06:41 -0800

When buying exhaust flex pipes like these, to fit over an H-pipe with a diameter of 2.5", would you buy the flex pipes with the 2.5" outlet diameter or do you need something bigger? My brother ended up having to cut the H-pipe with a Sawzall to remove the stock headers on his '85 Thunderbird. Now he's having problems installing the new ones. He doesn't want to buy a new H-pipe (even though 2 of the flex pipes he wants instead would cost just as much, but whatever), but we're not sure which diameter flex pipe to order. I say he should order the diameter that matches the diameter of the existing h-pipe, but he wants to order the 3" pipes figuring he'll be able to clamp them or something. Help me help him not waste any more of his money.

Ford! You 'ol scoundrel!

nihlton — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:14:41 -0800

I have heard that during the 20's when capitalism was hot shit, many municipalities decided to privatize their public transit systems. The legend goes that Ford bought up a bunch and promptly shut them down. True or false? Couldn't find anything on google or snopes.

Do Fords really have solid steel frames?

tasty — Thu, 17 May 2007 18:05:23 -0800

I had an auto accident a while back in a Taurus where a huge truck got crushed against my passenger-side while I drove away with just a dent. The truck's front was completely crushed and it was towed away. I figured it was just luck that my car wasn't damaged much, but I recently read in a Ford brochure that their cars have solid steel frames which may be why my car was okay. Is the "solid steel frame" a marketing thing or really a unique feature of Fords?

If we only knew.

ok — Thu, 10 May 2007 07:22:37 -0800

0% Ford Financing - will we see it again? Timing is everything. They just ended it, didn't need a car then. We will soon.

What is the tightening sequence for my oil leaking car?

gregschoen — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:38:00 -0800

Valve Cover Tightening Sequence for a 1991 Ford Escort GT? I know it exists because I had to do this once before, and I'm pretty sure I used the wrong torque because I was using a torque wrench with ft/lb and not in/lb. I'm set to do it correctly now, but I seem to have lost the diagram I had to do it before.

I have a 1991 Ford Escort GT, 1.8 DOHC.

My car's get up and go, done gone up and went

jaybeans — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:04:35 -0800

What is causing my engine to cut out when I come to a stop? I have a 2000 Ford Taurus with 109,000 miles on it and it has developed a bizarre problem as of late.

About a week and a half ago the check engine light came on but the car seemed to be running fine. Then about three days ago, when I came to a prolonged stop (more than 30 seconds?) some lights would flash on my dashboard (battery and parking brake) and then my engine cuts out. I can immeadiately restart the car but not without giving myself a fright that this time it won't work and annoying the people behind me. The problem is now happening twice a day.

As it was about time for my oil change, I took my car down to a local jiffy lube and had them change the oil, the filters, the fluid, check the battery and all the usual stuff that they do. They said they didn't see anything out of the ordinary but that I should take the car to the mechanic.

So I did and after performing a diagnostic he said the problem with the car was P0171 System Too Lean (Bank 1) and P0174 System Too Lean (Bank 2). When I asked him what that meant he said that he didn't know exactly and that he'd have to run more tests (keep my car for a day and charge me $140) and then he'd be able to tell me what was wrong and how much it would cost to fix it.

I don't really have the money to afford both the test and the repair so I've been Googling the issue, hoping to give myself an idea of what the issue could be but all the websites tend to be written by car people for car people (my knowledge of cars' inner workings is utterly non-existent).

So my question for all is two-fold, does anyone have any idea what might be causing my problem and how much I should expect it to cost to have it fixed?

Also, for bay area people... know any good mechanics?

Lights come on, Audio goes out

unceman — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 12:05:34 -0800

Car Audio Filter: I have a 2003 Ford F-150 with audio that drops out completely. The receiver still works when the audio goes out, just no audio from any of the speakers. The audio does return (so I don't think its a faulty speaker). I get no sound from my speakers in some very strange circumstances. During daytime driving, I rarely have problems. I get audio from the speakers from both the radio and CD. However, when the sun goes down and the headlights are on (either manually or automatic) the audio output could stop at any time. Another situation where the audio stops is when it rains, although that may be a symptom of the sensors for the automatic lights. The strangest part of this is that if I take the truck out of gear, putting it in neutral, the audio returns to normal. I have even had instances where going over a rough bump may knock the audio out (or even bring it back if it was already out)

I've had the dealer look at this several times. They just tighten all the connections and say that electrical issues like this are close to impossible to troubleshoot. Where should I go to get this fixed? Is this even fixable?

How is the Climate Control wired in a Mercury?

Uther Bentrazor — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:03:37 -0800

I'm installing an aftermarket stereo in my 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis, and now the Climate Control won't turn on. I wired the wiring harness as specified in the instructions, and connected everything, however, there were 2 plugs left over from the car side. I presume one of them has something to do with the Climate Control display, but I have no way to be sure.

I didn't force anything or do anything that would otherwise damage the interior of the car. I am tempted to put the stock radio back in and take it to Best Buy, but I'd hate to pay $50+ for what may just amount to be one wire.

I've been searching Google all morning and have scoured countless dated forums, but the depth of the answers I've received is "use a wiring harness". I've done that, but i'm missing something. Any help would be appreciated!

caveat: I can install junk in computers, but I know virtually nothing about cars.

Truck air compressor busted?

worstkidever — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 08:25:41 -0800

The air compressor on my 2002 Ford Ranger is making a really loud clicking sound every ten seconds when the heater or AC is turned on. The mechanic says this is normal. Is this normal? 1) I've been in a lot of cars and I have never heard a sound like this in a before. It's loud enough to hear going 70 on the highway. Both the heater and air conditioner work great.

2) I can see an air compressor turning on and off, but every ten seconds?

3) I don't think the air compressor is supposed to come on when the heater is turned on.

4) My regular mechanic is out of town, and I think the guy who looked at it is the "intern".

I'm pretty sure something here is not right. Does anyone with car smarts have any suggestions?

My wiper-wiper-wiper blades died!

I_Love_Bananas — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 14:42:31 -0800

My wiper-wiper-wiper blades died! Automotive filter: Out of the blue, yesterday I started my 2001 Taurus and the wipers won't work. Everything else is fine- just no wipers.

Is this fixable by me (give that I am NOT in any way mechanically inclined) or should I suck it up and take the car in?

Wheels on 1963 Ranchero

drleary — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 20:29:56 -0800

What was the original size wheels/tires that came on the 1963 Ford Ranchero? Thanks in advance!