Guess I'll just have to be content with my GMC. May not be much to look at...but she sure hauls equipment.


Hey Bebop....

Sometimes Andy even let's ME drive!!





[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 01-07-2007).]

Seatbelt Andy. Seatbelt!!!

Years ago we hauled a B3 around in an open bed pickup...rain or shine. It would not fit in the bed if truck was equipped with a topper.

Like Willie's guitar...it was well-worn. But, it (and the Leslie cabinet) was a B3 all the way. Not much to look at...but Ohhhh the sound.
Eddie

During the mid- late 80's when all the fuss was being made about the superior quality of Japanese cars over American, we had four GM products in our household ... I was driving an '80 Chevy S10 pickup, my wife was driving an '82 Buick Regal, our son was driving a '78 Cutlass Supreme T-Roof, and our daughter was driving an '80 Cadilac Coupe ... between the 4 cars we had well over 600,000 miles ...

My mother-in-law recently passed away, and my wife gave our nephew her 1998 Saturn, that had less than 60,000 miles on it ... still has the original tires ...

A couple of years ago we bought a used Honda Accord ... It is a real nice car, but my experience has been that it has had the same types of problems as any other make and model ...

shboom ... I just got a 2002 GMC Sonoma ... put a cap on it so I can take my gear ...
It's got the extended cab with the 'third door' so I can keep my golf clubs in there the entire season ... I'll have to post a picture ...
t.

I'm leaving now to go pick up the van, and drop off the Taurus. It has problems too, I just hope they are not on the save level as the van. The Taurus has only 30,000 miles on it and has multiple electrical problems.
DonM

Just got back, in was ONLY $1647. They didn't charge me to replace a turn signal bulb.
Anybody want to buy an entirely new 2000 Venture? Warner Bros. edition. Low miles.
Lots of room for gear. 23/29 mpg.
Please?
Anyone? Anyone?


[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 01-08-2007).]

Latest development: The van ran for about two hours then quit completely. So it's back in the shop. Now they are BOTH in the shop. HankB gave me a ride home. I'm running out of cars.
DonM

Don ... maybe it's not the CAR, but the MECHANICS ...

t.

Don,
They sure replaced a lot of parts based on the "temp guage" running hot. Temp guage is just a sign of the coolant systme needing serviced--being radiator, heater core (or heater core tube assembly), coolant overflow tank, hoses, water pump, ect.

Why they replaced the plugs, wires, and serp, is a little odd. Did you go to a dealer? Dealers are known for jacking people on repair costs (over inflated prices and repairs to items that do not require repair).

Rule of thumb is "never pay for anything you didn't authorize to have done". Many dealers will try to get you on this. You drop your car off, they say it's this problem, you pick it up, they fixed that problem then you get the surprise (added charges) fora bunch of other crap they say they had to replace. I can't tell you the number of people I konw who got royally screwed by dealers charging them for unauthorized repairs.

If your van just died again, get the fuel pump, and fuel filter checked out. Also depending on the year it could be the camshaft, or even timing belt. DId you get any "check engine lights"? Does it attempt to start at all or completely dead? Also check your alternator as well--being a 2000 model it shouldn't be dead, but given the poor quality of American Cars (IMO) these days it's not uncommon for things to fall apart after a few years.

What Year is your Taurus???? There are some known issues with the Taurus as well. Especially since the major body change of the late 90's. What probs are you Taurus having? One of my cars is a 98 Taurus, I've done a bit of work on it myself lately too. There are some common problems with this model.

Squeak

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 01-10-2007).]

Hi Squeak,
No, this isn't the dealer. They called me before doing any extra work, and they showed me all the problems. This work all needed to be done.
It's now in the hands of a mechanic who worked for GM for 7 years, and specializes in electrical problems. He told me he is very familiar with this problem and that it is in the communications between the fuse center and various modules. He said it may take a day or two to trace the actual problem, either a wire, connection or module, but he is 100% certain he can repair it. We'll see!

The Taurus is a 99. It was my mother's and was driven very little until a couple of years ago when she quit driving and I bought it. It had only 9,000 miles in four years.
Anyway, they replaced the battery and a relay and said it is fixed. I drove it yesterday evening and this morning and so far seems to be o.k. I still think there is something pulling the battery down, but haven't had time to check it yet.
Thanks for they help!
DonM

I've had the same issue with my Taurus where it seems something is drawing some extra battery power. I narrowed my problem down to crappy factory battery cables. The cable rusted and fractured. So it wasn't making a good connection on the terminal.

Keep an eye on your coolant lines on your Taurus. Especially the tube assembly on the back firewall attached to the heater core. They have been known to "burst". Happened to my wife (while she was doing 70mph on the highway).

There are also other known issues such as dome lights now going off when you shut the door, and the door ajar light staying on. Those are known and common problems with the model you have. If the car has over 60k miles on it I would suggest replacing the camshaft position sensor. That one "always" goes. The replace job isn't too bad either, and can be done at home.

Squeak, the dome light is definitely doing that.
Is there a known fix?
DonM