ive been having an occasional problem on my 98 taurus, every few stops the car will jerk violently then die..feels like the torque converter stays locked, and every once in awhile if its kind of warm out the car wont start again for about 20 minutes after it dies???? i took it to a transmission shop who claims i need a whole rebuild, is this true? i dont feel it needs rebuilt as the transmission operates just fine when i dont have to stop and go frequently. i just dont want to get ripped off and make an expensive repair i mat not really need....any ideas?????

In general if you get 120K on a Tarurus tranny you are at the expected life. I have managed to get three different taurus over 120K on their first tranny - none to 140K. The good thing is they are so common they are one of the cheapest trannys to change.

The bad news is that it still is $1400-1800 - all things considered if the rest of the vehicle is in good shape it will be another 100K of life - still one of the cheapest driving vehicles that there is out there.

Well did they test it out to find the problem or?
Just Like a lot of trans shops when a trans has a problem they say it needs a rebuild.
Better get it to a good reapair shop and have it checked out.
Could be solenoid or wiring or brake switch or pcm or even internal trans problems.
But it need a good testing out to start with.
Even getting codes with a good trans capable scanner may led you to the problem.
MT

the tranny shop i took it to did a full diagnostic on the transmission, and they say full rebuild, and that it will be 1400-1800 dollars, its still on the first tranny and the car has 136k on it, so im kinda debating on whether i should fix it or junk it, the car isnt in that bad of shape and the engine still seems strong, it has the 24v duratec, i dont know how long this engine lasts, my last taurus was a 94 with the 3.8 and the motor went at 119k, if i knew for sure the rest of the car would go another 100k id have no problem shellin out the cash to fix it..any advice on how long the duratec engine will last??

The single biggest enemy to these engines is over heating- probably the single largest cause of "engine dying" is a leaking headgasket- ever so slight and the temperaure begins to raise, eventually blowing a head gasket. If you have kept the cooling system in good shape, kept the hoses and connections in good order incl heater core and avoided any severe overheating problems then the engine can easiliy do 200K. As a general note - the electric radiator cooling fan motor is notorious for dying and NOT letting you know - check your main fuse box too. You can first check it by simply trying to spin the fan with your fingers (engine cold and OFF - no key battery disconnected ) then letting the engine idle for a while and it should come on about at the M on Normal. This is a Common enough failure that autozone and Checker stores stock them like they do alternators, starters and waterpumps.

Other weak points are heater core, steering rack & pinon, CV boots, suspension and tie rod ends. Those components simply wear out no matter what you do. The heater core from vibration will often develop a micro leak and is ~ $900 to repair ( either that or sell it in the SW usa eg. Phoenix where the market is strong for Taurus' due to larger families and abundance of people ready willing and able to do the work to keep them running).

I would have the following done while the tranny was being done--ALL engine/tranny mounts and replace all the CV boots - all replaced easily during a tranny replacement if you want it to stay tight and safe and run for another 100+K .

To avoid the heater core failure i strongly recommend replacing those hoses ever 2-3 years - This ensures the hoses remain piable and minimizes the engine vibration from fatiguing the heatercore.

NOTE - If you choose to rebuild the tranny have those hoses replaced first by someone who is very careful - gently cut off the old ones as opposed to tugging and pulling. This is where I lost my 2nd taurus heater core- the tranny guys mucked around getting stuff un hooked and torqued the heater core - it died promptly there after.

lastly - if you want to have a incredibly cheap hassle free car i would recommend that you do a wholsesale general preventative maintenence - replace the following and forget about it for the rest of its life.

Platinum PLUGs - 20
Spark plug wires $35
Distributor cap & Rotor $15
alternator $100
Starter $100
Water pump $ 50
Power steering pump $70
All radiator hoses $ 60
new cooling fluid $15
serpentine belt
tensioner idle pully

It may sound like a lot of work but once you are in you are in there everything changes fast - in one saturday you can easily accomplish the whole thing for about $500. believe me it is SO worth it. I did the huge PM thing at 126K on my 95 taurus. At 190K it still runs incredibly well - I drove it the first 120K, my son drove it 30K, my daughter now drives it and I will be selling it soon for about $2000 - 2200. I paid only $4800 for it in 98 - doing the tranny and big PM paid me back BIG.

Good luck on yours.