96 Taurus Gl steering wheel vibration

Hey guys I just got a 1996 Taurus Gl for free from my cousin. He told me the front end of the car was shot but he couldnt tell me what it needs. The steering wheel shakes very bad at around 35 mph and does not quit unless you use the brakes. When the brakes are applied the vibrations almost completely quits. Also the struts are clunking when hitting bumps and I think that might be related. Somebody told me tie rod ends but I dont know anything about fords so I was hoping somebody in the same situation could point me in the right direction. Also, I replaced the egr and dpfe sensor to correct code p0401 but the engine light has not shut off yet. Please help as I really like this car and want to fix it. Oh yeah its a 3.0 DOHc with 144,000 miles

any help at all guys?
i fixed a leaking vacuum line today and that made the vibration alot smoother. The line was causing the egr to screw up. Now the vibration is considerbly less I almost think its the tires. any help?

If you think it is the tires, rotate them front to rear and see if there is any change.

the rotation did not solve much but it is possilbe that all 4 are bad since they are bald. Could it be tie rod ends or struts maybe? any help would be great

It could be any or all the suspension parts and the tires. Take it to a tire shop and see what they say.

I had the vibration problem when I ACTUALLY BRAKE. I don't know if my solution is related to your problem, but when I changed my rotors and brake pads, that solved the problem.
Dave

if you still have those original General brand tires, that could be the reason. the belts in the tires break or shift when the tires get old and it will warp the tire. Those General tires had problems in that area.

I had the vibration problem when I ACTUALLY BRAKE. I don't know if my solution is related to your problem, but when I changed my rotors and brake pads, that solved the problem.
Dave
I thought that the steering vibrating when you hit the brakes was normal for older cars. It's caused by uneven wearing of the rotors, and having them turned will help bigtime. Also, General tires are crappy anyway, normally they're out of round from the get-go. Pick another brand of tire.

Hey guys I just got a 1996 Taurus Gl for free from my cousin. He told me the front end of the car was shot but he couldnt tell me what it needs. The steering wheel shakes very bad at around 35 mph and does not quit unless you use the brakes. When the brakes are applied the vibrations almost completely quits. Also the struts are clunking when hitting bumps and I think that might be related. Somebody told me tie rod ends but I dont know anything about fords so I was hoping somebody in the same situation could point me in the right direction. Also, I replaced the egr and dpfe sensor to correct code p0401 but the engine light has not shut off yet. Please help as I really like this car and want to fix it. Oh yeah its a 3.0 DOHc with 144,000 miles
96 taurus had a lot of troubles with the sway bar end links banging around. check them for looseness.
the check engine light wont go out till you clear the code. disconnect the battery for about 5 min. that should take care of that.
If you have bad tires that could cause a lot of problems try replacing them with a known good brand like BF Goodrich or Uniroyal.

My repair manual warns against disconnecting the battery, stating that it simply won't work. I'd figure that if you can see the code, you can also clear it from the same device, right?

Just finally fixed the car today. I removed the battery for a week to use in my other car and when I reinstalled it and drove it the engine light was gone away. I put two new tires on the front and the vibration is 100% gone. They were 120 installed and I saved a ton of money in unnecessary repairs. Now I can begin driving the car everyday as it is as good as the day she rolled off the assembly line. wow, what a saga with this problem

Just finally fixed the car today. I removed the battery for a week to use in my other car and when I reinstalled it and drove it the engine light was gone away. I put two new tires on the front and the vibration is 100% gone. They were 120 installed and I saved a ton of money in unnecessary repairs. Now I can begin driving the car everyday as it is as good as the day she rolled off the assembly line. wow, what a saga with this problem
That's often the way today's car problems turn out with all this spanky-crappy technology that's in them. I may accidentally get me a rusty-old Plymoth that's been sitting in a neighbor's yard for no telling how many years as a piddle-toy. I don't exactly think he'd hand it over for $10, especially since he's wanting $2500 for that rusted-out looking thing. :D