Does my bull have a temper?
In between my March 26 update and today’s post, I attempted to take the Taurus out for a spin so it could stretch its legs. Unfortunately, I was rewarded with a coolant leak and an apparently erratic temperature gauge. Those issues convinced me to put the bull back in its stable, where it basically sat until last week. That’s when I finally had the parts and tools I needed to fix what ailed it.
Long story short: The Taurus no longer gets heated and the cooling system seems just fine. However, the 34 year old still needs a bit more TLC. And it seems my father and I have reached a new understanding when it comes to working on cars together.
In between my Rock Auto and Harbor Freight orders, I purchased some other things that needed to be replaced on the Taurus. First up was the hood struts, which had completely worn out to the point of being useless. Fortunately they were relatively simple to replace. And now I have a hood that stays open by itself.
A blown license plate bulb needed to be swapped out too. Instead of replacing it with a regular bulb I decided to go for two LED lights. I hadn’t really considered doing that until some conversations with CC’s own Daniel Stern turned me on to the idea. Dan deserves a shout out for his assistance. At this time, all the other exterior and interior lights work. And aside from the headlights, I will probably switch to LED bulbs when needed. As you may have already guessed, I am pleased with the license plate bulbs. The picture doesn’t really show how much brighter the LED is when compared to the regular bulb, but the difference was stark.
And here is the end result. Aside from the brighter light, the LED units emit far less heat. After about five minutes the old bulb became pretty hot. That doesn’t happen with the replacements. Presumably, that means I won’t have to replace them for a very long time.
I also purchased some reading material to help guide me through the thermostat replacement, and for future projects. You might think getting more than one of the guides is excessive, but each book contains slightly different information. For example, the Taurus DIY guide and the Haynes manual both recommend putting RTV sealant around the thermostat gasket but the other two don’t mention it at all. I decided to use sealant and it seems to have worked out.
May 23 turned out to be the perfect day to get started with my first wrenching experience. A rainy Saturday in May prevents lawn work from getting in the way of doing other things. Plus, it was nice and cool out, which made working in the garage a bit more tolerable.
I originally envisioned using dye to check for cooling system leaks but opted to rent a pressure tester kit instead. I don’t know if any other auto parts retailers handle it this way, but at Advance Auto Parts, you basically just buy the kit at full price and the store registers it as a return when you’re done. Overall it was a completely painless process and I’m glad I went this route.
Before the test I assumed the leak was coming from a heater hose or the thermostat housing itself. Turns out the hose clamp just needed to be tightened. My original goal was to replace the upper and lower radiator hoses but they seemed completely fine so I left them alone. I think the previous owner might have replaced them last year.
It was a bit of a pain to get to the housing, as there were a bunch of wires and fluid lines in front of it. But once we figured out that the bracket holding them all together could be unbolted they were easier to deal with.
And that was extremely helpful when it became apparent the lower bolt wasn’t going to be removed without a fight. Unfortunately, we ended up stripping it. Not too badly but enough to make it impossible to be removed by a standard socket wrench.
The difficulty involved with removing the bolt ignited some tension between the two individuals working on the bull. Up to that point dad exhibited a surprising amount of impatience with the pace of my work. This was my first wrenching experience so naturally I was being cautious while trying to work through things. It was really disheartening to have him be so disgruntled at me just because I hadn’t done any type of wrenching before. And it’s not like he had anything else to do. Even before the pandemic hit his schedule wasn’t exactly full.
But to place the blame entirely on him for things boiling over would sugarcoat my actions leading up to the somewhat stripped bolt. Whenever I became unsure of what I was doing I went straight to my phone to ask my mechanically inclined friends for some advice, as they regularly work on cars. I’d then bounce their suggestions off dad. It turns out he is more experienced with automotive repair than I knew. The signs were all there too; the Taurus sat on ramps he used for cars long since junked. But I never witnessed him work on a car in my lifetime, so it didn’t really occur to me that the knowledge I was seeking could be found right in front of me. To be fair, he didn’t exactly volunteer this information, but at this point in our relationship, I should have realized the need to be more explicit with my questioning.
By complete coincidence I happened to watch an episode of Community called “Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” later that night. Here’s some relevant dialogue from that episode:
“Do they like each other now?”
“Are you kidding me? They can’t stand being in the same room. I also don’t think they can handle being apart. And I think they just found a way to avoid doing either. And that’s the best most fathers and sons can do.”
With Saturday now in the rear view mirror, it was time to regroup and finish the job. The first task involved cleaning up the area where the housing would be affixed to the engine. Some brake cleaner made quick work of all that gunk.
Putting the new housing and thermostat in wasn’t a difficult process but the problematic bolt wouldn’t cooperate. The original plan was to place it in one of the upper holes. For whatever reason it didn’t like its new accommodations so we relented and put it back where it’s lived for so long. We also opted to replace the two heater hoses that connect to the thermostat. I purchased other hoses too, but since none were leaking or looking like they needed replacement we left them alone.
With everything back in place, it was time to think about the coolant. I decided to flush the system out. My inexperience meant the first drain was messier than it needed to be so by this point I had the procedure down pat. Essentially I just followed the directions and drove around blasting the heat each time.
Thankfully, the flush seems to have done the trick, and the system has fresh coolant now. Although the older coolant didn’t look terribly bad.
With the cooling system under control it was time to give the car another wash. I’m a big fan of this particular soap, as it works excellently on the Focus.
I’ll need to do a more extensive wash in the future, including using clay bar and wax. But for now this wash did about as well as can be expected. To my delight, the vast majority of the scratches disappeared once the paint got wet, which means they didn’t penetrate the clearcoat. At some point I intend to get an estimate from a body shop on what they’d charge to get rid of them. Although I’m pretty confident I can do it myself.
I also cleaned the glass all around. Oddly enough, the inside glass was filthy. Not anymore!
After the detailing work I decided to take the Taurus for a very minor victory lap. The bull and I went to the Poughkeepsie waterfront, right on the banks of the Hudson. I fully intended to get better shots of the Taurus but it started raining.
The rain stopped by the time I got home, so I parked the car on level ground and went about checking the transmission fluid. This is something I should have done earlier because clearly more needed to be added.
Plus, I had already seen the seepage coming from the pan. One of my next steps will involve a top off while I decide whether or not to have our mechanic tackle this stuff.
There’s more fluid leakage too. Power steering fluid is definitely leaking and there is probably a minor oil leak, although I’m less sure about the latter.
Something is also leaking onto the subframe.
Additionally, the struts are worn out and need to be replaced. And there’s a whole host of minor issues too, like a non-functional windshield washer pump. But the bull is worth it. Quarantine life would be far less interesting if I didn’t have the Taurus. I think dad and I are on better footing too. If I tackle some of the more serious stuff in the future I have no doubt he’ll be a willing partner in whatever I end up doing.
Hey, real progress, that’s great! It’ll be an ongoing thing for a while as you figure out the little issues it’ll invariably have. At least it should be easier to diagnose and fix than something newer with a bazillion sensors etc. Still, the more things you do yourself under the hood the better off you’ll be if it ever has an issue while on the road somewhere, you’ll perhaps be able to trace the symptoms and figure out what’s going on and where the component at issue might be.
And the getting to hang out with your Dad and see a whole new (or old) side of him is probably even better. Enjoy the time while you have that.
But mainly congratulations for taking the pride and time to bring this car back to the form it once was, mechanically speaking.
I am still trying to get my mind around the Taurus being 34 years old and qualifying for “historical” license plates. Still seems like the definition of a modern car. Cars of this vintage strike me as being a lot harder to keep going than really old cars, because of the complexity and perhaps the more extensive use of plastic. I’m really impressed you are making the effort! You must like Tauruses.
Seeing an 86 Taurus with a historical license plate was a little jarring to this old man.
Just as jarring the antique plate on a Toyota MR2 I saw today!
Congratulations on your first real wrenching experiences. It may be a bit intimidating at first, but there’s no substitution for experience.
Good luck with the Taurus! I had one of these and while the Accord my wife then had was superior in all categories, the Taurus was a good sedan, and definitely a ground breaking sedan design (styling)! Jack Telnack and his staff did a GR8 job with the design.
Enjoy the car……:) DFO
I spent some serious bonding time with my eldest son when he had that 89 Grand Marquis. We spent a lot of time working through coolant leaks after replacing all of the ancient hoses.
As someone closer to your father’s age, it is not always easy to watch someone with little experience struggle with a task. My default was to dive in and take over, which resulted in me doing the work and my son getting frustrated because it was his car. I eventually improved on that score, but it took some effort.
As some others said, most of this stuff isn’t rocket science and it is a good thing to learn to do it yourself where possible. It saves a whole lot of money and gives you a real sense of ownership and accomplishment with the car.
Great update, thank you, especially for sharing insight in your relationship with your dad. I suggest your dad should look in the mirror before he becomes impatient with your speed of work. If you never saw your dad working on projects, then he never shared his expertise with you and he shouldn’t be impatient.
Parents have a duty to teach their kids needed skills. Beyond the obvious, such as good manners and a work ethic are the basic hands-on mechanical skills that everyone should know when possible. My dad taught me some basics and I’m teaching my son. Yes it may be inconvenient for me but it means my son will have advantageous skills later in life. Too many kids these days grow up being literally incapable of using a screwdriver.
+1
Preach!
Great story- I can relate to the father/son relationship. Two suggestions: 1- CAR, written by Mary Walton is a very enjoyable read about the redesign of the 1st gen Taurus. 2- there’s lots of sealant required when working on ‘vintage’ motorcycles and there’s none better than the ‘____bonds’, i.e. Hondabond, yamabond, etc. it’s cheap and one small tube goes a long way. From my experience, when applied sparingly, it’s vastly superior to RTV.
When he’s lived within 50 miles of us, our son usually brings his car (formerly our’s) to our driveway to do oil changes or minor repairs. And use my ramps. But he rarely asks for help. I suspect he thinks that YouTube is a better teacher than Dad, and he may be right. I think the first time we worked on a car together was when I replaced the tie rod ends and a brake rotor on my own 1986 Ford, a Ranger. I think he was about two at the time, and was pretty helpful getting me wrenches that I had set down just out of reach. But his toy plastic hammer didn’t help much with separating the tie rod with my pickle fork. Sounds like your’s was a good experience familialy and mechanically. Though I’m still sorry that I never had the chance to see this Bay Area bull.
Hoorah for repairs gone right in the end—even if there’s some friction and frustration involved along the way. And hoorah for factory service manuals; in my experience Haynes/Chilton books are good for nothing and useful for almost nothing.
That licence plate surely is bright! I’ve long been a little amused that I get about an equal volume of queries for how to make the plate lights brighter and how to make them dimmer without running afoul of the law.
For the benefit of everyone who wasn’t in on our email conversation: almost all of what’s on the market in LED retrofit bulbs for cars is unsafe/illegal junk—including all of them for headlamps—but of course it’s all hyped and promoted as an upgrade. And even those few products that are at least somewhat legitimate don’t necessarily work safely and effectively in any lamp they’ll fit in, so it’s wise to be very skeptical, thoughtful, and properly inquisitive before buying (online reviews and enthusiast forum posts will often lead you astray). There’s a good guide to easily checking the safety performance of LED retrofit bulbs here.
H’mmm…this might make a good CC Tech article.
I’ve found that Chilton and Haynes manuals are acceptable for temporarily leveling shop benches, etc. And starting bonfires.
Sounds like you mighta read the link behind the bold word “almost” in my comment! 😉
I did not, until you led me to it- I missed it the first time. Best laugh I’ve had in a while! But, realizing their toxic nature I was careful to suggest bonfires and not indoor fires.
Sure got that right, best advice is just keep walking, don’t stop and look at it or even pick it up. I’m surprised at how crappy the real service manuals are getting and the fact that cost an arm and a leg. I worked for GMC Truck and Coach division back in the day and the manuals were very thorough. Always had a laugh when I see the Chilton and Haynes manuals. More fodder for the recycling bin.
I assume the Sylvania Zevo 1157 LED and Philips 1157, 1156 LED are still worthwhile
I bought some Slyvania 3156 for the back up lights in my pickup, which is more or less the 1156 with a different base. They suck as back up lights, much less usable light than the standard incandescent ones that went back in.
The person I bought my Maraduer from noted how he had put LEDs in all the interior lights. I did not like them at all because of the color and one of the map lights had already failed. Of course they were cheapies from Amazon or E-bay. So I went and bought some incandescent replacements for all except the foot well lights. For that I bought some of the blue 194/158 LEDs. They do look good, the car is blue hence the color choice.
So for me I’ll stick with the incandescent for the exterior lighting and may use LEDs for accents on the interior. I did repurpose a couple of those LEDs, One of the footwell bulbs went to the truck which was missing and the dome light bulb went in my van because that one was brighter and I’ll take the extra light, reduced current draw since it isn’t uncommon for the doors to be open for extended periods and deal with the harsh color.
I wanted brighter reverse lamps for one of my cars which has tinted rear and rear/side windows, so I would be able to see better when backing up. The Amazon and EBay LED cheapies CLAIMED to be brighter but visually there was no improvement. A quick check with my trusty 65 year old Weston Master light meter showed that the cheap LEDs actually emitted LESS light than the original incandescent bulbs. So much for that idea…
Those bulbs that David recommended to me certainly are not cheap by any means at $20-$49 a pair.
You ran smack into one of the bigger problems: lamps with fresnel optics—the kind that uses prisms, rings, and/or bullseyes in the lens to “look” directly at the filament and magnify/focus the light—require a bulb that puts light out the front. Most all of the LED bulbs that are at least nominally legitimate don’t put light out the front, only out the back. That’s potentially workable in lamps where the light magnification is done by a reflector bowl behind the bulb, but not in a fresnel or hybrid fresnel/reflector type lamp. Many reversing lamps are fresnel type.
Philips’ previous LED bulbs had a sort of A-frame or sandwichboard-sign design: two powerful emitters back to back, tilted at somewhat of a forward angle. They worked great in a lot of fresnel lamps and a lot of reflector-bowl lamps. But Philips discontinued those and instead introduced two different new types, both cheaper to make (but not cheaper to buy). One’s got rear-shooting emitters like the Sylvania Zevo, and the other’s got side-shooting emitters. Neither has front-shooters, so neither is compatible with fresnel lenses.
Tungsram (famous old Hungarian light bulb company) now owns what used to be GE Automotive Lighting. They’re gunning to take on Sylvania in the American aftermarket, and their LED bulbs have front- and side-shooters, so they stand a chance of working well behind fresnel lenses. No ambers yet, only reds and whites, and even those aren’t easily available yet, so we’ll have to wait ‘n’ see.
Yeah on these, standard grade Slivania branded the diodes are placed on a holder that points them back at the base. if you look at the bulb lit outside of the taillight it isn’t that they aren’t bright, they just don’t put the light where it is usable, at least in my application.
Yes they were marked “for off road use only” and of course that made me think they would produce more usable light and thus be too bright for many applications. Of course since I wanted something brighter I figured perfect application.
Many years ago, for a prop for my kids play at school I picked up some LED 2157 replacements at Napa, found at their “tuner display” they had at the time. They had a dome of sorts covered in a number of old school through hole red LEDs so each pointed in a different direction. The did make for impressive light up eyes, powered by a 9v battery and a horn switch to flash them on and off. Left them in the prop so never put them in a vehicle.
The Sylvania Zevo (specifically) and some of the Philips bulbs are [i]potentially[/i] okeh in some(!) lamps they fit in—the important thing is not to assume “Oh, big/reputable name, it’ll be fine”, because physical fit does not guarantee optical compatibility. The light output distribution from LED bulbs is not the same as from filament bulbs, so you really do have to check it carefully on a case-by-case basis, as described at that link I put in my earlier comment.
(Again, speaking only of bulbs for things like brake lights and turn signals, etc—”LED bulbs” for halogen headlamps are a no-go, no matter what brand.)
Chilton has come a long way from the days of yore. Ones like pictured frequently have wiring diagrams, something needed to properly diagnose many things on modern automobiles.
Lately I’ve been using Chilton’s extensively. They like a number of other service information providers have gone online and have Library subscriptions.
So I go to my library’s website log in and full have full access to professional grade materials including things like component locators, wiring diagrams, labor times, both warranty and customer pay, service bulletins, service procedures, and it is “reprints” of factory information, at least on the stuff that I’ve looked at so far.
So yeah check your local library and don’t be disappointed if they have signed up with Chilton instead of one of the other providers.
Good to hear that your first foray into wrench turning ended successfully. You will find yourself building on that success, especially your confidence, and ability to manipulate hand tools. My Dad did a lot of wrenching on the family cars to save money but he was never an enthusiast. He later took a lot of vicarious pleasure in my automotive acquisitions. I used to watch him work, and play go-fer, which is a great way to learn and is very helpful to the mechanic. My Son has a mechanical interest in both cars and motorcycles, he will bring his car over to my house to work on them. I’ve got the space, jacks, stands, ramps and especially the tools. My assistance starts by first asking what task he is going to perform, what tools and equipment he might need, and then I play the roll of gofer. I will offer my perspective and a bit of advice when asked for, but occasionally I’ll venture my opinion. My Son is pretty good with a wrench so I mostly just watch.
I’ve found that working on a project with your kids can be difficult, especially when they are younger and inexperienced. I have been responsible for taking care of everything around the house and honestly I still do like to be in charge. If it’s my project I do the most work and they can be the gofers. If it’s their project I just stand back and lend assistance when needed and asked for. I do a lot of work with my Wife on our house projects and also her personal projects. I try to be very sensitive to her ideas of how to accomplish the task. She is very capable but I’ve found that a lot of miscommunication can occur. That takes place on both sides. It’s funny how we think we can be discussing something along parallel lines, but that we’ve actually started out from different starting points!
Hmm LEDs do seem bright but I got a ride back to the depot last year in an early 90s Kenworth that had LED headlights fitted and yes they looked bright but didnt really light the road up very well, of course being used to a DAF which have excellent lights may not have helped some of the replacements you can get here for cars will fail inspection, Replacing a blown outer headlight bulb on my Citroen proved beyond my abilities recently my hand simply will not fit in the appeture to replace the retaining clip fortunately Supercheap auto has a we fit service for their parts so I paid them to do it, and it was the easy left side once you remove the battery the right side has the suspension resevoir in the way so its a bumper off light out job, not looking forward to that one packing up.
Congrats on your continued adventure, car wise and family member wise. May it continue to yield benefits and rewards.
Doing your own wrenching brings a sense of satisfaction that is unattainable if paying someone. Wrenching also lets you know about the overall workings of your car and gives opportunities to explore nooks and crannies you might otherwise never see.
Keep it up. Once you achieve a certain (low) level of proficiency, wrenching is a very relaxing activity as it forces you to refocus on the task at hand and not dwell on any negative in your life.
Drive it in good cheer. Most old cars will never be perfect but that’s half the fun.
I echo Jason’s sentiments above. Your Taurus looks great so far, keep plugging away. With it not being a daily driver you can take your time on repairs and learn as you go. Happy wrenching and motoring.
I really love your bull. I think from reading one of your other posts, we are close in age. Most people my age (41) wouldn’t be very interested in a first gen Taurus other than remembering how many were on the streets when we were kids, but I have had a desire to own one, preferably a wagon, for some time now. I wish you lived closer to me because I would love to spend about 12 hours detailing this car for you. I believe I could have it looking like new.
I’m age almost 23 next month and I’ve been searching for an 86 Taurus LX wagon to restore since late 2018. Last year I found a low mile one in Portland Oregon. Interior looked brand new in that car like the one in this article. It had the rare instaclear windshield on it. It needed minor work but the seller was willing to tow it all the way from Portland to Spokane in Eastern Washington himself with his tow truck. But my dad cucked me over nd wouldn’t let me get it and since I’m a little good soldier who does what he’s told I didn’t get the car and it got sold last september. I’m struggling so much to find one. Been my dream since high school to find and save one. I hope he didn’t kill my dream because I’m frustrated. Wanted ads aren’t even working.
You’re gonna love replacing the lower hose one day as it is a unique piece on the 3.0 Vulcan. Now you might look into changing out all the transmission fluid yourself. I’ve done it and it really isn’t that hard to do. I followed the link here off the Taurus Forum.
https://www.taurusclub.com/threads/how-to-flush-your-tranny-at-home.90758/
Front end work is more of a challenge when it comes to strut links, mine used plastic, and ball joints so I put pictures up.
https://www.taurusclub.com/threads/front-end-pictures.175653/#post-1741011
I’ve also replaced a radiator, a cylinder head, had both heads off and on three times, water pump twice, cam synchronizer, and have pulled the oil pan to replace the gasket and that was fun. So if any questions just ask.
I haven’t gone with LED lights because the color temperature is too cool for my taste. Nice car.
I’m still stunned by how clean this car looks! Still no luck on my search for my 86 LX wagon but I’m NOT giving up anytime soon.
It’s a wonderful experience when father and son can work together on a mechanical project. When he was about ten I got an old lawnmower for my son and I to tear down, to show him how a piston engine works. At the time I thought he seemed to get more out of using the blocksplitter on the remains! Something must have clicked though, because he’s now a locomotive mechanic.
Old school taruses look awesome with bigger rims in mat black window tint and a kickin audio system 2×18 subs in the trunk
I was gonna write a big comment about wrenching with my Dad, but decided not to. After guiding me through simple maintenance and repairs on our cars as a youth, he threw me in the deep end of the pool about 25 years ago. Fast forward, and I’m still fixing EVERYTHING I can get my hands on. Mostly because I hate tossing out anything. He says that I’m just like HIS father, who worked on radial aircraft engines during and after WW2. We work best together when he stands back and advises, or is sent on an errand.
Glad you chased down that coolant leak, keep an eye out for the dreaded 3.0l front cover leak. Your transmission probably needs a new set of axle seals to go with that pan gasket…and your steering rack is likely seeping too. Have fun.
Good to read you’re enjoying your bull, and gaining experience and confidence by taking low hanging fruit makes sense.
And this is the first i’d realised your Focus was a saloon, not the default European hatch.
Interesting also to see Haynes Manuals in the US, another new fact to me.
Good to see you making some progress and getting some enjoyment in the process. I remember those early Taurii when they were new and were always impressed with how they drove.
Great progress on the Bull. Glad to see that it is moving forward. I’m the same right now with my Bullitt Mustang, things are moving forward… but slower than I would like. Look forward to the progress on the Bull.