"Bob Shuman" <reshuman@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:482451ce$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>I just acquired a very low mileage 2004 Mercury Sable LS with the 3.0L
DOHC
>(Duratek) engine. I have always been a shade tree/weekend mechanic
>Do-It-Yourselfer and have worked on a number of other family vehicles,
but
>in nearly 35 years of car owner****p, this is my first Ford product.
I've got a '00 Sable wagon, same engine, etc. . 136k miles and only thing
I've done to the
motor other than maintenance is replace 1 ignition coil and it failed
after
wa****ng the motor when I first got the car used with 80k on it.
In fact I've just got done replacing the lower ball joints and stabilizer
bar links in the front end and this is at 136k. The stabilizer links are a
known wear item that makes a clunking in the front end.
Adhere to the maint. schedule, especially on servicing the transmission,
I've had 2 prev Taurus's and the weak link is the trans. . Those '80's and
'90's cars had poor trans. in them but ours have the latest version that
is
better.
I expect to get at least 200k miles out of my car.
The Taurus car club of America is a good resource on these cars, lots of
young guys who "test" their cars "hard" and know the weak spots.
I've always been a GM guy but after some used Fords and now a new Mustang
GT
and the work to mileage ratio on my last couple of Chevys I'm not very
happy
with the Chevy's.
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