1997 Ford Thunderbird

RADIATOR BEGAN LEAKING COOLANT. CAR RUN HOT. PREVIOUSLY ENGINE MANIFOLD CRACKED. AT THAT TIME(OCTOBER 99), ENGINE RAN HOT AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER HOOD. THEY REPLACED THE MANIFOLD AND THEN THE RADIATOR MALFUNCTIONED. THE ENGINE IS NOW RUNNING HARDER AND THE NOISE LEVEL IS HIGHER. I FEAR THAT WITH THE CAR OVERHEATING SO MANY TIMES PERMANENT DAMAGE MAY HAVE BEEN DONE TO THE ENGINE HEADS. THE CAR IS ALMOST OUT OF WARRANTY AND I FEAR I MAY GET STUCK WITH AN ENGINE REPAIR JOB AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. *AK

RIGHT REAR CALIPER LOCKED UP, TEARING UP THE ROTOR. THE LEFT SIDE WAS ALSO EXCESSIVELY WORN AS A RESULT OF TRYING TO COMPENSATE FOR THE RIGHT SIDE. CAR HAD A HARD TIME STOPPING. DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE CALIPER AND ROTOR ON THE RIGHT REAR, AS WELL AS BOTH SET OF BRAKE PADS. THE LEFT ROTOR TURNED BECAUSE IT WAS WARPED, BUT STILL WITH IN TOLERANCE.

HAD TO REPLACE TIRES TWICE DUE TO THE CAR CAUSING A TIRE SEPARATION ON THE FRONT, RIGHT SIDE. I'VE AGAIN, REPLACED THE TIRES 5000 MILES AGO AND THEY ARE SEVERELY FEATHERED TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS VISIBLE TO THE EYE. THE CAR IS WITH-IN THE ALIGNMENT SPECS BUT IT STILL PULLS TO THE RIGHT - THE FASTER THE SPEED, THE HARDER THE PULL. HAVE HAD 4 OR MORE FRONT END BRAKE JOBS (ROTORS & PADS) IN UNDER 40,000 MILES. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AT 40 MPH AND THE TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM EVER SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR AND THE DEALER CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P215/70R15 )

WHILE DRIVING HEAVY SMOKE BEGIN COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE CAR REGISTERED HOT AND STARTED TO MAKE CLICKING SOUND. IMMEDIATEDLY CRUISE OUT OF TRAFFIC. TOLD I HAD A CRACKED MANIFOLD AND ALL FLUIDS HAD SPILLED ON THE ENGINE. I AM CONCERNED SEVER DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE TO THE ENGINE WHEN ALL IS BEING REPAIRED IS THE MANIFOLD. IN THE FUTURE I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO PAY FOE A NEW ENGINE WHEN A DEFECTIVE MANIFOLD CAUSED THE PROBLEM.

THIS TBIRD IS A RARE BIRD THAT WAS ORDERED AND DELIVERED WITHOUT A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL. TBIRDS HAVE 4 WHEEL INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION AND WHEN DRIVEN ON SLOPED STREETS WILL EASILY LIFT ONE DRIVE WHEEL HIGH ENOUGH TO LOSE TRACTION WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED INTO ANOTHER STREET OR DRIVEWAY THAT HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PLANE. THIS HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. THE FIRST TIME I WAS MAKING A U TURN ON A SLOPED STREET AND DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO COMPLETE THE TURN. I STOPPED, PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, STEPPED ON THE GAS AND PROMPTLY RAN INTO A LARGE BUSH ABOU 3' IN FRONT OF ME. I THOUGHT THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED SO I CALLED AAA. THE TOW DRIVER MOVED THE CAR A FEW FEET AND EVERYTHING WORKED FINE. I CALLED THE SAN DIEGO DEALER THAT DOES MY SERVICE AND THE EXPERIENCED SERVICE WRITER WAS SURPRISED - NEITHER OF US HAD EVER SEEN A TBIRD WITHOUT LIMITED SLIP SO WE ASSUMED LIMITED SLIP DIDN'T WORK IN REVERSE. THE NEXT TIME I WAS TURNING INTO A DRIVEWAY TO BACK UP AND TURN AROUND ON A HILLLY STREET AND I LOST TRACTION AND STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS. BOTH TIMES I HEARD A WHINING NOISE THAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE DRIVE WHEEL THAT WAS BARELY TOUCHING THE STREET SURFACE. SO I TOOK THE CAR IN AND THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT DID NOT HAVE A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL. THEY COULDN'T GET OFF THEIR PREMISES FAST ENOUGH EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD NOT SOLD ME THE CAR. FRIENDLY FORD HAS SIMPLY STONEWALLED ME. FORD MOTORS REPEATEDLY HAS STATED IT IS NOT A DEFECT AND THE DEALER ORDERED THE CAR WITHOUT THE LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL AND I SHOULD LOOK TO HIM FOR SATISFACTION. THE FACTORY PERSON DID INDICATE THAT A TBIRD WITHOUT THE LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL WAS VERY RARE. APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN WIDELY KNOWN AT FORD SINCE THIS PLATFORM WAS USED FOR SO MANY YEARS. BOTH TIMES THE CAR MOVED SEVERAL FEET AFTER LOSING TRACTION AND DID NOT REGAIN TRACTION UNTIL THE SURFACE PLANES CHANGED.