Is this detrimental?

[rusty ol ranger]

04 Taurus 3.0 DOHC/118k.

I got it bascially given to me by my brother in law, who has roughly the same mechanical skills as a beagle.

Anyways, he took it to victory lane or something for an oil change, they told him the frame was rotted.

He brought it to the old house, and signed the title over to me to haul to scrap. But seeing as how i cant scrap an running/driving car i decided to look underneath...

I found nothing wrong. Nothing. Except one thing...

Where the subframe/engine cradle/whatever bolts to the car itself the metal around the outside of the rubber is rusted and broke off, not all of it, just about 60%, and only on one mount. The rest are 100% solid.

I cant find any other structural issues with the car, and besides a coolant leak its actually a nice ride im thinking about pressing into DD service.

But since im no unibody expert, is that ring really a cause for concern?

 

[adsm08]

Does it look kinda like this?

If so, yes, that is a big safety issue. It can allow the frame to break away from the vehicle. Since the subframe only holds minor things like the engine, transmission, and all the steering and front suspension components probably nothing really bad would happen, but if a cop sees it you could get a littering fine.


Now that said, the subframe of a Taurus isn't super hard to replace, even without a lift. You will need a hanging cradle though, so support the power train while you drop the frame out.


If it's just the washer, just get a body mount/bolt kit and replace it.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Its no where near that bad. Ill crawl under this weekend and snap a pic. But yes thats similar to how it looks.

 

[adsm08]

The one I posted is an advanced case. They usually start smaller and grow to that if left unaddressed.

To give you an idea of how serious this is, do you remember a few years ago when all the Windstars just suddenly disappeared from the roads for a few months?

This was one of the recalls that they were grounded for. In fact that picture is of a Windstar that was beyond repair. That guy either got a new subframe, or bought out.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

The one I posted is an advanced case. They usually start smaller and grow to that if left unaddressed.

To give you an idea of how serious this is, do you remember a few years ago when all the Windstars just suddenly disappeared from the roads for a few months?

This was one of the recalls that they were grounded for. In fact that picture is of a Windstar that was beyond repair. That guy either got a new subframe, or bought out.

Im not really up on the calamitys of FWD unibody garbage.

That being said, do you think i could weld some reinforcement in? The cars to nice to just scrap

 

[adsm08]

Im not really up on the calamitys of FWD unibody garbage.

That being said, do you think i could weld some reinforcement in? The cars to nice to just scrap

I would imagine the frame has to come out either way. for a good repair. At that point I'd see if you can find a useable one and replace it.

Taking the frame out isn't really any worse than pulling a RWD transmission, just different. You need to support the engine though, with one of these:

It sits on top of the fenders in the hood channel and one side hooks to the engine, one to the trans, and holds them up while the frame is out. Once unbolted the frame can be lowered out with a long 2x4 and a floor jack really.

 

[97RangerXLT]

more than likely you will need to remove the subframe to properly weld it, I would just go ahead and replace the entire thing. if it costs 500 bucks for a new one, you got a nice condition Taurus for 500 bucks and a possible busted knuckle from removing the subframe.

AJ

 

[97RangerXLT]

I would imagine the frame has to come out either way. for a good repair. At that point I'd see if you can find a useable one and replace it.

Taking the frame out isn't really any worse than pulling a RWD transmission, just different. You need to support the engine though, with one of these:

It sits on top of the fenders in the hood channel and one side hooks to the engine, one to the trans, and holds them up while the frame is out. Once unbolted the frame can be lowered out with a long 2x4 and a floor jack really.

Just curious, where would you find one of those lifts?

AJ

 

[adsm08]

Just curious, where would you find one of those lifts?

AJ

Almost any parts store can get one for you if you ask. The picture I posted is allegedly a HF unit. My last dealership had a few Napa ones, which were OK, but I liked the Rotunda one the best. For non-Ford vehicles it may not be as good, but it seemed to line up with the factory eye locations better than the Napa units.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Not saying i will but....

How bad could it possibly get if only one of the connectors broke? I cant see anything catastrophic happening if the other mounts are solid.

Once again, just curious, i mean rusty #1s cab mount bushings were gone on the front and the bolts just flopped there. You could feel the cab slam if you hit a good bump

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Not saying i will but....

How bad could it possibly get if only one of the connectors broke? I cant see anything catastrophic happening if the other mounts are solid.

Once again, just curious, i mean rusty #1s cab mount bushings were gone on the front and the bolts just flopped there. You could feel the cab slam if you hit a good bump

Apparently something bad enough to make Ford want to fix or buy a bunch of crappy old minivans.

 

[19Walt93]

80's Taurus mount washers would rust out and let the subframe sag- which caused the steering to bind. Fix it before driving it much, please. Carpart.com or a salvage yard with a network can get you one from some place that doesn't salt the roads and I don't expect it would be real expensive. I bought a new 99 Taurus with the 3.0 Duratec, drove it about 45k and gave it to my daughter, she drove it to 196,000 miles and bought a new 2012 Flex. I then sold it to one of my techs and he drove it 2 more years before buying a Mustang. The valve covers were never removed and the most major repair it ever had was an alternator- keep in mind that replacing that alternator meant pulling the right axle and dropping the subframe down. If they're maintained those cars are bullet proof.

 

[pjtoledo]

Rusty, those sub frames are easy to replace. you can make an engine support out of 2x4s and some plywood. brace it good for sideways stability.

I welded up some 2x2 steel with adjustable legs and cross support, works great. looks like a small swing set.

we need some pics, the big washers on the bolts rust real bad. sometimes the frame rusts where it encircles the bushings and the bushings pull through.


FYI, the sub frame does not hold the car up, the springs/struts do that.
the subframe hangs from the body on those 4 bolts while the engine/tranny sits on the subframe.

don't tell anybody, I have a 99 subframe in the garage. but it's going into my '91 Taurus someday.

 

[adsm08]

Not saying i will but....

How bad could it possibly get if only one of the connectors broke? I cant see anything catastrophic happening if the other mounts are solid.

Once again, just curious, i mean rusty #1s cab mount bushings were gone on the front and the bolts just flopped there. You could feel the cab slam if you hit a good bump

Your cab was sitting ON TOP of the frame, and still held down by (hopefully) 4 more mounting points that were anchored in the heaviest part of the cab. A Taurus's subframe hangs from the bottom of the car and has the whole weight of the power train sitting on it. Once the first corner gives out completely it takes less to make the rest fail.

As Walt noted, it will also cause steering issues when it sags becuase the rack and lower control arms/ball joints are both directly connected to the frame.

Also, mount bushings gone with the bolts and washers intact is different than the frame having an open hole. If all your cab mount bushings fell out and the rest of the hardware stayed undamaged you could flip that truck on a rotissere and the cab still wouldn't fall off. If you C-notched the outside edges of the brackets and did the same you have a good chance of this happening:

 

[rusty ol ranger]

The bushings were gone and the bolts just flopped around, i dunno drove it for years that way.

Either way, i was just curious about the taurus, maybe ill figure 8 it or somethin.