So i have a 2000 for taurus that makes some really weird noises.

The first noise seems to be the rear brakes. Whenever the brakes are cold (ie recently started) and when its humid out it squeals terribly, and loudly. Like everyone in the parking lot looks at you loudly. After the car has been running even a little while (like even by the end of two blocks) the noise goes away. Also when the temp falls below freezing the squealing seems to stop entirely. I have new front breaks but the rear brakes werent changed at the same time.

The next noise happens whenever i go over a bump (i can hear it best when in a parking ramp). its a really springy noise. I read somewhere that the coil springs in northern climates can break down fast due to road salt use (i live in minnesota) so i was wondering if this is indicative of a problem there.

The third noise may be related to the last but im not sure. Whenever i turn left it makes a weird almost rubber on rubber rubbing noise. This ones actaully pretty hard to explain, but it happens mainly when i turn left and much less significantly when bringing it back to straight or turning right. Sometimes i notice that its hardly there at all but 90% of the time its noticeable.

As a final note, i brought it to a mechanic (my uncle) and told him some of the problems, but at the time the coolant resevoir was leaking and the sway bars needed replacing. I gathered that he had delegated the work to someone else because he was very vague about the work done. So honestly i dont know if any of it was checked out. So can anyone give me some advice here? im a poor college kid so i want to save money if possible. But my car is necessary for getting to school and work so i cant afford to lose it. In other words i want to get it in the best possible condition but dont want to do anything that could wait awhile like during the summer when i can afford to go without it for awhile. Thank you for your help

Welcome to the forum!

The first noise could be just due to rust on the rotors. It doesn't take much moisture in the air to cause rotors to rust after sitting a few hours. There could also be a wear pattern/lip on the rotors that is contributing to noise.

Does your Taurus have rear disc or drum brakes? You should have them inspected as well just to be sure there isn't a problem there. If you use the parking brake often, you could find a deserted stretch of road, get the car moving at a slow speed, then carefully start to apply the parking brake while holding out on the parking brake release lever. If the noise is apparent doing this, then you can be pretty confident the noise if from the rear. If you hear absolutely no squeal, then the noise is probably from the front. If you don't use the parking brake often, then you probably don't want to try this because the brake cable could be seized up from the winter salt and your parking brake may not release if you apply it. That would be bad.

For the suspension noises, I'd suspect more that you have a dry ball joint and/or outer tie rod end. This is a pretty common find on modern Fords. There have been posts on this forum before on how to troubleshoot the culprit, so I'll leave it as a homework assignment for you to use the "Search this forum" feature from the Taurus forum main page for that process. You might try searching for the keywords 'spray lithium.'

-Rod

I wonder if your uncle meant sway bar links. I'm not familiar with what's on the newer Taurus, but previous years have these links that have mini ball joints that wear out, though mine were more of a clunk and rattle when passing over manhole covers, etc. rather than a creak, squeak or rubber on metal like sound. Rod's right about the other two ball joints. I don't recall ever hearing the inner tie rod ball joint squeak, creak. They usually just get loose and then maybe rattle when real worn. If you have time to do the repairs yourself, get a book or go to Autozone.com for guidance.

Welcome to the forum!

The first noise could be just due to rust on the rotors. It doesn't take much moisture in the air to cause rotors to rust after sitting a few hours. There could also be a wear pattern/lip on the rotors that is contributing to noise.

Does your Taurus have rear disc or drum brakes? You should have them inspected as well just to be sure there isn't a problem there. If you use the parking brake often, you could find a deserted stretch of road, get the car moving at a slow speed, then carefully start to apply the parking brake while holding out on the parking brake release lever. If the noise is apparent doing this, then you can be pretty confident the noise if from the rear. If you hear absolutely no squeal, then the noise is probably from the front. If you don't use the parking brake often, then you probably don't want to try this because the brake cable could be seized up from the winter salt and your parking brake may not release if you apply it. That would be bad.

For the suspension noises, I'd suspect more that you have a dry ball joint and/or outer tie rod end. This is a pretty common find on modern Fords. There have been posts on this forum before on how to troubleshoot the culprit, so I'll leave it as a homework assignment for you to use the "Search this forum" feature from the Taurus forum main page for that process. You might try searching for the keywords 'spray lithium.'

-Rod

Thanks for the advice. the lithium worked, but i was wondering does this mean they need to be replaced? some of the stuff i read seemed to lead to that conclusion. Also i do have rear drum brakes, and lately they have acting up. When i apply the break while its cold it brakes much harder then it should for the pressure i apply. Like enough to spill drinks from my cup holder :frown: Just wondering if something more is up. Also i can tell definitely that the noise is from the back, but i didnt try as you suggested

The lithium grease in the joints is a temporary fix, basically only used as a troubleshooting technique to determine which joint is dry. To provide a more permanent fix, you should consider replacing the joint.

-Rod