after a 71 year run, Ford pulls the plug on the Mercury line.
http://jalopnik.com/5549458/report-ford-to-kill-mercury
http://jalopnik.com/5549458/report-ford-to-kill-mercury
Mercury bites the dust....
- Thread starter 46er
- Start date
Ashamer to see alot of lines going this way. i believe they would have been profitable of this line of cars if it wasn't for horrific ticking time bomb of a transmission that they put in sables and taurases.
I'm having transmission problems again in my Focus. About two years ago it was "slipping" so I took it to Ford and they said my engine mounts were bad. They replaced them and the "slipping" went away. Now it is back so I checked the mounts and they seem fine. It is so slow going into first that I have to watch backing out of my driveway so that I have plenty of time to get going. Then maybe the first or second stop it seems to slip and then the rest of the day I am mostly fine. Ford said the last time I was there the computer showed I was not slipping, and I am thinking now it may not be. It may just be that it is not engaging properly. In any event, I am debating what to do this time. For the most part the transmission works great and I hate to do anything.
Guy
Guy
you sure your filter isn't starting to plug. Not letting enough fluid through until it warms and thins..
you sure your filter isn't starting to plug. Not letting enough fluid through until it warms and thins..
I changed it just before the engine mounts were replaced which was just a year or two ago.
Guy
Ford has a bad record with some of its transmisions. Our Escape is know for transmission failures, primarily due to incorrect fluid changes. Apparently they must be flushed thoroughly when changing fluid, especially if the new fluid is the newer stuff. I don't have high mileage yet, just pushing 100K and, knock on wood, no problems yet. I would take it to a good tranny shop, most offer free diagnostics. The only time I go back to the dealer is for warranty work. Not that I don't trust them, but I don't, and their prices are usually over the top. Might want to look for a forum for the Focus and ask there. The ones I use for the Escape and Explorer have always been very helpful to me.
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/
This is also a pretty good site, doesn;t give solutions, but does show reliabilty issues. The link is to the Ford section.
http://www.fordproblems.com/Focus/
I called Ford today and I am taking it there to have them look at it. I really think there is nothing wrong with the transmission since other than putting it into first gear and one or two incidents of slipping after first starting out, I can race around like I was at Datona and have no problems. I can take off from a stop with the pedal to the floor, and pull into traffic like a V8. It is really odd. And it is running funny ever since a month ago when it died in the middle of Haddonfield Berlin Road.
Guy
Guy
I was looking thru the link I posted and a few guys were talking about something that sounds similar. Do a search on 'transmission problems' on that site, no need to register.
Guy, is it an automatic, or a manual? If it's a manual, it could be the bolts where the engine meets the tranny. If those bolts get loose, or the engine mounts get loose, it puts uneven pressure where the clutch meets the plates and doesn't enable them to grip each other right causing slippage. Or it could be something on the pressure plate causing it to slip until it gets hot and then grips like splashed oil or some kind of fluid. Some cars with manual trannys have hydraulic clutches, and if that hose decides to leak a little it can get fluid on the clutch plates, which would cause them to slip. But you would start to smell a weird burning smell with that one, and you would notice a difference in your clutch pedal. Hope you get it worked out. I had a problem with my transmission in my GMC and they told me they don't honor the same warranty they did years ago. They basically changed the rules mid game before my warranty was up so they wouldn't have to fix something. I ended up having to fix things myself, but it made me learn a lot about how transmissions work.
It is automatic. I repaired cars as a profession for 5 years, and have worked on all my cars over they years. However, as I get older I find it less and less interesting and when things get involved I take it to Ford. I have spent way too much time over the years working on them.
Guy
Guy
I'd like to have one of these things to plug in next time I take the GTI to the mechanic, just to see the expression on his face 
Well, not only did the Mercury bite the dust, so has my car. The seals in the transmission are leaking, and to have it rebuilt is about $3500. To have a new one put in is $2500, and I found other unrelated problems last night. I just can't see putting money into a ten year old car with 125,000 miles it.
So I am going to buy a new car for my wife, and I will inherit her car which is the same car as mine except it is a 2003 where mine is a 2001. She only has 50,000 on it. However, the major problem is the car is black. My car has scratches all over it but a white car hides them very well. A black car is much different, and I can see that in a very short time this car will be looking quite haggard. I am not going to stop going down the roads I normally do, so I will just have to deal with the outcome.
Guy
So I am going to buy a new car for my wife, and I will inherit her car which is the same car as mine except it is a 2003 where mine is a 2001. She only has 50,000 on it. However, the major problem is the car is black. My car has scratches all over it but a white car hides them very well. A black car is much different, and I can see that in a very short time this car will be looking quite haggard. I am not going to stop going down the roads I normally do, so I will just have to deal with the outcome.
Guy
Might want to give one of those tranmission additives a try. It's worth a shot, unless the other problems are serious. 125K is just broken in
Might want to give one of those tranmission additives a try. It's worth a shot, unless the other problems are serious. 125K is just broken in
They are 125,000 hard miles.
Guy
Guy, you need a Wrangler TJ. There are lots out there that have never seen a dirt road.
We'll have to get new NJPineBarrens.com stickers made up for your new car.
From what I heard, Ford is going to be investing more in Lincoln to make up for the loss of Mercury. Supposedly there's going to be a compact car in Lincoln's lineup sometime soon.
From what I heard, Ford is going to be investing more in Lincoln to make up for the loss of Mercury. Supposedly there's going to be a compact car in Lincoln's lineup sometime soon.
I had a Black 93 Mercury Cougar when I moved to KY in 2000. After about 2 years in the KY heat, the paint basically cooked off the top. The good news was, driving 100 miles a day, all highway, back and forth to work, my car had over 250k on it when I donated it. The point is whenever the young guys at my work would be admiring their overpriced $500 payments they drove, I told them, "Real men drive pieces of crap" lol.
Good luck with the new ride.
