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So the Taurus becomes incontinent in the parking lot at Lowes, and this morning I run it up the ramps to take a look. No problem, just a rotted out steel coolant line. Well, it takes 2+ hours to get the sucka out of there; the book says to remove the A/C pump (!) but I managed to worm it out by just removing the water pump.
Then I call the dealer and they want $180 for a new one. It's a damn 14" long piece of steel pipe and a couple short pieces of hose. Online price is $130. I found another place selling an aftermarket equivalent for $20. Seems too good, but man, I've got to try it.
In general I enjoy fixing stuff like this, but the engineers (which I admit, are being forced to fit an engine into the smallest possible space) that cram stuff in so close are really pushing my envelope of "fun".
I have another 2 coming up putting things back together again, but in the end assuming that this part works, it's $25 out of pocket (OK, plus some new antifreeze), and the parts+labor on this at the dealer would have been in the $600 range. For half a day's work and the fun of having fixed something myself, I'm happy to save > $550.
Then I call the dealer and they want $180 for a new one. It's a damn 14" long piece of steel pipe and a couple short pieces of hose. Online price is $130. I found another place selling an aftermarket equivalent for $20. Seems too good, but man, I've got to try it.
In general I enjoy fixing stuff like this, but the engineers (which I admit, are being forced to fit an engine into the smallest possible space) that cram stuff in so close are really pushing my envelope of "fun".
I have another 2 coming up putting things back together again, but in the end assuming that this part works, it's $25 out of pocket (OK, plus some new antifreeze), and the parts+labor on this at the dealer would have been in the $600 range. For half a day's work and the fun of having fixed something myself, I'm happy to save > $550.
