New member- help on 2003

E

Ed Robinson

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Joined
Mar 14, 2018
Thunderbird Year
2003
Hello all. I have a 2003 Tbird my dad bought in 2003 for my son born that year. It's been garage kept and driven only enough to call it driven, 7000 miles and 15 years old. My dad gave it to my son this past Christmas as he knew his time was short. We lost him (my dad) to Leukemia on Jan 10th so its a very special car to my son.
The check engine light is on as well as the Trac control stays solid lit. I had it scanned at Oreillys and it shows an ABS wheel speed sensor and a TPS code. I believe my dad has the coils changed by the dealership while still under warranty. I'm a pretty good mechanic but this bird is all new to me. Do the experts here believe a new wheel speed sensor and TPS will clear these up or are these indicative of a different problem altogether? Thanks for any help and tips also!
 

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First of all, I am sorry for your loss. I am the owner of an 03 Tbird and have driven it sparingly over the years, it now has 30,000 miles. I have not personally had the problem come up that you discussed but my best guess is if the sensor is replaced I would bet even money that it will address the problem. I wish you well with the bird and I am sure your father will be watching down to see his grandson behind the wheel one day.
 
Georgia Cat said:
First of all, I am sorry for your loss. I am the owner of an 03 Tbird and have driven it sparingly over the years, it now has 30,000 miles. I have not personally had the problem come up that you discussed but my best guess is if the sensor is replaced I would bet even money that it will address the problem. I wish you well with the bird and I am sure your father will be watching down to see his grandson behind the wheel one day.
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Thank you. My son Josh got his learners license 2 weeks ago and is practicing in the bird with me riding along and loves the car. He and I both are proud of it. I will order both sensors and install and post results. Do the codes need to be cleared by computer or will they self clear when corrected?
 
Ed Robinson said:
Thank you. My son Josh got his learners license 2 weeks ago and is practicing in the bird with me riding along and loves the car. He and I both are proud of it. I will order both sensors and install and post results. Do the codes need to be cleared by computer or will they self clear when corrected?
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they should self clear.
 
I recently had both of these dashboard lights (Traction Control and ABS) come on in my 2002 Bird, with about 83K miles. I had both replaced at the Ford dealer, and they had a very hard time finding a used ABS sensor (took a week to find one). The replacement did work, and both lights are now off.
 
pblach said:
I recently had both of these dashboard lights (Traction Control and ABS) come on in my 2002 Bird, with about 83K miles. I had both replaced at the Ford dealer, and they had a very hard time finding a used ABS sensor (took a week to find one). The replacement did work, and both lights are now off.
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Why a used sensor? I ordered a right rear sensor new from RockAuto today for $44.79. Will the new one cause issues or should I be looking for a OE part?
 
I was told by my Ford dealer that there are no new ABS sensors available any more for my Bird. They found a reconditioned one somewhere and charged me over $1000 to replace these two sensors. This is the reason that I dread going to the Ford dealer, where I bought my 2002 Bird new, with any issues at all. I was just back there last week getting a new fuel pump and the other vacuum pump in the fuel tank, for another $2100 bill.
 
pblach said:
I was told by my Ford dealer that there are no new ABS sensors available any more for my Bird. They found a reconditioned one somewhere and charged me over $1000 to replace these two sensors. This is the reason that I dread going to the Ford dealer, where I bought my 2002 Bird new, with any issues at all. I was just back there last week getting a new fuel pump and the other vacuum pump in the fuel tank, for another $2100 bill.
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Wow!!! Well, I’ll let you know how the new one I ordered does. That’s sick
 
tbird2731 said:
Did you ever go to the dealer and see all those employees running around the place and wonder what they do? Somebody has to pay them.
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I want to guess that at some point you had a job. Somewhere along the line a customer paid for the work you did. The work you did was likely something that another person did at a similar business somewhere else (perhaps even nearby). You didn’t work for free, and you shouldn’t be expected to. Why are Ford dealers expected to provide parts and service to forum members at no profit?

Plumbers, painters, electricians, farmers, accountants, etc. all charge for their work. Some more than others, some less. A lot of us can perform most of their functions for free (I know that I have), but for one reason or another we don’t always do that. If you don’t like the price at the Ford dealership, go to Rock Auto and do it yourself, or get Ernie down at Joe’s Garage to work on your baby.

It’s a free market and you will pay what the seller thinks he can get from you, or you will go somewhere else. Quit making Ford dealers out to be bandits — they are only playing the same game as everybody else.
 
Icewine said:
I want to guess that at some point you had a job. Somewhere along the line a customer paid for the work you did. The work you did was likely something that another person did at a similar business somewhere else (perhaps even nearby). You didn’t work for free, and you shouldn’t be expected to. Why are Ford dealers expected to provide parts and service to forum members at no profit?

Plumbers, painters, electricians, farmers, accountants, etc. all charge for their work. Some more than others, some less. A lot of us can perform most of their functions for free (I know that I have), but for one reason or another we don’t always do that. If you don’t like the price at the Ford dealership, go to Rock Auto and do it yourself, or get Ernie down at Joe’s Garage to work on your baby.

It’s a free market and you will pay what the seller thinks he can get from you, or you will go somewhere else. Quit making Ford dealers out to be bandits — they are only playing the same game as everybody else.
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Sorry. I do not agree with you. I am in a service business. There is a vast difference between making a profit and taking advantage of someone who may not know the difference. I guess if your elderly mother was billed $1300 to clean out her gutters or change a light fixture, you would be ok with that because either 1)If she’s dumb enough to pay it, she should or 2) if the worker can get it, get it, regardless of whether it is dishonest and hurtful.
I’m not trying to change your mind. You are free to your own opinion. My opinion however is that we need less people in the world who think this way. Oh, and just because others may be doing it, don’t make it right.
 
I feel it all comes down to the integrity of the dealership or the independent shop or business.. All I want is a accurate job done right at a reasonable price.
 
Ed Robinson said:
Sorry. I do not agree with you. I am in a service business. There is a vast difference between making a profit and taking advantage of someone who may not know the difference. I guess if your elderly mother was billed $1300 to clean out her gutters or change a light fixture, you would be ok with that because either 1)If she’s dumb enough to pay it, she should or 2) if the worker can get it, get it, regardless of whether it is dishonest and hurtful.
I’m not trying to change your mind. You are free to your own opinion. My opinion however is that we need less people in the world who think this way. Oh, and just because others may be doing it, don’t make it right.
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I certainly agree that the world would be better off if people didn't take advantage of others, but they do. My sister-in-law paid two guys $200 to move a sofa from one room to another. That doesn't make all movers bad. (I told her I would have moved it for free ...)

Car dealerships have created their own beast. An urban store will set you back tens of millions of dollars, and the buyer wants to earn a return on his/her investment. If one of them quotes $1,000 for a repair it behooves you to take them to task on the amount of labour involved and the cost of parts. It's not always easy, and sometimes you just need to get the job done in a hurry, but if you press them they should be able to justify the price.

Hey, we al have Thunderbirds, right? Life is good.
 
I fully agree with you here but on the case mentioned above, the dealership was deceitful and dishonest. Told him there were no new sensors available and had to find a used one somewhere?? Straight out dishonest in order to make the customer feel like he was over a barrel if he wanted it fixed.
 
Icewine said:
Car dealerships have created their own beast. An urban store will set you back tens of millions of dollars, and the buyer wants to earn a return on his/her investment.
Hey, we al have Thunderbirds, right? Life is good.
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I just saw our Ford dealer here in Syracuse, spend millions on a store makeover.. The old store was last updated in the 50's or 60's but I bet the store /building was from pre or post WWII.. In some cases, I have a feeling Ford dictates, hey clean up your act if you are going to have our logo on your store. Also another Ford Dealership opened out in suburbia.

I have been in the remodeled store a few times with both my Focus and the T-Bird.. I didn't notice any huge increase in price. A matter of fact they my only be 5-10% more than our local muffler shop. We have just had out T-bird for a year now.. I took it in the dealership to have the coolant and tranny fluid changed.. They went over the whole car with me even the undercarriage.. Only other thing the found was a damaged rear tie rod end (rubber seal torn).. I will have that replaced this spring when the spring rains wash the salt off the roads.. With the synthetic oil change and both fluid change, I believe the bill was about $300.. Not bad for our baby..

I also had the pleasure of watching a college football game on their new 65" TV sitting on nice leather seats and a Keurig standing at the ready.. The mechanic also made sure he burped the cooling system, (he mentioned that also) so not to have the T-Bird cooling problem.. Even used the correct gold coolant.. Peace of mind..

I wish I had the large garage, with a lift, and most of all the expertise to work on her myself. I can do the little things like I had to change out the remote mirror switch that wasn't working when we bought it.. But to change out lines etc.. Nope, I would do more harm than good..
 
stevedaphotoman said:
I just saw our Ford dealer here in Syracuse, spend millions on a store makeover.. The old store was last updated in the 50's or 60's but I bet the store /building was from pre or post WWII.. In some cases, I have a feeling Ford dictates, hey clean up your act if you are going to have our logo on your store. Also another Ford Dealership opened out in suburbia.

I have been in the remodeled store a few times with both my Focus and the T-Bird.. I didn't notice any huge increase in price. A matter of fact they my only be 5-10% more than our local muffler shop. We have just had out T-bird for a year now.. I took it in the dealership to have the coolant and tranny fluid changed.. They went over the whole car with me even the undercarriage.. Only other thing the found was a damaged rear tie rod end (rubber seal torn).. I will have that replaced this spring when the spring rains wash the salt off the roads.. With the synthetic oil change and both fluid change, I believe the bill was about $300.. Not bad for our baby..

I also had the pleasure of watching a college football game on their new 65" TV sitting on nice leather seats and a Keurig standing at the ready.. The mechanic also made sure he burped the cooling system, (he mentioned that also) so not to have the T-Bird cooling problem.. Even used the correct gold coolant.. Peace of mind..

I wish I had the large garage, with a lift, and most of all the expertise to work on her myself. I can do the little things like I had to change out the remote mirror switch that wasn't working when we bought it.. But to change out lines etc.. Nope, I would do more harm than good..
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I have a feeling you got bamboozled too! No rear tie rod ends on the TBirds... Tie rods (inner and outer) are only for power steering rack up front.
 
02thunderbirdht said:
I have a feeling you got bamboozled too! No rear tie rod ends on the TBirds... Tie rods (inner and outer) are only for power steering rack up front.
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I can't remember what it is.. It's on the rear wheel assembly and is on both sides and looks like a tierod end with the rubber ball covering the knuckle.. Is it a control arm? It is tucked right up against the wheel.. See I know enough to be dangerous... My question is is that rubber boot supposed to be sealed at the bottom to prevent moisture geting in? Or is it loose and not connected to the metal part of the (control arm?) ? I wish I could crawl under there and get a photo of it to post here..
 
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