1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

I SMELL GAS WHEN DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED OF 60 AND ABOVE ON FREEWAY MOSTLY. ONCE IN A WHILE I CAN SMELL IT WHEN DRIVING AT LOWER SPEEDS OF 25 -30MPH. I USED TO THINK THAT I HAD SPILLED GAS ON THE OUTSIDE OF CAR WHEN IT FIRST STARTED HAPPENING, BUT NOW A YEAR LATER, I STILL SMELL GAS AND I DO SMOKE IN MY CAR, BUT WHEN I SMELL THE GAS, I WILL PUT THE CIGARETTE OUT. IS THERE SOME KIND OF RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM, THAT CAN REPAIR IT. I HAVE PUT $4000.00 INTO RESTORING THE CAR AND I AND PUTTING ANOTHER $800.00 INTO IT NEXT WEEK, NOVEMBER 2013, TO REPLACE ALL OF THE BELTS AROUND THE ENGINE. I HAVE ALREADY REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION FOR $1800.00 AT AAMCO, AND PUT A $2200.00 PAINT JOB ON IT, BEFORE I KNEW OF THE GAS SMELL. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED ALTERNATOR...

I HAVE A 1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD THAT HAS A MANIFOLD PROBLEM. I AM BEING TOLD BY FORD THAT IT DOESN'T FALL UNDER THE RECALL FROM 2005 BECAUSE IT WASN'T BUILT IN THE RIGHT PLANT. I HAVE READ A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT ALL OF THE 1997 T-BIRD HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND NEED TO BE FIXED. NOT ONLY IS DOES MY CAR NOT RUN RIGHT, BUT I ALSO AM NOT FACING REPLACING MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AS WELL DUE TO THE LEAKAGE. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT $1700 IN REPAIR. *TR

WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR, A YEAR AGO, IT RAN GREAT. ONE DAY AS I AS COMING UP A HILL, MY CAR STARTED SHAKING. IT WAS A CRACKED INTAKE MANIFOLD, THAT OF WHICH FORD WAS IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN 2005. WHICH COVERED A "SELECT FEW" OF THUNDERBIRDS. HOWEVER NOW THAT MY MANIFOLD CRACKED, THERE "NOT AT FAULT." WE HAD THE CAR FIXED, ONLY TO LEARN AFTERWARDS THAT FORD HAD SEVERAL ISSUES ABOUT THE FAULTY INTAKE. *TR

ENGINE IDLE RACING. CAN'T STOP UNLESS PLACED IN NEUTRAL, WHERE CAR WOULD RUN OVER 2000 RPM. DEALER REPLACED IDLE AIR CONTROL AND POWER CONTROL MODULE. DEALER STATED THAT IDLE AIR CONTROL BURNS OUT THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULES ON MANY V-6 FORD ENGINES. CAR HAD ONLY 34,518 MILES CHECKED OTHER SURGES THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE OF RACING ENGINES IN ACCIDENTS OF V-6 MOTORS AND FORD REFUSING ANY RECALLS FOR POSSIBLE FIRE OF IDLE AIR CONTROL AND THE BURNING OUT OF POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS 1997 FORD THUNDERBIRD LX SPORT AS A USED VEHICLE IN OCT. 2002. I NOTICED THAT DURING THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF OWNING THIS VEHICLE IT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY LEAK A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF COOLANT ONTO MY DRIVEWAY BUT I COULD NEVER SEE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. SOMETIMES IT WOULD GO FOR DAYS WITHOUT LEAKING AND THEN ONE DAY THERE WOULD BE OVER A QUART OF COOLANT ON THE DRIVEWAY. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO A SHOP THAT PUT THE CAR ON A LIFT TO LOOK FOR THE LEAK BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND ONE. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR AND ADD COOLANT EVERY TIME THE "LOW COOLANT" LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASH PANEL. IN MAY 2005 I WAS ON THE 91 FREEWAY AND SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING THE "LOW COOLANT" LIGHT CAME ON AND THE TEMP CAME UP QUICKLY SO I TRIED TO CHANGE LANES TO THE...

INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK OUT. FORD WILL NOT REPAIR UNLESS I PAY FOR IT. CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT PENDING. FORD AGREED TO REPLACE ON VEHICLES 7 YEARS OLD OR LESS. MY VEH IS 8 YEARS OLD WITH 26000 MILES. BAD DESIGN FOR INTAKE. *NM

UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD ON MY 1997 4.6 L THUNDERBIRD CRACKED AND BLEW ALL THE COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I HAD TO PAY FORD TO REPLACE THE UPPER INTAKE AND THE PLUGS THAT WERE FOULED OUT. THEY REFUSED ANY RESPONSIBILITY EVEN WITH A FORMAL WRITTEN COMPLAINT TO THEIR HOME OFFICE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THIS IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF THEIR 4.6 L ENGINES IN A VARIETY OF VEHICLES.*JB

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS DEFECTIVE. ALL OF THE COOLANT LEAKED AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE DEALER STATED THE DEFECT WAS OUTSIDE OF THE SEVEN YEARS OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL. *JB

ENGINE MANIFOLD CRACKED ALLOWING ANTIFREEZE TO ESCAPE. TOOK CAR FOR REPAIR. LEARNED LATER THAT REPAIR WAS A RECALL. ASKED FORD FOR REIMBURSEMENT. REIMBURSMENT DENIED.*AK

ENGINE DEVELOPED A COOLANT LEAK DUE TO A SPLIT IN THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD. RECALL 97M91 WHICH IS ONLY GOOD FOR 7 YEARS FROM THE START OF THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY WAS UP 2 DAYS PRIOR TO INCIDENT. FOMOCO AND DEALER WOULDN'T COVER, TO BAD FOR ME. RECALL DOESN'T COVER REPLACEMENT UNLESS IT IS LEAKING WITHIN THAT 7 YEARS. DESIGN HAS BEEN CHANGED TO AN ALUMINUM CROSSOVER THAT HOPEFULLY WONT SPLIT AND COSTS APPROX $800 TO FIX. *JB

HEAT INDICATOR ON DASH BOARD FAILED. YH