In July 2015, I had a 2009 Toyota Corolla that was stolen. My insurance paid the balance, but I was left with no vehicle. I searched for weeks for something that I could afford ($2,000 max.) (I know, sucks, but I am a single woman with disability as only income. I found what I thought was a bargain for 1600.00 in this 2007 Ford Freestar Van. The seller told me that a bank had owned it as a company vehicle and implied that because of this, this van had been very well taken care of. By this time, I was sick of not having transportation and the van looked and ran great. It appeared to be in great condition inside and out, minus the middle row of seats but I didn't have a need for those, so no big deal. After several months of very little driving (I'm a homebody and only go where I have to) I started hearing a clicking noise each time I was in REVERSE and backing up at an angle. I was told by a friend that this was no big deal and since I don't drive much, I decided to just deal with it because other than that, it seemed to run fine. More recently, and mostly when the engine is pulling like when I have to press the gas pedal a little harder, this clicking noise has gotten louder and more frequent. Just yesterday, I started hearing a more high-pitched noise but only about two times and the engine seemed to lose power when I heard it. I had to drive today about 25 miles round trip to pick up a prescription from pharmacy and heard the noise again. (clicking and high-pitched). The high-pitched noise is not loud, it's just the only way I know how to describe it...but it's there. Right before I was back home, in the panel where the odometer and other things are, an orange colored screwdriver symbol appeared in the lower left-hand corner of the instrument panel. I've never seen this symbol and don't have an owner's manual (not that it would do me any good), but now I am very nervous to drive it in case it breaks down. I guess I can't complain too much considering the price I paid and that I've been driving it for over a year now...and that it had over 200k miles when I bought it. (I know, that should have been a red flag, but I had to do what I had to do with what I had at the time and now I don't have even that option). The clicking sound sometimes makes me think that the engine could be missing, but I've heard that these vehicles are notorious for torque converter issues so I tend to lean towards that being the problem. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, other than "Buy a new car," because that is not an option, feel free to let me know what I should do next. I'm just a girl and know how to put gas in and drive. Oh yea, I can check the oil and fill the wiper fluid container under the hood, ha. I wish I could fix it myself, but honestly I wouldn't know where to begin. I hope someone reads this that can understand what's going on and can get me started in the right direction because I am getting more scared by the day to even drive it. Thanks to anyone in advance for suggestions...I just joined this site so just in case I don't know how to look for any responses, if anyone responds and I do not respond to your comment, my email address is bkmcneely1@gmail.com. Thanks!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
In July 2015, I had a 2009 Toyota Corolla that was stolen. My insurance paid the balance, but I was left with no vehicle. I searched for weeks for something that I could afford ($2,000 max.) (I know, sucks, but I am a single woman with disability as only income. I found what I thought was a bargain for 1600.00 in this 2007 Ford Freestar Van. The seller told me that a bank had owned it as a company vehicle and implied that because of this, this van had been very well taken care of. By this time, I was sick of not having transportation and the van looked and ran great. It appeared to be in great condition inside and out, minus the middle row of seats but I didn't have a need for those, so no big deal. After several months of very little driving (I'm a homebody and only go where I have to) I started hearing a clicking noise each time I was in REVERSE and backing up at an angle. I was told by a friend that this was no big deal and since I don't drive much, I decided to just deal with it because other than that, it seemed to run fine. More recently, and mostly when the engine is pulling like when I have to press the gas pedal a little harder, this clicking noise has gotten louder and more frequent. Just yesterday, I started hearing a more high-pitched noise but only about two times and the engine seemed to lose power when I heard it. I had to drive today about 25 miles round trip to pick up a prescription from pharmacy and heard the noise again. (clicking and high-pitched). The high-pitched noise is not loud, it's just the only way I know how to describe it...but it's there. Right before I was back home, in the panel where the odometer and other things are, an orange colored screwdriver symbol appeared in the lower left-hand corner of the instrument panel. I've never seen this symbol and don't have an owner's manual (not that it would do me any good), but now I am very nervous to drive it in case it breaks down. I guess I can't complain too much considering the price I paid and that I've been driving it for over a year now...and that it had over 200k miles when I bought it. (I know, that should have been a red flag, but I had to do what I had to do with what I had at the time and now I don't have even that option). The clicking sound sometimes makes me think that the engine could be missing, but I've heard that these vehicles are notorious for torque converter issues so I tend to lean towards that being the problem. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, other than "Buy a new car," because that is not an option, feel free to let me know what I should do next. I'm just a girl and know how to put gas in and drive. Oh yea, I can check the oil and fill the wiper fluid container under the hood, ha. I wish I could fix it myself, but honestly I wouldn't know where to begin. I hope someone reads this that can understand what's going on and can get me started in the right direction because I am getting more scared by the day to even drive it. Thanks to anyone in advance for suggestions...I just joined this site so just in case I don't know how to look for any responses, if anyone responds and I do not respond to your comment, my email address is bkmcneely1@gmail.com. Thanks!
- Brenda M., Cleveland, TN, US