A Taurus has an unusual set of power steering hoses.
I personally have repaired so many of these P/S systems I can tell you from experience that when a hose comes apart like that and the car is just a few years old, It has to do with side or down pressure applied to a tube near a fitting.
If yours, being 14 years old has (Ever) been worked on, it might not be Firestones fault.
The racks leaked, the pumps leaked, and the hoses were often found to have seepage.
There have been updated parts here and there introduced to take the place of the previous part number.
Since it is not necessarily required to disturb those lines during an alternator repair, It is more likely that the hose was getting ready to pop apart where the tube enters the fitting.
If the fitting had been turned with excessive side load on the pipe during installation it is even more likely.
I suggest inspecting the hose for exactly how and where the leak is before being certain someone was negligent. that is, during the alternator replacement.
As for the alternator being rebuilt, the shop's policy for that repair may have you more protected by using a guaranteed tested rebuild part that comes to the shop from a warehouse who carries the warranty for it.
If they are working on 20 or more cars at once, and you are not speaking with the guy who wrote it up ,at every phone call, sometimes you can get confused answers from employees who think they are telling you what is right.
If I were you, I would figure out who worked on the power steering last.
Replace both hoses and check the rack, and inspect the rest of the car before winter.
Because of its age and likely high mileage you may want to stop the bleeding and trade it off anyway.
I would say the hose probably broke when they pulled your alternator. According to diagrams it looks like some one was not careful as it looks close the the alternator and distributor. First read this
(http://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/cars/... In Repairs)
Now if I were you can have witness of the tow truck driver and any other and possibly try to reason with the mechanic. Next I suggest going to another mechanic and get a second opinion on the repairs and ask about what would cause the hose to break ( see if he says its someone who done a careless job ). Try to see if you can get a second opinion by the a mechanic who specializes in ford ( ask AAA)
Dont leave the car there, after all it would be venerable and they could charge you. And Suing is a waste of time and money.
Now I just got my jeep back yesterday after a week in the shops after it died on the freeway, Took two opinions, and a jeep specialist for diagnosing the problem ( replaced the PCM and CPS)
Your Ford has a blown charging system fuse so the power from the alternator never gets to the battery. The power steering hose failed because the shight fairy stopped by. Change the fuse and don't waste money replacing a good alternator. Use a 15 amp fuse instead of the shickenchit 5 amp fuse Ford uses, will pop again in a week so they can try to sell you another alternator and 2 hours labor. 15 amp, buddy. You'll thank me later. Keep the $300.
A car will run off of the battery alone so long as it still has over 11.5 volts The alternator replenishes the voltage to the battery as well as supplying voltage to the running components. Now If The ground wire is removed the car will stall if running from the battery. When we jump a car from another car we often ground the cable on a frame location or the engine on a metal part secure to the block. This does two things It helps protect us from battery explosion but also provides a certain ground to the frame or engine. If the battery cable is not grounding well to the frame and/or engine the battery neither receives or delivers good voltage. Often a person can after bench charging a battery be fooled to believe the battery is connecting well after the clamps are tightened because the tester placed his probe for the ground on the post top. If he did this by puncturing the cable further down from the battery he may find he has far less connection.
Ya can't fix stupid! Why do people take their vehicles to a tire changer lube boy to have mechanical repairs done? With any luck others may learn from this!
I know exactly whats going on.. when a car is "dead" and pushed into the shop, with the mechanics turning the steering wheel with the engine off, the power steering fluid simply spilled through the vent on the cap.. You have no leak.. its just from operating the steering with the engine off. Tell them "No thanks." and to top off the fluid and clean up the mess.
I don't know much about car repair and maintenance, but this happened to us before. We're lucky that there's a trusted car repair center nearby. Maybe you can get in touch with them and consult your concerns via phone or email.
you know that it broke while in their care, but you only suspect that they deliberately broke it. I would think that if they were going to deliberately break something, they would have done that right away when you knew there was a problem, but not sure what. They would be foolish to wait to the last minute to spring this surprise on you. I say give them the benefit of the doubt.
#1. The dealer of the car or trusted private mechanic is / was the best place to take the car.
On 10/10 my car broke down, no power, after driving it ~200 miles. I had it towed home, ~80 miles away. On 10/11, I had another tow truck come out to charge the battery. The car would start, but would die as soon as the charger was taken off. Because of that, it was determined to be a dead alternator. We looked around the alternator, even checked the serpentine belt, and found nothing wrong, so it was time to get it repaired. On 10/13, I called up my local Firestone to get it repair. Originally, the alternator was to be rebuilt, but it couldn't be, according to them, and was to be replaced. On 10/16, it was finally fixed, and the mechanic told me at 2:33 pm cst, to call back for a lift to the garage. At 3:40, I called back and was told someone would be picking me up in 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, the mechanic calls and tells me that my power steering hose is broken, leaking like a sieve, serpentine belt is soaked in fluid, etc, etc, and it would cost another ~$200. I find this strange because, first off, the mechanic didn't tell me this when I first spoke to him. Secondly, there was nothing wrong with it on 10/11, when it was dead. Third, the tow truck driver that dropped it off said there was no leak on his flat bed, Lastly, there was no leak when it was first towed home, and I could most likely get the state trooper that was there to verify this. I have spoken with Firestone Corp and they said the store refuses to fix it. (See extra details)
go and search for real mechanic..
no such thing as a honest mech.
