How well do you know your Mark VIII?

L

Lick

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These hold true for every first gen I have encountered.

1. The first time you hit approx. 17-20 mph the car makes a quick grinding noise. It will not do it agian until the car is resarted and 17-20 mph is achieved. Drove me crazy, until the dealership told me it was normal. Its a type of diagnostic check, so I am told.

2. Next time the trunk is open,look at the channel thats under the rear windshield. Look closely. What do you see?

3. We can drive with both are regular and high beam lights on.Comes in handy.

Cant think of any more. Any one else have similiar things they have noticed over the years?
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

didn't quite get that trunk thing you were talking about.
My car definetly does not make any grinding noise at 17-20 mph. But it does slow down annoyingly at about 32mph when just cruising to stop, i'm guessing its because it shifts out of OD. It has done so on both transmissions that i've had in the car. And we can't drive with both the highs and the lows on, unless you do a modification or simply keep the light switch pulled.
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

That quick grinding noise is probably the ABS system calibrating itself - normal.

What do YOU see when you look at the rear window channel?

Gen 2 has regular and high beams both on when high is selected.

Above statements are for Gen 2.

John
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

The window channel throws me off as well. Never noticed a grinding at 17-20 mph either. Have noticed the 32 mph thing though.
Also, when you have the lights on, but its still somewhat light, the interior driving lights turn off and you get the daytime driving lights in the cockpit. This flipped me out until I discovered its a sensor on the Gen. 2.
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

I own 2 Gen 1's.
The grinding? cant help you there.
The trunk channel? nada..
the headlights? Normal on any car with a 4 headlight set up.
This post? not sure either.
BlackIceLSC-VP LODNCA
http://mark8.org/lodnca
94 Black/Black M8
95 Champagne/Saddle M8
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

Ok, number 2 is questionable. I have looked at a few now and all have drips in the paint on the channel, its barley noticable. Does any one else see this on the inside of the channel below the weather strip. It may be only the ones I looked at? The grinding I was told was indeed the ABS, listen carefully its there, but only one time. The first time that approx. speed is reached, after that you will not hearit agian untill the car is restarted. And yes sometimes to see at night I do have to do a lot of pulling. Oh and that 32 mph thing, I cant stand it.
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

Craig - an interesting thing on my T-Bird is that when you turn the brights on, the lows go off. The exception to this is if I "flash" the brights, (different "momentary" switch position). Then both highs and lows light up.

John
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

I can also hear a slight grinding noise 17-20mph also, like you said only when you first start the car.
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

If the sound you are talking about is what I hear, my 96 Merc Grand Marquis, and both the 94 and 95 Marks do it.... but I hear something different. It is definately not a "grinding" noise. The sound I hear is like a low pitch, almost electrical "hummmmm", or slight "groan". Impossible to describe it, but it almost sounds like a small air pump just behind the master cylinder. It happens when I first accelerate out of my driveway. I hear a little. "HMMM"... for less than a second, and can feel it in the brake pedal, so it must be the ABS pre-speed calibration.
Some of the Town Cars at work that have had ABS failure in the past, when that sound happens, the ABS light comes on the dash. Strange thing is, the ABS still finctions on them with the light on. we never worried about it since they obtain aver 300k ABS trouble-free miles.

The "runs" in the paint in a "non visible" location is typical in unibody Fords. All of my Mustangs had paint runs in concealed areas Even the Mustangs/Fords I owned that were built in the 60's. The key is why you see them. There is a body panel sealer application in the trunk channels. The body sealer is like "goop" that hardens over time. When the paint hits it, it wont adhere as smoothly as it will to a warmed metal surface since it takes days for the panel sealer substance to dry. Lincoln was not about to let a car sit for a few days prior to color shooting it, just so the "goop" could dry and show a solid , no drip gloss in a concealed area. If they let a car sit a few days prior to "paint", they would have been bankrupt 45 years ago.

I see you have an eye for detail. Have you noticed that the panel gaps on most unibody cars are not aestetically equall on domestic vehicles? Compare the "gaps" in a Domestic car to the panel gaps in a German car. Better yet, dont.. you may dislike that too.

As Billcu would say.... "Just Drive it!"
BlackIceLSC-VP LODNCA
http://mark8.org/lodnca
94 Black/Black M8
95 Champagne/Saddle M8
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

that slowing thing is really exagerated since I put the 4.10's in.
 
RE: How well do you know your Mark VIII?

I've always wondered what that noise was. Mystery solved... I thought it might be transmission related...whew!
 
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