Hello from a New Member/Owner ;)

1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Hello All,
After wrecking my 1996 Cougar XR7 4.6L about 10 days ago, I began to look around for a replacement and I could not find anything I liked. While looking I stumbled across the Mark VIII and decided I wanted one. I came across this car online. It had 76K miles and looked very clean. The dealer told me that this car was originally a S. CAL car and the carfax report seems to confirm this.

I just bought this 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII on Saturday and immediately hit the road for a 500 mile trip home.

On the way home, I found three issues with the car and from my searches, it seems these are common problems for the 2nd gen Mark VIII.

  1. Windshield washer button is missing
  2. Drivers seat will not move forward or back. Wheres and clicks, but does not move.
  3. Heater stuck in A/C.

From posting on this site and others, I think I know what needs to be done, but its really hard to find spares.

Thank you all,

Y.
 
tixer

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
Welcome, Y!

Congrats on your new Mark VIII! We're glad you stopped by. I'm sure you'll be comfortable with the car, as it shares quite a lot with your Cougar.

The missing button is easy enough. That just pops in. You might even find one for sale here on the forum.

Items 2 and 3 on your list will take a bit of work, but are all achievable if you're a little bit handy.

Here's a great write-up from our own Bill Cuddy on the seats. I'd advise just looking it over first to know what you're in for, before attempting the fix.
http://www.lincolnsofdistinction.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?17509-Seat-motor-repair-tips-(long)

Your heater issue is either a vacuum issue, or a common failure we refer to as the "blend door." I'd take a look at both of the below threads.

http://www.lincolnsofdistinction.or...d-Door-Actuator-Removal-and-Repair-(Write-Up)
http://www.lincolnsofdistinction.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?35012-blend-door-actuator-Revisited
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Good to meet you All,
As a new member of this site, I am still trying to get used to the searches and navigation.

As i said above, i am also have a 1977 MG Midget and am a member of mgexp dot com (this is nuts! Why can i not post pictures or links!). I have found the MG community very active and helpful. With the MG, it is very easy to find parts from members, ebay and several commercial vendors. So far, I have found some of the parts i need are "unobtainum" or at least very pricey.

Any suggestions?

Y.
 
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1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Thank you Mike,
When deciding which of the forums to join, i saw these postings.

Is there a "buy, sell, trade" forum on this site? I must have missed it...

I was thinking that since the missing button is so common, it would be worth while scanning one for 3d printing... Has anyone tried this?
I have already tried to McIvor a strip of plastic as a button since the car can not pass local inspection without a windshield washer.

I'll post a picture once the site lets me.

Y.
 
tixer

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
We've had enough trouble with spammers over the years that new users are subject to restrictions for the first five posts.. Once you get those in, you'll be "sailing more smoothly." Although photo storage space for non-members does have some (space) limitations, you'll at least be able to show us a photo of your ride.

We've got at least one MG owner around here too! You're in good company.
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
Thank you Mike,
I understand the reason for the limitation. Its just frustrating. :p

I like to keep all my photos on google Photo and embed links. That avoids using up forum storage.
I also use a lot of links to avoid reposting the same thing.

Y.

p.s. i feel that some of my postings today could be combined, but i need to get past newbie rating. :)
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
I think i can wait on the heat since this looks like an all weekend job.

The second post looks like a nice mod. Do you need to remove everything as shown in the first post to get at the unit?

Y.
p.s. do i need one more post?
 
tixer

tixer

Lincoln Evangelist
She'd have more room to work under the hoods of these cars...

As for the wheels, they may not be OEM, but they look pretty good.

I've also noticed that very few manufacturers seem to produce side-specific directional wheels. Even my buddy's brand new GTI has four identical directional wheels.. lazy.. :D
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
billcu said:
Welcome to the Lincolns of Distinction Y!:wave:

I've also got a 98 Mark VIII and I have a 1978 MGB.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Nice looking car Bill, :love-it:

We have a few British club events and quite a few car shows in the summer around here.

Here is my Midget, after restoration, with my "driver" at British Field days.


and at a local car show:



I post on http://www.mgexp.com/ and hang out on the Midget forum.
Let me know if you would like to lighten your B by about 100 lb. :wink:

Y.
 
1998MarkVIII

1998MarkVIII

New member
tixer said:
As for the wheels, they may not be OEM, but they look pretty good.
Click to expand...
Hi Mike,
I've been looking around and even though my wheels are all passenger side, they appear to be: OEM. They are described as "ALLOY WHEEL; 16 X 7; 39MM OFFSET; 10 SPOKE; 5 LUG; 4.25 INCH BP; CHROME"

Maybe i can swap with someone who has the other side... :)

Y.
 
SCTBIRD1173

SCTBIRD1173

Mark my Bird!
Welcome Y, nice Gen2 you picked up there! Mine had all the common Gen2 problems too when I bought it in 2010. Does your rear neon work? Is the driver side seat trim broken? Center console spring still intact? How about the cup holder wings? :fart

Sorry about the loss of your MN-12 Cougar but if you're anything like me you'll LOVE the Mark and won't really miss your Cougar. I've had my '90 SC since 9/99 and loved it like the day I bought it right up to buying my Mark in 2010. The SC doesn't get much love anymore with the Mark parked next to it in the garage... :(
 
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