Ok so I recently got my dads 93' mark viii. In good shape for being almost 21 yrs young. The only thing is it prob has 5,000 miles tops in the past 6 yrs. it has sat at our Michigan house for the majority of its time through fall,winter,spring and summer. So I'm sure it's only a matter of time before all the hoses and the minor fine parts go. Another thing is throughout its years it has gotten extremely moldy and home to some mice/rats who knows. I know a lot of the padding in the door panels has been chewed/eaten, along with some of the car phone wires. Who knows about any other wiring, and the trunk is ravaged. Now I need help with some things and I would REALLY appreciate all honest answers. I think highly of a lot of you on here as I have been looking for a good forum that has nice knowledgable guys/woman that won't bash me. I had to wait like 3 days since I signed up to post. Ok I'm 23 yrs old with a baby boy so money is an object to me, I'd like to do a lot of the work myself and get w.e else done as cheaply and realiable as I can. Some of the major issues are. The trans seems to be slipping. Now I kno since the last time I drove it I can notice a loss in response and power. The car has 120,000 miles on it. About 80% of the time especially with a slow acceleration around 20-45 mph and above on the highway the rpms will drop to one and get alil shaky as if its searching for gears. I'm not an expert by any means when I got it I got an oil change and topped off the tranny fluid. For this issue I would like to know my options. I was recommended by a good family friend who is a high end Mercedes dealer to go to his guys for a rebuilt tranny for around 600? My father highly disagrees and firmly believes it will open a can of worms messing with the tranny, it also has a slight shake when idling Any input on that issue will be awesome. Next issue about 30% of the time after I start up my anti lock warning comes on as well as I lose my traction control, I do not have any idea why and this started about a week ago, any ideas would be awesome. Next I have read a lot of issues with coolant, I can't seem to keep it in their faster then I lose it, the simplest/cheapest idea I found on here is to assume the cap isn't holding the 16lbs of pressure and replace It, i did but found a leak about center mass of hood alittle on the left saw it leaking down a pipe Any ideas would be awesome. There are some more issues but this post is long enough already please guys I enjoy this beauty and 120k miles shouldn't b the end of her. 93 mark viii 4.6 pearl white thank you for reading.
New member seeks advice please
- Thread starter Tictoc527
- Start date
tixer
Lincoln Evangelist
Welcome to the board! Congrats on the baby, and the new ride!
A quick read of your post indicates that most of these problems are just from the car having sat for so long. The transmission having the potential to be the only real expensive problem, I suppose, but I'd set that aside (figuratively) for the moment. Perhaps with some use, the valves, seals, etc will recover on their own. This may be optimistic, but it will give you time to assess the overall condition of the vehicle.
I'm hoping that this isn't your only car, as it sounds like what it really needs is some time put into it. Personally, I'd probably start with the rodent and mold damage. A car is no fun to drive when it smells to high heaven, and that stuff is "cheap to free" to address. I'd completely gut the trunk, and most of the interior. Pull the carpet, liners, etc. If the seat motors still function, removing the seats from the car isn't that big of a deal. It would give you the chance to really clean everything, and inspect the wiring and air lines.
It is worth noting that on two occasions, I've found mouse nests above the headliner in my own Mark. I think they get there from the trunk, and up the "C" pillars. Just be prepared to investigate up there, too. Had I not seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it to be possible.
I wouldn't worry about the chewed through car phone wires, as no carriers support the old equipment anyway. You could unplug and remove much of that just to get it out of the way.
For your anti-lock warnings, I'd be inclined to check the sensors at the wheels. for dirt, grit, etc. Although with your rodent damage it could just as easily be chewed wires in the trunk, which may also explain why it is intermittent.
Your coolant issue is most likely due to air in the system. There is a small cap in the "crossover tube" that runs over the top of the alternator. It is likely covered by the engine cover, but you'll find a cap that can be opened with a 1/4" drive ratchet. (or not, but there are other threads for when that step goes wrong..) The system needs to be filled from this point, but with the cap on the reservoir removed. Once all the air is removed at the crossover, your overheating woes will (hopefully) be over.
Feel free to reply with your thoughts on this, or the other items on your "to-do" list. Does this car still have the air suspension? or has it been converted? That's another system that may not have taken well to sitting. How was the car stored? indoors? or out? Is rust a problem?
Once you hit five posts, you'll be able to upload a photo.
Thanks for signing on! there's a huge amount of knowledge here. You are in the right place.
Mike
A quick read of your post indicates that most of these problems are just from the car having sat for so long. The transmission having the potential to be the only real expensive problem, I suppose, but I'd set that aside (figuratively) for the moment. Perhaps with some use, the valves, seals, etc will recover on their own. This may be optimistic, but it will give you time to assess the overall condition of the vehicle.
I'm hoping that this isn't your only car, as it sounds like what it really needs is some time put into it. Personally, I'd probably start with the rodent and mold damage. A car is no fun to drive when it smells to high heaven, and that stuff is "cheap to free" to address. I'd completely gut the trunk, and most of the interior. Pull the carpet, liners, etc. If the seat motors still function, removing the seats from the car isn't that big of a deal. It would give you the chance to really clean everything, and inspect the wiring and air lines.
It is worth noting that on two occasions, I've found mouse nests above the headliner in my own Mark. I think they get there from the trunk, and up the "C" pillars. Just be prepared to investigate up there, too. Had I not seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it to be possible.
I wouldn't worry about the chewed through car phone wires, as no carriers support the old equipment anyway. You could unplug and remove much of that just to get it out of the way.
For your anti-lock warnings, I'd be inclined to check the sensors at the wheels. for dirt, grit, etc. Although with your rodent damage it could just as easily be chewed wires in the trunk, which may also explain why it is intermittent.
Your coolant issue is most likely due to air in the system. There is a small cap in the "crossover tube" that runs over the top of the alternator. It is likely covered by the engine cover, but you'll find a cap that can be opened with a 1/4" drive ratchet. (or not, but there are other threads for when that step goes wrong..) The system needs to be filled from this point, but with the cap on the reservoir removed. Once all the air is removed at the crossover, your overheating woes will (hopefully) be over.
Feel free to reply with your thoughts on this, or the other items on your "to-do" list. Does this car still have the air suspension? or has it been converted? That's another system that may not have taken well to sitting. How was the car stored? indoors? or out? Is rust a problem?
Once you hit five posts, you'll be able to upload a photo.
Thanks for signing on! there's a huge amount of knowledge here. You are in the right place.
Mike
Appreciate it, and yes the interior was my first addresses situation. Bleached everything then used fords motor craft carpet cleaner and the inside is good for now, trunk still hAs a musty smell but I will get to that. Found their us a coolant leak coming down the left side of the engine on the under carriage, I'd like to see if I could fix it myself or I have some friends in the mechanic insustry if its simple enough they may patch/repair for a case of beer or something. Leaves me with the only two real concerns at this point is the tranny slipping as this is my only ride for now and I'm going to start a new job demanding a lot of miles in stop and go. What's the best option seen a lot of f-150 tranny talk and crown Vic tranny talk. If it can be done the right way and last me a 100,000 miles for under a thousand then ill do it. Second is I'm worried about the anti lock / and loss of traction control warning lights, how should I address that? And yes after 5 posts ill update with photos, thank you again
On a side note one of the biggest problems I have for how small it really is, my headlights are horrible not the lights but the lens'. I can get maybe a 2foot patch of light from both and that's dangerous as can be in my mind. I would like to get nice new bulbs but the lens need to be addresses first. I have done two applications of mothers lens restoring kit with the buffer ball but not helping much, I need a serious solution as 200$ a pop for replacements isn't worth it for all the other work that needs to be done
Lvnmarks
quandoomniflunkusmoritati
Re-chroming ($100 a bucket) or replacing the headlights is your only option. As most of us gen I owners can attest to, try finding a set of 95.5-96 LSC housing for your mark. Changing the bulbs is a waste of money without decent head light housings.
Check out this site to help you find used parts for your Mark, also allot of us have 1000's of spare parts laying around so feel free to ask, one of use should be able to help you out.
www.car-part.com
