No, I have not really hung out much with any Galaxie fans to find out their opinions on the products Dearborn Classics sell.
Their catalogue is pretty nice, and free to boot. I would order one if I were you.
It states the upholstery kits and the boot are made from factory patterns using the same materials as the years involved.
I'd like to find some new convertible latch/sunvisor part that goes on the windshield frame. Mine are pitted, and I guess no one makes repo's yet. Just about the hardest part to find, as they were convertible specific, and originals are pitted.
I owned a 92 Crown Vic Police Pk. with only 73K miles on it. Shortly after I bought the car I noticed some smoking upon acceleration as well as a consistent "Check Engine" light. I pulled the plugs and one or two were completely oil-fouled. After replacing the plugs the car ran better but the smoking gradually increased to the point of embarassment. Finally the oil pressure began to give and, while the car was at least driveable, I traded it for a 94 Caprice Cop pkg. with the 350LT1(an unbelievably strong car in all respects.) At first I just simply thought that the car was completely beaten and neglected but then I saw (and still see) tons of these cars (as well as Town Cars) rolling around with billowing smoke. I never see Caprices in this condition - any insight??
Hi, I am new to this town hall. I have a GM that just turned 200,000 and still runs beautiful. I also have a question on my 1999 CV. The keyless entry pad works once in a while but is not consistent. Has anyone seen this before. I just bought this car and love it. I'd appreciate any comments. Thanks
I have a 99 GM LS. The other day it was raining hard. I opened the trunk... and there was puddle forming at the bottom. Does anybody have this kind of problem?
Water leaks anywhere are hard to find. Trunks are, perhaps, easiest. Take a flashlight, get into your trunk, shut lid. Have a friend or family member (gently) direct a water hose around the trunk lid, tail lights, gas filler, rear window, etc. You'll be easily able to talk with the person handling the hose, so you know where the water is directed. Do one spot at a time, don't spray the whole area. Allow a minute or so for any leak to seep through. You should see it with your flashlight. There may be more than one leak. Once you've located it, use the right sealant (ask a body shop or auto store for the right stuff) to fix the area. Good luck.
After having parked,facing downhill in the rain our trunk ended up with over a gallon of water in the bottom. Facing uphill, no problem. The deck lid design doesn't enable water to drain when facing downhill.
I'd bet a dollar to a donut your Crown Vic had worn valve-stem seals. 73,000 is a bit early for that problem to crop up, but considering yours was a cop car, I'll chock it up to sitting idling while Barney fills out accident reports for hours on end. Anyway, it's common on earlier 4.6's, usually around 100,000 miles. The oil pressure problems were most likely from low oil. My car started loosing pressure momentarily around turns and while braking. I remembered somthing I'd read on the internet about Jaguars doing that when they were low on oil and figured if it was good for the goose...So I checked the oil, and was 2 quarts low! It didn't seem to hurt anything, but I topped it off, end of problem. I also check my oil much more often now (as I should have done to begin with! Shame on me!) You could have spent the money replacing the valve stem seals, but if you kept adding the oil that got burned off, the problem wouldn't have gotten any worse. FWIW, my '95 T-bird with a 4.6 has nearly 200,000 miles on it, and other than a little oil usage, is still running strong!
I received a response from Castrol this past weekend that a synthetic version of 5W-20 will be available by mid year. If anyone has any further info on the availabilty of synthetics from other manufacturers please post it.
am looking at a 2000 CV with 16K on it. This is a former lease vehicle, but appears in excellent shape. any comments about buying former leasers, and does the CV take premium fuel. Thanks
Former lease vehicles are usually good deals. The previous lessor, in most cases, has taken extra good care of the vehicle so as not to get hit with excessive wear & tear charges at the end of the lease. Also, with the mileage limitations, you won't find one that's been driven to the moon & back. I'd feel better getting a used vehicle that had been leased when new than one sold outright to the previous owner. And no, it won't need premium. 89 octane does just fine. (Unless they really upped the compression ratio since '95)
Had some nasty transmission shudder after changing transmission fluid at Jiffy Lube. Guys told me that they did everything by the book and that fluid matches specs, it's my car which is old (comon, it is 1995 GM with only ~75K on it, never had ANY problems except changing tires (once) and front breaks (once)). Anyway, I had enough of it and I finally went to the dealer, they changed fluid to Mercon V in or whater it must be - works fine now. Interestingly - I did it second time at Jiffy, first time worked fine, and now it did not. I don't think I will drive any car for anything to Jiffy anymore...
Like you, I was leery about buying them. I've had a '99 Sable and '00 GM now, both bought for ~$10K under sticker prices with ~16K miles on them, and they've been fine cars. I was careful to buy from reputable dealers I trusted and to verify in writing that the warranty was still in force. I also asked to see the titles to make sure they were truly Program cars, and used CarFax to check the same data (at a small cost to me). If you do your homework, you'll be okay. Good luck.
I checked the battery voltage and it was about 12.3V not running. When running it is at 14.2V. After turning the car off and immediately trying the keypad, it worked fine and the battery was sitting at 12.5V. Sounds like I may need to replace the battery. I would typically expect 12.8V from a healthy battery. Not sure what that flashing red light for the security system draws. Can you recommend a good service manual (not that I expect to need it but like to understand the car a little better)? This 99 CV has the P&H package and comfort package and i am hoping to get many happy years of driving pleasure. Thanks again.
go out & buy the manual from either a book store or an auto supply outlet. You are welcome for a lucky guess. I learned the power windows work when the battery is fully charged also. Enjoy your ride.
The current issue of either POPULAR SCIENCE or POPULAR MECHANICS has a nice article on this very subject. I recycled both issues, so can't tell you for certain which, but I found it interesting and worthwhile. Good luck.
Years ago, in the back of your Automobile Owners Manual, there were forms where you order service manuals from Helms. I hope I have spelled Helms correctly, but you older guys will know who I mean. They were in the Detroit area. What ever happened to to them. If they still exit, I would appreciate their web sit address or phone number. Thank You!!
Anyone know what to check for as to why my turn signals flash quick then normal then quick intermittently? The dealer cannot solve the problem. I wouldn't mind if they flashed either quickly or normally, but the relay is loud and the changing speed is annoying. All the bulbs work, in fact this problem has existed since the car was new. I own a 2001 LX Sport, with the buckets and center console. This is the only complaint, otherwise a fine car. I live in NJ where we have a lot of snow. I put on a set of Bilzzaks on 16" wheels. The car runs better than I expected in the snow.
Thanks for the info. Went to alldata.com. Couldn't find the same problem, but I will advise the dealer that this problem was addressed with a TSB. They claim to have rerouted some wiring under the dash, but, if anything, this made the problem worse. As I discover a real fix, I will advise.
My 99 CV was purchased used and came with a K&N air filter. The cover does not fully engage the tabs into the slots opposite the clamps. Is this common with this cover or is this because of the after market filter? I am thinking about removing the slots and drilling two holes so I can bolt the cover shut. Has anyone run into this? I see in previous discussions that this cover will allow dirt to enter and ruin the engine if not seated properly. Am I over reacting? Appreciate any input.
poke a small hole in the cover & fill with WD40. This was done yesterday and now the squeaks are gone. Should last for 10,000 miles and do it again, assuming the joints don't need replacing due to wear. Now if I can just replace the air intake bypass tube, the fog horn will be no more.
Why use regular? Let's say it costs $20.00 to fill your tank with Reg. and you go 200 miles. Then it costs $24.00 to fill it with super and you go 230 miles. Doesn't work out the same??? You pay a little more at the pump when you fill your tank, but you get better gas milage, thus working out the same! So why not use whats better for your Engine?? Super would never hurt an engine, only makes it perform better. I am the manager of a gas station and if you saw the filters at the pumps you would never use Reg. When we change them, the Reg. one has all this crap in it and looks like sluge. The one for the suoer nozzle looks just as good as the day it was but in, just some small deposits. After seeing this I would NEVER put Reg. in any one of my cars. Also, if you look in your owners manual it says it's can run on Reg. not that is has to. That just means that they have left provisions for the cheep people, but the better the octane the better the car will preform. I have a CV and I get 35 more miles to a tank of gas when I use Super compaired to Reg. and it only costs like 3-4 more dollars to fill it up, so why not use it, I am getting better fuel milage and taking care of my engine at the same time!!! Mike
The reason filters on your Regular pumps have more debris is because they pump a lot more fuel than the Premium pumps. Or, maybe the underground tank containing the Regular needs to be cleaned more frequently.
Our tanks are new, and they did the same thing before and after they were replaced. True, you do pump more Regular but lets face it, Super is just a cleaner more refined fuel. Fill a small glass jar with Reg. and then another with Super. You can see the difference when you put the two side by side.
Running premium in an engine that regular is specified for does nothing for the engine----but it certainly might help the profit margin for the gasoline supply chain!!!
I've got a 1967 Corvette (since it was new) and you better run premium or it knocks like hell. On the other hand, I've got a '94 Topaz with 220,000 miles and a '93 Grand Marquis with 177,000 miles and neither have ever seen anything but regular---and neither have had an engine problem of any kind!!!
So if you want to help out mhlii's retirement plan, buy premium---if you want to help out your retirement plan, buy what the car manufacturer recommended!!
If you are referring to the moaning sound that is coming from the intake manifold area, I believe you will find the Idle Air Control valve is bad. It is a pain to replace but there are only two screws and you can do it. The valve was about $50 aftermarket. Good luck.
My long high way tests (several gas tanks) show that while it makes ~26.5 mpg on regular, it makes ~27.5 mpg with premium. So it is extra ~5% mpg, though price is more than that. The computer certainly feels the octane and adjusts engine regime. This is for Grand Marquis 95. For Toyota Celica 2K (GT) I did not see any difference at all, though its mpg runs ~39, hard to notice small differences.
After 100K miles or so on regular gas, we started using midgrade to eliminate ping on the uphills. Until then the 4.6 was happy with regular. Hey Kinley, my father-in-law is from Canada. We both enjoy Manhattans; we have the same whiskey philosophy you do.
Re Posts 1280 and 1283, thanks for the info re TSB # 01-21-03. My dealer performed the TSB and this did not resolve the problem. They have been in touch with Ford and have been told that they are reworking the flasher or lighting control unit. If this happens, I hope this will remedy the problem. Seems amazing to me that in 2002, they can't get TURN SIGNALS right. Other than that, I love my car. Great performance and value.
You forget that the car manual says that it CAN run on Regular, not that it HAS TO! You are also forgeting the milage factor. If it didn't help the engine, why does it get better fuel milage? I think that a 35 mile difference is enough to warrant the Super. If we were talking 5-8 differance I could say that's not enough to use it, but were talking 35 here!!! OH, and ofcorse, maybe even more important you have the improved HP as well. It's is definatly noticeable with Reg. vs Super. Also Reg. has VERY FEW detergents in it. And actually for you infomation, I do not own the station, and we make less profit on a gallon of super than we do on Reg. Reg. has a much higher markup! If all these car are so called "susposed to run on Reg." why the hell do they ping so much? My Father has a 95 Town Car and has never been able to use Reg. since new. Pings like hell. He has taken it back to the dealer twice and SUPRISE they told him JUST USE SUPER, they are kown to do that on REGULAR!! Ford just says that in the manual so people will buy there cars!!!
I've one of those types that tracks every gallon of gas I put in my cars (since 1967). There are so many things that can affect mpg (speed, temperature, wind, rain vs dry road, load in the car etc.) that it would be hard to give octane the credit. In fact, in most cars, the angle that the car is sitting at affects (by a gallon or more) how much gas you can get in the tank. My gas mileage jumps all over the place and I'm not changing the grade of gas I use.
I have seen some posts in the Taurus/Sable about some of Ford's engines having a tendency to ping on regular---even though that's what is recommended. There was some speculation that the quality of regular gas in some areas of the country (especially some of the areas where there are special gas blends required by the EPA for smog control) could cause pinging. If an engine was pinging (for whatever reason), a higher octane would likely improve gas mileage. However, an engine that's not pinging (and one that is not equipped with higher compression and knock control) won't benefit with higher octane gas (Internal Engine Design 102).
Oh yes, one other way to improve gas mileage is to drive a little easier (slower acceleration, early lift when approaching corners, no full thottle passing, etc.). If your "test" results were to be meaningful (sp?), someone else would be putting the gas in the tank and you couldn't know what gas was being used.
If you don't believe this, then I'll sell you my special device to improve gas mileage. It only costs $25. Or you can tape 2 magnets to your fuel line with electrical tape!!!
performs well on Chevron, with Techrolene, Regular and no pinging. However, when towing the 17' Searay, Mid grade prevents pinging when going up a hill. New set of plug wires helps also.
pings unless I use 92 oct. But if I use anything higher than 87 in my '95 Chevy, my mileage goes down. Also it runs a little rougher... so I just feed it swill...
I have a 99 GM LS with almost 50k miles. Changed the transmission fluid including the Torque Converter at 35k miles. Lately when I drive about 10-20miles and come to a complete stop. The car smells like the transmission is burning. Anybody experience this lately. Would greatly appreciate any feedback.
Comments
Their catalogue is pretty nice, and free to boot. I would order one if I were you.
It states the upholstery kits and the boot are made from factory patterns using the same materials as the years involved.
I'd like to find some new convertible latch/sunvisor part that goes on the windshield frame. Mine are pitted, and I guess no one makes repo's yet. Just about the hardest part to find, as they were convertible specific, and originals are pitted.
FWIW, my '95 T-bird with a 4.6 has nearly 200,000 miles on it, and other than a little oil usage, is still running strong!
Owners Manual, there were forms where you
order service manuals from Helms. I hope
I have spelled Helms correctly, but you
older guys will know who I mean. They were
in the Detroit area. What ever happened to
to them. If they still exit, I would appreciate
their web sit address or phone number.
Thank You!!
Good luck.
I live in NJ where we have a lot of snow. I put on a set of Bilzzaks on 16" wheels. The car runs better than I expected in the snow.
You can also look it up at alldata.com.
Dickypoo
I own an LX Sport, as well...2002.
Dickypoo
Mike
I've got a 1967 Corvette (since it was new) and you better run premium or it knocks like hell. On the other hand, I've got a '94 Topaz with 220,000 miles and a '93 Grand Marquis with 177,000 miles and neither have ever seen anything but regular---and neither have had an engine problem of any kind!!!
So if you want to help out mhlii's retirement plan, buy premium---if you want to help out your retirement plan, buy what the car manufacturer recommended!!
area, I believe you will find the Idle Air Control valve is bad. It is a pain to replace
but there are only two screws and you can do it. The valve was about $50 aftermarket.
Good luck.
Hey Kinley, my father-in-law is from Canada. We both enjoy Manhattans; we have the same whiskey philosophy you do.
Answer to IUSECAD---- Mobil
I have seen some posts in the Taurus/Sable about some of Ford's engines having a tendency to ping on regular---even though that's what is recommended. There was some speculation that the quality of regular gas in some areas of the country (especially some of the areas where there are special gas blends required by the EPA for smog control) could cause pinging. If an engine was pinging (for whatever reason), a higher octane would likely improve gas mileage. However, an engine that's not pinging (and one that is not equipped with higher compression and knock control) won't benefit with higher octane gas (Internal Engine Design 102).
Oh yes, one other way to improve gas mileage is to drive a little easier (slower acceleration, early lift when approaching corners, no full thottle passing, etc.). If your "test" results were to be meaningful (sp?), someone else would be putting the gas in the tank and you couldn't know what gas was being used.
If you don't believe this, then I'll sell you my special device to improve gas mileage. It only costs $25. Or you can tape 2 magnets to your fuel line with electrical tape!!!
knowledge of Amsoil oils and filters. The main
question is..are they worth the price???
Thank you!!