My first Grand Marquis a.k.a "Charleston"

[tyler_hubbard2003]

Update again.*

I drove my car, it doesn't leak oil! Refilled the power steering! Finally finished the hole repairs and rust prevention. My dad tried advancing the timing but that only quieted the clatter. He says lifters or timing chain has slack. It shifts really well, but in reverse going up my slightly steep driveway the car starts shimmying and barely moving. Is it the torque converter plates? Is my transmission going to die?!

The fuel gauge doesn't really work at all now. The fuel light also doesn't come on at all. The upper part of my dash doesn't light up anymore either.. Makes me sad. I hate that. I also had not having a flipping fuel gauge

Otherwise I'm almost done and ready for the road. Any suggestions would be super helpful! You guys helped me so much already!

[rick99601]

idk about the fuel gauge, either the floats stuck, or the senders bad, i would think.

[tyler_hubbard2003]

I crushed this wire that runs between the engine and the mount that goes up to the battery area.. I'm guessing that's the cause.. I'll take a picture tomorrow! But today I actually drove it drove it and it was awesome, but then the car started doing a slight shimmy, so I was like oh great my rear-end is dead.. Then it got to shaking so bad, like it was the worst I've ever experienced. Then I smelt this burning smell.. When I got to my destination I smoke coming from the the drive wheel well and then there it was.. A huge flame, then it hit me. My brakes were sticking. I put the fire out and am getting the brakes bled this friday... hah

[Piece-it pete]

Bummer, but at least you know what's up. I'd repack the wheel bearing, might have cooked the grease out of it.

Pete

[tyler_hubbard2003]

You know what I just thought of.. maybe during the time I had the engine raised up and what not it evaporated? I'm going to check that tomorrow when I go get gas and then I'm bleeding my brakes! Still haven't registered it.. whoops :p

[79lincolnlover]

Get a new registration mang!

[tyler_hubbard2003]

hah I am in the next week or two, but since we're probably moving this weekend, I'm helping my parents out with the funds to do so. I hate where we're at now.. I can't work on my car.. pshh they just don't understand! :p

[87_crown_vic]

did your dad remove the spout plug when adjusting timing? the spout connector / plug needs to be out to set timing

when pan was off, you should have felt up at the timing chain past the crank gear to feel for slack...

how long was car sitting? if it sat for a while, the calipers probably need replaced because the piston developed a rust spot makin it stick...

the fuel gauge might be a bad sending unit or more likely hole in the float in the tank...

lights in your gauges being out is all but another reason to upgrade to LEDs in the cluster...

[tyler_hubbard2003]

Yeah, he just loosened the distributor and turned it and sped it up a little but after I drove for a bit the other and cranked it today it sounded much better, didn't even hear the knock and I know I should have and I feel like a dummy now, but oh well :/ It sat for a long time, I don't know how long exactly, but all I can tell you is it has 66,xxx verified miles and is an 87 that should say something.. and the places my car has rust shows how long it sat for! The light though came back on and I still need to figure out that wire I crushed, I really think that is my gauge problems.. unless the gas really evaporated when I had my engine lifted?(not likely)

The brakes... oh the one thing that scared me most about buying the car.. but thanks for that info! I didn't consider that at all really! I'll check on that tomorrow!

[pantera77]

Bleeding the brakes isn't going to do anything. Get new calipers (their only like $15 a piece), new pads, and you probably warped the rotors quite bad. Get them cut or get new ones. And obviously repack the wheel bearings.

[tyler_hubbard2003]

I know I'm going to, but the brake pedal goes to the floor and has since I looked at the car.

[tyler_hubbard2003]

Honestly.. You guys wanna know something.. Because my fuel gauge stopped working because that crushed wire.. It upset me. I only have one gauge and I feel like it shouldn't stop working. That's why I bounced back to continental. I have a problem, my youthful mentality comes out with a fury when things go south. I don't even know what call the wire, I mean I'm not even 100% sure that's what's causing it. But it was the only thing nearly severed by the engine. I love my marquis that's why I bought it and not continental in the first place. I could have gotten the lincoln, but didn't. I just don't know what the wire is and I could be out of gas for all I know, All though I doubt that considering I had over a quarter of a tank and all I did was raise the engine. I've done so much to Charleston already. I accomplished the oil pan. I just don't know what to do with fixing it.

There now you know. I am opening up and telling my over-dramatic woes.

Incase you didn't read on the other thread I started. I love my marquis, the gauge is important to me. But I let it run while I was taking pictures of him so you guys could see the top, but then it started dying and I realized my heater no longer works(I have radiator flush in it right now, because it sucked up a lot of sludge from the coolant jug) Then I couldn't get it to crank and it was acting it did when I had the spark plug wires all messed up, it was missing and shaking violently. I kept having to wait a while to crank and move it back in my garage. Nothing serious I hope.. It would level back out then came back so I finally cut it off for good.

I also go picture of the wire I crushed, if you could try and tell me what it's called so I can try to get a new one. Thanks guys.

[tyler_hubbard2003]

This side had really bad rust on the C-pillar obviously, but it's all gone now Just ugly :p

and his best side


here are the pictures of the wire.

1-where I smashed it


2-The upper part of the same wire, it's the heavy gauge wire. The thick black one.
The one that is plugging into the starter solenoid?

[87gtVIC]

That is the starter motor power wire.

[Piece-it pete]

Hey, no getting emotional about cars! :cry:



Mess something up, don't let it get you down, it's just the price of being a doof... I mean of education lol. And you probably needed a new wire there anyway.

Love the coach rear window.

Pete