My 'new' 2003 Grand Marquis.

[Piece-it pete]

While screwing up the timing guides I've been putzing on a few other little things, changed the oil pressure sender, t-stat, and started on the hoses.

To recap the hoses are the blue lifetime hoses off a p71. I was going to add a oil cooler but to heck with it. So I needed a pipe to fill the gap.

I headed up to Lowes first. While I didn't find what I needed, I did discover that 1-1/2 plumbing tubing like a p-trap fit perfectly inside the hose. So, I searched online and found 1-1/2" x 24" (I think I need about 18-19") rough brass tubing for less than $20. It should be a perfect oil cooler delete. I'll let yous know.

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Got the rough brass tubing - it's perfect. I'll cut to length, use a blunt round chisel to add a hose-holding bump, and wala!

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Got the timing tensioners done, drama here:

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?45944-Time-for-timing-chain-4-6L

Good. Now back to the front end.

This I'm really fired up about because the difference should be mighty and obvious.

Does anyone know or think I'll need new strut mounts or shock bushings?

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Good. Now back to the front end.

Or not. If this car was maybellene I'd be singing, why can't you be true? You've done goin round doin them things you used to do.

Because it is. Occasional rough idle, hesitiation coming off a stop. I know (or think I know) the chains are now correct. I am getting code k1633 (KAM), which holds tuning info for engine management, so perhaps that's it? Jeeze looeez that needs a wire replaced in the harness, I located it on the PCM plug and of course it's at the very bottom

It wasn't causing this before though. I'm thinking perhaps I've disturbed the crank position sensor or cam position sensor enough to need replaced? Would either cause my symptoms, without throwing codes?

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Hey check out that beautiful car at the top of the page!

All groupies and to send cashiers checks of admiration just PM me

The whole weekend's coming up roses - fixed the hesitation/stumbling too! It was the Cam Position Sensor.

It wasn't plugged in.



Pete

[Piece-it pete]

No ones ribbing me over personal stupidity?

Front end tomorrow!

Parts list, all delivered pricing:

Outer tie rod ends, ebay: MOOG ES3694, drivers side, MOOG ES3693, pass side, $50 for both
Inners, Rock: MOOG EV455, $59 both (you can get these cheaper on ebay now, prolly 45-50 for both)
Lower ball joints, ebay, MOOG K80141, $40 for both
Upper control arms (yeah I ended up getting them), Rock: MOOG K80040, left, and K80038, right, $101 for both

$250. I've got a bad inner tie rod and for what they'd charge me to do that I get a new front end, life is good Not as good as being at Scottfest though

I don't expect any trouble. I'll borrow the inner tie rod end and ball joint tools from the parts store.

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Ag almost done. Lowers and inner and outer one side in. Had to stop because I was working off site (not home) and the SO was out of smokes.

A couple observations:

5 tons of aluminum makes me nervous.

The job really did beg for a complete rebuild including struts. In order to do the upper control arms you have to pull the strut assembly anyway. I'll wait on them until I do the struts, the upper ball joints were OK.

Also if the struts were out doing the lower ball joints would be easier. In order to get the press on with the struts in place I had to loosen the UCA, to pull the spindle up and out of the way.

Inner tie rods give me the I'm-going-to-break-the-rack-and-pinion willies. As responsive as that setup is a recirculating ball is certainly simpler. Although perhaps not having a pitman is some consolation.

My lower ball joints weren't 'bad bad' but really loose at 70k, glad I changed them. As they fried out early on my last MGM (a 97) I will now plan them on any areo/whale I get.

The inner and outer tie rod end I changed was OK. I suspect the other side will be too.

Changing just the upper ball joints looks like a complete b*tch. The bushings look iffy anyway. BUT, the factory upper control arms are forged, and the replacement Moogs, while box welded, are still stamped.

Make sure you have a good quality #6 metric allen wrench. There's no cotter pins on any of these nuts but they are self locking and apparently designed to bind as they loosen. The plastic locking stuff gets bound up in the nut as you loosen it. I loosened them as tight as I dared, then tightened them back up bit, hit it with some lubricant and forced them off. I read elsewhere that after loosening you can heat them with propane and melt the plastic locking stuff out and they come right off but didn't have any where I was at.

The result? Well it helped with the back-and-forth wobble I was having, a lot (this was the side I did the tierod ends on), but didn't get rid of it completely. I'm thinking bad rim. The steering certainly feels much smoother, could be psycho-sematic but I doubt it. An old timer once told me the moog lower ball joints were much better than OEM on the panthers and it sure seem to be true. It also seems tighter. I'll know better once I get the other side tierods changed and a front end alignment.

Btw, this is the first look I've gotten at the front rotors since I installed them back in 04-11. No rust, the coating's really holding up well. Win!

Pete

[sxcpotatoes]

Wobble might not be the rim itself, it could be a broken belt in one of the tires. I had to swap on one of the turbines onto the green '94 I had because it was so annoying, felt like front was shaking side to side as you went down the road. Good luck!

[Piece-it pete]

Thanks, I'm going to have the tire checked out. I can't see anything but....

And wow! After driving it a bit more I can't BELIEVE how much better it rides/what great steering feel! If you've got a newer panther drop everything and install moog lower ball joints!

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Got the other inner and outer tie rod ends done on the drivers' side. Heck you don't even need the inner tool, I used a 6" pipe wrench. Super easy job, lees than an hour and a half by itself. Pull both as one, cut the inner rod between the nut and boot with a recip (the nut was frozen on both sides), side the boot off, ahh, simple. I now believe they are about the same ease of install-wise as a recirc ball setup.

Interestingly, the inner seemed perfectly OK, the outer not new-stiff but I would've thought it was absolutely fine, and it almost killed the wobble completely. I can now barely feel it at high speed.

What a difference in ride the job makes. I know I mentioned it but after living with it for a bit it's still remarkable. Because I'm not a racer really, and it stiffened the ride up so much, I'm considering using stock Gas-a-justs instead of the cop ones on the front. To be determined.

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Gabgabgabgab, bad as a female I swear

In prep for taking it into the deep south later this year I'm also going to change tranny filter/fluid and the universals/rear tranny seal while I'm at it (there is a little play in it). And the diff oil.

Soooo.... if I've got this right Spicer 5-213x appear to be the way to go universal-wise. The cheapest I can find them is $36.20 both delivered from Drivetrain America.

Anything special about the diff oil? Does it really matter if it's synthetic back there? And are these gasketed or just old fashioned RTV sealed?

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Got a bug up my butt and changed the upper control arms. It's really easy. Brakes & rotor off, top nut on the sway link, jack under the LCA, upper ball joint nut off, add a little pressure on the lca, nuts off the UCA, three nuts off the top of the shock mount, swing the uca up out of the way, lower the lca, press down on the lca and pull the shock assembly (strut? coilover? whatever) out till it catches on the aluminum pocket, push the uca bolts out, pull the old one off. I was aware that the shock assembly could pop off the aluminum pocket and get my hands/fingers as I worked behind it but there wasn't much pressure.

I've seen complaints over how lining up the spacer washers on the new ucas' can be difficult. I dapped a little antiseize on them to help them stick, hung the 1st side off the bolt with the bolt barely sticking out, then got the second side started by prying the arm out a little and then moving the washer around with a hammer and screwdriver. It wasn't too bad.

I even remembered to wait till the car was done and on the ground before tightening the uca nuts.

One complaint over the Moog components, in order to grease the upper ball joints and outer tierod ends I'll have to pull the tire. They came with straight zerks, I tried using my own 90s but the hole was too big.

I like the original TRW ucas' better than the Moogs but I doubt I'll even notice the difference driving. If anyone wants the old forged arms and NIB Moog upper ball joints for them let me know we'll figure something out.

The shocks are still quite good. I may wait a while before changing them. I'm chomping at the bit for the gasajust upgrade though!

The whole front end job was good for my self esteem, it's had a few blows lately The job went smoothly and really, really, really made a difference. Even though the existing parts weren't actually bad. I suspect most whales with any real mileage at all (I'm at 70k, but also 10 years old) could reap the same amazing benifits.

Ordered the rear tranny seal, SKF 15966, booted.

I'm thinking it's time to turn to the 85 for a while before winter hits.

Pete

[marquisman]

so in conclusion, you think a '03 whale is not much different than a '07, for example? im still trying to figure out which is the best year for the whale body.

and low self esteem is not always bad. remember, murders and such are know to have high levels of self esteem.

[Piece-it pete]

LOL! I guess I should put off my postal plans till I feel better

You know, the 03 is I think the newest one I've driven, but the front end parts I replaced are all interchangeable through '11. The same watts link fits them all too. It appears they revised the rack & pinion unit in 08.

I think it's the r & p, it just has no play in it at all, so even the small wear I can see/feel in the old parts makes a difference? Gotta be though I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it for myself.

I've read on other sites that after 04 they started decontenting them? I dunno. I've seen 04 as a rec (no timing tensioner problem!) but again what do I know.

At the end of the day I'd usually rather drive the 85 But the whale might be the best daily driver ever built.

Pete

[Piece-it pete]

Poked around a bit, apparently the 03 also had a weak rear end (explains the dealer receipt in my glovebox for a complete rebuild at I think 27K), but that they went to drive by wire in 05?

Pete