VicCrownVic's 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis GS

[sly]

wiring diagrams and what goes where will let folks know enough to do it to their own rides.

[Shayenne]

So what kind of bulbs do I have to look for to change to the blue lights? Like a number or size? If I can avoid taking the dashboard out to look for the size or socket.....

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[sly]

Most bulbs should be 194 size.

[VicCrownVic]

Yep, for a 97 cluster it should be all 194 bulbs (just like the 98-02 cluster). For the different warning/idiot/indicator lights you need to color match to the filter if you want to go LED on those. Also the AMP/Battery/Charge (i forget which it is called) should be left as the stock bulb in order for your alternator to work properly, although I'm not sure if that is true of Aeros and newer (I have little to no experience with Panthers newer than a Box).
I leave all of those lights stock and just swap the illumination lights which I think were labeled on the back of the 98-02 cluster and probably are as well on the Aero cluster.

[gadget73]

The idiot lights should be on so rarely that I really don't consider them worth swapping to LED. I just did my cluster, but all of the warning lights and the turn signal and high beam indicators are stock. No special reason on those last 3, other than I ran out of bulbs.

[Shayenne]

How many bulbs are there?

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[VicCrownVic]

There are 6 illumination bulbs on the 97 CV cluster. On the back of the cluster the illumination bulbs may be labeled ILL.
The sockets that the bulbs are in twist out of the back of the cluster, I replaced my ILL sockets with orange sockets that I got from my 90/91 police cluster.

You can see 5 of the 6 orange sockets (5th one you can just barely see) on my 2000 P71 cluster (the closest cluster) in that picture, the layout of the 97 CV cluster should be nearly identical.
My stock 91 cluster had all black sockets but I have seen other stock civilian 91 MGMs at the JY with orange sockets for the illumination bulbs.

[VicCrownVic]

The idiot lights should be on so rarely that I really don't consider them worth swapping to LED. I just did my cluster, but all of the warning lights and the turn signal and high beam indicators are stock. No special reason on those last 3, other than I ran out of bulbs.

It turns out that the design of the newer cluster had the idea that the idiot lights should not be on often in mind.
When I got my 2000 cluster and tried taking it apart it wouldn't come apart. I searched all over for a hidden screw or something that i missed. After determining there were no hidden screws or any such thing I pried a little harder and the face broke free from the back. What had happened was some dufus had been driving around with one of the idiot lights on, ABS I think, and because those bulbs are in small compartmentalized sections the heat from the blub being constantly on melted the back of the cluster to the front.
Back shell with meltage and chunk of black plastic from front face:

Back side of face with a chunk of white plastic from the back shell next to the hole burnt through the compartment wall:

[DerekTheGreat]

Ah, the ole black tape over the warning light trick- fixed in two minutes lol.

[Shayenne]

Thanks alot for all the info

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[Kodachrome Wolf]

It turns out that the design of the newer cluster had the idea that the idiot lights should not be on often in mind.
When I got my 2000 cluster and tried taking it apart it wouldn't come apart. I searched all over for a hidden screw or something that i missed. After determining there were no hidden screws or any such thing I pried a little harder and the face broke free from the back. What had happened was some dufus had been driving around with one of the idiot lights on, ABS I think, and because those bulbs are in small compartmentalized sections the heat from the blub being constantly on melted the back of the cluster to the front.

Open up some OBD I Panther clusters of the '90-'94 vintage. I have opened up four (if not more) of the horizontal speedometers, and outside of the disintegrated odometer gears, all of the 'Check Engine' bulbs had been on so long they burnt out. One of them also had an ABS fault that went unattended until the bulb went as well. There's a point where some people really stop caring and the tape comes out.

[VicCrownVic]

Open up some OBD I Panther clusters of the '90-'94 vintage. I have opened up four (if not more) of the horizontal speedometers, and outside of the disintegrated odometer gears, all of the 'Check Engine' bulbs had been on so long they burnt out. One of them also had an ABS fault that went unattended until the bulb went as well. There's a point where some people really stop caring and the tape comes out.

I've only had three 90/91 clusters apart, my stock 91 cluster, my 90/91 police cluster and a JY 91 cluster. Amazingly all the lights were in good shape in all three. Of the two 98-02 clusters I've had apart only my current cluster had signs of someone riding around with one of the warning lights on. Since I'm in the Detroit area, where people tend to drive their cars long after their cars have fallen apart, I'm sure there are plenty more black tape fixes that can be found in the local yards here.

[VicCrownVic]

Parked, last mod for a while

Since the engine is worn and spitting oil this car will be parked for a while. Body rot is really setting in, but if this one comes back it will have the engine from my '89 MGM.

Dad had to borrow this car yesterday to get to and from work since the trans in his Taurus lost a gear.

Note to self:
Get pics of the remote mount TFI.

Since I'm on the same property as this car I'll grab those pics tomorrow.

Here's a link to my most recent mod:
Factory remote mount TFI from a '92+F150.

[VicCrownVic]

Engine Donation

Well, engine is out of the '89. I'll be changing gaskets in a couple of weeks when I get back up to work on it. Then I'll be pulling the engine from The Ice Car to swap the '89 engine in. Like everything I do, this won't be done for a while.

No pictures of The Ice Car, but I do have plenty of pics of my '89. (Derek, the pics you were asking to see.)

Parked my '89 on the pad next to the shed in mom and dad's back yard to begin the process of engine donation.


The first day I worked on it there was light on and off rain. Most of the stuff I did that day was under the car so it wasn't a show stopper.


Getting stuff out of the way up top.


Pull the intake off.



Time to move in for extraction.



Beginning of the pull.


And out. Trans got support after this pic was taken.


It's on an engine stand now but I didn't get a pic of it on the stand.


Morning after shot with tons of lift on the front end with the missing weight of the engine.

[DerekTheGreat]

Wow, that white car is ROTTEN! I've never see one of these so bad before... I like the top and the wheels look to be in good shape though. Funny there's so much carbon in the EGR passages..

Note to self: Get an engine hoist and trans jack.