VicCrownVic's 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis LS

[VicCrownVic]

That was my understanding as well, based on stuff I read a few years ago so I wasn't sure.

I know how the car behaves with a mechanical key when I try to start it (stock PCM). With the ARA3 and any key it seems to do the same thing. I'll admit that the way I had the PCM connected left room for it to not have a good connection. I didn't tighten the connector bolt, but it seemed all the way seated. I'll try with the connector bolt tightened, but you have a good point. I don't know of this PCM is good. I got from a JY about a year ago figuring I would sell it only to find the price for these used online was down considerably at that time. (I've sold a couple of ARA3s in the past, so I had a good idea what the typical online used price used to be.)

My guess would be that there probably is some communication back and forth between the PCM and PATS module. When your PATS module never receives a response from the PCM it knows the conditions for starting aren't met so it flashes the light. The PCM not being configured to respond/react to the PATS module goes ahead and allows startup.

[VicCrownVic]

Will probably try the ARA3 tomorrow, but tighten the connector bolt. All the info I've looked at today supports the ARA3 bypassing PATS. Also, apparently I would lose traction control with the ARA3.

I don't have enough experience with the traction control to know if I like it enough to care if it gets eliminated. I did have one experience where it pissed me off, but I've been driving boxes for 20 years, so maybe I just need more experience with it. I don't plan to run the ARA3 (assuming it works) unless I screw something up (like delete keys and for some reason can't re-add them) and need to get by until I can fix it. If I want to eventually run the ARA3 I'll get the correct torque converter since I don't trust myself not to blow up the stock one. I mean, what fun would it be if I can't push things to their limit?

On the key, I started to add a thought and never finished. The ridge of the... tray/jig was filed done ever so slightly to ensure they key sat flush with the template.

The poorly cut key does best if the short side, with a little too much material cut off, is down when inserted. I guess gravity helps it out, while short side up means gravity is fighting against me.

Also, I can start the car with a mechanical key (I had cut in early March right after I got the car) if I hold the programmed key head next to the ignition lock cylinder. I tried the unprogrammed key with the programmed key next to it in the same manner. PATS did not like that and would not start with the programmed key until I gave it enough time to "forget about" the unprogrammed key (I swapped keys in the ignition pretty quick), that was interesting.

We'll see how tomorrow's experimenting goes.

[TecNickal]

I thought there was a wire you needed to ground from the PCM connector when putting a police PCM in the Car?

[Tiggie]

Kinda makes you miss boxlifeᵀᴹ when a key was a key and nothing cared if it came from a hardware store or a junkyard Escort GT?

[IPreferDIY]

I thought there was a wire you needed to ground from the PCM connector when putting a police PCM in the Car?

I read something about later CVPI PCMs (maybe 04+ ??) requiring some ground wire trick to get the starter to work, but 98-00 should be plug 'n play (edit: but keeping in mind possible differences in rear gear ratios and torque converter sizes). Compatibility issues for 01+ PCMs are beyond me.

[VicCrownVic]

That connector felt tight, but it goes in a lot further when you tighten the bolt on the connector. After I made sure the car started with the any key and the ARA3 I reconnected the stock PCM so I could program keys.

FORScan erased all keys and programmed my two no problem. I now have two programmed keys. Now to figure out what to do about my remote. Might end up grabbing a '99+ DDM from the JY which should theoretically give me the option of manually learning remotes without a scantool since FORScan refuses to do that.

[VicCrownVic]

My two Mercury blank keys arrived Thursday. I was able to learn both with the manual learn (insert one learned key, on-off, insert second learned key, on-off, insert unlearned key, on-off) without any issue. Used the mechanical/non-chipped key and held each blank next to the ignition and was able to lean both as soon as they arrived on Thursday.

I cut them both on Friday. First of the two I got down close to my template, put it in the ignition (or door, don't remember) and it wouldn't turn. Took me a few tries of fine tuning the key with needle files before it would turn. Second key I got on the first try. The first one I didn't want to overshoot the mark and take off too much material, but I came to the conclusion that my template leaves a hair too much material that puts the hand cut key a hair outside of the tolerance range. This is better than being off in the other direction and taking off too much material. I was able to easily verify that the template left too much material when I compared the mechanical key, cut by Ace Hardware, which is way below the template. This gave me a good idea how much material I had to work with to stay within tolerance.

Now I have two working keys with Mercury logos.

[87gtVIC]

Cutting your own key. Way cool. I have done some patience involved projects before but don't know if I could tolerate cutting a key.

[VicCrownVic]

With these the key heads are too fat to easily hold keys against each other to compare the cut. Box keys would be much easier depending on the cut.
When I was googling for ideas on key cutting I came across gauges that are used to read the cut number, sort of like how with hair clipper numbered attachments each number represents a cut depth. Based on those gauges I got the impression that there was some tolerance between numbers. Also comparing the non-Ford-Mercury key that came with the car to the non-chipped key I could see that there was a difference confirming a rough tolerance from r me to shoot for. My template was made from the key that came with the car, the key with the most material.

A Dremel to get close to the template then needle file the rest of the way is my recommendation. Calipers might make the job easier/quicker but are not necessary.
One of the keys turned fine depending on which side was up. The bad orientation felt like at least one pin was dragging. This is where the needle files and patience really came in along with tape measure measurements (mm for best precision) and some eyeballing. I eventually got the key turning smoothly in both orientations.

I might also recommend, when dealing with more expensive chipped keys, to get a cheaper non chipped key blank to practice on. Also, line up the old and blank key tip to tip, don't try to cut from the shoulder of the head. (I made a few mistakes on the first Ford logo key, but eventually it worked, lol.)

[VicCrownVic]

Very successful JY run this morning.
I got my new DDM from a 2004 MGM, and it learned my fob no problem. I then went in with FORScan and made sure only my fob was learned. It was, but I deleted it and FORScan couldn't run the learn on the '04 DDM either. Oh well, at least I can now manually add fobs.

I also found an aluminum driveshaft that someone had nicely removed and placed in the car when they yanked the rear end. It hadn't been mangled by loader forks so there was no way I was passing that up.

I'll probably install the drive shaft when I get around to the intake and rear springs and shocks.

Edit: after messing with that stuff I found my p-side front window would only roll down from the p-side door. No response in either direction when hitting the switch on the driver door, but multimeter seems to indicate the switch and voltage is right on the driver door passenger switch. I was able to get the window up by reversing polarity to the motor and hitting down on the p-side door window switch. Swapping a good switch from the rear door didn't help and the multi meter seems to indicate that the switch is doing what it should. Plugging the '98 DDM back in didn't help either so I'll have to pull out the EVTM later and see if I can make sense of this behavior.

[Tiggie]

Sounds like broken wire syndrome.

Nice score on the driveshaft. Been looking for years. They all get bent here.

[VicCrownVic]

After looking over the EVTM, I think the most reasonable explanation is a "broken leg" in the driver door pass-window switch. This would cause both directions to not work from the driver door and only one direction to work from the passenger door.

I checked this switch for power, which looked right. Not knowing the circuit well enough, I didn't check when each leg goes to ground. Now that I know, I'll specifically be looking for the T/LB leg to be going to ground at rest and in the up position. I suspect I will find open loop to ground. I guess I'll most likely have to make another JY run for a driver door switch.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that driveshaft. Same thing always happens here; the loader always mangles them. I looked it up and down, spun it around and found nothing more than a scratch. BTW, I didn't forget about the turbine lug nuts, there was only one box, a TC, in the yard. My JY list in my phone still has that note to self.

[VicCrownVic]

EVTM pointed me right to the problem. I found two pins with corrosion and one was indeed the T/LB wire.

Second and third down on the left.


Cleaned those up with the a dremel wire wheel and removed the female ends from the connector block to clean them. Now the p-side front window works in both directions from both doors.

[VicCrownVic]

PI intake is installed. Put over 100 miles on the car already. Thanks to Grand1 for the help. I totally underestimated the job, but at least we could measure the time in hours and not even double digit hours. The hardest part was actually putting the puzzle back together.

[Pvt.Hudson]

To maintain the proper spline engagement you either have to swap to a long output shaft/tail shaft (which requires breaking the trans down) or use a spacer.

I opted to get mine balanced and use a dampened yoke others use the non dampened yoke. After the debacle I had with installing a P71 shaft in I'd recommend the ZoneOffRoad F150 spacer, I wouldn't waste time with the Fabtech one.

So far so good since switching out the out of spec Fabtec spacer for the ZOR one. And the vibrations have pretty much gone away so I didn't need to keep rotating on the splines to find the sweet spot.

You can read about my swap: http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...l=1#post840849