kishy's 1986 Grand Marquis

[VicCrownVic]

Oh, 2 pipes under the upper intake. I probably heard about this but it somehow has never stuck in my mind. Did pre 1987 ATC panthers have TBL? If that TBL nonsense was introduced in 1987, it might explain why they went to one pipe in 1987.

[kishy]

I don't know what is going on with multi-quoting in the new version of vBulletin but either it's turned off for some reason, or broken...sounds like a 'me problem' to sort out though.

I'm glad my stuff is appreciated. I know I can be a little wordy sometimes but I'm probably just harnessing all the negative energy I've soaked up from years and years of reading really stubby posts with no details all over the internet.

I am familiar with the PCV screen and how to get them. I'm not sure if I have one on-hand already, so I hesitate to just buy another until I'm more sure of that. Seems like the sort of thing I might have bought when I discovered this one wasn't in reusable condition. I was really on a mission with this car and then I just wasn't anymore. I have a hard time staying on a project when a problem of unexpected severity arises; in this case finding the floor rust turned me off of it, even though it's really actually quite minor.

Oil change should be done before the car sees any sort of daily driver duty. I was holding off on it because I was thinking I might replace the lower intake gaskets and possibly also replace the timing set (I believe it likely has been done but have no service history). Doing either of those projects contaminates the oil with coolant, so changing it is necessary afterwards.

CFI & carb cars have a 2-hose setup for their whole length, no pipes, and they can have a TBL.
86 SEFI cars reduce the hoses to only being at the endpoints, e.g. into and out of the pipes, and have two pipes that run the length of the intake manifold. The two pipes are together as one actual part. I am fairly sure you could put a TBL in one of those hoses, but the space back under the MAP sensor where the hoses live is very cramped and I'll bet '86 ATC cars suck for access to work back there.
I'm not sure why Ford deleted the second pipe after 86, almost certainly just cost, I can't see any other reason.

[friskyfrankie]

Not "wordy" at all but gratefully detailed - keep it up! If you can find the PCV screen, all the better. If not, they are pretty cheap so never hurts to have a spare. Who know, down the line, if they will even be available?

[gadget73]

Oh, 2 pipes under the upper intake. I probably heard about this but it somehow has never stuck in my mind. Did pre 1987 ATC panthers have TBL? If that TBL nonsense was introduced in 1987, it might explain why they went to one pipe in 1987.

They did. I think that may have been a thing with all ATC cars but 86 at least definitely got it. It sat in the middle of one of those Z shaped hoses.

The fun part about them, the pipe screws into the intake directly, so the threaded part has to rotate on the pipe. Somewhere in there is a seal, and I'd be lying if I could tell you how it works or if its able to be repaired. They don't seem to be problematic but as these things age, sooner or later one is going to start leaking coolant around that fitting.

[kishy]

I revisited the car today with a couple goals.
I suppose before continuing, I should mention that the sudden interest in this car is because a forum member approached me about buying it, and we came to an agreement about a price and the condition of the car. If all goes to plan he'll be collecting it tomorrow.

That being said: he had asked me to reinstall the carpet in the car, so today I tackled that. The business neighbouring my friend's shop where the car has been stored is a detailing shop, and I had forgotten that they professionally cleaned the carpet from this car while it was out. It looks pretty good and doesn't smell bad, but the rest of the car still has plenty of stank going on.

I put the carpet in and bolted the seats down. I re-checked fluids and made sure everything seems reasonable. Specifically, I wanted to verify that the coolant loss has been primarily or solely from the heater hose leak and the apparent heater core leak. The rad end tanks and hose connections are dry, as is the water pump snout and top of the timing cover/front of the heads. The oil level is low if anything, not getting higher, and the oil is healthy looking/not milky. Seems to me the oil's not going into the engine.

It definitely acts like the TPS is bad right off-idle, but that's not really surprising. I was not able to locate a PCV screen but I do think I've got one somewhere...no idea where it is.







Certainly, not a perfect car, but the frame and body condition make this a hard car to find as it sits. I am confident that if it receives the love it needs to get back to its former glory, it'll be a great car for years to come if that's what the new owner wants for it.

[friskyfrankie]

Don't know if you have this parts store in your neck of the wood but at least you'll have part numbers (if you didn't have already).

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/find/1986-mercury-grand-marquis-pcv-valve-filter.c7469

[friskyfrankie]

By the way, Rockauto has a WPV filter # 6P1257 for $4.43.

[kishy]

Advance is an American chain, so technically they aren't around me. However, I buy from them occasionally since they're nearby around Detroit.

The new owner has collected the car. Sold, 2023-01-15!
As expected there was maybe a little disappointment about it not being perfect; I like to think I've been pretty transparent about it so at the very least he shouldn't feel misled at all. I had made a few videos through the course of going over the car the last couple days and detailed everything I know to be wrong and the things I have no knowledge of, e.g. based on having driven it only briefly. Whether he chooses to post about it here or not is his call; I don't know the exact plans for it.

[gadget73]

the other thing that I've found specific to the 86 that can make it act like a bad TPS off-idle is EGR regulator problems. Not the faintest clue what the control logic is there but it doesn't involve a VSS since there is no VSS input on these. If the regulator is funny though, it tries to pop the EGR valve full open just off-idle and it will hesitate. The diag is just to unhook and plug the EGR vac line. If the problem goes away, the EVR is sticky or bad. If no change, its something else. I fixed mine once by taking the lines and the cap off the EVR and shooting some WD40 in each of the holes, then dumping it out.