My 1983 Continental Mark VI!

[Tiggie]

It's awesome when a stranger comes up to say "nice car". It's also perfectly fine IMO to say "I like your car, Call me if you decide to sell". It's another to ask someone a price point on the spot, or how much it's worth. Good job with response.

[gadget73]

I've been offered tiny money for my Mark VII a couple times, usually right after "hey, nice car".

Curiously only one person has ever wanted the Continental, and purely because it was a diesel. I got the more polite "let me know if you ever want to sell it".

[DerekTheGreat]

"Tiny" money. LoL. Yeah, sounds about right. These people expect you to give your stuff away to them. I wouldn't sell my Lincoln for less than $7,000. Try and find another one like it..

[mercurygm88]

I have a question about the CFI choke/choke thermostat. It kind of works but I don't think it's working properly. If I follow the starting procedure in the manual and pump the pedal once before starting the car with the engine cold it will engage high idle. If I don't pump the pedal once high idle will still engage once I give it any amount of throttle, such as pulling out of the driveway. Sometimes said high idle will drop to normal after 5 minutes of driving, sometimes it takes up to 15 minutes of driving. It's really annoying sitting at a stop sign or red light and having to practically stand on the brake to keep from moving. So what I'm wondering is should I go about fixing this thing or can I just unhook it and plug the vacuum line? As I understand it there's a temp sensitive spring in there and when it heats up vacuum pulls it off of high idle, where exactly is this thing located on the throttle body and how hard is it to remove/bypass?

[mercurygm88]

I have a question about the CFI choke/choke thermostat. It kind of works but I don't think it's working properly. If I follow the starting procedure in the manual and pump the pedal once before starting the car with the engine cold it will engage high idle. If I don't pump the pedal once high idle will still engage once I give it any amount of throttle, such as pulling out of the driveway. Sometimes said high idle will drop to normal after 5 minutes of driving, sometimes it takes up to 15 minutes of driving. It's really annoying sitting at a stop sign or red light and having to practically stand on the brake to keep from moving. So what I'm wondering is should I go about fixing this thing or can I just unhook it and plug the vacuum line? As I understand it there's a temp sensitive spring in there and when it heats up vacuum pulls it off of high idle, where exactly is this thing located on the throttle body and how hard is it to remove/bypass?

Update: I found the choke on the passenger side of the throttle body, the power wire it hooked to it and so is the vacuum line. I don't know if it was because the engine was still somewhat warm but I couldn't seem to get any of the teeth on the mechanism to engage, it almost seems like somebody has tinkered with it before. But if they have what is causing the high idle on a cold start? I'm definitely getting vacuum at the choke diaphragm so I'm guessing the diaphragm itself is likely shot. I'm also getting vacuum at the throttle kicker solenoid on the other side of the throttle body but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I guess that's not a big deal because the car runs and idles fine.

I'm not trying to get this thing back to factory specs or anything it runs and drives fine, I just want to solve the high idle on a cold start issue.

[DerekTheGreat]

If I recall right, there aren't any teeth on the hockey puck thing. You loosen the screws, turn clockwise or counter clockwise and then retighten. I think counter clockwise will get it to pull off sooner. Then you can play with the various screws on the linkage to adjust just how high cold idle is and all that. Been about seven years since I played with CFI. ONe of the things I never cared for was yeah, you have to practically stand on the brake pedal until that nonsense kicks off. Trimming down high idle will help a bit. I think I was able to go to ~1,900 RPM before it started surging. These do not enrichen the fuel mixture when cold, that's why the high idle setting is so damn high.

[Arquemann]

The hockey puck arm does have teeth on it, and the piece on the throttle shaft snags onto one when the puck spring is cold enough.
Quite easy to adjust, just have a cold engine (and off) and loosen the 3 screws holding the puck so you can just turn it by hand.
You can easily figure out if the high idle is engaged, you can drop it off the high idle cam pretty much how one would do it on an electric choke carb.

Clockwise to enable it higher and for longer, counterclockwise for less effect (and at some point it no longer does anything at all.)

[mercurygm88]

If I recall right, there aren't any teeth on the hockey puck thing. You loosen the screws, turn clockwise or counter clockwise and then retighten. I think counter clockwise will get it to pull off sooner. Then you can play with the various screws on the linkage to adjust just how high cold idle is and all that. Been about seven years since I played with CFI. ONe of the things I never cared for was yeah, you have to practically stand on the brake pedal until that nonsense kicks off. Trimming down high idle will help a bit. I think I was able to go to ~1,900 RPM before it started surging. These do not enrichen the fuel mixture when cold, that's why the high idle setting is so damn high.

The hockey puck arm does have teeth on it, and the piece on the throttle shaft snags onto one when the puck spring is cold enough.
Quite easy to adjust, just have a cold engine (and off) and loosen the 3 screws holding the puck so you can just turn it by hand.
You can easily figure out if the high idle is engaged, you can drop it off the high idle cam pretty much how one would do it on an electric choke carb.

Clockwise to enable it higher and for longer, counterclockwise for less effect (and at some point it no longer does anything at all.)

Seems easy enough, I'll have to mess with it later today.

[mercurygm88]

Well I think I’ve got it, it’s down on the first notch and the idle is nowhere near as ridiculous as it was. We’ll see how this works out.

[mercurygm88]

Anyone know how to remove the turn signal lenses on a Mark VI? I looked at it and I don't see any exposed screws or anything obvious. I found two of the unobtainium lenses with the emblem in them and while they cost a kings ransom I had to have them.

[DerekTheGreat]

You have to remove the filler panel they're attached to. It's an absurd amount of bolts for what it is and the access is terrible from behind the core support. Then you can get to the bolts which hold the lens off. Its just too hard to figure out which bolts are for the lens and which are for filler panel extension thing.

[mercurygm88]

You have to remove the filler panel they're attached to. It's an absurd amount of bolts for what it is and the access is terrible from behind the core support. Then you can get to the bolts which hold the lens off. Its just too hard to figure out which bolts are for the lens and which are for filler panel extension thing.

Of course they'd make it extremely difficult.

[mercurygm88]

I looked at the service manual and it doesn’t actually tell you how to remove the turn signal lenses, just how to change the bulb. Which looks like it would take small hands and great dexterity itself. It appears that there are just two nuts on the back side holding the turn signal lenses in. Getting to those nuts is going to be the issue

[gadget73]

are you changing the entire assembly or just the lens? The assembly has 2 or 3 nuts on the back side at the front edge of the fender. If you want to get the lens out of the assembly, thats probably a heat thing. They mount in there with butyl tape. I expect you'd need to soften it to get the lens to let go.

and yes removing the assembly blows. Long 1/4" extension, deep socket, and a flex joint make it possible. One you get through a hole next to the battery, the other you remove the washer tank to get at.

There may or may not also be a screw or something that you access from underneath. I don't remember, but have a look with a flashlight before yanking.

[mercurygm88]

I’m just replacing the clear lens, that’s all that was offered. Looking at it from the back I see two long bolts inside the fender, they’re actually fairly easy to get to on either side. Neither the washer tank or battery is anywhere near them. But I don’t know if the nuts on those studs are all that’s holding the assembly in place. The bulbs are surprisingly easy to remove. I’ll get some pics later.

The current lenses are not original I have no idea if they were replaced by themselves or if someone replaced the whole assembly.