Just Bought A 97 Crown Vic LX 4.6L - Several Oddities
CarDude225
04-15-2008, 10:54 AM
(I'll be monitoring this thread for months so feel free to reply months after this post.)
Well after 7.5 months of driving around the smashed Ciera wagon I came across a deal I couldn't resist - A 97 Crown Vic LX. Garage Kept. 60,000mi. One owner. Car Fax report looks good. Beautiful car. Take a guess at how much I paid.
Anyway, this is my second day driving it and I noticed a few oddities. I have typically been a GM guy, only going astray once when I owned an 88 Aerostar in the 90s for a few months. So please bear with me as I don't know much about the characteristics of the typical Ford yet.
Oddities
1) RUST IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT
Lots of rust in the engine compartment - Esp. the brake lines, and left and right metal bars that look to be related to front suspension. The bottom of the trunk has 2 small patches of rust around the left and right rubber plugs. The car is titled in Wisconson, I purchased it here in Florida, so I am assuming salt exposure has caused this. The body is 100% rust free, and is immaculate. I think my first course of action is to completely wash these areas with a hose and then apply maybe some WD40 to stop the rust. Is this an isolated problem or are Crown Vics prone to this rust problem? Other comments?
2) DIFFERENTIAL WHINE
I Noticed between 45 - 50mph, and while maintaining current speed:
a sort of whine that seems to be eminating from the rear differential. As soon as you push a little more on the gas the whine fades and eventually is gone. Let off the gas, same thing - no whine. Is this normal, or indicative of a diff problem? I also noticed the the diff cover is very shiny silver. I expected to see the cover dull brown like the rest of the diff.
3) WHOOSH SOUND FROM FRONT
When slowing down to 15mph or under, it is quiet enough to notice a periodic "brush" or "whoosh" sound that seems to come from either right-front, or possibly drive shaft, which seems to happen once per rotation of either the wheel or drive shaft (haven't yet measured to see if it correlates to one or the other). Should I be concerned?
4) COOLAND SMELL - LEAK
Coolant smell coming from engine compartment. Seems to be a coolant leak but no hissing noticed, nor any coolant dripping on the ground. Are there weak areas on this model prone to leaking that should be addressed? The digital dashboard shows the coolant temp about 4 bars high after running for a while (halfway between Hot and Cold).
5) TRUNK PLUG/CONNECTOR
I have to read my owner's manual still, but found in the trunk a set of wires with a plug coming out of the area where the suspension electronics are. The plug goes nowhere. What is that for? There is no hitch on the car. Could it be for towing if I were to install a hitch?
EDIT 4/16/08: I read the owner's manual and it mentions nothing about this plug.
6) PLASTIC HEADLAMP LENSE
For the life of me I cannot figure out why one plastic headlight is duller/yellower than the other. I thought maybe the car was in an accident, but after my meticulous inspection and the CarFax report, I don't believe it has been in an accident. Are glass headlamp lense replacement affordably available?
7) LUMBAR MALFUNCTION
The Lumbar button on the driver's seat only works one way - to extend the lumbar, but not retract it. Is this typically a switch, or typically a motor problem?
8) REMOTE CONTROL
It only came with 1 remote. How can I get a second without paying a small fortune? This is my first car with remote.
9) SPEED CONTROL DISABLED
Here is a good one:
I test drove the car yesterday before I drove it, and I was a little disappointed that Speed Control didn't work. This morning I am poking around under the hood and noticed a plug all taped up, and also a corresponding outlet on the brake master cylinder. I untaped the plug, and put it into the master cylinder outlet and Speed Control now works! Why on earth would someone do this? I didn't notice any warnings on the dash after I did this.
Edit 4/16/08
10) LOUD MOTORIZED NOISE WHEN IGN TURNED ON
I'm not sure if this started after I plugged in the connector referenced in #9 above, but when I turn the ignition on, after about 10 or 20 seconds, a loud motorized noise starts up under the hood. I think it may be the ABS but not really sure. The owner's manual states nothing about this, but does state that after the car reaches 14mpg, the ABS pump will run a test for a second or so. What could this loud racket be and I wonder if the prior owner disconnected the connector referenced in #9 above to stop this racket?
Sorry for the book! All comments welcomed! :grinno:
(I'll be monitoring this thread for months so feel free to reply months after this post.)
Well after 7.5 months of driving around the smashed Ciera wagon I came across a deal I couldn't resist - A 97 Crown Vic LX. Garage Kept. 60,000mi. One owner. Car Fax report looks good. Beautiful car. Take a guess at how much I paid.
Anyway, this is my second day driving it and I noticed a few oddities. I have typically been a GM guy, only going astray once when I owned an 88 Aerostar in the 90s for a few months. So please bear with me as I don't know much about the characteristics of the typical Ford yet.
Oddities
1) RUST IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT
Lots of rust in the engine compartment - Esp. the brake lines, and left and right metal bars that look to be related to front suspension. The bottom of the trunk has 2 small patches of rust around the left and right rubber plugs. The car is titled in Wisconson, I purchased it here in Florida, so I am assuming salt exposure has caused this. The body is 100% rust free, and is immaculate. I think my first course of action is to completely wash these areas with a hose and then apply maybe some WD40 to stop the rust. Is this an isolated problem or are Crown Vics prone to this rust problem? Other comments?
2) DIFFERENTIAL WHINE
I Noticed between 45 - 50mph, and while maintaining current speed:
a sort of whine that seems to be eminating from the rear differential. As soon as you push a little more on the gas the whine fades and eventually is gone. Let off the gas, same thing - no whine. Is this normal, or indicative of a diff problem? I also noticed the the diff cover is very shiny silver. I expected to see the cover dull brown like the rest of the diff.
3) WHOOSH SOUND FROM FRONT
When slowing down to 15mph or under, it is quiet enough to notice a periodic "brush" or "whoosh" sound that seems to come from either right-front, or possibly drive shaft, which seems to happen once per rotation of either the wheel or drive shaft (haven't yet measured to see if it correlates to one or the other). Should I be concerned?
4) COOLAND SMELL - LEAK
Coolant smell coming from engine compartment. Seems to be a coolant leak but no hissing noticed, nor any coolant dripping on the ground. Are there weak areas on this model prone to leaking that should be addressed? The digital dashboard shows the coolant temp about 4 bars high after running for a while (halfway between Hot and Cold).
5) TRUNK PLUG/CONNECTOR
I have to read my owner's manual still, but found in the trunk a set of wires with a plug coming out of the area where the suspension electronics are. The plug goes nowhere. What is that for? There is no hitch on the car. Could it be for towing if I were to install a hitch?
EDIT 4/16/08: I read the owner's manual and it mentions nothing about this plug.
6) PLASTIC HEADLAMP LENSE
For the life of me I cannot figure out why one plastic headlight is duller/yellower than the other. I thought maybe the car was in an accident, but after my meticulous inspection and the CarFax report, I don't believe it has been in an accident. Are glass headlamp lense replacement affordably available?
7) LUMBAR MALFUNCTION
The Lumbar button on the driver's seat only works one way - to extend the lumbar, but not retract it. Is this typically a switch, or typically a motor problem?
8) REMOTE CONTROL
It only came with 1 remote. How can I get a second without paying a small fortune? This is my first car with remote.
9) SPEED CONTROL DISABLED
Here is a good one:
I test drove the car yesterday before I drove it, and I was a little disappointed that Speed Control didn't work. This morning I am poking around under the hood and noticed a plug all taped up, and also a corresponding outlet on the brake master cylinder. I untaped the plug, and put it into the master cylinder outlet and Speed Control now works! Why on earth would someone do this? I didn't notice any warnings on the dash after I did this.
Edit 4/16/08
10) LOUD MOTORIZED NOISE WHEN IGN TURNED ON
I'm not sure if this started after I plugged in the connector referenced in #9 above, but when I turn the ignition on, after about 10 or 20 seconds, a loud motorized noise starts up under the hood. I think it may be the ABS but not really sure. The owner's manual states nothing about this, but does state that after the car reaches 14mpg, the ABS pump will run a test for a second or so. What could this loud racket be and I wonder if the prior owner disconnected the connector referenced in #9 above to stop this racket?
Sorry for the book! All comments welcomed! :grinno:
(I'll be monitoring this thread for months so feel free to reply months after this post.)
96LXVIC
04-24-2008, 12:55 AM
The speed control u talked about is a recall item unplug it and ford will install a fusable link free of charge
CarDude225
04-24-2008, 07:08 PM
Thanks, yeah I did figure that out with lots of google reading. Got it corrected already.
I found a great *very* active forum for Crown Vics. It is here:
http://CrownVic.net
This forum is rather *dead*.
That's where I'll be hanging out for the duration.
Have a good 1.
I found a great *very* active forum for Crown Vics. It is here:
http://CrownVic.net
This forum is rather *dead*.
That's where I'll be hanging out for the duration.
Have a good 1.
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