1989 Marquis, My first Car, Somebody help!

[P0E]

Ok I have a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis..and it has a few problems, minor, but if I can get some help, it would be great guys...like I said it is my first car!

Problem 1: It runs a little hot over Distances, it has a Brand new Radiator and Water Pump....could it be the Thermostat?


Problem 2: After Idling for a longer time (1 or 2 minutes), she will die, Someone told me could be the Timing or Carburator?

Problem 3: Like most of these cars, the Soft top has become old and cracked by the weather, How can I repair this or buy a new one?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance

[peppermrj]

1 if it is old replace it.
2 Fuel injection or carb? Try fuel injector cleaner Chevron with techron

[P0E]

But I found out that the Thermostat is only a few weeks old...so any other ideas?..

And what about the Soft Top..No luck..Someone told me that I would spend more replacing it than I did on the car..

[reekor]

Problem 1: Check you fan clutch, make sure there is a black plastic shroud just behind the front pumper. Make sure that your thermostat is not gummed up with crap, this can happen after changing a pump.
Boil a pot of water and check to see if the thermostat if fully opening at it's temperature rating.

Problem 2: If it's a 5.0 302, then no. but what it could be is: bad ignition module or a bad idle air control valve.

Problem 3: Any shop that repairs interiors can re-vinyl it for you in whatever color you want.

Originally Posted by P0E

Ok I have a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis..and it has a few problems, minor, but if I can get some help, it would be great guys...like I said it is my first car!

Problem 1: It runs a little hot over Distances, it has a Brand new Radiator and Water Pump....could it be the Thermostat?


Problem 2: After Idling for a longer time (1 or 2 minutes), she will die, Someone told me could be the Timing or Carburator?

Problem 3: Like most of these cars, the Soft top has become old and cracked by the weather, How can I repair this or buy a new one?

Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance

[P0E]

Thank you Very much guys...I will check everything listed...I wonder how much that re-vinyling will run me though

[P0E]

Hey guys...I haven't had a chance to check some of the problems yet..but I thought I would update on the situation and see if I could get any answers....

When you start the car..if you let it Idle..it will do ok for about a minute..Idle roughly..then die....

If you start it up and put it in reverse..and try to back out SLOWLY..by applying a small amount of gas..it will die, same with going forward..you have to Gun it..you cant apply small amounts of gas...

When you get it out on the road however..it does fine...I mean..it doesnt Die at Stoplights too much, and it drives fine...but when backing out, or parking or something like that..it dies out...any Ideas?

[P0E]

I need help on this one guys..come on..lol

[manlion]

Originally Posted by P0E

Hey guys...I haven't had a chance to check some of the problems yet..but I thought I would update on the situation and see if I could get any answers....

When you start the car..if you let it Idle..it will do ok for about a minute..Idle roughly..then die....

If you start it up and put it in reverse..and try to back out SLOWLY..by applying a small amount of gas..it will die, same with going forward..you have to Gun it..you cant apply small amounts of gas...

When you get it out on the road however..it does fine...I mean..it doesnt Die at Stoplights too much, and it drives fine...but when backing out, or parking or something like that..it dies out...any Ideas?

try turning up the idle.

[JasonJ1969]

Sounds to me like the fan clutch may be worn out. The easiest way to check this is to pop the hood, and start the engine. If the engine is cold, the fan should be spinning at full speed and will be pushing a lot of air. It will then slow and not push nearly as much air. The way it is supposed to work is the hot air from the radiator in front of it will warm a thermostatic element on the front on the fan clutch. As it warms, the clutch engages and draws more air through, cooling the engine better. This is mostly for low speed situations or high load situations. If you start the cold engine and the fan never comes up to speed, then the fan clutch is shot. Its very cheap and easy to replace. The other thing that happens is the front of the fan clutch gets covered in greasy dirt, which insulates it from the heat of the radiator. Cleaning it can get it working again. Thats free and worth a shot.

The other problem is with the idle air control. It gets dirty and sticks. If it sticks, its not allowing the engine to run at high idle, which it needs to do to warm up more quicky. It is functioning properly when the rpms are high at startup, and steadily drop in a reasonable amount of time to idle.

Lastly, make sure all tune-up items are in good shape. New plugs, cap rotor, plug wires, and filters. Make sure electrical connections are in good shape as well. Good luck...

[fredjacksonsan]

The idle/die syndrome is most likely your idle air valve. You have the 5.0. Look on the air intake, in front of the driver's seat near where the plastic intake tubing meets the aluminum intake. You'll see the IAV, it sits at a 45* angle. It's 2 8mm(I think) bolts to remove, and the part was $75 when I replaced it on my '86. Also make sure you have a good tune up, plug wires, etc.


The overheating problem: In a vehicle this old, you likely have some restriction in your radiator. You might not be able to see it, but even a 10% reduction in flow can cause the problems you are having. This will get much worse next summer, so between now and then replace your radiator.

[Marco Sr.]

Originally Posted by fredjacksonsan

The idle/die syndrome is most likely your idle air valve. You have the 5.0. Look on the air intake, in front of the driver's seat near where the plastic intake tubing meets the aluminum intake. You'll see the IAV, it sits at a 45* angle. It's 2 8mm(I think) bolts to remove, and the part was $75 when I replaced it on my '86. Also make sure you have a good tune up, plug wires, etc.


The overheating problem: In a vehicle this old, you likely have some restriction in your radiator. You might not be able to see it, but even a 10% reduction in flow can cause the problems you are having. This will get much worse next summer, so between now and then replace your radiator.

Ok this should be for everyons benefit!

These same symptoms could also be due to a restricted exhaust system, there is generally an easy way to check for this, and that would be to try getting up on the hiway and kick it into passing gear (accelerating hard) and if the vehicle doesn't seem to pick up speed or if it actually slows down then the problem is most likely in the Catalytic converter or the the muffler. I have also run into some cases where the header pipe may collapse internally if it is of a laminated pipe construction.

Marco

[Stevo2]

Originally Posted by Marco Sr.

Ok this should be for everyons benefit!

These same symptoms could also be due to a restricted exhaust system, there is generally an easy way to check for this, and that would be to try getting up on the hiway and kick it into passing gear (accelerating hard) and if the vehicle doesn't seem to pick up speed or if it actually slows down then the problem is most likely in the Catalytic converter or the the muffler. I have also run into some cases where the header pipe may collapse internally if it is of a laminated pipe construction.

Marco

Do you have a 5.0 with fuel injection?
Your idle problem is probably sludge in the throttle body and upper intake plenum. This needs to be cleaned out and you should replace your IAC valve...

[Loekee75]

Change your PCV valve and clean the PCV system with cleaner when you work on everything else.