1997 Mercury Grand Marquis LS

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Time to do a minor update: The CD changer is in!

I wrapped up the CD changer install. A member on CVN was upgrading his stereo system from his '98 Grand Marquis, so I bought his 6 disc trunk mounted changer. The difficulty to over come here was his CD changer harness runs all the way to the head unit in the '98+ cars, while mine goes to the trunk mounted radio control unit (RCU). I had to make the remaining harness up. I found a connector that plugged into the RCU that had a short harness on it with an adapter on the other end that could plug into something to make in an auxiliary connector. I didn't need that, so I cut it off and got to work adding about 6 or 7 feet of wire between each end. I also replicated the factory aluminum foil shield around the CD audio in/out wires by wrapping those in aluminum foil and attaching them to the exposed shield area.

It took a fair amount of electrical tape, but it came out decent IMO:


There's two wires that run back towards the back seat you can see. Those are for the ground and constant hot leads. Those are present on the '98 and up changers apparently, but not present on the '97, or at least according to the wiring diagram.

I cut a singular slit for one of the changer brackets in the trunk liner:


The other one just runs underneath the trunk liner. I'm guessing the Aeros had a somewhat different setup. I wound up drilling one hole on the panel where the inertia switch is mounted so I could bolt the changer in place. I'll figure out a way to neaten up the liner eventually, but everything is tucked up for the time being, so I'll leave it as is.

Head unit working with the CD:


Before I hooked up the CD changer, it would display 'NO DJ' since the changer wasn't present. Lucky for me it seems everything is working just fine.


Also, here's a quick video of the different audio modes (Radio, Cassette, and CD) on the head unit and how the lighted display and buttons change for each different mode:

[Kodachrome Wolf]

The Marquis hit 170K on a recent trip. We've reached a point where a few things need to be addressed over a few months to keep everything in good order. I want to reach and pass 200K with no fuss.

I've got to change/take care of:
-Engine Oil and Filter | OCI was at 170K on a 5K interval using synthetic blend 5W-30. I'll likely put high mileage full synthetic 5W-30 in and a premium filter and try out a 8K or 10K OCI.

-Transmission Fluid | Fluid was first changed at 60K for a drive line shutter reported by the original owner. I had it changed at 125K by Ford as per scheduled maintenance. Figure I should do it now as preventative maintenance to make the transmission last as long as possible.

-Brake Pads and Rotors, front and rear. | Going to have a shop do it so they can look over the front and hopefully get rid of that godforsaken brake shudder I've had since I got the car. I might also have them thrown on a right front hub assembly just so I can rule it out. It doesn't groan, grind, or make noise, but it's the one area I don't mind shotgunning. I might also have the shop install a new caliper just to try and attack the issue from any possible angle.

-Brake Fluid Change | It's old and likely original to the car.

-Coolant Flush | Had it changed probably two or three years ago. Might as well take care of it before it becomes some nasty sludge.

-Tire Alignment Check and Rotation | I haven't had the car's alignment checked in a while. The tires don't have any abnormal wear, but better safe than sorry and I want them to last. Firestone isn't making their Precision Touring (and almost directly related Affinity Touring) tire anymore so that's another white wall tire that I can't get anymore. The only Firestone offering a white wall now is the FR710, a regular All-Season. I'll likely wind up with that or either Hankook Optimo H724s or Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP IIs when the time comes to get new tires. I know white wall tires aren't popular by any means anymore, but I try and keep track of who still has them on a decent tire. First it was the Kumho Solus KR21s I had that lost them, now Firestone dropped their Touring ones... sigh.


Everything else seems to be pretty good at this point. I serviced the rear differential probably 10 or 15K ago, so that shouldn't need to be messed with anytime soon. The front end was greased prior to the trip since it was starting to make some slight creaking noise.

[sly]

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Part I of the JBL retrofit is done: Getting the base system in.



The sound quality is real nice with the system now, and the replacement subwoofer works nicely with the JBL amp.

Now Part II starts: Finding and installing the '95-'97 CD Changer and CD capable head unit.

[sly]

No prob. The offer stands if someone doesn't buy the whole sub off of me (which looks like that will never happen - and why it's bumping in the shed now)

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I don't know. I got it from HiFiMerc. He pulled it from a 92 touring sedan, so I'm assuming CV. Since the bolts are on the bracket for mounting to the rear deck, you could just drill new holes if it doesn't fit. I know the 93 deck is dead in line with the offset actually towards the trunk and not the cabin instead of with an offset tot he side and towards the cabin. Diagonally it would be about 3 inches, but it's (staring into the trunk) 2 inches to the right and then 2 inches towards the cabin, center on center.

I appreciate the offer on the bracket, but I'm going to decline. I'm not too comfortable drilling on the car, or at least around the parcel shelf. I know it'll be covered up, but I'll work with what I have for now.

[sly]

I don't know. I got it from HiFiMerc. He pulled it from a 92 touring sedan, so I'm assuming CV. Since the bolts are on the bracket for mounting to the rear deck, you could just drill new holes if it doesn't fit. I know the 93 deck is dead in line with the offset actually towards the trunk and not the cabin instead of with an offset tot he side and towards the cabin. Diagonally it would be about 3 inches, but it's (staring into the trunk) 2 inches to the right and then 2 inches towards the cabin, center on center.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

the one I have is 2 inch offset sideways and back. Looks to be a dead ringer for those brackets you've got set up.

Did it come off a Crown Vic or Grand Marq? The Ford service manual lists two different brackets for the different cars. From what I'm getting with a tape measure, from the lower bolt on the enclosure to the upper hole that mounts to the parcel shelf, it's offset 3" and sideways and back.

[sly]

the one I have is 2 inch offset sideways and back. Looks to be a dead ringer for those brackets you've got set up.

[sly]

I have one of the brackets (and I'm not using it). And if that spacing is correct, the one I have just might work. If you can measure the offsets, I'll measure up mine and if it'll fit, send it your way.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I got my subwoofer enclosure today. For a while, I swore that there must have been a different variant since the bolts closest to the seat back fit, but the rear was left hanging in neutral space. WTF? I consulted the shop manual, and there's only one enclosure for CV/GMQ, but two different brackets between the cars!

I happen to have neither, and ordering the part through Ford would be almost $40.

I instead opted to make a terrible yet functional bracket out of a RCU bracket I had laying around.



Luckily, you can barely see it when the unit is mounted in the trunk. It does its job the way it should, so I can't really complain, and I'm trying to limit how much I spend on this retrofit. On top of running into this issue, the NOS subwoofer is around 20 years old. It sounded great for about five minutes before the foam disintegrated and the subwoofer became next to useless. Argh. Ordered a cheap 6.5" sub for $20 from Amazon.

Besides getting to test fit the enclosure, I did get the JBL RCU installed and the rear deck JBL speakers mounted. The JBL head unit is now fully functional as the DSP button only works with a JBL RCU. The high and mid level audio has been greatly improved, and I know the lows will be improved once I get the subwoofer back in. As far as extra wiring went, I just had to add a plug for the power and ground input for the subwoofer; everything else was already in place.

I'm also respraying the door trim I redid a few weeks ago. The acrylic clear coat never cured properly and has remained tacky. I'm using enamel clear coat this time to see if that rectifies the issue.

[Chuck Norris]

Since the likelyhood is that my next Panther will be single exhaust, I may be doing something quite similar in the future. I have no plans for heavy performance mods on the car I am hoping to buy, but I would like it to breathe better. Thanks for the info.

[DerekTheGreat]

I like quiet. I may end up shelving my Walker Turbos in favor of OE.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

Why does it look so... Old? Did you yank the parts off of a wrecker-yard car? I am not trying to be critical, as that is exactly what I plan to do in the future, just curiosity. I am actually a huge fan of your car!

It looks old since it's wrecker-yard parts, but the great news is that the pipes and such are stainless steel, so it might not look 100% but it lasts a long time. Junkyard duals are the cheapest yet probably most useful thing to do on a generally stock Panther. Breaths a lot better compared to the single pipe setup as the Y-pipe is really restrictive.

Here's Chevyguy's comparison shots of a single compared to dual system that can be used on our cars.




On my car, the right side stuff is all OE, the left side is the addition. The muffler is from an '07, and the H-Pipe and tailpipe are from a '95. I was attempting to use a '07 H-Pipe and the full muffler and tailpipe assembly, but found while it was very similar to the older setups, just enough changed to prevent proper fitment on an older car, so I wound up reusing my old stuff again.

IIRC, the break down on the '92+ cars for duals works like this:
'92-'94 are the same
'95-'97 are the same
'98-'02 are the same
'03-'11 are the same

Someone will probably have better info, but that's about what I remember.

[Chuck Norris]

Why does it look so... Old? Did you yank the parts off of a wrecker-yard car? I am not trying to be critical, as that is exactly what I plan to do in the future, just curiosity. I am actually a huge fan of your car!