My '85 MGM, "Maisa"

[gadget73]

Looked through all of my manuals and did not find a spec on this. In the NVH diagnosis it says to check it and replace the axle if excessive but it doesn't bother to give any measurements.

Pop the axle and inspect it. if you see no damage to the machined surface, stick it back in and roll with it. If the area where the bearing rides on shows any kind of damage, replace the axle and the bearing.

[sly]

Axle shaft endplay I can find for the 93 is 0.762mm or 0.030 inch (30 thou). Not sure that's the one you're looking for, but that's what I'm finding.

[gadget73]

I found the endplay number, but thats the in-out movement. I couldn't find a vertical play number.

[sly]

I can't find any vertical play value in any of my 93/94 or 2000-2003 service manuals either.

[Arquemann]

If I'm going as far as popping out an axle to check it, might aswell change the bearings there and then. There's a RA wholesaler closeout on SKF "axle saver" bearings. They're as much as seals and normal bearings together. Yes or no?

I'm ordering stuff off RA anyways, so I guess it won't hurt too much to order new bearings whether I feel like replacing them or offing myself. Seems like the people who say 1mm of play is too much are the ones who scream the loudest.

[Tiggie]

I'm in the camp of if it's not leaking, it's staying put.

There is a very good chance at least one of the axles is worn and not the bearing itself. That's where the axle saver bearing comes in, as it puts the bearing in a different location on the axle to avoid the worn area. The results are decidedly mixed. I think kishy and gadget have both used them, so maybe they will give you some input. I haven't had to do any of my boxes yet but have done some others with a regular bearing/seal/axle replacement, and haven't had any of those fail.

[Arquemann]

I have had enough overthinking this shit, so I went ahead and ordered stuff off RA.
- SKF seal/wheel bearing combos for the rear
- TRW sway bar end links
- Denso platinum plugs for shits and giggles
- KYB Excel-G rear shocks

Dad found old unused front shocks for me in the garage, "USA shock" -brand. Couldn't find shit online, they're made in USA and they seem fine so in they'll go. If it turns out to be a mistake, atleast it'll be a free mistake.
I'll pick up locally a diff cover gasket and probably an oil filter. Still unsure if I'll change the oil this summer or not.

[jaywish]

Gadget has the best suggestion. I would replace the axle seals at that time in any case.

If you need to get the job done and have the car back on the road quickly and only do it once the best bet is to source at least one axle beforehand. Usually the right axle wears first so if a salvage vehicle is to be found pull the left one first. Then you could most likely use regular new bearings. If you need to be almost absolutely sure of getting it done in one shot then get two axles.

If axles are hard to get then get the savers and give it a go as tiggie states there is a good chance at least one axle is a bit worn. Based on my personal experience and other general commentary axle saver bearings have maybe a 75% success rate

It is a balancing act as to time and parts cost.

Option 1, Open it for inspection change seals, then plan your repair if necessary. Perhaps your local parts store can order seals?
Option 2. Get repair bearings and seals, then install them.
Option 3, Get axle or axles and install new regular new bearings and seals along with any needed replacement axles. Worst case you have an extra axle or two.

If you can leave it up on jacks while you potentially wait for parts go with option 1 as that involves the least labor and likely gives the best outcome.

BTW I usually use rtv on diff cover, let it setup a bit, install it just lightly torqued, let it dry then torque to specs before filling. Never had a leak this way. But that assumes you have the time to let it dry. otherwise there are gaskets.

[Arquemann]

Well I got the axle saver bearings. They were the same price and they will work in any scenario. If the axles are good they will work, if the axles are slightly worn they will work. And if the axles are shot I didn't spend any more money than I would have with regular bearings. I doubt the axle savers are any more or less shit than normal bearings.

Oh yeah I test polished the trunk with a car care nerd friend. Paint is thin on top, suuuuper thin. A light pass with Meg's ultimate compound is all it can handle. The body line on the trunk is showing some primer already, even with the utmost care. Can't even go near with a machine polisher.

[gadget73]

I had problems with those on my car, but my axles were trash. Tried them twice, both times they leaked within a month and I gave up and replaced the axles. That was probably better than 10 years ago and haven't had a drip since.

[jaywish]

Well you have the repair units so see what happens. I can't remember, do the repair units incorporate seals?

[Arquemann]

Well you have the repair units so see what happens. I can't remember, do the repair units incorporate seals?

Yeah they have the seals built into them. Much more surface area to bash them in aswell, no dinky sheetmetal like the seals usually have.
I saw some National version that had seals on both sides of the bearing and the bearing was greased instead of oil bath. Seemed kinda janky compared to the normally lubricated bearing on the SKFs I just ordered. Less likely to leak though, probably.

The "axle savers" just move the bearing a bit outwards, seems like not even the width of the roller. Seal is also placed a bit more outwards. If my axles are okay, they should perform fine, from a design standpoint atleast.

[Arquemann]

New parts and bits coming next week, hopefully.

Topside is buffed to the best it can be. Hood, roof, a pillars, trunk and fender tops. Also removed the trunk badges and stickers for easier polishing. The weathered old stickers were more of an eyesore than having any sort of vintage appeal. The only one what would've been fun to keep has turned unreadable over time. It was a sticker from Finnfest USA 1998, Lake Worth FL.
Sadly removing the old glue pulled off some of the paint, even though I removed them as carefully as I could. I'll be putting the badges back on and I have a non-colormatched paint pen to lessen the shittyness. I also picked up a Palm Beach Lincoln Mercury dealership badge I found online, which I believe is the dealership the car was sold from. Dealership badges are kinda dumb imo, but I might slap it on if the paint touchup doesn't go well enough.

Middle of the hood is showing some gray since the paint is very thin, it was like that before polishing, now it's just a bit more apparent.
The paint is incredibly scratched, cracking, worn and every other negative adjective imaginable, but it's no longer cloudy, blotchy or matte. There's some reflection in it now!

[Arquemann]

How does the C-pillar Grand Marquis emblem stay attached?
Pass. side emblem decided it didn't want to hold on and fell off. It's got 3 little studs on it, is there supposed to be some clips or something on the backside?
If so, how much of a PITA is to remove the C-pillar interior trim?

[sly]

yeah... speed clips IIRC. those slip over retention clips that go on bolts to keep them captured. But those are tiny. To get the pillar panel out, you have to remove the trim around it. IIRC, you may have to remove the lower trim first and the back seat needs to be pulled up to get that out. It's been several years since I've done this, so my memory is foggy on it. Last time was when I put 3-point belts in the rear of the 88 MGM I used to have.