Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

My 1987 Mercury Colony Park

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Ive seen a few of them still around in the junkyards but they disintegrated when I went to flex them. I did want to get it.

    I have been using a locking style since forever. I also do not want a cap rubbing against the paint. If a tethered option was available combined with a neato holder for the removed gas cap while filling up I would be compelled. I just place gas cap on top up gas pump during fill ups.
    ~David~

    My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
    My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

    Originally posted by ootdega
    My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

    Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
    But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

    Originally posted by gadget73
    my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




    Comment


      So I grabbed a few more things from that '87 at the junkyard. I thought I could get an un-seized door lock actuator from a rear door out, but I couldn't figure out that setup way up there in the door. I did notice that car seemed to be riding the line between '87 and '88 parts. I took it's weather barrier, and it was a nicer plastic E8 branded one. Car was a 07/87 car. Might explain why it has the later style air vents that seems more in line with the '88-'89 cars.

      Anyway, I've started swapping the air vents over to replace my floppy early style ones. The later ones look nicer and do feel more sturdy compare to early ones. I'll update with some pictures later.

      I also grabbed the ECU from that car, simply because I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a spare. Any magic I should be aware about these SEFI ECUs? This one is branded with a catch code "DU" and a series "SFI-SD1". P/N E7SF-12A650-U1A.


      My Cars:
      -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
      -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
      -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
      -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

      Comment


        Good question about the ECM. I've always wondered if one year had a better tune compared to the others or if they're all the same. I've pondered the same about GM vehicles.
        1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
        1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

        Comment


          Only real difference (functionally speaking) in the ECUs for speed density cars 86-91 is the 88-91 have cruise built in and not in a separate module.

          Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
          rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
          Originally posted by gadget73
          ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
          Originally posted by dmccaig
          Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

          Comment


            yeah, basically that. Related to that, the late ones need a VSS input, the early ones do not. No VSS input on a late ECM makes the EGR valve open at stupid times and you'll get a nasty off-idle hesitation.
            86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
            5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

            91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

            1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

            Originally posted by phayzer5
            I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

            Comment


              Here's a dumb question: Lets say a capacitor has begun to fail on a board, but not fully failed, is it possible that the drive cycle memory may be affected? I only ask since I've noticed if the car sits for several hours, when fired up it runs like it just had the battery reconnected. It has to figure out its idle every time. Sometimes it'll stumble on the initial take off, then never do it again until it sits for a while. I've noticed it usually would run better throughout the day if several short stops were made where the engine was off for less than 30 minutes, then restarted.

              I figure it's equipped with the original computer. I doubt the capacitors were designed with 32 years of operation in mind, especially in a hot and humid climate, based on what I've read. I'm going to inspect the ones from the salvage yard, and possible change those out. I'd like to see how the factory ECU looks inside.


              My Cars:
              -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
              -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
              -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
              -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

              Comment


                More likely the ECM may be having an issue driving the IAC. But there's only one large capacitor in the ECM (at least the one for the 88 I had) so it wouldn't be that hard to check after taking the lid off the ECM.

                As for how it looks inside... Here's the pics of when mine released the magic smoke. The cap puked and lit it up.
                Attached Files

                Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                Originally posted by gadget73
                ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                Originally posted by dmccaig
                Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                Comment


                  Oh wow, that's some shit stain!

                  Did the car still run? Was that ECM salvageable/repairable?
                  1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                  1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
                    Oh wow, that's some shit stain!

                    Did the car still run? Was that ECM salvageable/repairable?
                    Nope. Had to replace it. The PCB burned all the way through. All of that blackened area was complete toast.

                    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                    rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                    Originally posted by gadget73
                    ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                    Originally posted by dmccaig
                    Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                    Comment


                      I wrestled the ECU out of the '87. It really didn't want to come out.

                      This one is stamped RM, has the gasket number blacked out, and someone wrote a number on the other side. I suspect all that points to this ECU having been a remanned unit. Carries otherwise factory Ford stampings and warranty sticker, so no idea if it's a Ford remanned unit.



                      FWIW, the capacitor towards the rear of the board is leaking out on one of the legs.

                      I haven't been able to open up the LTD one yet since I used a socket that was a bit worn and nicked one of the screw heads on the upper portion, and my good socket doesn't get all the way down to the base, so it just slips on the nicked portion. The rest came out fine. I want to inspect that one for any additional revision markings inside.


                      My Cars:
                      -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                      -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                      -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                      -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

                      Comment


                        The ECM doesn't actually use the caps for memory purposes, it has a constant +12v feed from the battery for that job. To my knowledge, the caps are mostly used as internal power supply filters after the internal regulators drop the voltage to whatever it needs to be at. The green leaky bit will eat the board if left long enough. Mine was that way when I opened it for the Quarterhorse install. Wasn't acting funny and I won't tell you it acts different with new caps but at least I'm not worried about the board rotting or the cap shorting and blowing something up. Looks like thats how Sly's fucked out. Usually they go out with a whimper, but sometimes its a bang.
                        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                        Originally posted by phayzer5
                        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                        Comment


                          I had that problem with one of the screws on the burnt one. I used some "beefy" needle nose pliers and got it started that way. If you have some needle vice grips... that may work better.

                          Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                          rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                          Originally posted by gadget73
                          ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                          Originally posted by dmccaig
                          Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                          Comment


                            Huh. So if there are different part numbers and revision codes, then something must actually be different inside them. Whether its the programming, or if Ford just got 1 chip from a different supplier, who knows at this point... Its pretty well known that the later cars use several different strategies on mostly all the same hardware, sometimes several strategies within the same year/make/model. Like how model year 2000 cars have a pretty lame factory programming compared to a '99 even though nothing really changed mechanically and the PCM hardware is the same. Ford seemed to almost alternate the programming, every other year they'd be good, '96 is okay, '97 is aggressive in comparison, '98 is okay, '99 is very aggressive, and '00 is lame. The one thing the "good" years have in common is a tendency to ping under load, I've had that in my '97, but not in my '98 until I installed the '99 P71 PCM which does run noticeably different and feels more responsive like my '97...but pings...like my '97.

                            Also now y'all got me wanting to open up the '97, '98, and '99 PCMs to check for aging caps. Honestly never even thought about that before, but they do live in a harsh environment and they are 20+ years old.
                            -Steve

                            2006 Audi A6 S-Line FWD ~132k miles, stock.
                            1998 Mercury Grand Marquis LS HPP ~102k miles, slowly acquiring modifications.
                            1997 Lincoln Town Car Cartier ~145k miles, Ported Plenum, Gutted Airbox, Mechanical Fan Delete, Contour E-fan Retrofit, Dual exhaust, Cats ran away, KYB Gas-A-Justs, P71 front sway bar, air ride reinstalled, Blinker Mod, Projector headlight retrofit, Caddy 4-note horn retrofit, Wood rim steering wheel, rustbelt diet plan..
                            1996 Mercury Grand Marquis GS 117,485mi. R.I.P. 7/14/12

                            Comment


                              Well I got the LTD one open. This thing looks super nice inside compared to the CP one. I’ll post up some pics later, but noticeable differences was the addition of a Texas Instruments chip in place of one I couldn’t identify, and the disappearance of a Motorola chip.

                              The capacitors on this one are good, but will be replaced for serviceability sake. Is it okay to replace a polarized capacitor with a non polarized unit or should I just stick to the original style polarized unit?

                              @BigMerc: I’ve got a spare ‘97 ECU from a police car laying about. I’ll take a look inside and see if it’s suffering from any issues. It was known working a few weeks ago.


                              My Cars:
                              -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
                              -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
                              -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
                              -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

                              Comment


                                it is, but NP caps in those values will be larger and you might run into fitment issues. No real reason to not use the original type unless you're changing them to film.
                                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                                Originally posted by phayzer5
                                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X