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kishy's 1985 Country Squire

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    I'm not smart at all, so I tend to take the Dan Aykroyd approach by surrounding myself with people who are. So I come across stuff like that blog and that list or someone's personal experience and change my opinion based on that. Additives are indeed important for those things you mentioned.. It's either going to be that Quaker State 5W-30 or Mobil 1 for me now. If it does over 100k psi, tis good.
    1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
    1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

    Comment


      I've found the Amazon Synthetic brand to be good. Forgot who makes it as they simply distribute it. I do remember it is a very long established company and can find it if necessary. Bottom line is price is good and so is the product. Still use Motorcraft oil filters, though.
      What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
      What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo

      Comment


        Warren Distribution Incorporated
        They've been around since 1922.
        Their other oil brands: Warren, Lubriguard, Autoguard, Itasca, Coastal, LubriGold and Saxon. They also make many house brands and have other performance brands as well. They also are the parent company of Gumout, Craftsman Lubricants, Accel Premium, Polar, and Mag-1.

        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


          Originally posted by friskyfrankie View Post
          I've found the Amazon Synthetic brand to be good. Forgot who makes it as they simply distribute it. I do remember it is a very long established company and can find it if necessary. Bottom line is price is good and so is the product. Still use Motorcraft oil filters, though.
          From the list:

          5W-30 Amazon Basics motor oil, synthetic, API SN Plus, GM dexos 1-Gen 2, rank 158 @ 76,237 psi film strength.
          Price: ~$27 USD for a five-quart jug. (Amazon)

          5W-30 Quaker State Ultimate Durability, API SN, GM dexos 1 Gen 2, synthetic (green bottle), rank 12 @ 120,588 psi film strength.
          Price: ~22 USD for five-quart jug. (Amazon)

          5W-30 Mobil 1, Advanced Full Synthetic, API SN, GM dexos 1 approved, rank 16 @ 117,799 psi film strength.
          Price: ~$27 USD for a five-quart jug. (Amazon)

          I think the rat said anything under 75k psi offered OK protection, anything over 100k was outstanding and anything under 60 was poor. No sense in running no-name B.S. when you can get better protection for less.
          Last edited by DerekTheGreat; 10-06-2022, 07:43 AM.
          1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
          1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

          Comment


            Just like anything else - whatever oil works for you and your wallet is what counts. Remember, stats are like bikinis - they show you some things but not everything. I'm sure Quaker State is an excellent oil but so are so many others and the bottom line is most will protect just as well.
            What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
            What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo

            Comment


              That's nice info. I wonder what the film strength is of the Valvoline I use.

              *searches*

              115,255 psi

              Nice!

              Source: https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/201...-test-ranking/

              Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic 5w20 (what's called for in the PI engine in the 93 and the 03 Expedition - 5w30 in the 2000 CV)

              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


                LoL that's exactly what I did when I came across the list. I cringed to learn Shell Rotella T6 was ranked 200 @ 67k psi film strength. I had switched to that from Valvoline Synpower which was 95k, as I thought T6 was superior based on word of mouth stuff.
                1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                Comment


                  I looked again, that number was for the 5w30. I expect the 5w20 should be really close to that.

                  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


                    As is becoming tradition, the wagon served vacation duty this past week, hauling 3 of us plus the dog to Pelee Island, from where the car was dragged home.

                    With the pandemic border restrictions having been lifted (and associated headaches such as the Pelee-Sandusky leg of the ferry operation), I was able to find the previous owners at their vacation home. They were pleased to see I still have the car and figured I would have sold it.

                    Weather was pretty fantastic, and warm enough for a dip in the lake and some beach time mid-week. Yes, in October. It is easy to underestimate the climate around here, and particularly on the island.

                    Some relevant photos from the week:








                    Current driver: Ranger
                    Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                    | 88 TC | 91 GM
                    Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                    Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                    | Junkyards

                    Comment


                      From doing too much reading on it, you do not want to use any of the dexos stuff if you got a flat tappet cam.

                      Comment


                        I think my wagon was someone's summer cruiser in Minnesnowta until 2012, when they moved to Charlotte NC. Then it turned into year 'round cruiser.

                        Your wagon is in incredible shape considering what kind of life it has led. MI to SC to Ohio to an Island where it was left for dead, and now back on the road traversing all around Lake Erie. It definitely has a nice exhaust note ha. Cool wagon man! Enjoyed piloting that around London.
                        -Nick M.
                        Columbia, SC

                        66 Squire, 89 Colony Park, 90 TC, 03 TC, 06 TC, 07 TC (2x)
                        03 BMW 540iT, 07 Toyota Tundra SR5 Dbl Cab/5.7 2WD

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                          Despite our current technical hiccups (thank you for getting things back into mostly-working order, sly), I'm here to brag: I have acquired the Holy Grail of Panther Parts.

                          On Oct 11, a user posted photos of a Hyundai Excel in Gettysburg, PA, in a Junkyard Finds Facebook group. In the background was a box Ford wagon, equipped with the roof rack wind deflector.
                          I commented on the post asking if the poster would be willing to pull the part and ship it, and this caught the attention of our resident Really Nice Person, TecNickal, who informed me he'd be passing through the area soon and crossing into Canada shortly after that (but not near me).

                          Some logistics steps later, including the help of another member here who has been inactive here for some time, and the wind deflector is in my hands. I'm ecstatic and very appreciative.





                          It is quite sun-baked, perhaps a little too much to blend in properly on this car somehow, but the cosmetics can be worked out later. I feel like polished aluminum wouldn't be a bad look for this part.

                          Current driver: Ranger
                          Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                          | 88 TC | 91 GM
                          Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                          Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                          | Junkyards

                          Comment


                            Excellent addition to the car. I understand the purpose was the keep the rear window clean(er) in wet weather?

                            I have one for mine but have yet to install it.
                            1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
                            1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

                            GMN Box Panther History
                            Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
                            Box Panther Production Numbers

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                              I don't know if you guys remember, a couple of years ago I got a deflector with bad wood grain and I put shelf paper on it from the Dollar store. To protect the wood grain decal I sprayed it with dull clear paint. It is holding up extremely well. Matching the grain to the original was the hardest part. WagonMan
                              89 Colony Park
                              90 Colony Park
                              70 HEMI Daytona Convertible

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
                                Excellent addition to the car. I understand the purpose was the keep the rear window clean(er) in wet weather?

                                I have one for mine but have yet to install it.
                                I figured it had something to do with altering the airflow to make it possible to put the rear window down while driving and not give everyone inside CO poisoning. But I don't know for sure, that's just what similar rear wind deflector things are for on some other wagons, historically. Another style mounts to the rear pillars vertically and scoops the air from the sides of the car instead of the top.

                                1 screw per side to remove the existing end caps. 2 screws per side to install the deflector. If you don't have the additional 2 screws, 2 might be enough but I'd maybe try to match the thread before mounting it. The only way to turn those screws is with a Philips bit in either a very stubby bit ratchet, or perhaps using a 1/4" wrench, which is what I found was necessary as my bit ratchet is just not quite skinny enough.

                                Originally posted by WagonMan View Post
                                I don't know if you guys remember, a couple of years ago I got a deflector with bad wood grain and I put shelf paper on it from the Dollar store. To protect the wood grain decal I sprayed it with dull clear paint. It is holding up extremely well. Matching the grain to the original was the hardest part. WagonMan
                                That's a pretty decent option. In my case, all of the woodgrain on the car is very sun-bleached and in many cases cracking and shrinking. There is nothing on any shelf that would match. I think it's just staying the way it is for now.

                                I'll likely clean it down to bare metal when it's time to do something about it, because I'm feeling pretty confident that polished aluminum would be a good look. Same for the rest of the roof rack.

                                --

                                Tonight, I jumped in the car to go try to grab a photo of a Great Lakes freighter which is being towed to some form of layup, believed to probably be its last stop before scrap. The freighter is the Roger Blough. This vessel will look a little odd to those of you with no Great Lakes familiarity: historically many lake freighters have the wheelhouse up front.

                                I arrived at the waterfront about 5 minutes before the tow (2 tugs with the freighter) would pass, but the car suddenly died at a red light. The engine stopped suddenly and with no hesitation or signs of trouble beforehand. I was able to push it around the corner (largely thanks to the newer design brakes that actually release properly) and began roadside diag.



                                I found that I do not have a spare fuel pump relay in this car's kit, but I do have an ECM power relay. I could not hear the fuel pump prime, but the pump in the car is not a loud one. I put my hand on the pair of relays (ECM+FP) and turned the key to run, felt the 2-stage clicking, which confirmed that the ECM is getting power and is toggling the FP relay to prime and then turn it off. I then used an alligator clip test lead to jumper the FP relay and verified I could hear the pump through the trunk wall. Tried to start, still just cranking endlessly. On to spark, then.

                                I carry a known-good spare coil and decided to just swap it. Still no start. Dropped one of those long coil mounting screws somewhere, didn't hit the ground but also can't be seen anywhere. Oh well.

                                Pulled the coil wire off the distributor and put it under the fender brace to see if I could see any spark jumping. Saw none. TFI module or pickup, then. I carry a spare module, but the pickup would be cause for a tow. No way I'm getting someone to run me home and back to get the sufficient tools and parts to pull that off where I was broken down.

                                I took a reference photo of the distributor clocking. Loosened the distributor, undid the TFI screws, got the module out. E6 part number. This has been on the car since I got it. I swapped on the spare, E3 part number of unknown history but previously tested to work. No thermal paste on-hand so that'll need to be addressed. Re-clocked the distributor how it was before, tightened it down, and cranked. Started up. Relief.



                                Figured I was already out, so I followed the river until I was sufficiently past the boats, and set up at a park to see if I could get a photo. The answer is basically no. The Pixel 6a camera can't do that type of night shot. The non-a Pixel 6 might. My friend's S22 Ultra could probably do it. But not the 6a. Met a guy with a local drone photography business who was there to get aerial shots of the same thing, so we chatted and he showed me what his drone could do. 20-something thousand dollar setup he has. Fully licensed and legal. Equipped with spot lights and a thermal imaging camera. Cool stuff.

                                Tonight marks the first time in 10 years of driving box Panthers that I've been stranded by something other than a tire problem. This is also my first failure of a TFI module. It is the first time I've needed to go into my kit of roadside spares. Pretty good track record.

                                Current driver: Ranger
                                Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                                | 88 TC | 91 GM
                                Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                                Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                                | Junkyards

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