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The Colon aka Lady Starstruck --> 1988 Colony Park by bnw

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    #31
    Originally posted by sly View Post
    FYI: The autolamp relay is a do-not-disturb item. The 6th pin is coming out of the back of the relay housing and is soldered to the metal clip the relay is mounted to. It is a true 2 pole single throw (dual in/out single coil) relay in a 5-pin + 1 package. Very much made of unobtanium now. The wire out the back is fragile.

    You can see the wire sticking out of this picture attached. The part number as well. E3AB-14A672-B1A/8AB
    I think this was one out of the 88 Grand Marquis I used to have.
    Oh, that explains everything - I thought that Hayes screwed up with the wiring diagramme. But well, so these are some bad news for me - it is not working well, so I probably have to either get another used one, or think about a nice replacement made out of more typical relays :/

    In the meanwhile. I went for a second visit at the electrician's garage, and he agreed to do a quick jury-rigging. As for now, the low beams are automatically turned on just as the ignition is turned on. Not the best option, but still - at least it works... without this one, the lamps go on-and-out on random basis. I believe that I have to either get myself a new headlight switch (round 100 USD here...), or try to dismantle and fix one of the two I already have. Is there any additional part that can be damaged, and cause the problems?

    Last wee I got a nice, small add-on - the wheel covers. I couldn't find matching steel ones, so these plastic guys from some older Ford (Escort or Sierra, I presume) have to work now:



    And, as the Christmas are coming, I decided to put some lighting on the roof. Unfortunately, no snow this year, so the effect is not that nice. But maybe next year, huh?



    Comment


      #32
      Sounds like the thermal circuit breaker on the headlight switch is bad. It's a 22 amp "LittelFuse" type. Can be replaced with a 25 amp version. If I remember correctly, it resides on the bottom of the headlamp switch clear in the back of it and is riveted or soldered in. Someone else that's seen it more than once can correct me. I do know that it is actually located on the switch body. Rather bad design in my opinion. Should be on the fuse box.

      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


        #33
        Thank you for the hint - I am going to dismantle the "original" switch later today. Any hints how to "open" it properly - any caveats?

        Comment


          #34
          You shouldn't need to take it apart. If it's not visible on the outside of the switch, I'm remembering it wrong and someone else needs to chime in. If you have any burnt connections on the wiring harness to the headlamp switch, that could be part of the problem too. That's what the relay mod is all about. Using relays to off load the power from the switch so you don't catch fire.

          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


            #35
            Got it. The headlight switch connector was badly burned, but it has already been replaced. Do you maybe have any relay mod link at hand?

            Thanks!

            Comment


              #36
              Very quick update: I do not see any sign of a thermal switch that could be outside of the switch's housing, so I think I will try to plug it in an external circuit: car battery (or a ~12V20A power supply), switch, and a standard H4 bulb. If the bulb starts to flicker, than I know that the problem is inside the switch. If not - I guess that there is another source of problem.

              Comment


                #37
                There's not a specific link to a thread I can find with the specifics of the relay mod. Kind surprised about that.

                I did find a post with good pics and info though: http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...672#post484672

                When I did the mod on my cars, I just stuck relays in-line on the wiring to the headlights and ran one thick wire (12 gauge) to the relays from the battery. Used the stock wires to the headlights as the trigger for the relays and the output from the relays for the headlight side of the splice. All of this was done on the driver inner fender where I could find access to the wiring bundle.

                There's also relay kits made for 4-eye vehicles that use H4 style headlights. You would need to swap a couple of wires on each headlight connector to make those work.
                https://www.amazon.com/LIGHTING-Cera...dp/B00GNU37QU/

                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


                  #38
                  For anyone referencing the thread link above that all worked perfectly fine for me. I later changed out everything and integrated the relays into an aero under hood fuse box.

                  But really one can do it anyway they wish. Just understand how the relay works and snag the proper wires to trigger the coil to bring good batt juice to the lights.
                  ~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


                    #39
                    Originally posted by 87gtVIC View Post
                    For anyone referencing the thread link above that all worked perfectly fine for me. I later changed out everything and integrated the relays into an aero under hood fuse box.

                    But really one can do it anyway they wish. Just understand how the relay works and snag the proper wires to trigger the coil to bring good batt juice to the lights.
                    This... hence the idea of my setup that didn't change anything except splice the wires with relays to take the load off the switch. Still gave more brightness as well. Not a lot, but it did help.

                    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


                      #40
                      @sly, @87gtVIC: thank you for the links and additional info. I'll run a couple of different tests on the stuff and see what can be done.

                      Let's see what I did recently. First of all, I noticed that the window has "fallen down" a bit since I dismantled the motor. This prompted me to test it on an external source of power, as @Tiggie suggested. And, very slowly, it started to lower the window even more! I got myself a bucket full of the machine grease, greased everything that looked like it should be greased, and soon welcomed this nice view:



                      But this was all that I could get, the tailgate tends to get stuck in this position, the window does not go up after closing the gate carefully and trying to use the dash panel. There is no "up" on the key, too. Already got some help from @Tiggie, and I guess I have to deal with the "hatch open indicator" switch, and this connector:



                      As for now, I forced him to gargle mayonnaise, with little to no avail:



                      It's a general circuit/potentiometer cleaning fluid, not an actual Demon Gel. BTW, any idea what that could be, and where should I plug it?


                      I left the tailgate in that state, the switch checking is planned for next week. In the meantime, I started exploring the broken shift indicator issue. I found a nice thread by @Gadget73: http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...luster+removal , and it helped me realise what can be broken and what has to be fixed. Of course, the spring was gone, and the shifter "tongue" was dead, but fortunately pieces of both of them survived:




                      Fortunately, I found a moreover similar spring, and after cutting two or three "rings", and some FREAKING THREE HOURS I got this:




                      Honestly, this car was build by some kind of misanthrope that relished in torturing people. The amount of space that one has to perform any kind of mechanical operations is freakingly low, most of the tools don't fit in them, or if they fit, they cannot be turned, etc. The whole area sports three different types of screws: a 1/4 imperial one, an even smaller imperial one that I don't have (probably 3/16, as it can be moreover easily removed/installed with a slightly-too-small metric 6), and A STANDARD METRIC 7 WITH A TORX HOLE INSIDE. Why the hell someone mixed imperials with metrics, no idea. Maybe an aftermarket conversion in Poland? Nevertheless. I decided to do something about the shifter's tongue, started with a cyanoacrylate glue. That broke nearly immediately. I took a heavy-duty epoxy glue, and left the stuff to dry on the desk for 24 hours:



                      You surely know, what happened today, right? It broke even before I could finish re-installing the screw. A mudtwat piece of pancreatic ragbag... you know what? Screw you, your family, and your beloved shade of aubergine, I am going to put you back in place no matter what. Let's bring on the cannons:






                      This seemed to be enough - I have added some cyanoacrylate to it, too. Installed it on the shift rod...



                      Started putting the cluster back in - btw, what ahould be connected to this pin? I see no matching connector in the cluster.



                      Found out that the shift indicator's "body" was also broken, glued it together, connected the wire to the tongue, got this:




                      Not bad, but some adjustment was needed. Also for a reason unknown, it was really hard to put the lever into the "1" position. Tried to fine-tune the white ring, and then CRACK, and...



                      Seriously, dude? Why do you fail me so mercilessly? Let's see if I can still win...



                      "I can do this all day long!"

                      Put it back on the steering column, connected to the tongue, and... CRACK! The tongue broke IN A DIFFERENT PLACE. I am not going to let this blasphemous piece of a used sock win with me. Let's brutalize and metalize!




                      While putting it back, I noticed what was the main problem: it looks like the lever was... to big to fit under the tin supporting structure of the dashboard and the steering column! And it was not only because I had to put a bit of the tin "case" beneath the plastic "stand" of the tongue: either it was taken from a different car, or something is misplaced in the lever/column assembly. I put a sanding cylinder on the driller, and sanded out a nice half-hole, so it seems to fit well now. And I finally reached the desired setting!




                      Certainly, the tongue might fall at some point. If that happens, I will build a new one, with blackjack and hoo... made out of thicker tin. But let's hope it's distant future

                      The next issue to figure out will be the tailgate switches, but that has to wait a bit.

                      Comment


                        #41
                        Good battle you and the shift indicator had there.

                        I cannot tell what wire color is on the connector but these cars have many connectors unused. Same harness really for all options. Use what you need.
                        ~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


                          #42
                          Nice work on the shift collar and lever. I have had that same battle. It is not fun but it is rewarding.

                          The mystery connector behind the instrument cluster may be one related to the optional tripminder computer clock. Seems to me there are three connectors in this year. Two larger down by the parking brake, and then that single wire small one up by the instrument cluster.
                          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

                          Comment


                            #43
                            Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
                            Nice work on the shift collar and lever. I have had that same battle. It is not fun but it is rewarding.

                            The mystery connector behind the instrument cluster may be one related to the optional tripminder computer clock. Seems to me there are three connectors in this year. Two larger down by the parking brake, and then that single wire small one up by the instrument cluster.
                            Is this the unit that replaces the basic clock in the centre of the console?

                            Let's also share some news.
                            First thing worth mentioning is that I got the car to the tailsmiths. The first one said that the frame looks good, but there are dents in the underbelly that he can fix - but as he does not have a large column jack, he would not be able to separate the frame and the body - so, if there is anything going on concerning the upper surface of the frame, there would be no chance to get is cleaned and fixed.
                            I tried the second contact then - a tinsmith that works especially on frame-based ATVs. He looks marvellous actually, like Dr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog series, or from a Disney movie - and I have seen his work on ATVs, he does great job fixing them. His opinion is as follows:
                            -> the frame is in a generally good shape, with residual black paint here and there, no additional holes, mostly surface and mid-depth corrosion. Also, it is easy to be fixed because of its shape;
                            -> the underbelly is in much worse state, especially under the driver's feet, and in the "bathtub" in the cargo space, were jumpseats are located;
                            -> there is no risk of a frame breakup, or any severe damage to the car to happen in the nearest future just by using it;
                            -> the expected cost of repair is around 3000 USD, this including detachment of the frame, fixing all holes and fissures in the underbelly, anti-rust coating and paint on the frame, axle housing, whatever is under the floor;
                            -> the expected repair time is around one month, and we can start on March 15th.

                            So, does not sound _that_ bad. Certainly it is a large amount of money, but the car is then ready for many, many years of future usage. I guess I am going for it. Right now, the car is having its coolant replaced - the quality of the one which was running inside the water hoses is rather low...

                            And a funny thing I found while cleaning. This looks like a damage report blanket?



                            And that is seemingly the list of options installed.



                            Unfortunately, it was half-pulled from the driver's seat bottom, and some paper parts were already detached. I got myself an "invisible" tape and tried working on it a bit:



                            Is there anything interesting listed here, or just the basics? I can try to scan it early next week.

                            Comment


                              #44
                              Figured out that maybe I'll post some updates.

                              So the main problem with the tailgate window was probably in the engine itself. It died some 3-4 weeks after being installed. I think I will try to dismantle it and take both units to the local electrical shop and ask if they can rebuild them. Probably not.
                              There was a much bigger problem with the car, though. At some point it started to run very rough after a cold start. I thought that maybe the exhaust is dying. But no, the problem was more severe: one of the cylinders was not firing. Fortunately, a quick inspection revealed that... although the previous owner got new ignition cables - as far as I recall, Motorcraft ones - he did not decide to change the plugs. Which are available from three or four part supply chains with a delivery on the next working day. Weird? Well. Some people assume that as far as car does drive, there is no need to take car of its parts. Apparently my assumption that new cables = new plugs was not correct. The mechs revived the exhaust, too. Instead of going full original, or doing the Magnagflow thing, they used moreover standard parts, available at hand. The results is very nice: the car is generally quiet, and behaves like a V8 in a large, sluggish V8 wagon should sound: relaxed and mumbling.

                              As for now, the plan is to check the wheels, and then proceed with the suspension refitting. I changed back to the turbines, and the car gets terribly wobbly around 55 MPH. It might be an effect of the worn joints in the front suspension, amplified now as the wheels are much larger (225/70/15 instead of 205/65/14), but it can just be a missing weight. My plan is to wax the car a bit next weekend, and then switch to Escort for a few days, while The Colon has its wheels re-weighted. A recent photo is below.



                              The orange-ish thing is a car a friend of us bought last year. I tell you, the day I will get even a glimpse of myself thinking of buying this kind of a car would mark the moment when my soul died inside, and anything truly humane in my existence faded away.

                              Comment


                                #45
                                Good thing the engine problem was just a plug. The more well used these get, the more they seem to foul a plug. Number 8 being especially suspect for some reason.

                                To answer your question on the previous post, the tripminder would replace the clock. The buildsheet you posted is good paperwork to keep with the car. It's full of what is mostly some internal codes that don't mean a lot to us, but tell how to build your car. With enough of them, we could probably build some kind of database with the known options of a car and how it's coded on the build sheet to figure out what some of them indicate.
                                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

                                Comment

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