My '95 Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

[Arquemann]

I got the glass latch adjusted, latches way tighter now. Gotta either press it with both hands to click it latched or do a very minor slam. Sure as shit won't leak water in anymore.
And most importantly, the center brake light works again.

I've gotta say, the rear tailgate on this thing is unbelievably over-engineered.

[Arquemann]

As I mentioned in Maisa's thread, I ordered an AC component kit for this aswell. I didn't intend to, but I'll get the AC fixed now anyways. Costs money but it not working won't bug me anymore then. Leaving things broken just doesn't jive with my brain.

Today I fiddled with the headlight wiring, which is a total trainwreck by the way... Old wiring, DRLs, some canadian fiddlefuckery and on top of that some Finnish legislative "modifications".
Butt connectors, scotch locks, extra bulb sockets, modified sockets, extra plugs and grounds.
From reading online, I've concluded that the smaller housings are for side marker lights and "cornering lights".
On the main headlight housings there's the blinker/park light and hi/low beam ...aand an added T10 yellow parking light socket.

When the car is off, switching on the "parking lights" switches on the actual parking lights, aswell as the cornering lights and side marker lights. Switch on headlights, the low beams come on.
The cornering lights are constantly on if the switch is on park/headlights. Also they are supposed to be 2057 bulbs, not T10. My car shouldn't even have cornering lights, so these must've been added.
With the power on/ engine running, the low beams are on, regardless of headlight switch position. Not that it's a problem really, I just don't like it.
With the indicator on, the side indicator lights also blink. Is it supposed to do that?


Tjoh, this car is supposedly equipped with daytime running lights, which is supposed to be some light-sensitive setup. Which obviously doesn't work right as the low beams are on constantly.
I guess I should first try to find the ambient light sensor.

[DerekTheGreat]

I do know that pretty much all GM vehicles from the mid 70's and on (My 1979 G10 did this) the side marker flashed in unison with the corresponding side's parking light. Headlights off, they flashed at the same time. Parking or headlights on, the flashed opposite- so when the parking light flashed, the side marker was out and vice versa. Neat little engineering feature. You can make boxes do this too, fairly easy I think. Want to say David did that with his minty '87.

[Arquemann]

Anyways, I found the ambient light sensor, (which looks like a piece of blue transparent plastic on a light socket), it didn't do any better being all the way open to the sun.

I just unplugged the DRL module mounted behind the pass. kick panel. Now my all* the lights work like they should, and all come on from the headlight switch.
*Except the "cornering lights", which shouldn't even be there. I think I'll remove just remove them completely.

@DerekTheGreat
Yes, I noticed it now on this car now that the bulbs aren't blown, I've seen it before on others. I hate it.
I'm glad I have a box Grand Marq and not a Vic, no separate side markers on mine!

[DerekTheGreat]

I like "divorced" side markers as to me it meant extra cost. Had to tool in additional designs within the sheet metal or make another lens or whatever. Much cheaper to just to have one assembly with everything incorporated into it, and to me that shows. I like the look and appreciate it. My Firebird for example, you can't see the front parking light from the side. So if you're trying to signal which direction you'd like to turn or to change lanes, someone who can't see that light would have no idea of your intentions. However, due to that neat little bit of engineering, the side marker flashes and thus communicates the driver's intentions on GM vehicles.

Yes, one of the other reasons I prefer the Ford box over the Mercury flavored one. Cooler taillights (87' and older..) and separate rear side markers. They do not have divorced front stuffs though, but do have their own little side marker.

[Arquemann]

I like "divorced" side markers as to me it meant extra cost. Had to tool in additional designs within the sheet metal or make another lens or whatever. Much cheaper to just to have one assembly with everything incorporated into it, and to me that shows. I like the look and appreciate it. My Firebird for example, you can't see the front parking light from the side. So if you're trying to signal which direction you'd like to turn or to change lanes, someone who can't see that light would have no idea of your intentions. However, due to that neat little bit of engineering, the side marker flashes and thus communicates the driver's intentions on GM vehicles.

Yes, one of the other reasons I prefer the Ford box over the Mercury flavored one. Cooler taillights (87' and older..) and separate rear side markers. They do not have divorced front stuffs though, but do have their own little side marker.

That's why the box MGM doesn't have separate side markers, because the front parking light / indicator is visible from the side. Due to finnish legislation, the lenses have little extensions, apparently the side facing lense isn't enough.
The Cap-rice has added on side indicators on the fenders, my friend's Country Squire also has them.

Pre-88 Grand Marquis tail lights are just the absolute best, no question! I do like the old Vic fronts though, I guess the rears are fine too. Better than all the newer round ones for sure.

[DerekTheGreat]

Hmm, never noticed the little wart on the MGM. The Crown Vic wart looks stupid, you can clearly see the little side-marker from the side. We have regulations on that stuff too. Box TC's are superior in the lighting department though, separate rear and front side markers in addition to the swanky opera lights.

[Arquemann]

Hmm, never noticed the little wart on the MGM. The Crown Vic wart looks stupid, you can clearly see the little side-marker from the side. We have regulations on that stuff too. Box TC's are superior in the lighting department though, separate rear and front side markers in addition to the swanky opera lights.

Dumbest regulation things was that amber and red marker lights used to be illegal, so they had to be taken off, aswell as new side indicators added. So you remove one thing and add almost the same thing back.
Fortunately the regulations have been removed somewhat recently. Imported vehicles are allowed to use the original lighting setups they came with from the factory. That's why I've reverted the MGM and now the Caprice back to the amber parking lights and so on. The Caprice also had an ugly add-on rear fog light, which went to the bin just today. It was broken anyways.

[DerekTheGreat]

Yah that was pretty dumb. Must've meant somebody or some entities' pockets were being lined with coin as a result.

So in the case of a box TC, would you have had to cover up the side markers or just remove the light bulb?

[Arquemann]

So in the case of a box TC, would you have had to cover up the side markers or just remove the light bulb?

Yeah, simplest was to pull bulbs from side markers. In many cases front markers could be converted to a side indicator (off or blinking). Side indicators were mandatory and had visibility requirements from certain angles. That's why my MGM has the little warts and no added side indicators like my Caprice.

Red marker lights were prohibited, also most amber front markers blink, which wasn't okay. You either had a blinker or a marker in the front. And ofcourse the interpretation varied from one inspection station to another. 'Twas a shitshow.
But no more!

[DerekTheGreat]

Whew, glad that's over. Pretty odd.

[Arquemann]

More on the 4L60e diagnostics:

During the jerking on slight acceleration and uphills, the trans "slip value" doesn't really move.
The slip value is the RPM difference of the engine and trans input shaft. When the TCC locks, the slip value is consistently 0 ± 30 RPM. And the TCC stays engaged.

That would indicate that the TCC isn't actually slipping, or it's not visible somehow. I tried the datalog aswell, no slip visible there either.
Could a bad solenoid or else cause the engagement to slip very briefly, not enough to actually cause an increase in rpm, but be felt anyways?

Or what else causes jerking on light acceleration or uphills? Or is it just that it's lugging a bit under load?


The hard shifts are also weird, 1-2 WOT shift happens at about 5400-5500 RPM, which feels like it hits rev limiter, but I don't think the limiter is that low on these. Either way the shift seems late.
Sadly the diagnostics software doesn't have line pressure data. After I get the TCC valve installed and check on the 1-2 accumulator, if no change, I'll get the trans tuned for better.

[Arquemann]

Me and a friend went for a little shopping trip to Estonia yesterday, Caprice performed well. Even though there are some american cars in Tallinn, the Caprice got a LOT of looks.
The Gabriel Hijackers in the rear seem to work, took air and kept the rear up a bit better. Still scraped the tailpipes a few times.
The ferry spot for a "personal car" has a size limit of 1,9m wide and 5m long, the Caprice being 2,02 wide and 5,6m long, we got a couple mean looks from the workers guiding us into the ferry A van spot would've been 20€ more.

[DerekTheGreat]

I wouldn't laugh about that. I mean, it's one thing if a person honestly didn't know any better and was being schooled for the first time, but it seems as if you did in this case. Not trying to rip on you here, just that friendly nudge to be more considerate of others moving forward. Personally, I'm getting tired of people pushing their luck with their situation and trying to get away with that which they know or should know better about. It's toxic (and contagious?) behavior. I know what it's like to witness crappy behavior and thus give dirty looks or just wish people did the right thing. Like when I witness clowns who leave their trash for others to pick up, or flat out dump it on the road as they drive, take up two spots to park in a congested lot, that sort of thing. "Me first!" behavior. Perhaps I'm the asshole as I was taught the inverse- others before myself. It's funny though, the handful of times I actually said something to the offenders, I was indeed labeled the asshole. "What, you? Fuck you! Me first! I should be able to do whatever I want and get away with it! But I'll be damned if I give you the same courtesy should you want it.."

[Arquemann]

I wouldn't laugh about that. I mean, it's one thing if a person honestly didn't know any better and was being schooled for the first time, but it seems as if you did in this case. Not trying to rip on you here, just that friendly nudge to be more considerate of others moving forward. Personally, I'm getting tired of people pushing their luck with their situation and trying to get away with that which they know or should know better about. It's toxic (and contagious?) behavior. I know what it's like to witness crappy behavior and thus give dirty looks or just wish people did the right thing. Like when I witness clowns who leave their trash for others to pick up, or flat out dump it on the road as they drive, take up two spots to park in a congested lot, that sort of thing. "Me first!" behavior. Perhaps I'm the asshole as I was taught the inverse- others before myself. It's funny though, the handful of times I actually said something to the offenders, I was indeed labeled the asshole. "What, you? Fuck you! Me first! I should be able to do whatever I want and get away with it! But I'll be damned if I give you the same courtesy should you want it.."

It's not that big of a deal, seriously.
90% of the cars are less than 5m long so one a little longer than that won't hurt anything. Also the ferries aren't particularly full at this time. No one is gonna say anything either way, the Caprice is a passenger car, not a van. That's really the most important point, since vans are higher and they don't fit in the passenger car area in the ferry. Also my friend who did the trip reservations is a Gold member, which got us priority boarding, which wouldn't be applicable for vans that board last before trucks. The reservations are made with licence plates, so the system finds my car's data anyways. One way how stolen cars get tagged at the borders.

So no, we weren't assholes, just stretching the rules a wee bit, because in reality, it doesn't matter at all.