Mark VIII questions

[99SVT]

Hi I'm looking at buying a Mark VIII for a daily driver and have some questions before I start seaching. I've owned a 96 T-bird, 99 Cobra and currently have an 03 Marauder so I have a fair bit of knowledge of the general chassis/powertrain. I more or less need to know some of the details/differences between years.

I've seen some pictures of 97/98 Marks and the intake manifold looks different than the 93-96 as it doesn't have a rear throttlebody. Is there more changes to the motor ie: did they change to the tumble port heads earlier than the 99+ Cobra?

How easy is it to recalibrate the speedo after changing the rear gears? Do they have a mechanical speedo gear or is it electronic or does it depend on the year? If so, is there any handheld tuners that work with them. On that note, is 3.73's enough gear for mainly highway driving? My Marauder works great with 4.10's I'm just thinking that with the shorter tire and 3.73's I might get better mileage.

Are there any things I should look out for when looking at a potential car, common faults etc.?

Anyways, thanks for any help.
Keith.

[luxuryrules]

The other key GenII changes were switching to COP and the IMRCs are electronically controlled. The transmissions from 98s are the best from the factory as Ford addressed the 1-2 shift accumulator as well as the torque converter shudder (two issues that are easily fixed if you get any other years).

You can recalibrate the speedo with a custom computer chip, that applies to any year. They all use a VSS. An SCT XCal should do the trick for you in terms of a handheld tuner.

[Philip]

it's going to be like the '96 Tbird on steroids, lol.

Speaking only for 1997-1998, simply make sure that it is low miles, well maintained, and pull the service history on it to find out what major issues have already been taken care of.

Of note, there are NO inexpensive parts on this car, so make sure all the little things are there as well. My personal checklist when I bought mine (in addition to miles, condition and maintenance) was to make darn sure the cupholders were intact, the rear neon light panel and the low-beam headlights were operational, make sure the mirrors do everything they're supposed to. There were two recalls that affected 1997, the transmission and the electric tilt/tele steering wheel. Both were taken care of in production for 1998, so I'd look for a '98 for that reason. Make sure the tilt/telescope works, and make sure the A/C works with both hot and cold.

If you find a low mileage beauty, and they're out there still, you are probably going to pay slightly above NADA for it because these things are still in demand and there is virtually no supply chain any more. Good luck, enjoy!

[luxuryrules]

RE: Common issues

http://www.lincolnsonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47440&highlight=common+issues

[pro-five-oh]

I've seen some pictures of 97/98 Marks and the intake manifold looks different than the 93-96 as it doesn't have a rear throttlebody. Is there more changes to the motor ie: did they change to the tumble port heads earlier than the 99+ Cobra?


Nope, same heads as older ones, just like the 1996 Cobra. The only perk to that intake is that its ready to swap to a Cobra intake.

[luxuryrules]

Nope, same heads as older ones, just like the 1996 Cobra. The only perk to that intake is that its ready to swap to a Cobra intake.

Or the intake can be radiused and polished like Driller did with his stocker. If ya have an in with a machine shop this can be a cheaper way to go.

[99SVT]

Thanks for the quick response guys, I'll keep that advise in mind. I've got 2 cars to look at in the next week or so; a 95 and a 98 with similar mileage.

[luxuryrules]

My advice: go for a GenI. No neon taillight to worry about, no blend door to worry about, body parts are still available if you get hit, and if a headlight goes out you can actually buy a replacement bulb for it. I honestly prefer the look of the GenII and I think the puddle lamps & backup mirror features are great, but that just doesn't cut it for me to compensate for the uber-expensive stuff.

[99SVT]

Well I think I found one I want.

I looked at the 95, the sunroof was left open when I looked at it and a bunch of snow was filling the interior. Also, the seats were ratty and the car didn't want to start and when it did it idled slow for a few seconds. I think the fuel pump might be on it's way out, or maybe filters. I passed on that one.

Never got ahold of the 98 owner yet. But he's asking a lot for it so I'm not too intrested.

I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in months and he mentioned that his Mom was selling her Mark. It's a black with tan interior 93 with 160000kms/100000miles it looks like new, all the power options work, new fuel pump and rear brakes. The only thing wrong with it is it needs front brakes and it leaks a small amount of oil from the oil pressure sending unit and the power steering rack. Some Lucas power steering additive should take care of the rack and I may fix the oil leak while adding an oil filter relocation kit as I'm pretty sure that this will be as much of a pain to change oil filters as my tbird was.

here's some pictures:

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/kcobra99/P10100311.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/kcobra99/P10100321.jpg

[Philip]

Looks like she kept the old girl well and never drove it at night. If the price is right, grab it. Mechanical issues are quite a bit easier to deal with on these cars than trying to restore appearance and it looks like this car has stood the test of time. Looks impeccable for a 15 year old car.

[luxuryrules]

That looks to be in phenomonally good shape for a 15 year old, 100k car. Shiny! And those lace wheels are in much better shape than I have ever seen on a daily driver.

When you do the front brakes, use good quality pads & rotors. Yep, you'll pay more, but trust me, it is money well spent to resist warping and bringing you back to square one.

Per the relocation kit, can we talk you into writing a tech article for it with pics? I messed around with one a year or so ago and couldn't make it work - I kept hitting the oil filter.

[partsman662002]

Looks good. I would wonder about all the spots on the floor. Take a good look for other leaks.

[snooky]

[QUOTE=Philip;666847]Looks like she kept the old girl well and never drove it at night.

Curiosity again, why never drove it at night?

Snooky

[partsman662002]

[QUOTE=Philip;666847]Looks like she kept the old girl well and never drove it at night.

Curiosity again, why never drove it at night?

Snooky

I think that comment was made in referrence to the condition of the headlamps.

[Philip]

that it was, lol! Just an assumption, by the way... Generally, those are going to be clouded over way before now. Perhaps a combination of good maintenance and keeping it garaged or perhaps all the lamps were replaced? I bet it's the former because all the rest of the car is representative of being well looked after.

[luxuryrules]

Yep... keep 'em waxed. Heavily and frequently. They'll stay clear as a bell as long as you stay on top of that.

[99SVT]

It was raining when I took it for a test drive, most of those spots are just water. Also my friend used to park and work on his fleet of 60's Plymouths in the garage, many of the other stains are pretty old. He bought his own house about a year ago.

The headlights have that 3M protective film on them as well as the front bumper and hood. That might explain some of why the headlights are still so clear.

BTW, it also had the recall for the cruise control done on it, so no worries there either.

[luxuryrules]

The headlights have that 3M protective film on them as well as the front bumper and hood. That might explain some of why the headlights are still so clear.


Now that is cool. I like.

[Philip]

3M, God bless em! Where would we be without all their innovations? That stuff obviously works well.