As a former police fleet mechanic, to the issues you have listed, I would add rear axle wheel bearings wearing into the axle shafts and broken exhaust manifold studs. Even with these problems, these are incredibly tough and reliable vehicles.
@Tismus I've owned mine for about a year haven't had any issues besides the axel but I'm sure it was due do previous owners I do 8 hour drives with it here and there for work does amazing spacey quick nice and tough ita my daily
The paint peel has to do with the water based paint used at the factory. It wasn't just fleet cars, any of the 'Performance White' or 'Vibrant White' cars (code WT) could suffer this fate. Similar with metallic gray (silver) paint. It has to do with adhesion on the primer. On the blend door actuator - pulling back the dash isn't very difficult and makes the whole job easier than simply removing the airbag alone. The blend door actuators on the manual and automatic systems are located in the same place, but they are different so make sure you get the right one for your system! Re: the ABS module - they are interchangeable from 2003 through 2008, but 2009 and later will throw an ABS light on your dash if the VIN in the module does not match the VIN in the PCM. On the intake manifold, ONLY use the Ford intake unless you want to do it again! Remember - quality doesn't cost, it pays. The Dorman intake at Autozone/O'Reilly etc is only marginally cheaper than the Ford intake online but you're talking 2 years replacement (Dorman) vs. 8-10 years (Ford). The Ford part numbers are 3W7Z-9424-AE (2001-2005) and 9W7Z-9424-A (2006+). The only difference between the two is a temp sensor port on the 3W part that isn't on the 9W part (you can get a 3/8 NPT plug and use the 3W part on all of them 2001+). The 'updated' Dorman part is updated from the NPI part and on a PI engine (2001+), will cause a net HP/torque LOSS of around 10 and 10 over the Ford part. The silicone O-ring 'gaskets' on the Dorman part are known to fail. Re: the 'rocket plugs'. This was a problem on 2004 on down engines. This is because they had only half threads on them (the threaded portion was similar to what you would find on an iron head and was only half the length of the spark plugs 'reach'. For the 2005 model year, heads were revised and have full reach threads. Any rocket plugs that occur on these revised heads are 100% due to negligence in spark plug installation - follow Ford's recommendation of 20 lb ft torque here! Re: transmission failure. Yeah, this one isn't what it seems on the surface. Of course the transmission is going to retire from living after 150,000 miles of sending it! These things are ABUSED in service, 150k out of such a trans doesn't mean it's junk; it means it's pretty solid. A TH350 transmission in a 1972 Impala, for example (a civilian car, not a police model) was considered GREAT when it would last 75k miles. Keep this in mind before you throw shade at the 4R7xx transmissions!
Agreed on the trans failures - our 05 Grand Marquis went 210k before it decided not to move in forward but was fine in reverse. Oreilly 3 yr warranty rebuilt trans is in and the car is back to like new running. We had a 65 Impala years ago and around 75 to 90k the Powerglide needed a rebuild, I rebuilt it twice as we sold it with 250k on it (about 25k on the 2nd rebuild) but those old transmissions were easy to rebuild on a picnic table in the back yard
I had to replace my blend door and intake on my '02 GM LSE and I did do the dash removal and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be except when I put it back in I didn't have 100% centered so it rubs on the right side. I just need to loosen a few bolts to fix that. I hear its about a $1K job at the dealer for a $40 part if Motorcraft. I also knew my car came with a PI intake but, didn't have one on it when I replaced so it was already replaced once before at least. I also noticed the Ford intake uses metal inserts and machine screws for the coils and injector rails whereas the aftermarket used self tapping screws. I ended up having to go to the pick and pull to find the machine screws since the dealer didn't have them. I did immediately notice the HP difference. I also had a rocket plug and bought the kit that does the tap and die with the head on. I fixed it in less than 30 minutes and that was because it was my first time as trying to be as careful as possible. I could probably cut that time in half on each cylinder. As log as you make sure both valves are closed you can blow out the shavings and I've had no issues more than a year later. It was cheaper to buy the kit to do all 8 cylinders but, only did the one so far. I have Spruce Metallic Green color and I think because the car was garage kept most of its life and wash and waxes regularly. The LSE is like the LX Sport CV and car drives fantastic for what it is.
@@RedBud315 The Autotecnica intakes use the original mounting hardware (i.e. machine screws) and don't seem to depower the engine like the Dorman does, however it does use the same gasketing method as the Dorman so time will tell how good these are. I've installed a couple of these intakes onto Mesa police vehicles - they seem solid in that service, so again time will tell. On the spark plug thing, did you use the Dorman repair kit that uses the 3v style spark plug, or did you use a TimeSert/Calvan kit?
@@theautisticmechanic The aftermarket one that was on my car that failed leaked at the base of the heater hose to firewall connection and the gaskets were fine. When it leaked the water ran down the back of the engine and looked like it was coming out of the bell housing area at the bottom. All in all I'm glad it failed since I now have a factory PI intake and the lost power back. I used the Calvan kit and was super impressed at how easy it was. Once you do a few I think you can easily do them less than 15 minutes each. The guide to keep the bore and tap straight works great although I hear don't use it forever. I don't have a fleet of Panthers so I only plan on 8 times max. I did take my time to make sure all the shavings were clear. Definitely use a bore scope to do so.
I have a 2010 Merc. w/268 k miles. She runs great. I do have the water in headlights, and the diverter for heat is stuck halfway between defrost and heat which is doable. I recently had a skip in the engine very noticeable. The intake manifold leaked coolant over a sparkplug. Lucky parts are available and I have a handy mechanic. Great vid!
All you have to do is get the smallest drill bit you can find and take out headlight preferably and drill a small pinhole in the bottom most corner of headlight or tail light.(I did it for my tail lights)
I have owned 5 Panther Platform cars with the 4.6 and have replaced the intake on every single one, I really isn't all that hard with a 24 pack of beer and 6 hours of free time.
Great video. Pulling the dash out isn't too bad. It's just screws, nuts & bolts, and electrical connectors. I replaced my blend door actuator, in my garage, by myself. Saved a bundle!
@@carle5538 One day to pull it out, and one day to put it back in. I wasn't in a hurry and took plenty of breaks, and I also replaced the heater core while I was in there.
On the sparkplug repair, after we drilled and tapped we put a small piece of tube on a shop vac and were able to vacuum everything out of the cylinder. Thanks for the video, super helpful.
I think the "transmission failure" thing is a myth rather than reality. Folks having transmission problems aren't doing fluid and filter changes or are revving up the engine and then throwing it in drive or similar abusive things. Otherwise they run as good or better than any other transmission
Agreed, the 4R7xx transmission is stout. They have their weaknesses like everything, but if you take care of them they will take care of you. My only gripe with them has to do with the diameter of the direct clutch. Of course this is because it's set back into the reverse drum and therefore there is a size limit - but this one clutch takes the entire load of the engine when the transmission is in overdrive under power. If your 4R7xx starts slipping in OD one day 'out of the blue', it is likely this clutch and not the OD band.
@@shaneomac5074I have an 09 Grand Marquis with 99k miles and drive like a Grandma. Out of nowhere wrench light on dash and I have to take the rpms to 4k+ to get it into gear from neutral. After that it will shift smooth all the way through 4th but come another red light and it doesn't want to go into gear.
@@redlegs8184 that’s weird, have you ever changed or checked the fluid? I have an 04 with 175k miles and it still shifts brand new, and a 97 f150 with the same transmission still shifts great after 200k miles, they’re great transmissions if you take care of them, my dad also has an 01 f150 with the 4r70w tranny with 240k miles still shifts fine
@@redlegs8184 could be something as simple as a small fluid leak somewhere, low or old burnt transmission fluid is the most common reason for sudden problems like that, when my truck ran low it would hesitate on shifts and slip a little bit, and it would make a loud bang on downshifts, filled it with fresh fluid and filter and fixed the seal leak and it’s a champ again, you could try a Lucas transmission fix additive if all else fails, that stuff actually works well it isn’t snake oil
Hi Here's a little insight into the paint thing. For 30 years I was an ASE and Ford certified tech at the dealer so I've seen much of this stuff. If you notice almost without exception it was the white cars that the paint falls off. First also make note that in those years not only did Ford have this problem but did all domestic brands likewise. The manufacturers were all using a water based primer and for whatever reason the white paint did not adhere to it. As for the EATC control head it's pretty easy to fix by replacing the o-rings. The spark plug coming out thing was primarily on the #3 cylinder because at the engine assembly plant the machine that installed the spark plugs the #3 spark plug installer was not set correctly, too loose, and they would eventually work themselves out and damaging the threads in the process. I have both an 04 CV and an 03 Marauder and both have only 90K and the transmissions work great.
Ok so admittedly I fastforwarded through bits of this. But by my reckoning you failed to mention one of the most common failure points on these cars and that is the control arm bushings. Literally EVERY single panther platform car that I have ever personally popped the hood on, had cracked and dry rotted upper control arm bushings. People talk crap about Ford ball joints and NEVER draw the logical conclusion that if you drive around with failed control arm bushings, then that ball joint is taking all of the stress single handedly. If you buy one of these cars, be prepared to replace the uppers immediately and the lowers eventually. The 2nd most common failure point that you failed to mention is the power steering pumps. They cannot handle continuous high RPM thrashing and will for sure begin leaking and eventually will go bad. The water pump bearings are notoriously bad. Brake calipers love to start sticking. Timing chains and guides love to get slack and allow the chain to start slapping around. The key to buying a panther car of any year model and style is to find one with really low mileage that has been well maintained. Just remember that cheap hot rodding isn't so cheap!
Yea this is true. My 99 has dry rotted control arm bushings. U can oil them and it doesn't matter. Still squeaks. Sounds like a ball joint squeak but both can get bad quickly
I've owned about 6 P71'S, 2 Marquis & found out some good info from you today namely the heater control problems and who makes the aluminum intake manifold.. Good video
I've had a 1984 Crown Vic and 2004 Grand Marquis that I inherited from my grandfather a couple of years ago. No problems with the Granny Marquis so far except for the driver window being off track, but the CrownVic had the problem where is would just stop running sometimes, when it was hot mainly. I think it was something with the ignition module but it's been a while since I've had that.
Get a junkyard Motorcraft module for $5. Better than new chinesium, trust me... They're all crapp regardless of price or brand. Buy a screw removal tool and a spare module, you'll need it someday on the side of the road. Lol
An issue I had with my 2001 CVP71 that I felt odd about was when the brake light switch didn't work, I couldn't put the car into gear. The gear selector wouldn't come out of park even when the car was started and running. So if this happens to you, check the connections to the brake light switch and the brake light switch itself to make sure it's operating.. One sign is to see if you have brake lights if it doesn't go into gear. ..
Have a 99 Civ Model. Same thing happened to me, Two times actually. Couldn't shift into gear until i did the "Brake-Shift Interlock" trick. Then 4 months down the line after new fuses and a new brake light switch my brake lights stayed on for 4 hours straight while I was working and completely destroyed my wires for the switch.
@@ProdGageDuVal have the same issue did you end up repairing it? I have a brand new switch but it acts the same as the old one where the brake lights only come on if I turn on the head lights. I was driving one day and heard sizzling probably the wires went out..
I live near Phoenix. My headlights do not have condensation in them, but they were hazed. I polished them out with some stuff from Autozone. Worked pretty good. It's only white Crown Vics, and pretty much ALL white American cars that have peeling paint . The thing you are talking about with the climate control system that fails is the blend door actuator. It mixes warm air from the heater core with cool air from the A/C evaporator to control the temperature. It's a little plastic box, with a little electric motor and plastic gears in it. The gears strip real easy. It is a real pain to get to. You have to remove the trim piece that goes across the dash, the glove box, the passenger air bag, and behind the air bag is a piece of duct work that goes to the far right dash vent. I took a three foot piece of rebar, ground the end into a chisel, then stuck it back under the dash through the air bag opening, and using a hammer, broke the thing up into pieces and it fell out. I didn't bother replacing it, here in Phoenix we don't need heat. I jammed a small piece of wood under the little arm attached to the blend door to hold it in the full A/C position I have a civilian model, with the automatic climate control. I was able to repair mine by replacing the silicone O rings. There is a video on RUclips that even tells you where to get the right O rings. It's not as hard to repair as it first seems. My repair has lasted several years. But because that blend door actuator back behind the dash failed, I no longer have defrost. A/C only. So far my ABS module and manifold have not failed. If the ABS module fails, I'll probably just leave it alone. My spark plugs are still ok. I have an '06 model, with 321,000 miles on it, the transmission still works fine. The Ford AOD transmission is actually quite reliable, but you need to maintain them way more often than what Ford says. Dorman makes a transmission pan with a drain plug in it. I drain the pan (about 5 quarts) and replace it every 9,000 miles, and drop the pan (after draining it) and replace the fluid and filter every 27,000 miles. It's so easy with that drain plug. Another thing that failed on mine was the rear air suspension. The air bags rotted and started leaking, letting the rear end sag almost all the way to the ground. They are super expensive to replace, but there is a cheap way to fix that problem. A few companies sell coil springs to replace the air bags with for under $200. That's what I did, and it works just fine.
Bags aren't real high. Less then $200 for good ones. If you ruined the pump, that's another 250. The lines get full of water if the filter at the pump doesn't get changed. Blow them out.
If you put a Dorman intake on your Crown Vic you can expect to replace it within two years. It's a known quality control issue. The part that fails on the intake isn't the upper plastic but rather the plastic and gasket under the thermostat housing. Dorman's is made of plastic too and their gaskets are poorly made. An alternative is the aluminium intake: 1999-2004 Ford Mustang 4.6L Professional Products Intake Manifold 2V GT Typhoon.
If you can find one, it's excellent. They've been out of production for a number of years now, and they sell online for at least $1,000. But yes, they're all aluminum and it'll be the last one you ever buy.
@@theautisticmechanic I went on line to look at them. You were right. They are the exact same thing for the years that you mentioned, but their price is several times more than the Dorman intake manifold, still I think metal wins over plastic. I would buy the Mustang type. Thanks my friend for the info.
Wait until your tire passes you on the freeway because these's no grease fittings anywhere on the front end or you slam into a tree because the intermediate steering shaft locks up from rust.
The Doreman intakes are smaller and reduce amount of air going to the combustion chambers. I ordered the ford racing intake because it matches the size of the factory intake.
I successfully rebuilt my own EATC (temp control) module and replaced all 4 of the #006 o-rings from a kit from Harbor Freight which contained 22 of that size.
I saw one comment from a Ford mechanic who said he did so many of them he could have the dash out and back in in 40 minutes. It definitely took me more than one hour but, that was because I was taking every step as slow as possible. For instance all those snap in plastic parts sure make you think you're going to break them when you remove them such as my center console and floor shifter.
My 06 P71 has been my daily driver for 8 years. I bought it with 92K, and the trans let go 3 days later. I had it rebuilt by a local fleet mechanic, and I've put 110K miles on it with no issues. The only other common issue I had was the intake. It split where the heater hose goes in the rear. I lost my Odometer display when I hit 190K, but it occasionally with light up and tell me the mileage. That's a common issue with the Vics. All in all, it's been a great car, and I still daily drive it!!
my odometer used to come back on, now it is permanently gone along with my speedometer and gas guages, along with the temperature meter.. so basically my entire cluster minus one symbol is out, all I get to see is the airbag symbol lol
I've had my 2008 P71 since 2012, and you were right on target! They ONLY thing I haven't seen yet is the spark plug issue - everything else I have seen and gone through. I put a remanufactured tranny in back in 2020. I had the ABS module go out TWICE, first on the original and second on a reman. Both headlights were replaced with OEM units, at around $50 a piece I thought it was worth it. I also had the rear axles done last year, they both went well over 200,000 miles. Anyway, great vid!
Good video, clear talk. I imported in France a chief personal Crown vic with civilian interior and 240 idle hours and got none of these issues, finger crossed. But got another stupid problem as soon as it rains a lot, the wiper motor shuts off. Bad water drain, I cleaned it twice because leaves and dirt acumulate here. All these issues listed make me wonder : what is a reliable car? I had a volvo 240, simple and strong engine, not powerful tho, I guess it was the definition of reliable. Sorry for bad english.
The most common reason for blow by on a 4.6 l is tuning the car up by removing the spark plugs without first cleaning out each spark plug well with compressed air
Any Panther platform suffers from the transmission problems. We just replaced the 4R70W in our 05 Grand Marquis but it had 210k miles on it when it failed where it wouldnt move forward but would in reverse. Got a rebuilt from OReilly that has a 3 yr warranty that is tied to the vehicle by VIN and is transferrable if you sell the car. $2k for the transmission and $600 for a local shop to do the remove and replace the transmission and put the needed Mercon V fluid in. I do have to replace the blend door actuator this spring but it's not really that bad and last year I repaired the AETC auto temp control unit with new o-rings.
I had a 2004 CVPI P71. Someone crashed into me and totalled it. I survived well for a almost a full head on. I had bought a P71 logo sweatshirt, so I needed another P71! Lol! Got one! Smoking deal! Yes, prices are going up and harder to find in Southern california
I used to have a ‘99 P71 (former detective version that was metallic gray with faux-chrome hubcaps) that I put 200k miles on before I traded it in for a Ranger. Some of the problems I had to deal with are similar to yours with the exception of the paint, which stayed perfect. It still had a lot of life left in it when I got rid of it at 276k miles, but the head gasket was failing and I was not as mechanically inclined as I am now.
U know it's funny u say that because I too have a 99 and the paint has stayed very nice on it surprisingly. Idk if they did something a little different that year but it makes u wonder
I think the P71 Detective cars are the best ones to try and pick up since they will have a lot less idle running time than a patrol car does. I think they call it the CAP(Civilian Appearance Package) option.
Hey thanks a lot there. I appreciate this video very much I have a 2011 Kentucky police interceptor.. I started watching these videos cuz I have to replace a window regulator but I'm real glad I ran into yours and then 11 things to look for...
We all, still owners of a panther platform-made cars, in the form of Crown Vics, Grand Marquis and Town Cars; should feel fortunate to deal with potential few challenges attributable more to time rather than the many challenges, when it comes to those unibody SUVs. It is sad to learn that Ford ended repeating the auto inflicted damage, that GM did back in the 80s, not keeping specialized in what even the japanese industry tried but never achieved. Now that Ford may be in the corner of a Chapter 11, I wish they may finally get rid of the SUV's me-too movement.
I have got a 2004 Crown Victoria LX. The issues I have had, is in the Headlight control box. The headlight suddenly disappear. There are 4 mini relays on controlboard that can burn. Idid soldered and replaced all 4 relay's with some better Omrons. Now it works fine for a long time. The next was accumulator/ dryfilter for the AC. There is a Plastic ''bottle'' rapped around this unit and this cause some water storage in the bottom, and cause rusting problem with hole and leakage in the bottom. Someone drill a drainhole in this plastic container for solveing this problem. And then the servo steering control valve. Mine did get leakage, which causes uneven steering. My friend has the same car, and has had no issues. Im the unfortunate gu.y But all these parts are sheap and very easy to repair. We live in Norway and love these cars,
my 09 has 209k miles and I have had none of these issues yet, been driving it for 8 years now, only issue i had was coolant leak at the thermostat housing, had to take that manifold off and seal the entire thing, luckily my brother helped me out, we did it in 2 hours but he knew what he was doing so it helped alot with speed
Un-employed for the last 7 years, traded 4 months of food stamps for one of those 3 years ago. filthy porta john on wheels it was, 1994 4.6L Thunderbird... got a new transmission at 175'000 miles. over heats on the interstate with the AC on, needs an engine oil cooler.
Yeah that's what they told me.series 3 panthers (2002-2011)were upgraded to aluminum gaskets.2005 cars are the ones with the transmission problems.2002 cars have timing belt issues.
I attached an irrigation flag marker to the blender door after breaking out the actuator. I simply move the attached flag to adjust the cabin temperature
Always check for broken front springs on the P71,this will give a bumpy ABS on the pedal because the car will tend to nose dive and this overwhelms the ABS valve body and will engage,usually about a 3” section brakes off the very top of the spring and is buried,you can’t see it at first, but if changing the VB does not work and it still trips it’s 2 broken springs.
I just bought a 2000 P71 with CAP with 88k miles. It drives & shifts good. My problems are the window switchs & the air conditioner doesn't work. I'm excited to get into these cars.
I love my CVPI. It’s a great daily and it’s my first car so it’s a great car and a good first project car. Btw the 2010 and 2011 Vic’s will have P7B o stead of P71
I have a beautiful 2006 Presidential Town Car, currently at 141k miles. I've changed the engine oil every 3k miles up to 100k miles, then every 2,500 miles after that. No transmission problems, 1st trans service at 75k miles, then every 25k miles after that. I serviced the differential at just over 100k miles, and will do that again at 150k miles and every 50k miles after that. I wonder if the trans problems some people have might be related to people who never service their transmission - although I did see other comments that the factory has a transmission cooler thermostat that can fail and cause a trans fluid over temperature problem leading to early trans failure. Mine has the same headlamp condensation issue, I may just heat them up, disassemble them, and place a new butyl seal between the lens and the housing. I did have an intake leaking coolant. I chose the Dorman for price and that Auto Zone offers a lifetime warranty on this part, and they always have them in stock. Supposedly the Dorman intake loses a couple of horsepower over the Ford intake, but I'm not racing so I don't care. For several years my car was infrequently used, and the master cylinder developed a slow leak - it was a cheap and easy fix to replace the master cylinder. My alternator went out at 110k, again I chose an Auto Zone new replacement with a lifetime warranty. I did get a noisy idler pulley, so I replaced it with the Continental brand kit that had a high quality serpentine belt, and both the idler pulley and the tensioner pully assembly. Both my upper front control arms have torn the ball joint boots, but the bushings and ball joints are still tight with no play - I'll replace the control arm assemblies some time this summer. I did add a cabin air filter - the one part Ford forgot, and I'll have to clean the evaporator core because it got a lot of dirt before I installed the cabin air filter. No other issues. Its been one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned, and I've owned more than 20 cars over my 47 years of driving.
My owners manual actually says my Limited Slip differential has a lifetime use gear oil that only needs to be replaced if you have a leak or it got submerged in water. I have an '02 GM LSE with the HPP.
@@RedBud315 I know what the manual says - keep in mind they consider 100k miles to be the lifetime and they want their cars to appear to need little maintenance. The owners manual is not meant for the owners who want to go 300k 500k or more miles. Now go ask your favorite service writer what service intervals that fleet operators use - that is when you see the 3k oil changes and transmission service every 30k and differential service every 100k. Since I'm just paying lube costs and I'm doing the labor its affordable for my intervals. Fresh oil is the easiest way to long trouble free life.
@@Thomas63r2 That is good to know about the diff. I've never known fluids to last forever however, I do know a 70+ year old farmer who says he never changes gear oil. As far as fluid changes go I have done at least 90% of my own oil changes since about 1981 and with all the other fluids I might farm out a little bit more.
@@RedBud315 The farm tractor operating at very low speeds its whole life is not the same as gears in a vehicle going 80 mph down the highway. I have done differential service on trucks and cars and have often found silvery differential oil especially on vehicles that have never had a differential service. That is actually a very fine grit that is wearing out the gears and bearings - getting it out will extend the life of the differential.
I've had most of these problems on my '07 P71. I've had my P71 for 13 years. I fived everything except the ABS. Keep an eye on the oil cooler, the O-rings can go bad on the older type.
@@pnwvibe3123 it was a police interceptor. I’m not shocked the trans failed, I’m sure the cops that had it before me weren’t so easy on it lol. I am glad I got it manual swapped, it’s a worthwhile project, I highly recommend you try it even if your transmission doesn’t blow up!
The Trans typically fails when it overheats because there is a thermostat in it that fails and remains closed causing it to not circulate. Then People have a slipping Trans because of the hot fluid and keep driving it to get home instead of having it towed immediately. Which then they replace the cooler with a free flow unit like a Hayden 403 for like $35. Otherwise the Trans are pretty stout. You can get a Scan Gauge to watch the temp too from the OBD II
This! Just picked up a 2009 P71 and I wanted to check the temps with forscan when I did the trans temp got up to 230 and stayed there. I ordered a trans cooler before I drive it anymore.
@@tylerlapointe3477 - excellent, there is another video here on YT showing vaguely how to install it. I did a bunch of research. It matters none if the cooler is mounted vertical or horizontal.
thanks for your advice. Do you recall where this thermostat is precisely located? Can it be readily serviced? Regarding the cooler, do you mean a separate Hayden trans cooler hooked in-line after it exits from the radiator port and then goes back to the trans, or a completely separate Hayden Trans cooler hooked only to the transmission (ignoring the cooler in the radiator for fear of coolant seeping into the trans fluid)?
@@garypaul1033 the thermostat in built in to the AC condenser and it cannot be readily serviced. What I did is buy a trans cooler off of summit racing for about $50 and bypass the one in the condenser. Now when I look at trans temps with highway driving it barely goes over 160 and city driving maybe 180. Regarding your concern for if the coolant will mix with the trans fluid even in the car had the cooler in the radiator it wouldn’t mix they are 2 separate systems
I hear about the transmission failures also but I'm like you I've never had that issue and I've owned 4 CV. My last CV was an 08. I bought it with 160k and got it up to 245k before I sold it. Now my current 08 CV is at 155k. I bought it with 145k. The thing I have done with all my CV is dropped the pan and add Lucas. I'm not saying Lucas is the reason I've never had a transmission failure I'm just stating that's what I've done to all of my Crown Vics.
the intermediate steering shaft has a warrantee recall from Ford. If your steering feels stiff when turning, check with your dealer and get it changed for free
The worst is that damn 4.6 in every Ford and the heater core placement... Had a Grand Marquis, Crown Vic and F150. Every damn one the heater core went up around 150k. Dash off to replace, every one... The truck i used k-seal, not doing another. Otherwise bullet proof. The Grand Marquis dropped a plug, sounded like a jackhammer on the half mile i had to drive it home clanking. Heli- coiled it and started smooth as butter, drove it another 40k. Great motor, terrible heater core placement, probably due to easy assembly on the line.
I fixed my headlights the same way I found Volvo does. From factory the lights have weep holes for drainage. Found on my 86 760 wagon when installed headlight assembly up side down ( lboth side fit either side l had weep holes up and. Water filled lamp.
I like what you did on your video and there are a couple more for your next one. The rear axel bearings were actually a recall and a very common failure. Then, there is the blower motor and the drivers window tracking. I've got 190K on my 2003 Grand Marquis and mine has very few issues and in fact looks like it's 3-5 years old.
Those are legit points. I believe ford fixed the spark plug issue in the late model vehicles. As for the trans, (don’t forget the diff) change the fluid often, how often? That’s up to the individual.
I replaced the AC compressor on my 2005 P71 with a new Murray Compressor. The coil was bad on the clutch assembly for the old AC Compressor so I decided to just change out the entire assembly. Don't let anyone kid you on this, it's a major job doing this change out lying on the ground with the corner of the car jacked up. Before I did any of this, I took it to a garage and had them remove all the refrigerant. The cost to have this job done at a garage is way over $1k. Remember to prime that new Compressor with the correct oil or you just flushed $400 down the drain. If I had to do this job for anyone else, I would charge a minimum of $400 plus the cost of the Compressor.
Ford has an up dated part number for the intake manifold. They had a class action law suit regarding that crossover leak issue. The Dorman part is sub standard and not worth the box it comes in .
Mine is an '05 P71 former Police Chief car. I'm almost at 170k. Mine had the transmission replaced, gotta 3 year warranty. Popped two lighting control modules in to keep my headlights/rear lights working. No issues with the heater blend door but do have issues going to floor vents... Gonna check that vacuum on the knob, thx. But my biggest issue is destroyed window regulators. Bought this car just before the pandemic and I've already swapped those regulators out 5 times total. So every window once and the driver's window twice. Overall, absolutely love the car. Just installed all 8 ignition coils & plugs, made a huge difference. Never shot one out or cracked the intake manifold (yet) but I have plans to continue upgrading as things break. Gonna fix some paint and track down that ABS module problem (exactly as you described) but I'm curious about a supposed special tool required when swapping that ABS module? Something about holding the brake line pressure while doing that???
10:34 The "ejecting spark plug" issue isn't common to every Ford 4.6. There are a few similar spark plug issues among several Ford modular engine family variants that are common enough that it's gained a reputation. Early cylinder heads from '91-96 didn't have issues, and late model heads from about 2008/9 onwards don't seem to cause trouble. In the middle years, 2 valve and 4 valve aluminum heads had only 3 or 4 threads worth of engagement on the spark plug threads, and could fail if improperly torqued or not maintained and allowed to corrode. As long as plugs are changed at the recommended interval, and installed with anti-seize and proper torque, they will stay put. 3 valve cylinder heads from 2004-07 had more threads, but the plugs themselves (2-piece) could break apart during maintenance and leave a stump of an insulator in the hole, or drop pieces into the cylinder. Redesigned one piece or aftermarket plugs will solve that issue.
Guess it was a completely different animal, but I miss my 82 Crown Vic! Paint lasted fine, but the trunk did rust out (replaced it myself with sheet metal) That was a bulletproof beast, the 5.0 worked fine.
I miss the days of the OLD C-4 and C-6 transmissions... And engines that you didn't need an MIT Degree to tune properly. These Vics and Grand Marquis are decent cars... But still too expensive to repair properly for me. Anything older than about 1985 is best in my opinion... You do it once and it's DONE for 100,000 miles. The "old" ones might not get quite as much fuel mileage as the newer ones, but there a damn sight more reliable.
That intake manifold was a recall in 98 I had to get that replaced on my Marquis some years ago before I could get it fixed I had to make sure I kept a few gallons of water, the replacement is metal
218,350 miles and no trans fail...yet! I had a spark plug bail out on me once. I'm looking for better heads all the way around, just not sure what fits off any mustangs...
Nice vid, very informative! About to get one to daily! 2000 civilian model with 199,000 miles. It'll need some TLC but looking forward to the adventure!
I've had MANY cvpis and transmissions have always gone bad around 150k miles and water pumps go bad around the same. I've also had issues with water getting into the wiper module and making the wipers stop working or on one the module caught fire from arching
I have owned a former duty Sarge1999 CVPI P71 for almost two years. Yes, it was abused, but with only 100,000KM (62000 miles or so) The shocks were weak (Turned out nonP71, reg Crown Vic) use a sawzall to get the top nuts off the rear shocks, do not screw around! Ball joints (Mark them with paint no need for alignment) Fuel pump (Uber easy, comes out the front of the tank, just remove a few exhaust hangars) biggest issue was belt squeal! Took me a while, but had to use a continental belt (Aggggg, German!) as the AC Delco ones where too thin on the grooves . Twice the price however! Oh, coolant tank cap seal failure (Wondering why I could smell coolant now and again, add a bit every few gas fills. Then one day after some "Spirited driving" smell was large, popped the hood and coolant on the top of the tank. Cheap fix! As to headlights, got replacements cheaper through ford than anywhere else! BTW I hate Fords! But not this beast! 🙂
Outer rear end bearings, intake manifold, alternator, power to dashboard, horn. Rust on fenders. A Beast. So far.... p.s. the "fog lights" are fixed by pulling them out, pulling them apart and re-gluing them solid. Or so I'm told (it's on the list...)...
I had a 2001 Police Interceptor several years ago. I loved that car but the check engine light stayed on and there was a gas smell that concerned me so I got rid of it. I am however, looking for another one!
I have an 04 police interceptor that was a detectives untit. I had the ac fixed after I bought it because it would only blow hot, but now that it's fixed whenever you are driving when you give it gas. The air switches from vent or max across to defrost. If you let off the gas and idle down it switches back to vent.
Sounds like a vacuum issue. When you go full throttle the engine pulls less vacuum so it doesn’t have enough extra to overcome whatever is leaking so it defaults to “vent” which is what it always does when there’s a large vacuum leak (that’s the default position it always goes back to at atmosphere for safety to keep the window clear). Then when you let off the petal it pulls more vacuum again, overcomes the leak and goes back to the position you have it set on. If I was a betting man I’d say you have a small vacuum leak somewhere in the HVAC lines. Pull that HVAC control out of the dash it’s super easy and start tracing those vacuum lines back.
The instrutment panel cluster's on them was prone too fluctuating gauge's and or lights burning out every 3-6 years depending on how much you drive them and would have too be rebuilt and or replaced....
It is also worth noting that refueling can be a tricky affair on these Panthers. I've had two different Panthers in my days and BOTH OF THEM would shut off the fuel pump after a two-second stint. Letting it trickle in helps, but come on, that is NOT an adequate solution. Oh yeah, and turning the nozzle upside-down doesn't work. Any ideas?
I have a 2001 Town Car, already had to fix the intake manifold. I have moisture in one of the headlights. Is there a gasket problem causing this moisture infiltration? I don't really like having moisture around part of the electrical system because it might cause a short across a light socket, or rust the socket and cause a bad connection. I also replaced the entire front suspension with a $300 kit (metal parts with bushings already installed) from Amazon because I could not even align it before.
I think they are just not sealed well. It’s not a gasket it’s just whatever material they used to seal them. I think they’re between 50-100 bucks for a brand new one on eBay.
I own a used P74 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sport sedan: 2005. 182500mi+. I've owned it since 2020. The engine intake manifold is 💩💩💩💩. My gasket seals leak coolant & the manifold needs replaced. My cousin did a repair fix but it's not meant to be long term solution. Crown Vics have solid reputations but as a long term P74 owner, I can tell you it will take $$$ 🤑 to fix, maintain a 2000s era Crown Vic 🔧.
They were awesome cars. Reliable, comfortable, lasted a long time and were, with a couple of mods quite decent. Easy to work on for the most. I wonder how many km were covered by all the Crown Vic taxis and police vehicles in America alone? Admittedly heavy on fuel but then again, every coin has two sides.
On the Lincoln Town Car ('07), there are 5 HVAC actuators. 2 are easy, 1 is middling, and 2 require dash removal and by removal, I mean moving the dash about 15 inches, not REMOVAL. Pro tip: Replace all 5 and with Rock Auto Motorcrafts, not 3rd party. And don't grab any from Pick 'n Pull. Just buying someone else's potential problems. Hope you never have to do the fuel pump replacement. Yikes! Gotta pull the tank AND replace with special breakaway bolts. You forgot the potential swimming pool in the passenger backseat footwell.
11 years ago I drove a crown Vic cab and it had over 430,000 miles on the original engine it did burn oil because I could smell it inside the car and I had to add like a quart every few days but otherwise it ran perfect.
-The paint issues are mostly on the white cars, they used a different primer that was absolute crap. -The intake that's made by Dorman is a Non-PI intake, You loose power by using it and the build quality is crap. Spend the extra and get the Ford PI unit. (PI= Performance improved) -The spark plug issue needs to be fixed with a Cal-Van Insert, If it's properly done, the spark plug will sit at the correct height. The problem is that people don't torque them properly. 18-20 ft.lbs -Transmissions usually fail because guys flush the trans, I know because I did it and ended up doing a manual swap because it started slipping. Just drain and refill it if the ATF is dark (burned)
Just swapped trans in my 02. 185k on the clock. Its been having torque converter shutter for some time. Then 1-2 shift shutter. Pulled pan on trans. Bunch of clutch material. All good now. Got a 48k trans cheap.
I own a 2002 crown vic with pnly 47,000 miles. Window tracking replacement and blower motor done. Also had to devalue the car by replacing air suspension with springs. Bags disintegrated. Wouldnt trade my crown vic for anything. Safest car i ever owned
I have owned 12 CVPIS. One car had to replace the drive the drive axle because the seal blew out. One had to replace a water pump. Other wise all have been trouble free.
Yeah my 2005 grand marquis just gave out with its break lights, they are on, but when aachually using the breaks don’t flash. Aswell as my hear and ac unit don’t work, the blower might be out cause I fixed my vacume valve, but I still have no air, and I can’t find a fix
I have a 2008 P71, Transmission failed, Rebuilt, failed again, rebuilt, electrics not working, hesitates to shift, suggested I flash the ECU, only happens in overdrive, drives fine when od/off
Dorman intake manifolds and even Ford OEM and Ford Performance Improved intake manifolds are all plastic and will eventually fail again. The only failsafe intake is the Professional Products Typhoon intake manifold which is an all-aluminum and much deeper than all other options. This will not only bullet proof your engine, but it will help you gain high end horsepower. The only problem is they cost around $1,000 used and they require a few extra steps to install.
@@pnwvibe3123 It was sadly discontinued a few years ago, and back when it was in production. Pretty sure they only cost $300-$500 new. The came in satin and polished aluminum which mimics chrome. The reality is though if you have a nice Panther, this part is definitely worth the money and the time to install.
And if you're in a pinch, you're forced to get a Dorman intake manifold since Ford discontinued it's actual PI Intake and are really hard to get. You'll suffer up to 10-20hp loss.
They began making crown vics with the updated manifold in 2003. I too had to replace my intake manifold due to the bullcrap leaking plastic. And i too have at least one spark plug chamber with cross-threaded issues that came before i owned the car. But other than that, the car takes care of me.
I own an 04 grand marquis and easily the best car ive ever owned, all ive done is replaced the intake manifold, on its 2nd battery, and did the oring fix on the climate control. The spark plugs shouldnt be an issue if you replace them every 50k miles or 5 years, and tq them to 20ft lbs instead of the factory recommended 13-14lbs, i have 165k on mine and never had a spark plug issue😊
As a former police fleet mechanic, to the issues you have listed, I would add rear axle wheel bearings wearing into the axle shafts and broken exhaust manifold studs. Even with these problems, these are incredibly tough and reliable vehicles.
Had that happen to me a few weeks ago bearing and seal were toast also dropped my spider gears out pain in the ass luckily I got them in first try
I had to replace axle shafts on my 04 Marauder. There was a recall on this
@gatlandc damn mines an 04 so for sure getting some beefed up ones
Is it worth buying these as commuter cars?
@Tismus I've owned mine for about a year haven't had any issues besides the axel but I'm sure it was due do previous owners I do 8 hour drives with it here and there for work does amazing spacey quick nice and tough ita my daily
The paint peel has to do with the water based paint used at the factory. It wasn't just fleet cars, any of the 'Performance White' or 'Vibrant White' cars (code WT) could suffer this fate. Similar with metallic gray (silver) paint. It has to do with adhesion on the primer. On the blend door actuator - pulling back the dash isn't very difficult and makes the whole job easier than simply removing the airbag alone. The blend door actuators on the manual and automatic systems are located in the same place, but they are different so make sure you get the right one for your system! Re: the ABS module - they are interchangeable from 2003 through 2008, but 2009 and later will throw an ABS light on your dash if the VIN in the module does not match the VIN in the PCM. On the intake manifold, ONLY use the Ford intake unless you want to do it again! Remember - quality doesn't cost, it pays. The Dorman intake at Autozone/O'Reilly etc is only marginally cheaper than the Ford intake online but you're talking 2 years replacement (Dorman) vs. 8-10 years (Ford). The Ford part numbers are 3W7Z-9424-AE (2001-2005) and 9W7Z-9424-A (2006+). The only difference between the two is a temp sensor port on the 3W part that isn't on the 9W part (you can get a 3/8 NPT plug and use the 3W part on all of them 2001+). The 'updated' Dorman part is updated from the NPI part and on a PI engine (2001+), will cause a net HP/torque LOSS of around 10 and 10 over the Ford part. The silicone O-ring 'gaskets' on the Dorman part are known to fail. Re: the 'rocket plugs'. This was a problem on 2004 on down engines. This is because they had only half threads on them (the threaded portion was similar to what you would find on an iron head and was only half the length of the spark plugs 'reach'. For the 2005 model year, heads were revised and have full reach threads. Any rocket plugs that occur on these revised heads are 100% due to negligence in spark plug installation - follow Ford's recommendation of 20 lb ft torque here! Re: transmission failure. Yeah, this one isn't what it seems on the surface. Of course the transmission is going to retire from living after 150,000 miles of sending it! These things are ABUSED in service, 150k out of such a trans doesn't mean it's junk; it means it's pretty solid. A TH350 transmission in a 1972 Impala, for example (a civilian car, not a police model) was considered GREAT when it would last 75k miles. Keep this in mind before you throw shade at the 4R7xx transmissions!
Agree👍👍
Agreed on the trans failures - our 05 Grand Marquis went 210k before it decided not to move in forward but was fine in reverse. Oreilly 3 yr warranty rebuilt trans is in and the car is back to like new running. We had a 65 Impala years ago and around 75 to 90k the Powerglide needed a rebuild, I rebuilt it twice as we sold it with 250k on it (about 25k on the 2nd rebuild) but those old transmissions were easy to rebuild on a picnic table in the back yard
I had to replace my blend door and intake on my '02 GM LSE and I did do the dash removal and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be except when I put it back in I didn't have 100% centered so it rubs on the right side. I just need to loosen a few bolts to fix that. I hear its about a $1K job at the dealer for a $40 part if Motorcraft. I also knew my car came with a PI intake but, didn't have one on it when I replaced so it was already replaced once before at least. I also noticed the Ford intake uses metal inserts and machine screws for the coils and injector rails whereas the aftermarket used self tapping screws. I ended up having to go to the pick and pull to find the machine screws since the dealer didn't have them. I did immediately notice the HP difference. I also had a rocket plug and bought the kit that does the tap and die with the head on. I fixed it in less than 30 minutes and that was because it was my first time as trying to be as careful as possible. I could probably cut that time in half on each cylinder. As log as you make sure both valves are closed you can blow out the shavings and I've had no issues more than a year later. It was cheaper to buy the kit to do all 8 cylinders but, only did the one so far. I have Spruce Metallic Green color and I think because the car was garage kept most of its life and wash and waxes regularly. The LSE is like the LX Sport CV and car drives fantastic for what it is.
@@RedBud315 The Autotecnica intakes use the original mounting hardware (i.e. machine screws) and don't seem to depower the engine like the Dorman does, however it does use the same gasketing method as the Dorman so time will tell how good these are. I've installed a couple of these intakes onto Mesa police vehicles - they seem solid in that service, so again time will tell. On the spark plug thing, did you use the Dorman repair kit that uses the 3v style spark plug, or did you use a TimeSert/Calvan kit?
@@theautisticmechanic The aftermarket one that was on my car that failed leaked at the base of the heater hose to firewall connection and the gaskets were fine. When it leaked the water ran down the back of the engine and looked like it was coming out of the bell housing area at the bottom. All in all I'm glad it failed since I now have a factory PI intake and the lost power back. I used the Calvan kit and was super impressed at how easy it was. Once you do a few I think you can easily do them less than 15 minutes each. The guide to keep the bore and tap straight works great although I hear don't use it forever. I don't have a fleet of Panthers so I only plan on 8 times max. I did take my time to make sure all the shavings were clear. Definitely use a bore scope to do so.
I have a 2010 Merc. w/268 k miles. She runs great. I do have the water in headlights, and the diverter for heat is stuck halfway between defrost and heat which is doable. I recently had a skip in the engine very noticeable. The intake manifold leaked coolant over a sparkplug. Lucky parts are available and I have a handy mechanic. Great vid!
All you have to do is get the smallest drill bit you can find and take out headlight preferably and drill a small pinhole in the bottom most corner of headlight or tail light.(I did it for my tail lights)
I have owned 5 Panther Platform cars with the 4.6 and have replaced the intake on every single one, I really isn't all that hard with a 24 pack of beer and 6 hours of free time.
Great video. Pulling the dash out isn't too bad. It's just screws, nuts & bolts, and electrical connectors. I replaced my blend door actuator, in my garage, by myself. Saved a bundle!
I have that problem too. How long did it take it?
@@carle5538 One day to pull it out, and one day to put it back in. I wasn't in a hurry and took plenty of breaks, and I also replaced the heater core while I was in there.
On the sparkplug repair, after we drilled and tapped we put a small piece of tube on a shop vac and were able to vacuum everything out of the cylinder. Thanks for the video, super helpful.
I think the "transmission failure" thing is a myth rather than reality. Folks having transmission problems aren't doing fluid and filter changes or are revving up the engine and then throwing it in drive or similar abusive things. Otherwise they run as good or better than any other transmission
Agreed, the 4R7xx transmission is stout. They have their weaknesses like everything, but if you take care of them they will take care of you. My only gripe with them has to do with the diameter of the direct clutch. Of course this is because it's set back into the reverse drum and therefore there is a size limit - but this one clutch takes the entire load of the engine when the transmission is in overdrive under power. If your 4R7xx starts slipping in OD one day 'out of the blue', it is likely this clutch and not the OD band.
4R70W’s are legendary, point plank period, they do the job they were made to do, I’ve never had a problem with either of mine
@@shaneomac5074I have an 09 Grand Marquis with 99k miles and drive like a Grandma. Out of nowhere wrench light on dash and I have to take the rpms to 4k+ to get it into gear from neutral. After that it will shift smooth all the way through 4th but come another red light and it doesn't want to go into gear.
@@redlegs8184 that’s weird, have you ever changed or checked the fluid? I have an 04 with 175k miles and it still shifts brand new, and a 97 f150 with the same transmission still shifts great after 200k miles, they’re great transmissions if you take care of them, my dad also has an 01 f150 with the 4r70w tranny with 240k miles still shifts fine
@@redlegs8184 could be something as simple as a small fluid leak somewhere, low or old burnt transmission fluid is the most common reason for sudden problems like that, when my truck ran low it would hesitate on shifts and slip a little bit, and it would make a loud bang on downshifts, filled it with fresh fluid and filter and fixed the seal leak and it’s a champ again, you could try a Lucas transmission fix additive if all else fails, that stuff actually works well it isn’t snake oil
Hi Here's a little insight into the paint thing. For 30 years I was an ASE and Ford certified tech at the dealer so I've seen much of this stuff. If you notice almost without exception it was the white cars that the paint falls off. First also make note that in those years not only did Ford have this problem but did all domestic brands likewise. The manufacturers were all using a water based primer and for whatever reason the white paint did not adhere to it. As for the EATC control head it's pretty easy to fix by replacing the o-rings. The spark plug coming out thing was primarily on the #3 cylinder because at the engine assembly plant the machine that installed the spark plugs the #3 spark plug installer was not set correctly, too loose, and they would eventually work themselves out and damaging the threads in the process.
I have both an 04 CV and an 03 Marauder and both have only 90K and the transmissions work great.
Ok so admittedly I fastforwarded through bits of this. But by my reckoning you failed to mention one of the most common failure points on these cars and that is the control arm bushings. Literally EVERY single panther platform car that I have ever personally popped the hood on, had cracked and dry rotted upper control arm bushings. People talk crap about Ford ball joints and NEVER draw the logical conclusion that if you drive around with failed control arm bushings, then that ball joint is taking all of the stress single handedly. If you buy one of these cars, be prepared to replace the uppers immediately and the lowers eventually.
The 2nd most common failure point that you failed to mention is the power steering pumps. They cannot handle continuous high RPM thrashing and will for sure begin leaking and eventually will go bad.
The water pump bearings are notoriously bad. Brake calipers love to start sticking. Timing chains and guides love to get slack and allow the chain to start slapping around.
The key to buying a panther car of any year model and style is to find one with really low mileage that has been well maintained. Just remember that cheap hot rodding isn't so cheap!
Good points
Your point out some of the more common problems.
Great addition to this post. Sure as shit…I just bought a 98 P71 and the upper bushings are shot lol. Like …REALLY BAD!
@@xxxnobodyxxx64 yep. I just bought an 08, and I looked at an 09 before I bought it. Both need upper control arms immediately.
Yea this is true. My 99 has dry rotted control arm bushings. U can oil them and it doesn't matter. Still squeaks. Sounds like a ball joint squeak but both can get bad quickly
I've owned about 6 P71'S, 2 Marquis & found out some good info from you today namely the heater control problems and who makes the aluminum intake manifold.. Good video
Is aluminum intake manifold better than the other one??
I've had a 1984 Crown Vic and 2004 Grand Marquis that I inherited from my grandfather a couple of years ago. No problems with the Granny Marquis so far except for the driver window being off track, but the CrownVic had the problem where is would just stop running sometimes, when it was hot mainly. I think it was something with the ignition module but it's been a while since I've had that.
Get a junkyard Motorcraft module for $5. Better than new chinesium, trust me... They're all crapp regardless of price or brand.
Buy a screw removal tool and a spare module, you'll need it someday on the side of the road. Lol
An issue I had with my 2001 CVP71 that I felt odd about was when the brake light switch didn't work, I couldn't put the car into gear. The gear selector wouldn't come out of park even when the car was started and running. So if this happens to you, check the connections to the brake light switch and the brake light switch itself to make sure it's operating.. One sign is to see if you have brake lights if it doesn't go into gear. ..
Have a 99 Civ Model. Same thing happened to me, Two times actually. Couldn't shift into gear until i did the "Brake-Shift Interlock" trick. Then 4 months down the line after new fuses and a new brake light switch my brake lights stayed on for 4 hours straight while I was working and completely destroyed my wires for the switch.
@@ProdGageDuVal have the same issue did you end up repairing it? I have a brand new switch but it acts the same as the old one where the brake lights only come on if I turn on the head lights. I was driving one day and heard sizzling probably the wires went out..
I live near Phoenix. My headlights do not have condensation in them, but they were hazed. I polished them out with some stuff from Autozone. Worked pretty good.
It's only white Crown Vics, and pretty much ALL white American cars that have peeling paint
.
The thing you are talking about with the climate control system that fails is the blend door actuator. It mixes warm air from the heater core with cool air from the A/C evaporator to control the temperature. It's a little plastic box, with a little electric motor and plastic gears in it. The gears strip real easy. It is a real pain to get to. You have to remove the trim piece that goes across the dash, the glove box, the passenger air bag, and behind the air bag is a piece of duct work that goes to the far right dash vent. I took a three foot piece of rebar, ground the end into a chisel, then stuck it back under the dash through the air bag opening, and using a hammer, broke the thing up into pieces and it fell out. I didn't bother replacing it, here in Phoenix we don't need heat. I jammed a small piece of wood under the little arm attached to the blend door to hold it in the full A/C position
I have a civilian model, with the automatic climate control. I was able to repair mine by replacing the silicone O rings. There is a video on RUclips that even tells you where to get the right O rings. It's not as hard to repair as it first seems. My repair has lasted several years. But because that blend door actuator back behind the dash failed, I no longer have defrost. A/C only.
So far my ABS module and manifold have not failed. If the ABS module fails, I'll probably just leave it alone. My spark plugs are still ok. I have an '06 model, with 321,000 miles on it, the transmission still works fine. The Ford AOD transmission is actually quite reliable, but you need to maintain them way more often than what Ford says. Dorman makes a transmission pan with a drain plug in it. I drain the pan (about 5 quarts) and replace it every 9,000 miles, and drop the pan (after draining it) and replace the fluid and filter every 27,000 miles. It's so easy with that drain plug.
Another thing that failed on mine was the rear air suspension. The air bags rotted and started leaking, letting the rear end sag almost all the way to the ground. They are super expensive to replace, but there is a cheap way to fix that problem. A few companies sell coil springs to replace the air bags with for under $200. That's what I did, and it works just fine.
Bags aren't real high. Less then $200 for good ones. If you ruined the pump, that's another 250.
The lines get full of water if the filter at the pump doesn't get changed. Blow them out.
If you put a Dorman intake on your Crown Vic you can expect to replace it within two years. It's a known quality control issue. The part that fails on the intake isn't the upper plastic but rather the plastic and gasket under the thermostat housing. Dorman's is made of plastic too and their gaskets are poorly made. An alternative is the aluminium intake: 1999-2004 Ford Mustang 4.6L Professional Products Intake Manifold 2V GT Typhoon.
Where can I get 1 from
Would this Ford Mustang aluminum intake fit on a 2008 Crown Vic LX and interceptor?
If you can find one, it's excellent. They've been out of production for a number of years now, and they sell online for at least $1,000. But yes, they're all aluminum and it'll be the last one you ever buy.
@@carle5538Yes, it's the same basic intake except in aluminum.
@@theautisticmechanic I went on line to look at them. You were right. They are the exact same thing for the years that you mentioned, but their price is several times more than the Dorman intake manifold, still I think metal wins over plastic. I would buy the Mustang type. Thanks my friend for the info.
Wait until your tire passes you on the freeway because these's no grease fittings anywhere on the front end or you slam into a tree because the intermediate steering shaft locks up from rust.
The Doreman intakes are smaller and reduce amount of air going to the combustion chambers. I ordered the ford racing intake because it matches the size of the factory intake.
I successfully rebuilt my own EATC (temp control) module and replaced all 4 of the #006 o-rings from a kit from Harbor Freight which contained 22 of that size.
dont break things to get the blend door actuator out. The dash comes out so easy in like 1 hour
I saw one comment from a Ford mechanic who said he did so many of them he could have the dash out and back in in 40 minutes. It definitely took me more than one hour but, that was because I was taking every step as slow as possible. For instance all those snap in plastic parts sure make you think you're going to break them when you remove them such as my center console and floor shifter.
My 06 P71 has been my daily driver for 8 years. I bought it with 92K, and the trans let go 3 days later. I had it rebuilt by a local fleet mechanic, and I've put 110K miles on it with no issues. The only other common issue I had was the intake. It split where the heater hose goes in the rear. I lost my Odometer display when I hit 190K, but it occasionally with light up and tell me the mileage. That's a common issue with the Vics. All in all, it's been a great car, and I still daily drive it!!
my odometer used to come back on, now it is permanently gone along with my speedometer and gas guages, along with the temperature meter.. so basically my entire cluster minus one symbol is out, all I get to see is the airbag symbol lol
I've had my 2008 P71 since 2012, and you were right on target! They ONLY thing I haven't seen yet is the spark plug issue - everything else I have seen and gone through. I put a remanufactured tranny in back in 2020. I had the ABS module go out TWICE, first on the original and second on a reman. Both headlights were replaced with OEM units, at around $50 a piece I thought it was worth it. I also had the rear axles done last year, they both went well over 200,000 miles. Anyway, great vid!
Good video, clear talk. I imported in France a chief personal Crown vic with civilian interior and 240 idle hours and got none of these issues, finger crossed. But got another stupid problem as soon as it rains a lot, the wiper motor shuts off. Bad water drain, I cleaned it twice because leaves and dirt acumulate here.
All these issues listed make me wonder : what is a reliable car? I had a volvo 240, simple and strong engine, not powerful tho, I guess it was the definition of reliable. Sorry for bad english.
Stick a small block in that Volvo 👍👍👍
@@hotrodray6802 I sold that volvo to buy my cvpi. And I live in Europe, it's not that easy to do a swap with a v8 smallblock !
The most common reason for blow by on a 4.6 l is tuning the car up by removing the spark plugs without first cleaning out each spark plug well with compressed air
Beautiful analysis. You are our man my friend. Thank you for the great video.
Thank you for such an informative video. My brother owned 2 CVPI's and I was sad when he sold them.
You should also talk about instrumentation failure
Any Panther platform suffers from the transmission problems. We just replaced the 4R70W in our 05 Grand Marquis but it had 210k miles on it when it failed where it wouldnt move forward but would in reverse. Got a rebuilt from OReilly that has a 3 yr warranty that is tied to the vehicle by VIN and is transferrable if you sell the car. $2k for the transmission and $600 for a local shop to do the remove and replace the transmission and put the needed Mercon V fluid in. I do have to replace the blend door actuator this spring but it's not really that bad and last year I repaired the AETC auto temp control unit with new o-rings.
I’m having coolant issues on the intake manifold on my 2008 ford crown Victoria this gave me some relief 😭
Like mine, the 2010-2011 CV Police interceptors have P7B instead of P71, in case anyone ever needed to know that.
I had a 2004 CVPI P71. Someone crashed into me and totalled it. I survived well for a almost a full head on. I had bought a P71 logo sweatshirt, so I needed another P71! Lol! Got one! Smoking deal! Yes, prices are going up and harder to find in Southern california
The ones with white paint peel I haven't seen too many other colors have that issue.
I used to have a ‘99 P71 (former detective version that was metallic gray with faux-chrome hubcaps) that I put 200k miles on before I traded it in for a Ranger. Some of the problems I had to deal with are similar to yours with the exception of the paint, which stayed perfect. It still had a lot of life left in it when I got rid of it at 276k miles, but the head gasket was failing and I was not as mechanically inclined as I am now.
U know it's funny u say that because I too have a 99 and the paint has stayed very nice on it surprisingly. Idk if they did something a little different that year but it makes u wonder
I think the P71 Detective cars are the best ones to try and pick up since they will have a lot less idle running time than a patrol car does. I think they call it the CAP(Civilian Appearance Package) option.
Hey thanks a lot there. I appreciate this video very much I have a 2011 Kentucky police interceptor.. I started watching these videos cuz I have to replace a window regulator but I'm real glad I ran into yours and then 11 things to look for...
We all, still owners of a panther platform-made cars, in the form of Crown Vics, Grand Marquis and Town Cars; should feel fortunate to deal with potential few challenges attributable more to time rather than the many challenges, when it comes to those unibody SUVs.
It is sad to learn that Ford ended repeating the auto inflicted damage, that GM did back in the 80s, not keeping specialized in what even the japanese industry tried but never achieved.
Now that Ford may be in the corner of a Chapter 11, I wish they may finally get rid of the SUV's me-too movement.
I have got a 2004 Crown Victoria LX. The issues I have had, is in the Headlight control box. The headlight suddenly disappear. There are 4 mini relays on controlboard that can burn. Idid soldered and replaced all 4 relay's with some better Omrons. Now it works fine for a long time. The next was accumulator/ dryfilter for the AC. There is a Plastic ''bottle'' rapped around this unit and this cause some water storage in the bottom, and cause rusting problem with hole and leakage in the bottom. Someone drill a drainhole in this plastic container for solveing this problem. And then the servo steering control valve. Mine did get leakage, which causes uneven steering. My friend has the same car, and has had no issues. Im the unfortunate gu.y But all these parts are sheap and very easy to repair. We live in Norway and love these cars,
Performance white is also know as peelformance white for the panther community
my 09 has 209k miles and I have had none of these issues yet, been driving it for 8 years now, only issue i had was coolant leak at the thermostat housing, had to take that manifold off and seal the entire thing, luckily my brother helped me out, we did it in 2 hours but he knew what he was doing so it helped alot with speed
Un-employed for the last 7 years, traded 4 months of food stamps for one of those 3 years ago. filthy porta john on wheels it was, 1994 4.6L Thunderbird... got a new transmission at 175'000 miles. over heats on the interstate with the AC on, needs an engine oil cooler.
Let's not forget the water leak on the right side cowl. Where the hvac intake is.
You don’t need the abs brakes. It will still work regular brakes. Ford change the intakes to aluminum for the 2002 model year.
Yeah that's what they told me.series 3 panthers (2002-2011)were upgraded to aluminum gaskets.2005 cars are the ones with the transmission problems.2002 cars have timing belt issues.
Amazon has new headlights with bulbs for less than 50.00
Ditch the $2 candle bulbs and get Phillips Night Vision 👍👍
Just found your channel. Considering getting a p71 this helped a lot! Now I know what to look for thanks!!
Are these cars comfy? Would you say that Lincoln town cars have same problems?
I attached an irrigation flag marker to the blender door after breaking out the actuator. I simply move the attached flag to adjust the cabin temperature
Always check for broken front springs on the P71,this will give a bumpy ABS on the pedal because the car will tend to nose dive and this overwhelms the ABS valve body and will engage,usually about a 3” section brakes off the very top of the spring and is buried,you can’t see it at first, but if changing the VB does not work and it still trips it’s 2 broken springs.
I just bought a 2000 P71 with CAP with 88k miles. It drives & shifts good. My problems are the window switchs & the air conditioner doesn't work. I'm excited to get into these cars.
I love my CVPI. It’s a great daily and it’s my first car so it’s a great car and a good first project car. Btw the 2010 and 2011 Vic’s will have P7B o stead of P71
I'm on my third panther and I've never had a spark plug eject
I have a beautiful 2006 Presidential Town Car, currently at 141k miles. I've changed the engine oil every 3k miles up to 100k miles, then every 2,500 miles after that. No transmission problems, 1st trans service at 75k miles, then every 25k miles after that. I serviced the differential at just over 100k miles, and will do that again at 150k miles and every 50k miles after that. I wonder if the trans problems some people have might be related to people who never service their transmission - although I did see other comments that the factory has a transmission cooler thermostat that can fail and cause a trans fluid over temperature problem leading to early trans failure. Mine has the same headlamp condensation issue, I may just heat them up, disassemble them, and place a new butyl seal between the lens and the housing. I did have an intake leaking coolant. I chose the Dorman for price and that Auto Zone offers a lifetime warranty on this part, and they always have them in stock. Supposedly the Dorman intake loses a couple of horsepower over the Ford intake, but I'm not racing so I don't care. For several years my car was infrequently used, and the master cylinder developed a slow leak - it was a cheap and easy fix to replace the master cylinder. My alternator went out at 110k, again I chose an Auto Zone new replacement with a lifetime warranty. I did get a noisy idler pulley, so I replaced it with the Continental brand kit that had a high quality serpentine belt, and both the idler pulley and the tensioner pully assembly. Both my upper front control arms have torn the ball joint boots, but the bushings and ball joints are still tight with no play - I'll replace the control arm assemblies some time this summer. I did add a cabin air filter - the one part Ford forgot, and I'll have to clean the evaporator core because it got a lot of dirt before I installed the cabin air filter. No other issues. Its been one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned, and I've owned more than 20 cars over my 47 years of driving.
New headlights are cheap, google or ebay..
My owners manual actually says my Limited Slip differential has a lifetime use gear oil that only needs to be replaced if you have a leak or it got submerged in water. I have an '02 GM LSE with the HPP.
@@RedBud315 I know what the manual says - keep in mind they consider 100k miles to be the lifetime and they want their cars to appear to need little maintenance. The owners manual is not meant for the owners who want to go 300k 500k or more miles. Now go ask your favorite service writer what service intervals that fleet operators use - that is when you see the 3k oil changes and transmission service every 30k and differential service every 100k. Since I'm just paying lube costs and I'm doing the labor its affordable for my intervals. Fresh oil is the easiest way to long trouble free life.
@@Thomas63r2 That is good to know about the diff. I've never known fluids to last forever however, I do know a 70+ year old farmer who says he never changes gear oil. As far as fluid changes go I have done at least 90% of my own oil changes since about 1981 and with all the other fluids I might farm out a little bit more.
@@RedBud315 The farm tractor operating at very low speeds its whole life is not the same as gears in a vehicle going 80 mph down the highway. I have done differential service on trucks and cars and have often found silvery differential oil especially on vehicles that have never had a differential service. That is actually a very fine grit that is wearing out the gears and bearings - getting it out will extend the life of the differential.
I've had most of these problems on my '07 P71. I've had my P71 for 13 years. I fived everything except the ABS. Keep an eye on the oil cooler, the O-rings can go bad on the older type.
My transmission blew up at 160k miles (2010 Vic) but I took that as a sign to manual swap it. Sooooo… silver linings?
Now that’s a glass half full if I’ve ever seen one.
My 2011 just blew 3 & 4 gear around 115,000 miles just did a full rebuild now I have 126,000 and runs like a champ. I also did her hard every day
Lmao, was it a police interceptor?
@@pnwvibe3123 it was a police interceptor. I’m not shocked the trans failed, I’m sure the cops that had it before me weren’t so easy on it lol. I am glad I got it manual swapped, it’s a worthwhile project, I highly recommend you try it even if your transmission doesn’t blow up!
@@kristophermahaffey5668 is there any RUclips videos of that being done
The Trans typically fails when it overheats because there is a thermostat in it that fails and remains closed causing it to not circulate. Then People have a slipping Trans because of the hot fluid and keep driving it to get home instead of having it towed immediately. Which then they replace the cooler with a free flow unit like a Hayden 403 for like $35. Otherwise the Trans are pretty stout. You can get a Scan Gauge to watch the temp too from the OBD II
This! Just picked up a 2009 P71 and I wanted to check the temps with forscan when I did the trans temp got up to 230 and stayed there. I ordered a trans cooler before I drive it anymore.
@@tylerlapointe3477 - excellent, there is another video here on YT showing vaguely how to install it. I did a bunch of research. It matters none if the cooler is mounted vertical or horizontal.
thanks for your advice. Do you recall where this thermostat is precisely located? Can it be readily serviced? Regarding the cooler, do you mean a separate Hayden trans cooler hooked in-line after it exits from the radiator port and then goes back to the trans, or a completely separate Hayden Trans cooler hooked only to the transmission (ignoring the cooler in the radiator for fear of coolant seeping into the trans fluid)?
@@garypaul1033 the thermostat in built in to the AC condenser and it cannot be readily serviced. What I did is buy a trans cooler off of summit racing for about $50 and bypass the one in the condenser. Now when I look at trans temps with highway driving it barely goes over 160 and city driving maybe 180. Regarding your concern for if the coolant will mix with the trans fluid even in the car had the cooler in the radiator it wouldn’t mix they are 2 separate systems
@@RustyZipperhorizontal tubes, in the bottom, out the top. Stops air bubbles.
I hear about the transmission failures also but I'm like you I've never had that issue and I've owned 4 CV. My last CV was an 08. I bought it with 160k and got it up to 245k before I sold it. Now my current 08 CV is at 155k. I bought it with 145k. The thing I have done with all my CV is dropped the pan and add Lucas. I'm not saying Lucas is the reason I've never had a transmission failure I'm just stating that's what I've done to all of my Crown Vics.
I think it all just depends on how it’s taken care of and how it’s driven. The way I drive, I bet mine will break eventually 😂
It does my reverse broke took it out fix's it now got to get sensor's but there the weakest point in them cars
I think most people neglect changing transmission fluid. I too am a believer in additives. I use Petron Plus with good results.
Your the man. Lucas is the ticket.
the intermediate steering shaft has a warrantee recall from Ford. If your steering feels stiff when turning, check with your dealer and get it changed for free
The worst is that damn 4.6 in every Ford and the heater core placement... Had a Grand Marquis, Crown Vic and F150. Every damn one the heater core went up around 150k. Dash off to replace, every one... The truck i used k-seal, not doing another. Otherwise bullet proof. The Grand Marquis dropped a plug, sounded like a jackhammer on the half mile i had to drive it home clanking. Heli- coiled it and started smooth as butter, drove it another 40k. Great motor, terrible heater core placement, probably due to easy assembly on the line.
Flush and change the acidic coolant every couple years and they won't eat your aluminum core and radiator.
I fixed my headlights the same way I found Volvo does. From factory the lights have weep holes for drainage. Found on my 86 760 wagon when installed headlight assembly up side down ( lboth side fit either side l had weep holes up and. Water filled lamp.
I like what you did on your video and there are a couple more for your next one.
The rear axel bearings were actually a recall and a very common failure. Then, there is the blower motor and the drivers window tracking. I've got 190K on my 2003 Grand Marquis and mine has very few issues and in fact looks like it's 3-5 years old.
Those are legit points. I believe ford fixed the spark plug issue in the late model vehicles. As for the trans, (don’t forget the diff) change the fluid often, how often? That’s up to the individual.
I replaced the AC compressor on my 2005 P71 with a new Murray Compressor. The coil was bad on the clutch assembly for the old AC Compressor so I decided to just change out the entire assembly. Don't let anyone kid you on this, it's a major job doing this change out lying on the ground with the corner of the car jacked up. Before I did any of this, I took it to a garage and had them remove all the refrigerant. The cost to have this job done at a garage is way over $1k. Remember to prime that new Compressor with the correct oil or you just flushed $400 down the drain. If I had to do this job for anyone else, I would charge a minimum of $400 plus the cost of the Compressor.
I would have just replaced the clutch for $50.
Ford has an up dated part number for the intake manifold. They had a class action law suit regarding that crossover leak issue. The Dorman part is sub standard and not worth the box it comes in .
Mine is an '05 P71 former Police Chief car. I'm almost at 170k. Mine had the transmission replaced, gotta 3 year warranty. Popped two lighting control modules in to keep my headlights/rear lights working. No issues with the heater blend door but do have issues going to floor vents... Gonna check that vacuum on the knob, thx. But my biggest issue is destroyed window regulators. Bought this car just before the pandemic and I've already swapped those regulators out 5 times total. So every window once and the driver's window twice.
Overall, absolutely love the car. Just installed all 8 ignition coils & plugs, made a huge difference. Never shot one out or cracked the intake manifold (yet) but I have plans to continue upgrading as things break. Gonna fix some paint and track down that ABS module problem (exactly as you described) but I'm curious about a supposed special tool required when swapping that ABS module? Something about holding the brake line pressure while doing that???
Replacing all coils... Order a kit for the V10 and have a couple spares. 😁😁
10:34 The "ejecting spark plug" issue isn't common to every Ford 4.6. There are a few similar spark plug issues among several Ford modular engine family variants that are common enough that it's gained a reputation.
Early cylinder heads from '91-96 didn't have issues, and late model heads from about 2008/9 onwards don't seem to cause trouble.
In the middle years, 2 valve and 4 valve aluminum heads had only 3 or 4 threads worth of engagement on the spark plug threads, and could fail if improperly torqued or not maintained and allowed to corrode. As long as plugs are changed at the recommended interval, and installed with anti-seize and proper torque, they will stay put.
3 valve cylinder heads from 2004-07 had more threads, but the plugs themselves (2-piece) could break apart during maintenance and leave a stump of an insulator in the hole, or drop pieces into the cylinder. Redesigned one piece or aftermarket plugs will solve that issue.
They fly out if you excessively floor your car
Guess it was a completely different animal, but I miss my 82 Crown Vic! Paint lasted fine, but the trunk did rust out (replaced it myself with sheet metal) That was a bulletproof beast, the 5.0 worked fine.
Sounds like it was a great animal..lol
I miss the days of the OLD C-4 and C-6 transmissions... And engines that you didn't need an MIT Degree to tune properly.
These Vics and Grand Marquis are decent cars... But still too expensive to repair properly for me.
Anything older than about 1985 is best in my opinion... You do it once and it's DONE for 100,000 miles.
The "old" ones might not get quite as much fuel mileage as the newer ones, but there a damn sight more reliable.
That intake manifold was a recall in 98 I had to get that replaced on my Marquis some years ago before I could get it fixed I had to make sure I kept a few gallons of water, the replacement is metal
218,350 miles and no trans fail...yet! I had a spark plug bail out on me once. I'm looking for better heads all the way around, just not sure what fits off any mustangs...
Nice vid, very informative! About to get one to daily! 2000 civilian model with 199,000 miles. It'll need some TLC but looking forward to the adventure!
I've had MANY cvpis and transmissions have always gone bad around 150k miles and water pumps go bad around the same. I've also had issues with water getting into the wiper module and making the wipers stop working or on one the module caught fire from arching
I have owned a former duty Sarge1999 CVPI P71 for almost two years. Yes, it was abused, but with only 100,000KM (62000 miles or so) The shocks were weak (Turned out nonP71, reg Crown Vic) use a sawzall to get the top nuts off the rear shocks, do not screw around! Ball joints (Mark them with paint no need for alignment) Fuel pump (Uber easy, comes out the front of the tank, just remove a few exhaust hangars) biggest issue was belt squeal! Took me a while, but had to use a continental belt (Aggggg, German!) as the AC Delco ones where too thin on the grooves . Twice the price however! Oh, coolant tank cap seal failure (Wondering why I could smell coolant now and again, add a bit every few gas fills. Then one day after some "Spirited driving" smell was large, popped the hood and coolant on the top of the tank. Cheap fix! As to headlights, got replacements cheaper through ford than anywhere else! BTW I hate Fords! But not this beast! 🙂
Outer rear end bearings, intake manifold, alternator, power to dashboard, horn. Rust on fenders.
A Beast. So far.... p.s. the "fog lights" are fixed by pulling them out, pulling them apart and re-gluing them solid. Or so I'm told (it's on the list...)...
pull the R/H side of the dash to do the blend door actuator. Much easier than going through the glove box.
Awesome video thank you sir
Crown Vic’s are getting rare and rare by the day it’s harder to find parts now
Ford tech here, 4R75 is incredibly stout and reliable and robust. P71 4r75s fail because idle hours weaken the pump
1999 Grand Marquis - fuel filter under the gas tank should be checked & changed 50,000 - 100,000 miles -
I had a 2001 Police Interceptor several years ago. I loved that car but the check engine light stayed on and there was a gas smell that concerned me so I got rid of it. I am however, looking for another one!
I have an 04 police interceptor that was a detectives untit. I had the ac fixed after I bought it because it would only blow hot, but now that it's fixed whenever you are driving when you give it gas. The air switches from vent or max across to defrost. If you let off the gas and idle down it switches back to vent.
Sounds like a vacuum issue. When you go full throttle the engine pulls less vacuum so it doesn’t have enough extra to overcome whatever is leaking so it defaults to “vent” which is what it always does when there’s a large vacuum leak (that’s the default position it always goes back to at atmosphere for safety to keep the window clear). Then when you let off the petal it pulls more vacuum again, overcomes the leak and goes back to the position you have it set on.
If I was a betting man I’d say you have a small vacuum leak somewhere in the HVAC lines. Pull that HVAC control out of the dash it’s super easy and start tracing those vacuum lines back.
The instrutment panel cluster's on them was prone too fluctuating gauge's and or lights burning out every 3-6 years depending on how much you drive them and would have too be rebuilt and or replaced....
In the philphines it still used by cops here and also the 2006 dodge chargers
Don't forget the ABS light that makes you think it's a wheel sensor when it's actually the ABS Module.
Yup, trans went out on my 06. I had to replace rack and pinion and window master control switches on my current 04 and previous 06
I hit almost all of those except transmission failure within a year of owning my 2009 P71
It is also worth noting that refueling can be a tricky affair on these Panthers. I've had two different Panthers in my days and BOTH OF THEM would shut off the fuel pump after a two-second stint. Letting it trickle in helps, but come on, that is NOT an adequate solution.
Oh yeah, and turning the nozzle upside-down doesn't work. Any ideas?
Those headlights were pretty cheap on Rockauto
I have a 2001 Town Car, already had to fix the intake manifold. I have moisture in one of the headlights. Is there a gasket problem causing this moisture infiltration? I don't really like having moisture around part of the electrical system because it might cause a short across a light socket, or rust the socket and cause a bad connection. I also replaced the entire front suspension with a $300 kit (metal parts with bushings already installed) from Amazon because I could not even align it before.
I think they are just not sealed well. It’s not a gasket it’s just whatever material they used to seal them. I think they’re between 50-100 bucks for a brand new one on eBay.
I own a used P74 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sport sedan: 2005. 182500mi+. I've owned it since 2020. The engine intake manifold is 💩💩💩💩. My gasket seals leak coolant & the manifold needs replaced. My cousin did a repair fix but it's not meant to be long term solution. Crown Vics have solid reputations but as a long term P74 owner, I can tell you it will take $$$ 🤑 to fix, maintain a 2000s era Crown Vic 🔧.
They were awesome cars. Reliable, comfortable, lasted a long time and were, with a couple of mods quite decent. Easy to work on for the most. I wonder how many km were covered by all the Crown Vic taxis and police vehicles in America alone? Admittedly heavy on fuel but then again, every coin has two sides.
On the Lincoln Town Car ('07), there are 5 HVAC actuators. 2 are easy, 1 is middling, and 2 require dash removal and by removal, I mean moving the dash about 15 inches, not REMOVAL. Pro tip: Replace all 5 and with Rock Auto Motorcrafts, not 3rd party. And don't grab any from Pick 'n Pull. Just buying someone else's potential problems. Hope you never have to do the fuel pump replacement. Yikes! Gotta pull the tank AND replace with special breakaway bolts. You forgot the potential swimming pool in the passenger backseat footwell.
11 years ago I drove a crown Vic cab and it had over 430,000 miles on the original engine it did burn oil because I could smell it inside the car and I had to add like a quart every few days but otherwise it ran perfect.
The 3 dollar bushing 😢
The air conditioning evaporator coil also known to fail on some years, my 03 has failed and I’ve known others also.
Heater cores are failure prone if the coolant isn't changed every 2 years.
-The paint issues are mostly on the white cars, they used a different primer that was absolute crap.
-The intake that's made by Dorman is a Non-PI intake, You loose power by using it and the build quality is crap. Spend the extra and get the Ford PI unit. (PI= Performance improved)
-The spark plug issue needs to be fixed with a Cal-Van Insert, If it's properly done, the spark plug will sit at the correct height. The problem is that people don't torque them properly. 18-20 ft.lbs
-Transmissions usually fail because guys flush the trans, I know because I did it and ended up doing a manual swap because it started slipping. Just drain and refill it if the ATF is dark (burned)
My Panther is a 2007 Michigan Police retired - 207,000 going strong!!! Love her.
AIR CONDITIONER CANISTER SUCKS
ON THE 3rd
My transmission is still going strong at 300k miles. Love it and wouldn't trade it for the world
Just swapped trans in my 02. 185k on the clock. Its been having torque converter shutter for some time. Then 1-2 shift shutter. Pulled pan on trans. Bunch of clutch material. All good now. Got a 48k trans cheap.
I own a 2002 crown vic with pnly 47,000 miles. Window tracking replacement and blower motor done. Also had to devalue the car by replacing air suspension with springs. Bags disintegrated. Wouldnt trade my crown vic for anything. Safest car i ever owned
I have owned 12 CVPIS. One car had to replace the drive the drive axle because the seal blew out. One had to replace a water pump. Other wise all have been trouble free.
Yeah my 2005 grand marquis just gave out with its break lights, they are on, but when aachually using the breaks don’t flash.
Aswell as my hear and ac unit don’t work, the blower might be out cause I fixed my vacume valve, but I still have no air, and I can’t find a fix
Thank you for pointing all of that out to us!
I have a 2008 P71, Transmission failed, Rebuilt, failed again, rebuilt, electrics not working, hesitates to shift, suggested I flash the ECU, only happens in overdrive, drives fine when od/off
Dorman intake manifolds and even Ford OEM and Ford Performance Improved intake manifolds are all plastic and will eventually fail again. The only failsafe intake is the Professional Products Typhoon intake manifold which is an all-aluminum and much deeper than all other options. This will not only bullet proof your engine, but it will help you gain high end horsepower. The only problem is they cost around $1,000 used and they require a few extra steps to install.
That’s sick that someone makes an aluminum intake. That sucks that she’s a grand tho
@@pnwvibe3123 It was sadly discontinued a few years ago, and back when it was in production. Pretty sure they only cost $300-$500 new. The came in satin and polished aluminum which mimics chrome. The reality is though if you have a nice Panther, this part is definitely worth the money and the time to install.
They're no longer made, which is why they're $1k *when* one is available.
@@theautisticmechanic There are tons of them on Ebay, some less than $1k. Probably quite a few still floating around in junkyards
We can't forget about the Valve Seals 😁
My 94 TC was horrible.
And if you're in a pinch, you're forced to get a Dorman intake manifold since Ford discontinued it's actual PI Intake and are really hard to get. You'll suffer up to 10-20hp loss.
They began making crown vics with the updated manifold in 2003. I too had to replace my intake manifold due to the bullcrap leaking plastic. And i too have at least one spark plug chamber with cross-threaded issues that came before i owned the car. But other than that, the car takes care of me.
I own an 04 grand marquis and easily the best car ive ever owned, all ive done is replaced the intake manifold, on its 2nd battery, and did the oring fix on the climate control. The spark plugs shouldnt be an issue if you replace them every 50k miles or 5 years, and tq them to 20ft lbs instead of the factory recommended 13-14lbs, i have 165k on mine and never had a spark plug issue😊