Few questions.
EricD313
06-29-2010, 03:13 AM
Hi all, new to AF and to owning a Crown Vic, one of the main questions I have is if I should drive with overdrive OFF, when I have it off it seems to ride very smooth and the trans feels so much better as well, the down side of this is that it seems to waste gas?
Second is ABS related. As of right now I have ABS disabled because it seems to be messing with my traction control. (Ex: With ABS enabled I max out at 35 MPH, disabled I can take full advantage of my 120 mph speedometer) Has anyone else had this problem? The question is, would this effect driving in the rain? I have a really tough time handling this car when it rains, like I just lose control of my front wheels for a split second when i hit a puddle (Michigan roads are awesome for rain build up). I know I need an alignment, new tires and new breaks, should this eliminate my rain driving problem, or should I shell out the $300+ to get my ABS module replaced?
Second is ABS related. As of right now I have ABS disabled because it seems to be messing with my traction control. (Ex: With ABS enabled I max out at 35 MPH, disabled I can take full advantage of my 120 mph speedometer) Has anyone else had this problem? The question is, would this effect driving in the rain? I have a really tough time handling this car when it rains, like I just lose control of my front wheels for a split second when i hit a puddle (Michigan roads are awesome for rain build up). I know I need an alignment, new tires and new breaks, should this eliminate my rain driving problem, or should I shell out the $300+ to get my ABS module replaced?
Blue)(Fusion
06-29-2010, 08:51 AM
Welcome to AF!
I've heard of some people who prefer to drive with OD off. The only times I turn OD off is when I am ready to pass someone on a 2 lane highway and want to hammer the throttle and get around as quick as possible so I don't waste time shifting - and because a 4-2 shift is damaging to the transmission whereas a 3-2 shift is okay.
When in OD how does the car not feel smooth? Does it feel as though the transmission is slipping? This is not normal and you may want to consider flushing the ATF with fresh Mercon V.
Regarding your ABS issue, it sounds like you may have dirty exciter rings or a failing wheel speed sensor. I have a bad sensor on mine which caused the ABS to kick in under normal braking (i.e. at stop signs and red lights) which was really annoying and dangerous. I had just pulled the plug on the bad sensor to disable the ABS system for the past 6 months or more. I haven't had a problem keeping control of the vehicle and infact find it funner since traction control doesn't kick in when I want to get going quickly.
In the rain these cars are a bit squirrelly because they are rear wheel drive, but as long as you feather the throttle when accelerating and turning you shouldn't experience too much traction issues. The fact that you say a front wheel loses grip is interesting though. New tires and an alignment should help your issue.
I've heard of some people who prefer to drive with OD off. The only times I turn OD off is when I am ready to pass someone on a 2 lane highway and want to hammer the throttle and get around as quick as possible so I don't waste time shifting - and because a 4-2 shift is damaging to the transmission whereas a 3-2 shift is okay.
When in OD how does the car not feel smooth? Does it feel as though the transmission is slipping? This is not normal and you may want to consider flushing the ATF with fresh Mercon V.
Regarding your ABS issue, it sounds like you may have dirty exciter rings or a failing wheel speed sensor. I have a bad sensor on mine which caused the ABS to kick in under normal braking (i.e. at stop signs and red lights) which was really annoying and dangerous. I had just pulled the plug on the bad sensor to disable the ABS system for the past 6 months or more. I haven't had a problem keeping control of the vehicle and infact find it funner since traction control doesn't kick in when I want to get going quickly.
In the rain these cars are a bit squirrelly because they are rear wheel drive, but as long as you feather the throttle when accelerating and turning you shouldn't experience too much traction issues. The fact that you say a front wheel loses grip is interesting though. New tires and an alignment should help your issue.
EricD313
06-29-2010, 12:20 PM
Thanks a lot for the reply Fusion :)
I'm somewhat new to the whole mechanical aspect of cars, since this is my first car. But I get the jist of what you're saying. I did take my car to the mechanic today since i needed breaks badly, he informed me that I need a new tie rod, idler arm, and a ball joint, before I get the alignment, so i'll need to take care of that first I suppose. I'm also going to get new tires tomorrow, since the front tires are about to burst. (I know, I know, alignment before new tires, but hey cash is scarce for michiganders right now and i cant afford a blow out and lose my job)
As far as your transmission question: I do need to get a trans flush soon, which is what i'm hoping is wrong. As of right now when I drive with OD on, it seems to slip a bit going from an idle drive to speeding up to about 15 mph, which i do a lot of in my line of work (security guard who drives his own car)
When OD is off, it's such a smooth ride it's unbelievable, acceleration is amazing as opposed to it feeling a bit sluggish with it on. (almost like the peddle is harder to push) maybe it's me, i change me seat around a lot to help stay comfortable while working, so it's never in the same spot for long.
I would also like to say that I only spent $1500 for this car at auction as a police repo. It's my first car and I love it so maybe i'm just too critical of it? I'm still so far under blue book on this car I have no problem dumping cash into it, and plus i'm still finding new problems since i'm a perfectionist and i've only owned it for 5 weeks.
(body is awesome, no motor problems, great on gas, interior needs some work)
Thanks for reading my un-neededly large post :)
I'm somewhat new to the whole mechanical aspect of cars, since this is my first car. But I get the jist of what you're saying. I did take my car to the mechanic today since i needed breaks badly, he informed me that I need a new tie rod, idler arm, and a ball joint, before I get the alignment, so i'll need to take care of that first I suppose. I'm also going to get new tires tomorrow, since the front tires are about to burst. (I know, I know, alignment before new tires, but hey cash is scarce for michiganders right now and i cant afford a blow out and lose my job)
As far as your transmission question: I do need to get a trans flush soon, which is what i'm hoping is wrong. As of right now when I drive with OD on, it seems to slip a bit going from an idle drive to speeding up to about 15 mph, which i do a lot of in my line of work (security guard who drives his own car)
When OD is off, it's such a smooth ride it's unbelievable, acceleration is amazing as opposed to it feeling a bit sluggish with it on. (almost like the peddle is harder to push) maybe it's me, i change me seat around a lot to help stay comfortable while working, so it's never in the same spot for long.
I would also like to say that I only spent $1500 for this car at auction as a police repo. It's my first car and I love it so maybe i'm just too critical of it? I'm still so far under blue book on this car I have no problem dumping cash into it, and plus i'm still finding new problems since i'm a perfectionist and i've only owned it for 5 weeks.
(body is awesome, no motor problems, great on gas, interior needs some work)
Thanks for reading my un-neededly large post :)
Blue)(Fusion
06-29-2010, 01:06 PM
Curiously, what year is it and how many miles are on it? To bad you didn't get one here two weeks ago. I was just in Detroit (Romulus to be exact) for a big Crown Vic (and Grand Marquis and Marauder) meet and there would have been no less than 20 guys who could have fixed it right up. One guy even blew an axle seal which he got taken care of in a driveway in a few hours with 10 guys "supervising" lol.
Anyway, you may or may not need those new parts. It depends on the amount of play in it, if there is any at all. Since it's an ex-police vehicle, it probably was beat up going over bumps, curbs, and grass so it wouldn't hurt. If you want to try it yourself, you can replace all of those items in your garage with a jack some jack stands and rented tools from AutoZone. The ball joint I never did, but depending if it's upper or lower, I've seen other owners that make it look easy.
Here's a site with some good instructions for the ball joint and tie rod replacements, among other things you may find useful.
http://www.autoclinix.com/
What color is your ATF? And is it at the proper level? It can be checked for color when cold. It should be a darker red when cold when new. When hot, it will be a lighter red to pink color. If it is brown, change it. If it has debris in it, there has been a failure of some kind and should be rebuilt. And finally, to check the level, drive it around for 20 minutes or more to get the ATF to around the normal 150-170*F, run it through ALL of the gears on the gear selector, and then back to Park. With the engine idling in Park, pull the dipstick, check it, wipe clean, and put it back in and check again. It should be in the cross hatched area. If it is between the two holes, that may be a bit low. If it is lower than the minimum hole, than the ATF is far too low.
When adding ATF, add only a quarter to half a quart at a time and check the level. Overfilling can cause issues, too.
If you change the ATF, you have a few options.
A T-Tec flush which most dealerships and some garages have. This cleans out a fair amount of the fluid without removal of the pan, but is usually the most expensive option. This does not clean fluid out of the ATF cooler infront of the radiator.
Another similar option is to do an at-home flush similar to the T-Tec machine but much more crude. Take the cooler line at the front of the engine compartment, disconnect from the cooler, and place in a large bottle. Start the engine and when the flow of the fluid starts to sputter, turn the engine off. Reconnect the line, fill with fresh fluid, and enjoy. This should require about 5 quarts of ATF.
Yet another option is to drop the pan to empty it, replace the filter, and put it back together. This fails to drain the fluid out of the torque converter and ATF cooler. Older CVs have a drain plug in the torque converter, and I believe 03 is the last year for that drain plug. This will require about 5 quarts of ATF.
You can also do the at-home flush out and then drop the pan method together so you don't get ATF all over you when you drop the pan. It makes it much less messy.
If you want to firm up the shifts, this would also be a great time to perform the J-mod (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1014884). This will require about 8 quarts of ATF since dropping the valve body lets a bunch more fluid come out.
Be sure to use Mercon V fluid. Avoid the "multi vehicle" or "universal" fluids. And if you go to a shop, make sure they use Mercon V specific fluid. Alot of the time, shops will use Dexron III and add a friction modifier and claim it's "as good as Mercon V." It never is. You can get it at the dealer pretty cheap, infact when I got it, it was cheaper than the Castrol and Valvoline Mercon V at the local AutoZone.
Oh and one last thing. After you change fluid, before you take it for a drive again, remove the negative battery cable from the battery for atleast 20 minutes. This resets the computer's learned stuff, including how much pressure is required for a desired clutch slip in the transmission. New fluid allows slip different than old fluid, so this is a necessary step to avoid hard shifts.
Anyway, you may or may not need those new parts. It depends on the amount of play in it, if there is any at all. Since it's an ex-police vehicle, it probably was beat up going over bumps, curbs, and grass so it wouldn't hurt. If you want to try it yourself, you can replace all of those items in your garage with a jack some jack stands and rented tools from AutoZone. The ball joint I never did, but depending if it's upper or lower, I've seen other owners that make it look easy.
Here's a site with some good instructions for the ball joint and tie rod replacements, among other things you may find useful.
http://www.autoclinix.com/
What color is your ATF? And is it at the proper level? It can be checked for color when cold. It should be a darker red when cold when new. When hot, it will be a lighter red to pink color. If it is brown, change it. If it has debris in it, there has been a failure of some kind and should be rebuilt. And finally, to check the level, drive it around for 20 minutes or more to get the ATF to around the normal 150-170*F, run it through ALL of the gears on the gear selector, and then back to Park. With the engine idling in Park, pull the dipstick, check it, wipe clean, and put it back in and check again. It should be in the cross hatched area. If it is between the two holes, that may be a bit low. If it is lower than the minimum hole, than the ATF is far too low.
When adding ATF, add only a quarter to half a quart at a time and check the level. Overfilling can cause issues, too.
If you change the ATF, you have a few options.
A T-Tec flush which most dealerships and some garages have. This cleans out a fair amount of the fluid without removal of the pan, but is usually the most expensive option. This does not clean fluid out of the ATF cooler infront of the radiator.
Another similar option is to do an at-home flush similar to the T-Tec machine but much more crude. Take the cooler line at the front of the engine compartment, disconnect from the cooler, and place in a large bottle. Start the engine and when the flow of the fluid starts to sputter, turn the engine off. Reconnect the line, fill with fresh fluid, and enjoy. This should require about 5 quarts of ATF.
Yet another option is to drop the pan to empty it, replace the filter, and put it back together. This fails to drain the fluid out of the torque converter and ATF cooler. Older CVs have a drain plug in the torque converter, and I believe 03 is the last year for that drain plug. This will require about 5 quarts of ATF.
You can also do the at-home flush out and then drop the pan method together so you don't get ATF all over you when you drop the pan. It makes it much less messy.
If you want to firm up the shifts, this would also be a great time to perform the J-mod (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1014884). This will require about 8 quarts of ATF since dropping the valve body lets a bunch more fluid come out.
Be sure to use Mercon V fluid. Avoid the "multi vehicle" or "universal" fluids. And if you go to a shop, make sure they use Mercon V specific fluid. Alot of the time, shops will use Dexron III and add a friction modifier and claim it's "as good as Mercon V." It never is. You can get it at the dealer pretty cheap, infact when I got it, it was cheaper than the Castrol and Valvoline Mercon V at the local AutoZone.
Oh and one last thing. After you change fluid, before you take it for a drive again, remove the negative battery cable from the battery for atleast 20 minutes. This resets the computer's learned stuff, including how much pressure is required for a desired clutch slip in the transmission. New fluid allows slip different than old fluid, so this is a necessary step to avoid hard shifts.
EricD313
06-29-2010, 04:51 PM
Dark Blue, 2000 Crown Vic, 108k miles.
I see, I do need to clarify that it's not a police interceptor, it was just impounded and sold at auction. I have quite a bit of play in the idler arm and the tie rod, and my ball joint is very dry with almost a rust color (and nothing under my car is rusted)
at last check, my trans fluid is almost like a merky orange, almost a very dark shade of red(ish) but this was at 3 in the morning at work with nothing better to do, and the level was a bit over the max point. Right now i'm looking at the flush being done by my mechanic, since time for me is a big thing, I just don't have enough of it working 12 hours a day. I did ask my mechanic though, and he said he has no problem with me supplying some mercon V since they rarely have it in stock.
I would have definetly taken a day off of work to go to the crown vic meet, and I live in romulus haha. (sorry if this post seems like complete jibberish, i'm so tired right now it's not even funny)
I see, I do need to clarify that it's not a police interceptor, it was just impounded and sold at auction. I have quite a bit of play in the idler arm and the tie rod, and my ball joint is very dry with almost a rust color (and nothing under my car is rusted)
at last check, my trans fluid is almost like a merky orange, almost a very dark shade of red(ish) but this was at 3 in the morning at work with nothing better to do, and the level was a bit over the max point. Right now i'm looking at the flush being done by my mechanic, since time for me is a big thing, I just don't have enough of it working 12 hours a day. I did ask my mechanic though, and he said he has no problem with me supplying some mercon V since they rarely have it in stock.
I would have definetly taken a day off of work to go to the crown vic meet, and I live in romulus haha. (sorry if this post seems like complete jibberish, i'm so tired right now it's not even funny)
Blue)(Fusion
06-29-2010, 05:22 PM
A bunch of us will be there again next summer. We even raided the Saturday night car cruise in infront of theOld Country buffet on Telegraph while everyone ran to their cars to race out of there cause they thought a bunch of cop cars just rolled in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ud_jEYEQt4
Even better if it's not a CVPI. You don't have all the idle time added to the 108k miles.
Get those steering and suspension parts replaced since there is play in them.
Tranny flush is up to you. I'd always flush all fluids in the car if bought. Cheap preventative maintenance. If you want to save a little bit of money and put it off for a bit, you can try some anti-slip friction modifier product. Some people report going 10-20k with it with their current ATF and it stops all the slipping. But either way, if there's mechanical damage, a junkyard tranny or tranny rebuild is in your future.
Oh I also just realized since you're right there the master of these 4R70W transmissions is in your town (the guy who hosted the meet). If you want I can give you his info and he can probably help with or do the tranny flush for you for cheap. He's also the only person I know with a beer cooler made from a transmission. Shoot me a PM if you want his contact info.
Even better if it's not a CVPI. You don't have all the idle time added to the 108k miles.
Get those steering and suspension parts replaced since there is play in them.
Tranny flush is up to you. I'd always flush all fluids in the car if bought. Cheap preventative maintenance. If you want to save a little bit of money and put it off for a bit, you can try some anti-slip friction modifier product. Some people report going 10-20k with it with their current ATF and it stops all the slipping. But either way, if there's mechanical damage, a junkyard tranny or tranny rebuild is in your future.
Oh I also just realized since you're right there the master of these 4R70W transmissions is in your town (the guy who hosted the meet). If you want I can give you his info and he can probably help with or do the tranny flush for you for cheap. He's also the only person I know with a beer cooler made from a transmission. Shoot me a PM if you want his contact info.
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