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87 Grand Marquis Help

So... a co-worker, knowing I'm something of a car guy, has offered me his family's old hand-me-down 1987 Grand Marquis (5.0 mpi, 59k miles) for pretty much scrap value. The problem? It hasn't run in 10 yrs. I asked why he parked it as I was looking it over he pointed at the starter relay and said "I always had to hit that thing to make it start". So in theory THAT is an easy fix.
Engine oil looks good. Trans oil looks great. Coolant and PS are dry or at least at a level I can't see. No rust on/under the car. I'm in the desert southwest.

I'm tempted to take the deal since it's so cheap, but obviously I'm gonna have to put some money into it just to get it running again. New battery, new oil/filter, new gas, PS fluid, coolant. That right there already doubles the cost of the car.

Only other thing that looks to be a problem is the smog pump appears to be seized. No belt on it, and I can't turn it by hand at all.
I pulled all the plugs and they look great. Dropped a little oil down into each cylinder to help soak the rings until I get all the other supplies in order.

I know sooner rather than later I'd be overhauling the entire cooling system and replacing most of the rubber under the hood. That's pretty much standard fare for old cars in the desert.

I've worked 60's and 70's american, and 80's japanese and european... but never really dug into an 80's american car before...and all the contrived emissions add ons to these cars in this era seem a bit daunting. I suppose I could just rip most of it out though right? If anybody else has been down this road with an 80's era 5.0 I'd like your thoughts on potential problem areas or indeed if you think it's worth it as a whole.
 

dustybumpers

don't play well w others
pretty much that emission system is tied into the way the car runs. there are certain throttle positions the AIR pump puts air into the system, through the heads to lean out the mixture, and make the mix more efficient. the egr valve is also figured into the mix. everything is vacuum and pcm driven, so not really a way to take it out without the pcm trying to compensate, and change the way the engine runs through fuel mix, or timing. The pump also keeps a constant flow of fresh air to the cats.

The AIR pump will lock up in a day or 2 even under normal conditions after sitting for a while. sometimes spraying penetrating oil into the intake and exhaust port of the pump and working it back and forth will break it loose
Having had a 87 grand marquis in my past, they are a great car. that one after some service, maybe check rubber brake lines, etc, should be a great car for you for years to come
 
Lol ok cool I get it- "Air pump". I'll keep it on.
Is it at least drive-able without the air pump functioning for a while? I assume it is since the belt for it is already off; but I may need to get the car out of their driveway and back to my place before I can work on the pump. RockAuto replacement is NOT cheap so assuming penetrating oil doesn't work I'll have a go at disassembly and rebuild myself. If its name fits its function as you suggest then it doesn't sound like a complicated part.
 
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dustybumpers

don't play well w others
You can run it without the pump. You will notice better fuel mileage and less stinky cat smell from the exhaust with it.
I like power lube for stuff like that. It actually boils. You can spray it in from both sides a few times then try back and forth till it breaks loose.
I've never tried rebuilding one, so if you go that route, take pictures, and post please

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dustybumpers

don't play well w others
BTW, I wasn't being a smarty on the AIR thing, that is the actual name of the system

I should have put it like this
A.I.R.
means
Asperated Injection System
 

Blue-Truck-Nut97

crank polisher
551
18
I'll toss a couple ideas in here, before you try running the fuel pumps, see how nasty the tank is. If it was parked with alcohol gas in it you will probably have to clean the tank and replace the pump.

On coolant loss, could just be from sitting, or who knows. When my 5.0 set around the intake gaskets leaked coolant. Look at the back of the engine where the aluminum intake and heads meet, that's where it usually starts.

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BTW, I wasn't being a smarty on the AIR thing, that is the actual name of the system

I should have put it like this
A.I.R.
means
Asperated Injection System

Huh! I didn't know it was actually an acronym! So they used the letters of air in an air pump to describe an air pump's function in fancy terms without actually changing the name. Brilliant. And I shall look for Power Lube. Sounds legit.

I'll toss a couple ideas in here, before you try running the fuel pumps, see how nasty the tank is. If it was parked with alcohol gas in it you will probably have to clean the tank and replace the pump.

On coolant loss, could just be from sitting, or who knows. When my 5.0 set around the intake gaskets leaked coolant. Look at the back of the engine where the aluminum intake and heads meet, that's where it usually starts.

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Good advice about the coolant leaking at the intake manifold! I won't know if it's a problem area until I get more coolant into it but I will definitely keep my eye on that area as I go along.

Annoyingly, the gas tank on this thing seems to have some sort of molded cover or shield on it (painted same white as the car) so I couldn't actually view it or even get an idea of how to access it. Granted, my inspection of the area was cursory so I'm sure it is accessible, but it was weird. I've dropped a dozen tanks before but never seen something like that. No sign of any straps or bolts to undo. Just an underbody panel in the shape of a tank. I do recognize the old tank and varnished pump as a potential problem area, but initial goal is to get it out of his driveway and into mine asap, so I'm gonn try just siphoning the old stuff out and putting new stuff in and praying when I turn the key for the first time. I do have a schrader valve style fuel pressure guage I can test the pressure with though. This car have a schrader valve in the fuel lines anywhere? I assume PSI should be in the 45-65 range?
 
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dustybumpers

don't play well w others
Gas tank is behind the rear axle.hard to get to unless car is on ramps, or a lift

Not sure if you have throttle body fuel injection or efi. 87 is cross over years.
Throttlebody no Schrader valve. Efi its on the left under the plenum or right by the pressure regulator

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Gas tank is behind the rear axle.hard to get to unless car is on ramps, or a lift

Not sure if you have throttle body fuel injection or efi. 87 is cross over years.
Throttlebody no Schrader valve. Efi its on the left under the plenum or right by the pressure regulator

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It's EFI. Been down the TBFI road in the past with a Mitsubishi Starion. Cool car, but not eager to revisit TBFI so was pleased to see the EFI when he raised the hood. Thank you again sir. It's gonna be a few days before I get the chance to get back at the car but I'll keep you informed. Glad to see there's one or two more land yacht enthusiasts here.
 

dustybumpers

don't play well w others
My current car if not in one of my trucks is a 97 Town Car.
It's a awesome land yacht

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Blue-Truck-Nut97

crank polisher
551
18
I really enjoy big cars. I traded for a 76 Mark IV when I was 13 or so. It was a lot of fun. Nothing like a 460 powered tub of bondo........

Last one I messed with was Ma's 82 Mark VI. 302, AOD, beautiful car, white with that crushed blue cloth interior. Got it cheap non running, the throttle body went flying through the air and Dad stuck a flat top 2 barrel on it and a points distributor. We ran it a lot, sadly hasn't moved in years.

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Ya I learned to drive and got my license with my dad's a 78 Mark V 460. Nothing like over 6ft of hood and tiny side view mirrors for the parallel parking test.
 

Blue-Truck-Nut97

crank polisher
551
18
I loved those mirrors! Especially the remote adjustment on the passenger side. As I recall they had 4 positions, sky, ground, 36' to the right, and passenger seat. At least that was my experience.

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I loved those mirrors! Especially the remote adjustment on the passenger side. As I recall they had 4 positions, sky, ground, 36' to the right, and passenger seat. At least that was my experience.

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:rofl::rofl: yes exactly right. Luxury feature on those I guess. To be able to see everywhere except the actual lane next to you. And of course turning your head to look was just about as helpful thanks to the porthole windows. I found the safest way to change lanes in that car was to goose the throttle to get ahead of whatever mystery vehicle might be next to you.
 

Blue-Truck-Nut97

crank polisher
551
18
:rofl::rofl: yes exactly right. Luxury feature on those I guess. To be able to see everywhere except the actual lane next to you. And of course turning your head to look was just about as helpful thanks to the porthole windows. I found the safest way to change lanes in that car was to goose the throttle to get ahead of whatever mystery vehicle might be next to you.
Definitely a sound Lincoln driving technique. If you did nudge something you wouldn't feel it unless it was built by Mack.

I do remember if you held the throttle wide open the gas gauge and the speedometer would have a race.

That's not completely accurate though, my 76 drank gas, my Dad's 69 did great fuel mileage, so did the 82.

Really hoping you have good success if you get it, on the fuel tank thing, I bought one of those little borescopes on amazon, I think it was 12 bucks, it's been handy for looking in tanks. Might be an idea. ( Use at your own risk, just because I haven't blown myself up, yet, doesn't mean it can't happen.)

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That's actually a really good idea. I've contemplated them before for looking into cylinders. Mind if I ask exactly which one you got?
 

Blue-Truck-Nut97

crank polisher
551
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Sure, here's what I got if the link works. If not the pic shows what to type in the search bar. Went up to 20 bucks. This one is for Android, there are others for iPhone. I used the OTG view free app.

https://www.amazon.com/Seesi-Endoscope-Waterproof-Inspection-Semi-Rigid/dp/B07PBF6DX5

Been good so far, it also fits in a 6.0 injector hole, ford spark plug hole, 855 injector holes, that's all I got so far lol

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5d89a3b413354ca9e6ab35cd2d6f5528.jpg
 
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Thanks for that. I've perused Amazon listings for those in the past but there's soooo many freakin options and the prices are all over the map I sort of got brain freeze with it. Impossible to tell what's good and what's not. If that one works for you though I'll grab one too. Especially for that price.
 

Blue-Truck-Nut97

crank polisher
551
18
It can be a challenge to get it down the neck, I walked out and got these so you can see what it will do.
c4c179579b916e56daf86ec218f57404.jpg
a6fb204d2e98aff2b0df17a3997bd223.jpg


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FYI, that's the tank and fill neck in the 82, parked 12 or so years ago.
 
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Neato! Definitely better than going into it blind.
When I first got my truck in 2006 it had been converted and running strictly on propane since 1982. The farm/seller I got it from really had no recollection of the status of the fuel in the tanks so I did drop those and clean them out before I got the gasoline system up and running again. I was surprised at how clean the tanks actually were. A bit of varnish staining but overall everything still looked good. Still using the original sending units to this day. I'm hoping the Grand Marq is just as good, but with the fuel pump being thrown into the equation this time I know it's more of a risk. It'll be nice to use the scope to show me what's up.
 

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