wrecked

[STRAN]

Ok I admit it. I am more of a lurker here and do not post very often. Powerful events are changing that.

Last week my son wreaked my marauder. I wasn't mad and he is alright; Told him that is what insurance is for. He loves that car more than I do so I felt bad for him just seeing how upset he was.

The insurance totaled the car and valued it at $10,000; twice what I owed. Given the option I bought it back and still got $2400 cash.

So. I am going to be rebuilding it. Times are hard so the $2400 will have to go to a replacment car and other expenses. I will be relying heavily on this site and it's good people who love these cars. CoPart is going to be returning it in the next day or two and I will post some pictures. The damage is limited to the front clip. A glancing blow against an embankment tore off the bumper facia, mangled the drivers fender and bent up the front panel. Drivers side air bag deployed and the drivers door is stuck partially open from the front fender being pushed into it. I don't think there is frame damage. The hood is not bent nor is the other front fender.

That is what I remember from the night of the accident a week ago, haven't seen it since.

I will try and post the progress and setbacks as they come and hope you will grace me with your advice and encouragement.

Thanks in advance.

[Chayton]

holy ****! Glad to hear your son is alright. Good Luck with the rebuild.

[guspech750]

Man, glad to hear your son is alright.

Hope you can save it from the crusher. Good luck on the rebuild.


Sent from my iPhone 4S

DTR + 4.10's + Eaton swap = Wreeeeeeeeeeeeeeedom

[boatmangc]

Good to here your son is OK and the Marauder did its primary job, protecting the passengers
I'm also glad to hear you are going to reward the car by saving it
Good luck



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WhatsUpDOHC]

Glad to hear that your son is OK.

I know that I'm going to wrap my daughter in CV/GM steel!

Let's see pics of the rebuild!!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[montyd]

glad he is ok, thats the most important. wish you were closer to indiana id love to help you out with the rebuild. but on the poistive side, now you have a father - son project, and the marauder is paid for:)

[MMBLUE]

Glad your son is ok. I'm sure everyone here will help with what they can.;)

[STRAN]

Thanks everybody. Some points that followed my thinking. The mM is paided for now and it is a great father son project. So now I have my MM and a gas sipper!

[ajdereicup]

Damn that sucks sorry to hear that. Good to hear your sons alright and you now have a father son project. Keep us updated on the progress

[STRAN]

My first thought is to use Grand Marquis panels such as the fenders, bumper, isolators and so on. Does anyone know which years might interchange?

[Hadamustang1]

I hope you don't have to put a GM front bumber cover on her..... makes me sad...

[UncleLar]

I'm truly glad to hear your son is alright!
The father and son project is sort of a blessing in disguise so enjoy the time you two will spend together working on the car.

[Mr. Man]

Glad everybody is OK.

Hardest part will be the front bumper cover if it can't be salvaged, as you most likely already know. I think Bigcowl imp has a few. Might want to get the front wheel X-rayed to look for cracks. From your description it sounds like it will be fixable as most of the other parts are readily available from Ford. We had our SB repaired a year or so ago and I went with the Ford parts rather than the aftermarket stuff mostly because I felt the MM is a limited edition car so keeping it OEM on stuff like body panels was the way to go.

Keep us up to date on the father/son project as it progress':)

[STRAN]

I hope you don't have to put a GM front bumber cover on her..... makes me sad...

The front bumper was mauled pretty bad and the adjuster said it wasn't even with the car anymore (as in where did it go? was there when it was towed, hanging on by the fog lights) My intention wasto try and salvage it. I plan on going with all OEM parts and no GM front bumper.

[RubberCtyRauder]

MM.net member. Robhollar has forsale brand new front bumper support (the metal part) and also the absorbtion plastic that goes behind the cover. Also a core support and radiator. Reman front covers can be found on ebay for around $550.00. Look in the forsale section here for robhollar. I was just at his place 4 weeks ago. Some stuff has sold but other items remain.

[STRAN]

MM.net member. Robhollar has forsale brand new front bumper support (the metal part) and also the absorbtion plastic that goes behind the cover. Also a core support and radiator. Reman front covers can be found on ebay for around $550.00. Look in the forsale section here for robhollar. I was just at his place 4 weeks ago. Some stuff has sold but other items remain.


Yes I saw his post but will have to wait till the insurance money rolls in to start buying parts. Hopfully soon.

[Spectragod]

MM.net member. Robhollar has forsale brand new front bumper support (the metal part) and also the absorbtion plastic that goes behind the cover. Also a core support and radiator. Reman front covers can be found on ebay for around $550.00. Look in the forsale section here for robhollar. I was just at his place 4 weeks ago. Some stuff has sold but other items remain.

Yes he "DID" have some parts...... I wonder who could have bought them.:rolleyes: :D

[RubberCtyRauder]

Well, I stand corrected about the parts from Robhollar. You'll have to turn your inquiries to "Marauders-R-Us" AKA Spectragod..he often shares his findings. Glad to see you help Rob out and his family's situation.

[vegasmarauder]

Interchange for sheet metal is 1998-2011 for front fenders. 1998-2011 for hoods, Core support is 2003-2004 only, Header panel is 2003-2005 only. Aftermarket cre supports and headers are available for less $$ than Ford parts, but fit varies a lot by individual part.

Ford parts:
Hood: Part# 6W7Z-16612-A List price $601, they should sell to you for about $430-450 if they want your business.
RF Fender: Part#7W7Z-16005-A List $334, good guy price $240-250
RF Fender Brace (if the fender front edge is bent, the brace is too and fit is better than trying to straighten out a tweaked one) 3W7Z-16A023-AB list $20
Header: Part# 3W3Z-8190-AACP List $360, GG price $240-250.

Remember too the dealer has included the shipping in these prices, so another source that adds shipping can end up pretty close to these prices. Hoods are expensive to ship.

On used parts be careful there isn't any small dents/damage. A friend got a "great" deal on a $100 used truck hood until the body shop told him it would be $400 in prep and repair work. A new hood was $500.

[STRAN]

Thanks VEAGSM. I have already found a '03 with a good drivers fender and a good hood. The front bumper cover was in the trunk. It is pretty sad.

I am quite sure the frame is bent up. The passenger fender overlaps the door at the top but the gap at the bottom looks fine. Might I have bitten off more than I can chew? Assuming the frame is damaged I plan on have an estimate done on straighting it. Still plan on doing the rest myself.

Pictures are coming, I have just been very busy.

[vegasmarauder]

The overlap is pretty common on front fenders. Does not always mean frame damage. Sometimes the upper outter corner of the body shell can be moved back. You will see it by flaking paint on the body shell where the upper rear of the front fender attaches. The lower outer corner of the windshield will be cracked with any clear sign of the fender hitting it. If it's not a kink, the outer corner can be pulled by a good frame shop with the windshield out.

If the crash impact over rode the front bumper and hit the "soft tissue" of the header and core support etc. frame may not be bent.

Once you get the bent stuff off, a decent frame shop can check it for about $100 in set up. Pulling runs about $100-150 and hour and 3 hours is more that enough to straighten out a minor bend. Make sure they have an electronic measuring frame machine. It figures out all the pulls for the frame guy. The days of eyeballing a frame/body shell repair are long gone and the final results are within 3-5 MM's. With the bent stuff off it's easier to set them up and straighten them.

The rest is basic parts changing.

To encourage you here are some pics of my mom's '82 Town car. It was an anniversary gift. She called one day to say "The hood was up in the air." She rear-ended a pickup on the freeway. She pleaded with me not to junk it for sentimental reasons. Got lucky that the frame was not bent even with the 50 MPH hit. Took about a month but it was as good as new.

[sailsmen]

Hopefull they didn't give it a salvage tow. That is where they drag it on the tow truck with a winch, unload it with a fork lift and load it back with a fork lift.

If it wasn't a total loss from the wreck it is from the salvage tow.:mad2:

[Spectragod]

Well, I stand corrected about the parts from Robhollar. You'll have to turn your inquiries to "Marauders-R-Us" AKA Spectragod..he often shares his findings. Glad to see you help Rob out and his family's situation.

I can pass some of my savings on to a fellow Marauder enthusiast. I really hate meeting people under those type of circumstances. The clone car his sister has is awesome, very unique, I would certainly own the clone over the DTR that was there, very cool.

[STRAN]

I am sure you are all wondering what has happened with me and my Marauder, well maybee you are. I have been spending my time getting the garage cleaned up and organized as weel as making the Civic project persentable to sit outside. This holiday the pick and pull yards have half off sales and the is at least one '99 Crown Vic available that I know of. An 03 marquis in another yard not having a sale and is kind of pricey. So I have money, time and good deals to go after.

Vegasmaruader, thanks for the encuragement and advise.

[STRAN]

Here are a few pictures of the car.

[STRAN]

and a few more. When it was wreaked I had just washed it that day. It came back from CoPart looking like that. Since then I washed it, dents and all. Still looks good.

[STRAN]

Scored at the salvage yards this weekend. Hood from a '99 cruiser, front fender drivers side and cross member (not sure I need it) from '03 Vic. Also scored a air bag from the vic and am hoping to cover the Ford logo with a Mercury logo, god's head. The bumper was already gone. All told about $200 in parts. Tomorrow we are pushing it in the garage.

[MMBLUE]

Keep up the good work!!!! :beer: I'm following this one all the way to paint and buff. :cool:

[vegasmarauder]

Not as bad as I first thought. I would suggest using the new core support from the parts car. The front fenders hang on that and if it's tweaked, you will spend a lot of time for nothing trying to line everything up. Also, if the right front fender on the 03 parts car is good and cheap enough, think about that as well. The upper rear top of the front fenders can bend enough to make alignment tough (I see the overlap on the right front fender).

And I would definately recommend checking the frame. Nothing will line up good if it's off more than 1/8 inch.

It would be nice to see some pictures of the front fender upper rear mounting points just below the windshield to see if there is any deformity. A good frome shop can check that too. Since you will have pulled all the front sheet metal off, that saves them time. Also, use a frame shop that has a computer controlled frame machine, it has all the dimmensions stored and pulls to the correct dimension. The days of pulling a frame by eye are gone, but modern frame machiness are pricey so some shops still pull and eyeball it.

Definitely a fixable car!

Good luck.

[a_d_a_m]

Those pictures certainly make it look like it's fixable. Hell, I guess anything IS fixable with money - Zack is doing one with frame damage as we speak.

Good job on buying the '03 Marquis fenders instead of the '99 CVPI fenders. '98-'02 CV fenders have a bigger lip on the inside and they hold dirt and attract rust...Marquis fenders from this era won't even fit. Anyway, '03+ CV/MM/MGMs have the revised inner construction and are completely interchangeable.

Good luck on the project!

[CBT]

Good luck, hope it works out, hate that it happend.

[STRAN]

Those pictures certainly make it look like it's fixable. Hell, I guess anything IS fixable with money - Zack is doing one with frame damage as we speak.

Good job on buying the '03 Marquis fenders instead of the '99 CVPI fenders. '98-'02 CV fenders have a bigger lip on the inside and they hold dirt and attract rust...Marquis fenders from this era won't even fit. Anyway, '03+ CV/MM/MGMs have the revised inner construction and are completely interchangeable.

Good luck on the project!

Should I go backfor the hood off the '03? The hood I picked up is off a '99. The right fender off the parts car is dented.

[STRAN]

[QUOTE=vegasmarauder;1238634]Not as bad as I first thought. I would suggest using the new core support from the parts car. The front fenders hang on that and if it's tweaked, you will spend a lot of time for nothing trying to line everything up. Also, if the right front fender on the 03 parts car is good and cheap enough, think about that as well. The upper rear top of the front fenders can bend enough to make alignment tough (I see the overlap on the right front fender).


It would be nice to see some pictures of the front fender upper rear mounting points just below the windshield to see if there is any deformity. A good frome shop can check that too. QUOTE]

What is the core support? The 'crossmember' right infront of the radiator?

We didn't get the car in the garage (spent time with my little girl) so no disassembly yet but hopefully this week; will be taking plenty of pictures. Might go back tothe yard and get a couple of the donner car.

Both doors have some dammage to them so I am considering grabing those as well but the coffers are depleted for now.

[Baaad GN]

You never know for sure what damage there really is until it's apart, but at a glance this should not be a major fix. but get it apart and then you know what you have, Insurance Companies always take into account possilbe hidden damage and will mark up costs to repair.

[REAL4WD]

Sorry to hear your Marauder got totalled. But glad to hear your son is ok.

Is that last pic from Angeles Crest? there's a group of us in Panthers that run Angeles Crest at least 6 times a years. try to do it monthly but during holidays and rainy season it's hard to do.

[STRAN]

That last one is on highway 178 on the Kern River or in the Kern river canyon. It runs from San JaunQuin valley up to lake Issabella. When the car is done we would love to join in a run of Angeles Crest.

[vegasmarauder]

Yes, The part directly in front of the radiator that runs across to both front fenders. The fenders bolt to it with two bolts on the top on each side. They look strong, but tweak real easy. Pain in the butt to line up the fenders when it is tweaked. In the picture it is the painted metal part in the front of the darker piece.

The ONLY interchange is 2003-2004 MM/CV/GM. If you look for a used one, make sure there is no damage to it. There are new chinese made one on the net for about $80, don't know how they fit. Ford one runs about $170-200 or so (I can't remember).

If you want to save some $$ in paint work, see if the body shop will paint the backsides of the parts off the car if you bring them down to them. May save some time when they do final paint on the car. Don't just bolt on the other color parts and try to cover it up on the car (like some economy body shops do), end result is a bad looking job.

It will look bad before it looks better..

[gdsqdcr]

The ONLY interchange is 2003-2004 MM/CV/GM. If you look for a used one, make sure there is no damage to it. There are new chinese made one on the net for about $80, don't know how they fit. Ford one runs about $170-200 or so (I can't remember).

The body shop that just fixed mine from the deer damage tried to use a cheap header panel and radiator support. They were crap. They could not like them up ... They ended up getting OEM parts because that is what fit well.

Anthony

[vegasmarauder]

I think that happens with all the foreign made ones.

What usually happens is the insurance company says use the cheaoer part so the shop orders it. During a trial fit, it doesn't, so the call the insurance company and say we are going to need a supplemental charge to make it fit. That extra cost usually ends up more than the factory part, so the shop then gets the factory part.

Smart shops sometimes don't even take the cheap parts out of the box before requesting the supplemental payment because on certain cars they know the cheap parts just won't fit well. They work great for fixing taxi's and fleet cars, but not for a car the owner will actually inspect the repair before accepting the car.

Happened to a friend. I went with him to pick up the car and the body lines were terrible. He refused the car. After trying to adjust the fit a few days, the shop called and said it would be another week as the insurance company was now authorizing factory parts.

[STRAN]

Only OEM parts are gong on this Marauder.

It is currently in the garage with the entire front clip off. The frame in bent up on the drivers side corner and the member across the front is bowed in a bit.

Have to wait till after the holidays to get some cash and send it to a shop to have the frame straightened. In the mean time I need to fix the throttle. I can't even see most of it. The problem is that it appears to be pinched or bound or stuck. If the gas paddle is pushed down it will not return to its' at idle position. I am stumped. Thought maybe the boy broke it jaming it down in a panick (trying to brake with the wrong paddle) but really can not see anything wrong with it. I disconnected the cruise control at the linkage thinking that might have something to do with it but no go. Planning on putting more effort into it this weekend.

On another note; the 06 Civic I bought as a replacement (only 11,000 miles) was rear ended last night on Highway 99. I was thinking "don't hit me don't hit me" BAM.
Great.

Well the car only suffered superfical damage to the point I not even sure it is worth the hassel to file a claim.

Still, my karma is in the toilet.

[vegasmarauder]

Disconnect the cable at the throttle body. The throttle body has an internal spring that should make it close all the way on its own. If not, checget the throttle plate for binding.

The cable is encased in a plastic liner. It should be good for more than the life of the car. with the cable off, pull the cable back and forth and make sure it moves freely. The casing runs from the throttle body down into the firewall behind the left side of the engine. Hard to get a knck by itself. The pedal pivots and pulls the top of the pedal back to draw the cable and open the throttle. From under the dash you can see the end of the cable and watch it move and see where it hangs up. It is a simple mechanical system once you see the layout of the parts..

[MyO4Rawdur]

Glad to see yoy keeping the car alive and that your son is alive to help. Plenty of parts to go around here so dont hesitate to throw up some feelers to see whats available. Sometimes marauder parts are different than vic parts but for the most part they are the same. Good luck on the build and I certainly look forward to the results.

[STRAN]

My last post was 7 months ago. I cannot say it has been the best of times. BUT! progress has been made on my Maruader. Signifigant progress. So I hope to find a bit of time tonight to start posting a few pictures and descriptions and start a photo album of the car. Stay tuned.

[STRAN]

The best of times, the worst of times, the road to redemption.
The final image is of the Marauder going to the body shop for the first set of pulls to the frame.

[STRAN]

Fresh from the shop, A guy named Pedro pulled the frame,some panels and finally the first test fitting.

[STRAN]

The body shop said the frame was pretty bad, that it was a hard hit into the mountain. The frame was shaped somewhat like a diamond and bent up on the drivers side. I had been collecting body panels for a while but finding 03-04 Merc's or Vic's is not easy, at least in the U-pick yards here in Kern County. The white header panel is from a Vic, I don't know what I was thinking but it was only $20 (the grille and lights will not fit this header panel). I found a 03 Marquis header panel south of L.A. for $75 and am using that so no worries. Right now the car has been back to the shop and home again and I have started assembling it. More pictures and dialog later. Can't show you guys everything at once.

[REAL4WD]

if the frame is in pretty bad condition might it be better (not necessarily cheaper) to find an 03+ Crown Vic/Grand Marquis and swap everything to there?

also not sure how that works with insurance and what not if they check for VIN on the frame (if there is one, I can't remember at the moment), etc.

[vegasmarauder]

As long as there were no kinks in the frame it is fine. A good frame guy won't pull a kinked frame anyway because the kinks will break open. I have seen some frames out by a lot and come back on zero. And really ANY offset hit hard enough to bend the front end sheet metal will diamond a Panther frame. With new computerized frame machines you set the car up and the computer figures the angle and amount of pull. No more cross measureing by hand.

It's looking good. Just a tip. keep the bolts that secure the radiator support (behind the header) to the frame just loose enough to move the front end from side to side with some effort. Set the hood and snug the hood bolts down so it can be tugged around and then square up all the openings at the same time. I use a paint stir stick to set the openings even all the way around. Once it is all square tighten the hood then the core support. It will take a few tries to get it perfect, but it is worth it.

Also, after you test fit the sheet metal, take it apart (again) and have them paint all the underside parts first (it's called jambing the parts or jamb painting). The outter surface is painted after the final fit and tightening.

You are doing a great job for no previous experience.

[STRAN]

Wow, thanks for the compliment and the great advice. As for the jamb painting I already did that, and yes I rattle canned it. I am on a budget. A Raomon Noddle budget. I used a premium Rustoilum black, the can has a ergonomically shapped top with a trigger rather than the push down nozzle. Sprays in a fan pattern. Goes on nice and even with no strippes. Thin coats on a warm day. Have a 88' civic waiting to be finished (another chapter to this story) and it gets real hot inside in the Cali sun. So I used it as a kind of oven to bake the paint. I also used a duplicolor adhesion promoter and a clear coat on top. The final step will be the wet sanding. This is all for a temporary paint job till I can get the whhole car done professionally.

another bit of info is the frame work cost about $1100 including two tows. Worth every penny.

[STRAN]

These pictures are of the assembly before the final pull. Panels are painted black and the correct header panel is installed.

[STRAN]

We have tightened the fenders down and the inner fenders, I would say the engine compartment assembly is almost done. Might have missed something. Did a test fit on the hood. The front was spot on, nice work by the shop. only had to wiggle the hood a bit to get nice gaps all around. Now to paint it.

[STRAN]

Okay, the problem now is the ..... electrical and electronics. When I start the car It will fire up, run for a moment and then die. I am sure it is fouled gas that was in the lines and filter. I had put stabilizer in it but the car was not running there for did not reach those systems. After it stalls most of the lights on the dash are on. The air bag light is flashing. I installed a crown vic bag of unknown condition; hasn't been deployed. The air suspension does not work, not enough time for it to engage maybe? Gets wried now. starts making buzzing noises, the hi-beam light is on as is the right turn signal. Basically it is freaking out. I checked the fuses and tested all the relays, Checked and recheck for something not being connected. Copart had removed two fuses which I replaced.

The plan is to first clean the fuel lines and a install a new filter and see how it works after that. Of course continue putting it back together.

[8UWITH6]

Okay, the problem now is the ..... electrical and electronics. When I start the car It will fire up, run for a moment and then die. I am sure it is fouled gas that was in the lines and filter. I had put stabilizer in it but the car was not running there for did not reach those systems. After it stalls most of the lights on the dash are on. The air bag light is flashing. I installed a crown vic bag of unknown condition; hasn't been deployed. The air suspension does not work, not enough time for it to engage maybe? Gets wried now. starts making buzzing noises, the hi-beam light is on as is the right turn signal. Basically it is freaking out. I checked the fuses and tested all the relays, Checked and recheck for something not being connected. Copart had removed two fuses which I replaced.

The plan is to first clean the fuel lines and a install a new filter and see how it works after that. Of course continue putting it back together.

Inspect the wiring harness that runs across the front of the lower core support for damage...............

[STRAN]

the only damage is the tow truck driver cut wiring to the headlight, it was hanging down. This could account for the high beam light being on. Will do some souldering tonight.

Update: fixed the headlight and fog-light wiring. No effect on the weird dash lights. pulled the LCM and checked it out. My work on installing the replacement relay (LCM Sticky) does not look except-able at this point. The soldering is lose and to much of the insulation on the wiring is stripped back. So did some tidying up of that and re-installed. No effect. So going to pull the LCM again completely redo the fix and re-install. I do not expect this to solve the problem.

[STRAN]

As I thought no success on the LCM repair makeover. The gauge cluster is still freaking out and systems are not operative.

Need some suggestions, I am tapped out.

[STRAN]

Pulled LCM again and cleaned and re-soldered AGAIN. Even thou I thought I had done better job it was still pretty lame. plus I have damaged the circuit board with heat. that is one of the metallic circuit paths is ruined. Already in touch with Jim for a replacement. Even thou my third attempt is wanting there was some improvement. Going to focus on the air ride. dummy light went off with latest attempt on the LCM but it is still not kicking on.

[Comin' in Hot]

if it starts for a second then dies and was in an accident, did you reset the fuel cut off in the trunk? its a red button.

[vegasmarauder]

There are 2 ground wires on the passenger side fender right next to the battery. Those must have a good solid connection or the front end electrical will go crazy.

The airbag light is flashing because if the air bags deployed there are small explosive charges in the seat belt retractors that fire off a milli-second before the air bags. These are designed to retract the seat belt about 4-6 inches to hold the person in place. If the passenger seat was unoccupied, that side should be good. That is why you can't use seat belts from an air bag deployed wreck if the seat was occupied. In some cases, the clockspring behind the steering air bag will be damaged, but not common in MM's. A scan tool shold give you the code and the internet will tell you if the problem is the belts or clockspring.

Starting issue can be a wiring problem at the MAF sensor and as above, or most likely the fuel cut off switch. Inside the trunk, driver's side near the hinge. press to reset...

Don't get too upset, even body shops will get to this point and send the car to the dealer to have the issues diagnosed and/or fixed.

[STRAN]

if it starts for a second then dies and was in an accident, did you reset the fuel cut off in the trunk? its a red button.

I think so but a long time ago. it is down inside the sleeve and won't go futher so I assumed it was reset.

[STRAN]

There are 2 ground wires on the passenger side fender right next to the battery. Those must have a good solid connection or the front end electrical will go crazy.

The airbag light is flashing because if the air bags deployed there are small explosive charges in the seat belt retractors that fire off a milli-second before the air bags. These are designed to retract the seat belt about 4-6 inches to hold the person in place. If the passenger seat was unoccupied, that side should be good. That is why you can't use seat belts from an air bag deployed wreck if the seat was occupied. In some cases, the clockspring behind the steering air bag will be damaged, but not common in MM's. A scan tool shold give you the code and the internet will tell you if the problem is the belts or clockspring.

Starting issue can be a wiring problem at the MAF sensor and as above, or most likely the fuel cut off switch. Inside the trunk, driver's side near the hinge. press to reset...

Don't get too upset, even body shops will get to this point and send the car to the dealer to have the issues diagnosed and/or fixed.

The air bag I put in is of an unknown year and out of a Vic. I am planing on replacing it and will check the spring. The drivers belt is non functional, and now I know why;New belt I assume?

Now the front electrical is going crazy. press the horn and the highbeam light on the cluster and right turn indicator flash on and off as i push. I noticed the two screws next to the battery but only the wire from the negative battery post is attached is there. Assumed it had something to do with the police package. Will look again. I reset the fuel cutoff switch.

[STRAN]

The ground wire. That was it. My son assembled that side and I have evidence, look back at the pictures I posted and there he is working on the passenger inner fender. I had looked up from under the car, looking for that ground, thought I could see everything but it wasn't till I went out and pulled the battery and fuse box that I found it. The battery needs a charge so that is Saturday, now the radio and ECU are squirrelly so that is next. Can't tell you how many times I looked at those ground screws and poked around for that wire.

[Mercurykidd]

Your son and you are doing a Great Job! She'll be back on the road ripping asphalt soon. If that was my son; I'd thank God he is safe, and then I'd make him sleep in the car until she was Rolling and Purring... :)

[STRAN]

Your son and you are doing a Great Job! She'll be back on the road ripping asphalt soon. If that was my son; I'd thank God he is safe, and then I'd make him sleep in the car until she was Rolling and Purring... :)

Not a bad idea.

[STRAN]

So just now, Saturday August 13, 2014, 5 PM Pacific time I fired up my Marauder with a jump from the Civic and she came to life. (Battery was run down from sitting) The air ride compessor is working and raised the rear, the radio is fine the climate control is operational but needs that dohicky under the dash replaced. CEL is on is no surprise and the ABS light is on. but it fired up and ran fine. No issues with the gas and clogged fuel lines. I was all the missed ground wire. Thank you Vagasmarauder!!! Your comment verified my suspicions and motivated me to tear into that side of the engine bay.

[vegasmarauder]

Your welcome. Great job. The CEL maybe on because with that loose ground wire the PCM got some very bizarre feedback from the engine harness. If you can get acces to a scanner tool, some of them will allow you to see the codes and reset them.

Check the ABS sensor wiring at the right front wheel. The wire runs up from the center of the wheel hub and is one of the three multiple connectors stuck on the inner fender liner right behind the fuse/relay box. Inspect the wire and connections. In some collisions, the wire gets pulled, crimped or damaged and kills that wheel's ABS sensor reading.

Progress now will be slower as the bugs get worked out..

[STRAN]

I found the missing bolt to the drive shaft. I was searching for my reader (still missing) and found the bolt under the seat. Adjusted the hood latch and still tweaking the hood fit. put all the trans fluid i had in and the trans is still a bit low on fluid. For those who don't know; if your drive shaft is out and the car is on a incline like that of a rollback tow truck, the trans fluid leaks out. pulled her into the drive and in the process of moving it around the ABS light went out, breaks still feel a little mushy. Air suspension is Not working after all; compressor runs but the rear does not lift. So I threw caution to the wind and drove it around the block. Running a little ruff but it is running and driving!

[sflrainmaker01]

Congrats on getting her running again! :beer: Great Job! I'd offer some advice, but I don't have any since I am so new here as well.:rolleyes: But, this website is the best!:bows: Thanks to all!

[STRAN]

so I went to a pick and pull to look for an possible parts, side mirrors, useable grill, etc. Found a '98? or '00 Crown Vic that has a nice BLack Hood and Black drivers fender. Should I go for it and buy those? not sure the fender would work from a '98 the hood might. I am assuming they would but could someone comfirm. My thought is a facroy black paint will look better than a rattle can paint job. Still it is temp and I do plan on a professional spray when I can afford it. when that will be is the question.

[vegasmarauder]

Hood will work. 1998 to 2012 hoods interchange. Fender will NOT work. I don't how many people say a 98-02 fender fits (it does, but really dosen't) it will not work and will not fit right.

I just changed a right front fender on a 03 Marquis that a had an 02 fender on it. The other body shop got it to "fit" but the bolts do not line up at the core support and the gaps were wrong.

Found a used 2007 Crown Vic fender and it dropped right in place with only 10 minutes of adjustment.

So, use the hood, not the fender.

[STRAN]

Was just back at the yard and that car is long gone. However, I pulled an LCM out of a '02 Vic that I hope is compatable. This car has a good hood as well, white painted over black so not sure it is worth getting. All it would do is save paintng the underside, I would still have to paint and or strip the top. It does have some drilled and slotted rotors front and back that look pretty good. Might snag those for a rainy day.

[vegasmarauder]

2002 LCM and rotors won't fit a MM. 2003 was major change in suspension and some of the electrical. 98-02 for the rotors and I think it's 00-02 for the LCM. The earlier LCM's don't have the flashing headlight problem of the 2003-up.

[STRAN]

Well the LCM out of the '02 Vic is a bust. Wish I had listened to that little voice of reason in my head,'Wait and check first!' They are hard to find. I hoped that at least the head lights would have worked with it but nope.

Now the I have noticed the high beam flash works and the side marker/parking lights work. Checked all the fuses about 6 times. Has to be something to do with the LCM. Right? I cleaned up my shoty soldering and think if repaired the damage I did the first time. WTF.

Then there is the air ride. I researched the system and it's problems. Did what I found out and nothing. The compressor works, made adjustments and still the rear will not rise.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I can hear the solenoids working. Looked for pinched leaking air line. Nothing.

Can't clear or read the codes because my scanner is missing. aaaahahhhhhhhhhgr.

[STRAN]

I looked over some electrical diagrams on the Marauder specifically the LCM. Turns out the air suspension is controlled by the LCM. I had my suspicions. I am pretty sure the wife will not agree to buying a new one at this time so I will be redirecting my efforts on the car for now.

[RF Overlord]

Turns out the air suspension is controlled by the LCM. Where did you get that info? The RAS is controlled by its own module, which is located behind the glove box. That module also controls the VAPS (variable assist power steering).

[STRAN]

Aaahhh must be the indicating light on the cluster. alldata.com is where I viewed the diagrams. This shows how desperate I am, i knew the RAS was behind the glove box.

[STRAN]

PART OF AN E-MAIL I SENT TO MY BROTHER

Yuk , Monday. Anyway the MM is waiting on a few parts. The suspension control module is bad so the car sits on its ass. Have new headlight coming in the mail, need side marker lights, lost my scanner and need to read the codes (it is missing and you can smell how rich it is), need a grille, hmmmmm. Found a LCM, lighting control module at a local salvage yard, that was a awesome score. $22 instead of 3 to 500 bucks from wherever and it works just fine, amazing. Need to charge the AC, repair a tire, fix the leaking oil filter adapter which requires draining the coolant (really? Said I) and there is a climate control dohicky deep in the dash that needs to be replaced. Some of this is per accident issues most are a result of the accident. Then comes the DMV. Da da DAAAAAANNNNN. I am thinking maybe in November.

The Coolant is going to be a real pain in the arse. To drain and refill it I have to be able to remove a threaded port about an inch in diameter. It sits on a steel hose at the top front of the engine. Now the problem is these port are known to lock up/seize in place. I had put anti seize on mine which caused air to get into the system and then the car would start to overheat. Cleaned of the stuff and problem solved. Now to get this off you use a bear socket wrench or extender and the last time I tried this the extender tip snapped right off in the dam thing because it had seized!!! Yea for me. So I am screwed unless I have a coolant issue, like now. The solution (one of a few choices) is to weld a bolt on top of it and then wrench it off. This is what I think I was going to do when the tool broke in it. But my welder was busted. The new switch for it arrived this weekend and I can move forward, problem is it is a inexpensive welder and I am a lousy welder. Have to practice a bit.

[vegasmarauder]

Before you try to remove the plug, mix up some 50/50 Mercon V and Acetone and then squirt it around the cap. Then take a ball peen hammer (or any hammer) and put it against the side of the plug firmly. While holding the first hammer against the side of the plug, take another hammer and hit on the opposite side of the plug from the one you are holding. Do this around the circumfrance of the plug. The tap the TOP of the plug around the edge of the plug. After that, take your 1/4 in ractchet/breaker bar, etc and loosen the plug. It will come loose. I have done a bunch of these on MM's, Continentals, and Cobras and never broke a breaker bar off in a plug. Just did a MM that had nver had the plug loosened in 10 years. It works!

[STRAN]

Awsome 'How-to' there guy. I will give it another go. Try and get that broken tool out first.

[STRAN]

Here is an update.

_as posted separately I am trouble shooting a missfire.
-Suspension still wacked.
-Replaced the climate control do-dad that is deep in the dash. I think if it goes bad again I will just selll the car rather than go thru that again.
-need side markers
-trying to glue (yea thats right, glue it) the front bumper togetther with mixed results. just till i can find and afford a nice replacement.
-I need to pull and evaluate the drivers seatbelt. if your airbags go off you have to relace the seat belt. Found a replacement in a salvage yard.
-Still need a new grill.

[STRAN]

here it is December, my prediction of being finished in November were not even that close. In my defense there is a new development.

Very busy at work, which is good. Finally got around to getting a compression testing gauge.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHH.

80psi in number 6 cylinder.

So....who is the best vendor for a replacement head?

[nusbd]

Glad your boy is fine, double check parts, most body parts are interchangeable with Crown vics and Grand Marquis. I just got a perfect correct color fender from u pull it for cheap.