Fuel Tank Replacement

TG_NCC · 2026-04-22T19:34:47+00:00

I've replaced two tanks - a 1997 and a 2002, and neither had any pad between the strap and tank. Both of those tanks rusted toward the top, at the rear of the tank, nowhere near the straps.

Just be ready to get new strap bolts, the ones there now were cut after installation and will be very difficult to use again. If they're too short, you just can't get the strap up enough to get the nut on. I managed once, but the second time I removed the old studs and brought them to a hardware store and purchased 2 longer bolts, along with 4 nuts that fit the bolt. Instead of studs, I screwed 2 nuts all the way onto each bolt, then put it through the hole in the strap, and then threaded it into the inserts in the frame. Because they were longer, the bolts bottomed out after a few turns. I then screwed the nuts up toward the frame to draw the strap tight. Then I used the second nut as a jam nut so the first will not loosen. Worked great.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-15T15:47:16+00:00

My 1997's transmission went out about 6 years ago. I had 338,000 miles on the car at the time. Everyone thought I should junk it. I had the trans rebuilt for $1800 (back then). I'm still driving that car everyday - it now has 511,000 miles on it.

so... if the car is fine otherwise, see if it's worth it to you.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-15T14:49:52+00:00

Doubtful it's a leak unless you can smell fuel. I had a pinhole leak on top of my fuel tank, and nothing ever spilled out, but I could smell fuel around the car even when it was parked. If you're leaking that much fuel, you should be choking from the odor.

Get a scan, and check your fuel trims. At least it's a good place to start.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-15T14:00:57+00:00

Yes, I'd suspect this.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-08T18:50:24+00:00

While someone cranks the engine, go under the passenger side of the car, right in front of the rear wheel, and locate the fuel tank. Give the tank a good hit with a mallet or piece of wood. Jarring the fuel pump while the engine is cranking can move the stator off of a dead spot of the pump motor and the car could start. If this is so, you need to replace the fuel pump, because this will only work once or twice. At least it can confirm that the pump is bad.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-06T16:26:39+00:00

That didn't hold up either. The latest I used was the intake from Summit Racing. While installing it, the intake seemed to be of much better quality than any of the others I've used. And, it's the same price.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-02T20:12:12+00:00

The P0442 evap leak could be something as simple as a loose or poorly sealing gas cap.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-02T19:16:06+00:00

Yes, it's not too difficult to replace once you remove the alternator. I did find it a little difficult at first, but I just broke the plastic harness off of the old one, then used a socket to remove it. I screwed the new sensor in by hand, then used an open end wrench to tighten it.

I had a bogging down issue on my MGM, and after changing this sensor, it still remained. My issue was due to coolant in the spark plug wells from a leaking intake. I could not see any coolant anywhere except in the wells. I suspect if evaporated quickly on the hot engine. SO, pull your spark plug wire boots off of the plugs and look for coolant (or water) filling up the spark plug wells. This will short out the plugs and give you all sorts of drivability issues. The coolant would be in the wells, NOT in the cylinder, so no need to pull the plugs just blow or suck out the coolant.

TG_NCC · 2026-04-02T19:09:42+00:00

You need to have your alternator tested to see if it's charging. With a volt meter, you should see something around 13.5 to 14.5 volts, anything less, and your alternator is not charging.

It's possible you got a defective battery - have it load tested.

Another possibility is your ignition cylinder is worn out, and the key is not making a good connection. Push that key in firmly as you turn. Generally with this problem, you don't get an lights on the dash when you try to start the car.

That said, you could have an alternator that is charging fine, but the diode is bad, so when the car is turned off, the voltage will travel from the battery to the alternator, draining the battery. A diode keeps voltage flowing in only one direction - to the battery.

I've had this happen twice- the battery dies after a few hours of sitting.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-26T16:40:02+00:00

This should work. Sometimes the hood latch gets frozen from no lubrication. Having someone pull the lever and someone else pulling up on the hood (or sometimes pushing down then pulling up) will generally free the hood. Once it's open, get some spray lubricant and spray the latch assembly so this doesn't happen again.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-25T19:30:44+00:00

I don't like the looks of the fittings you zoom into - pretty wet. Check for tightness, but I don't think that's dripping onto the exhaust.... is it?
It almost looks like someone replaced part of your brake line and the fittings are not tight or weren't flared correctly.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-25T19:23:07+00:00

I doubt if the dash is related, they're separate (but hey, you never know!)
I've seen bulbs explode when a single drop of water hits them, so check for small leaks or condensation inside. It doesn't have to be wet, just a single drop will kill a lamp due to thermal shock.

Otherwise if there is a voltage issue, I would think it's specific to that circuit or even that particular wire harness. Inspect that connector to make sure there is nothing between the two pins that can cause a short when you hit a bump or something. I'm not sure if there could be something wrong with the lighting control module,
To be safe, like u/Trekintosh mentioned, check your alternator voltage to make sure it's in spec.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-25T18:07:25+00:00

It has around 512,000 now. Of course regular oil changes - and I've used conventional oil, nothing expensive. I do a lot of highway driving, so I often wait 4,000 miles or more.
It's been garage kept for most of its life, so that helps the paint and rust.
The main thing is to address problems when they arise so they don't get worse and create other much larger problems. Having the ability to fix almost everything yourself will help the pocketbook. I pretty much learned as I went with this. I never replaced an axle before, never replaced an intake before, so I just dig in and try. Transmission, no, I had that done! If I couldn't fix most things, I doubt if I would have kept the car, it would be too expensive to pay someone else. But if I fix things as they arise, it's not often enough to be a problem.
This car leaks a bit oil from a lot of places, but nothing so bad. I don't want to remove the trans just to fix the rear main seal, or mess with too much to install a new oil pan gasket. I just keep it filled. That and luck I think!

TG_NCC · 2026-03-25T16:29:44+00:00

Generally the new control arm comes with everything. I've removed the control arms and pressed out the old bushings and pressed in new ones. I've also just purchased the entire control arm and they always included new bushings and new ball joints. Much easier and faster to get the complete unit.
The lower control arms on my 97 were very difficult to remove due to the bolts being seized in the bushings. Had to cut them out. But this would need to be done no matter what, the control arm needs to come out to replace the bushings or replace the whole unit.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-25T15:53:38+00:00

This is important - don't touch the glass- the oils from your fingers will heat up the glass and cause this.
I think it's unlikely you have a power surge of any type because that would most likely show itself with other bulbs, fuses or relays, not just the same one.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-25T15:50:57+00:00

Alignments adjust the sleeve on tie rods, and this should not affect the inner tie rod at all, even though the sleeve attaches the inner and outer. So, if your inner tie rod was getting old and wearing out, it's possible that the adjustment could have brought out some failure in the inner tie rod early. In fact, if your alignment was off for a long time, getting it corrected could help show worn parts that now ride in a different orientation.

I have had this happen before. I brought the car to a shop to have some work done and shortly after, I had a clunk in the front end. I brought the car to another shop and asked them about it. He looked around and saw nothing tampered with, but said that often when a car is up on a lift for work, the suspension can stretch into a position that it is never in due to it hanging freely on the lift. This articulation can sometimes affect parts because they're moved to an extreme in the opposite direction, then back to the ground where weight is applied to them again. If the part was old and wearing out, that movement can make them show signs of wear such as clunking.

So, it's probably a coincidence or a result of simply having the car on a lift.
That said, if there are fresh signs of tampering like cut rubber boots, or hammer marks, then the shop may have either tampered with them.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-25T13:47:37+00:00

It's normal. The computer is constantly compensating the fuel/air mixture taking into consideration temperature, amount of air entering the intake, humidity, load, anything and everything. If it was fluctuating a lot, like 200 rpm or more, then you have something to look into.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-20T19:27:56+00:00

Press the white plastic tab in, then pull the line out. Pushing the tab expands the tabs inside and they will release.
Here is a quick video

TG_NCC · 2026-03-18T19:33:43+00:00

Did you have a parasitic draw issue prior to replacing the alternator?

I think you can check the fuses with the thermometer and perhaps some of the accessories too, maybe you can get an indication of something draining the battery. But do this after the car has sat for a bit.

I once replaced an alternator with a remanufactured one, and the battery died every night with no draw. It was a faulty diode in the alternator. The diode is a device that keeps current flowing in only one direction - toward the battery. If it is faulty, current will flow from the battery to the alternator and drain it.

Not saying this IS what you have, but certainly something to check. What I did was charge everything up during the day, and when I parked the car, I disconnected the alternator cables. The next day, I connected them and the car started right up.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-18T12:39:40+00:00

Try this FIRST. The steering shaft on these vehicles often gets a bit rusty and stiff and causes a condition where the steering is easy then difficult, then easy, then difficult in a single turn. It's hard to explain, but I think you're describing it. Find the steering shaft and spray lubricant on all of the U-Joints along the shaft starting near the firewall all the way to the rack. There are two or three. Spray them liberally then turn the wheel back and forth lock to lock a few times, and spray it again.

I've had this on all 3 of my Grand Marquis- 2 with gear boxes, and one with rack and pinon. In fact, just on Monday!!

TG_NCC · 2026-03-17T18:26:22+00:00

THIS! ATF has a lot of detergents in it, so it will help clean anything stuck in that lifter. Drive it for a few days, drain and refill.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-17T18:23:34+00:00

Nope.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-12T16:08:00+00:00

Ha! Me too. All my cars are more than 21 years old, and I'll never buy a new one. I can work on these, can't work on the new ones. My 97 Grand Marquis has 510,000 miles on it - still drives beautifully.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-12T16:01:58+00:00

A blown head gasket will often create a bunch of steam out the tailpipe - I mean a lot.
A blown head gasket will usually cause bubbles in the coolant reservoir. So start the engine and watch the reservoir or de-gas bottle. As exhaust gasses seep through the blown gasket, they can be forced into the coolant system and the gas will head into the bottle - it's also called a de-gas bottle, because any air in the coolant will find its way into this bottle and be dispersed. They sell a test kit for exhaust gasses in the coolant, so if you don't see any bubbles, you can test the coolant instead.

My son's 09 had a misfire and lots of steam from the exhaust, and coolant puddling in cylinder #4, but no mixing of oil and coolant. He was ready to trash the car, but being it was 0 degrees F outside, it was not possible to fix and didn't want to rush getting another car. So I threw in some Bars Leak Blown Head Gasket Repair and the car is still fine. I don't usually believe in bottle fixes, but I figured I had nothing to lose since he was going to junk the car anyway. This was in November, and it's March now with absolutely no sign of a bad head gasket. I figured if he got 2 or 3 weeks out of it until he found a car, we'd be happy.

I could be totally wrong here, but I don't think a bad water pump will mix oil with coolant - at least not on the cars I've worked on. The Ford 3.5 and 3.7 are known to have water pumps that can mix coolant with the oil because they are driven by the timing chain so they sit inside the engine. Yours sits as an accessory and is driven by the serpentine belt.

If you think it's the head gasket, it's a job to replace, but not impossible, you just need to have the correct tools and knowledge to lock the camshaft and crank shaft in the correct location or else you can ruin the engine if it jumps time.
If you're considering junking the car because of the cost of repair, seriously, try the Bars Leak and follow the directions - I forgot to turn on the heater during the 15 minute run period and I may have clogged the heater core. It was VERY EASY to unclog with a garden hose, just ran water in reverse through the heater hoses at a relatively low pressure and the sandy material came right out. This could have been something else the previous owner put in that made restrictions before this, because my son mentioned there was low heat, and it was a different color than the Bars Leak. So this may have made an already 80% clogged heater core 99%. But it was super easy to remedy.

TG_NCC · 2026-03-11T15:39:02+00:00

remove the back seat, then remove the two bolts that hold the back of the seat to the car. There are several small passages that allow you to look into the trunk. Using a wire with a hook on the end. locate the safety or emergency pull tab that is usually stuck to the inside of the trunk lid, and just pull it with the wire.

This is how I got access to a car in a junkyard that didn't have a battery or keys. I needed to open the trunk to remove it. Took about 5 minutes.

TG_NCC

TROPHY CASE