Just bought a 97 LSC, lots of questions, please help!

[rgurleyjr]

I just bought my first Mark VIII, it's not in the best condition, and I will not have time to check it out until the weekend. I have tried searching, but I'm not good at wording. I'm going to give a list of questions, if you have time, feel free to either answer or post a link to the answer, some of these questions may be common problems.
1)The gas filler door is closed but it's sticking out like it's not closed, about a 1/4 to 1/2" out. Any idea why, the gas door electric release doesn't work either, I wonder if that has anything to do with it.
2)I have a/c but no heater, do the heater cores go bad often or could it be a blend door problem?
3)Do the electric mirror switch's go bad a lot?
4)The headlights are fogged, not sure if it's inside or out. What is the best compound to use to clean the outside and how do you clean the inside also?
5)One of my headlight bulbs is bad, which ones are the HID bulbs, the blueish ones that are on the outer side of the headlights? How much are they and where do you get them from?
6)The heated seat switch assembly below the radio has a broken knob on the pass. side, do I have to get that whole piece or is the knob replaceable?

Sorry for the questions, but I have no clue about a lot of the common problems and general maintenance. I know I love the style and ride. Thanks again.

 

[94m5]

I would think the gas filler mechanism is effed up. i'm not sure if there is any adjusment or not, but there SURELY has to be something. Your blend door is shot, it's not hard to fix, just time consuming.

I've never had a problem with any of my electric mirror switches. Headlight "fog" is on the outside. Some rubbing compund and a little elbow grease will clean them up. HID bulbs are availible from ford, and more specifically Maxx at 5star ford (LVC sponser) has them on discount for around 170 bucks.

I wold scour Ebay for the knob for your headed seats. not availible seperatly.


Mike

 

[Frat-man-du]

I just bought my first Mark VIII, it's not in the best condition, and I will not have time to check it out until the weekend. I have tried searching, but I'm not good at wording. I'm going to give a list of questions, if you have time, feel free to either answer or post a link to the answer, some of these questions may be common problems.
1)The gas filler door is closed but it's sticking out like it's not closed, about a 1/4 to 1/2" out. Any idea why, the gas door electric release doesn't work either, I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Does the manual pull in the trunk work?
2)I have a/c but no heater, do the heater cores go bad often or could it be a blend door problem? Blend door $10 part but a lot of time involved
3)Do the electric mirror switch's go bad a lot? Never had one go bad - could be loose connection.
4)The headlights are fogged, not sure if it's inside or out. What is the best compound to use to clean the outside and how do you clean the inside also? i have used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads with lots of water and follow up with wax- every couple of months.
5)One of my headlight bulbs is bad, which ones are the HID bulbs, the blueish ones that are on the outer side of the headlights? How much are they and where do you get them from? Low beams are the HID. $170 from Max as stated above.
6)The heated seat switch assembly below the radio has a broken knob on the pass. side, do I have to get that whole piece or is the knob replaceable? Knob is replaceable they show up on ebay every now and again.

Sorry for the questions, but I have no clue about a lot of the common problems and general maintenance. I know I love the style and ride. Thanks again.

Lastely contrats on the ride!

 

[rgurleyjr]

Thanks for the replies, I may have a few more questions so check this thread to see.
On the headlight bulbs, are the low beams the HID bulbs and the high beams just regular 9055 bulbs? Can I put a regular bulb in place of the HID, I never thought a bulb would cost that much.
One last question for now, what would cause the alarm to go off after I unlock the drivers door with the key???? Sometimes it goes off and sometimes it doesn't. I am determined to fix it myself, I do not trust dealerships. Can someone let me know what the problem could be?

 

[torquemonkey]

Welcome to the club!
Yes the car is "sensitive" and needs to be maintenanced regularly or issues can pile up fast. Keep in mind that you have choosen a vehicle that was produced for a short time, shorter for we Gen II guys. Parts may seem expensive but keep in mind that they have lasted many years and miles. Our cars do have a Ford cousin that a few parts may interchange. They are MN-12s, commonly known as Thunderbirds and Cougars. With that said, on to the questions.

*Lighting; Keep the HIDs as they make your Mark the special ride that it is. You can kill two birds with one stone by callnig Max at 5 star Ford. See the ad as it will pop up on the right. Get an entire assembly, it comes with all new lamps and leveling set-up, factory plug and play.
Should you want to make your Mark a little bit more you own, this is a good site to read up on; http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/tech.html
*Fuel door; I believe you have answered it yourself.
*Mirror switch; I haven't read many people having issues with them. Gonna need to open the door panel up to get the best view. A check of what you have in there would be a good idea.
*HVAC; Sounds like a blend door issue, they run around $35 from Max. Count on around 6 hours labor from start to finish. This may help in trouble shooting; http://mark8.org/lod/technical.htm
*Heated seat switch knob; I don't have that option, but from what I have seen of them, it appears to me that it is easier and cheaper to replace the whole assembly.
*Anti-Theft;http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=19805