Re: Ford Crown Vic/Mercury Grand Marquis

I drove a Crown Vic as a rental on a business trip last year. Not my type of car, but I have to admit it was pretty nice. Smooth ride. Good sound system. I had my Powerbook with me so I burned a new CD for the day each evening. :)

I'd like to see /you/ not explode when you're standing still and you're hit by a vehicle going 70-80 MPH... ;)

The Panther chassis is the last American full size front-engine rear- drive car still in production.

The overhead cams are chain driven, very reliable. They would be the last thing to break if the engine was run with no oil. There is no scheduled maint on these that I'm aware of. Other maintanence cycles are typical of US v8 designs.

The cylinder heads were 'improved' in '99. If performance is a consideration the '99 and later models would be a better choice.

The main recurring issue with the 4.6 sohc is the plastic intake manifold that develops cracks and will leak. (1996-2002 models.) It was subject to a factory recall as a result of a class-action suit. The original intake was all composite and the replacement has a metal (aluminum) coolant crossover passage across the front. Make sure any vehicle you look at has the replacement intake with the metal coolant crossover. Otherwise it WILL crack and leak !

Another peculiarity of the OHC design is that there are no cam bearings as such; the cams ride directly on aluminum in the heads. It's not a major issue though as long as proper oil and coolant levels are maintained (as with any engine)

Overall I'd say they are reasonably reliable cars, good luck.

rd