'83 Grand Marquis Engine noise

Hey people...... it's a 302 with EFI.

I've wondered about some strange engine noise since I started driving this car (about 2 years now). My household has had the car for 18 of it's 20 (or

21?) year life...(parents bought a month before I was born).

First time I heard it I freaked.......told my dad about it. It's a staccatto clack sound....almost sounds like rockers makin' noise.....it's proportional to engine rpm, but I really don't hear it as much at higher rpms (I barley, if at all, hear it at high speed idle, but when it kicks down to normal, it appears, and at gradual throttle increase, the sound level of that noise decreases).....mayber just cause the exaust and all the noise in general is louder.....

My dad said it'd been makin that noise ever since they got it, he never figured out what it was. We'ver had any trouble with the engine before, other than some crap getting stuck in the EGR valve holding it open. The water pump has probably been up 3 or 4 times. We've inspected under valve covers. The thing runs absoloutly great, I can totally step on it and make it to 60 in a little over 14 seconds (woop-te-doo....), almost no pre-ignition, and I put 87 in it. it has about..... 135,000 miles on it (I know not that much!...small town). But it just bugs me!

Anyway, if anyone has some ideas on what this mysterious sound could be...please reply!

Thanks.

Nic

Reply to
Robotnik
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It's the relays for the EGR and AIR system, and yes, they all make it. Don't worry about it.

Reply to
Pygoscelis Papua

I agree - my '84 T-Bird (302, CFI) had a similar noise. It was especially noticeable when just taking off from a stop(relays and vacuum solenoids clattering). I got to the point where I got nervous if I didn't hear it because it meant something had come loose or failed. My '84 also had what seemed to be rod knock when first started each day that went away as it warmed up. I gave the car to my best friend with 184,000 miles on it and it is still going strong.

Paul E in Ohio

noise.....it's

Reply to
FnP

Are you sure.......it doesn't really sound like relays.... but, whatever you say...I wasn't really worried about it since I found it the sound had been around its whole life.

Nic

noise.....it's

Reply to
Robotnik

The solenoid that operates the EGR valve makes a very noticeable staccato racket and does vary a bit with RPM. It quickly energizes and then lets go to vary the amount of vacuum to the diaphragm on the valve. At higher speed and RPM, it is mostly open so less noise. Mine was located on a plate that had several others and sat under the coolant recovery tank in front of the driver. The noise traveled back thru the inner fender. I was always told it was a noise only "car nuts" could hear. Welcome to the club!

Paul

Reply to
FnP

Well thanks for the welcome.....and I think I'm not just a car nut......but a nut in general....lol.... most of my "peers" (I'm 18) make fun of me for what I drive, and the fact that I like the car (these are the kids that are mostly all spoiled with their brand new (or mid-late 90's cars) and really don't do anything but drive them. (uh oh, here comes the life story of the car and I...)

A few months after I started driving the car (16 yrs old), one day I was driving to school, and I saw the school bus comming the other way and I knew it was about to stop, so I just floored it in hope to get by....and I heard a big boom. Needles to say It scare the sh** out of me. Slight releif came when I realized the engine was still running....and the exhaust was extremely loud. I got to the school parking lot and looked.....muffler blew up. So a couple of weeks later we had dual exhaust put on (true dual....).

Then about 6 months ago the air pump started makin a lot of racket....so we took that in fear of it locking up, and since that came off, might as well cut off the cats......(don't tell the epa!). Now the thing sounds pretty good. Not too loud, not too soft. Also last summer it had its very first radiator transplant. Also took off the water pump and cleaned it up, and sealed some bold holes that we suspected were leaking. It doesn't leak nerly as much coolant now :-D

Also in the life of it, there've probably been 6 master cylinders, 6 power brake boosters (UHG!). Done full brake systems once or twice.

And the most fun came a few weeks ago, a friend of my dad had an 83 grand marquis LS (yeah yeah, mine wasn't an LS...) But his engine croaked and was going to send the car to the crusher, he said we could take what we wanted. So I got the LS seats, I pried every emblem off the thing, I have a spare grille, Tail lights/lenses, spare steering wheel, power antenna, all the power lock/window motors & Mechanisms, door pulls, arm rests, cornering lamps, tone generator (this one worked a little, which I fixed and made it work like new!), fuse panels.... The list goes on and on......even a few things that I didn't know what they were. Not often you get a nearly identical car free for the taking. The only thing I"m dissapoined about....the guy kept his nice aluminum wheels... :-( and put then on his trailor. Ah well, can't expect too much for free...

We also have a '92 grandmarquis (LS I think...it lives some where else right now), '90 accord ex, '79 F-100, and '66 Thunderbird.

Well, that's my automobile nerdism in a nut shell. If anyone even read the whole thing.....Hey I'm also an electronics/computer nerd! Yahoo

Anyway thanks for the advice on the noise...hehe

Nic

Reply to
Robotnik

Pretty sure, can't hear the noise from here, but if it's been there all along, how bad could it be?

Reply to
Pygoscelis Papua

Nice collection and a great friend! Those parts will keep you going almost forever. I have driven mostly T-Birds but am selling the only one I have left - my 1967 UNrestored one. I drive a '95 Crown Vic right now. I like it because it doesn't scrunch me up like a lot of other cars do. It's fast enough for me and stops quick. Of course, the nice Hi-Fi I put in helps immensely...

Paul E

nut......but

Reply to
FnP

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