Many of you saw my Lincoln Mark VIII thread. I have tried to find a decent FLM forum, but I can't find any other than mustang and F150 forums. Any of the Ford-related forums seem to either have zero traffic, or they don't cover anything I need.
So... what did I buy? I know it's basically a bloated t-bird with better seats. This one is a 1997 with 70k on it. LSC package.
- driver's door mirror is distorted. There is a ring in the center that is kinda tinted brown. Do I assume correctly that I have the auto dimming mirrors and there is some kind of delamination problem? Are they heated? If they are, I don't want to just do one of those stick-on mirrors or they won't heat well.
- 8.8" rear, I assume?
- Driver's power seat sometimes doesn't go forward, but seems to always motor forward when you tilt the seats. Known issue? I saw a lot of "power seat motor brush rebuild" kits, but it seems to move fine, just not every time I hit the button.
- Power moon roof inop. I have to check the fuses on that one, unless there is a super-common failure I should know about.
Just do a dump on me. Wait, that didn't come out right. Dump some info on my brain. Anything I might want to know.
Not much to say, but I had a '93. Transmission went at 50k. Quiet, solid cruiser, happy at 100+ on the interstate. Only had it for two years.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
8.8 IRS diff with aluminum housing.
Edit got a picture of the door tag?
I hate to think that FB groups are the answer but...
Here are the stats on this one:
3 new posts today
147 in the last month
3,691 total members
No new members in the last week
Created 15 years ago
Little on this Forum is new but Lincoln Mark 8's aren't new either. Maybe some heavy reading of old post will be fruitfull
Basically a T bird with air suspension and a 32v 4.6.
Note that it is a different engine from the Cobra engine. Different heads, different intake manifold, and something in the back of my mind says the rods are weaker but the (aluminum) block is stronger. May be wrong. Not really a concern if you aren't to do anything with it besides drive it, you know? But this is why Mark VIII engines are not worth nearly as much as Cobra engines. It is meant to be smooth and unobtrusive and a lot more powerful than the Mark VII's engines, whereas the Cobra was meant to be a lot more powerful while being smooth and refined. 
For the most part, if you are familiar with working with 90s Fords, it will all seem comfortably nostalgic but still everything will be just slightly different because Lincoln.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Did the Mark also have aluminum suspension components whereas the Thunderbird and Cougar were steel ?
DOHC 4.6 shared with the SVT Cobra and Marauder. It's the second most desirable/sturdy one as well, so slap a blower on there and party.
SLA front suspension, 8.8" rear diff with IRS shared with the MN12 Thunderbird/Cougar. Weird bolt pattern (5x112 iirc) and funky brakes to upgrade.
Driver's seat - take the switch apart and use contact cleaner and then take the seat out and clean the jackscrew and check the seat harness for loose connection/wire.
Moonroof will essentially mold itself shut if not exercised regularly. Check the switch first and then pull the motor. Once you get it working, clean the tray and drains thoroughly then grease the tracks.
They were super great cars and are fantastic highway cruisers/GT's.
In reply to dannyp84 :
I vaguely remember that, but I cannot say with absolute certainty.
Stampie said:
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
8.8 IRS diff with aluminum housing.
Edit got a picture of the door tag?
No, but I already know it's a 3.27:1 with green paint. I'll get a picture. Curious about LSD or open
Javelin said:
DOHC 4.6 shared with the SVT Cobra and Marauder. It's the second most desirable/sturdy one as well, so slap a blower on there and party.
SLA front suspension, 8.8" rear diff with IRS shared with the MN12 Thunderbird/Cougar. Weird bolt pattern (5x112 iirc) and funky brakes to upgrade.
Driver's seat - take the switch apart and use contact cleaner and then take the seat out and clean the jackscrew and check the seat harness for loose connection/wire.
Moonroof will essentially mold itself shut if not exercised regularly. Check the switch first and then pull the motor. Once you get it working, clean the tray and drains thoroughly then grease the tracks.
They were super great cars and are fantastic highway cruisers/GT's.
I'm loving the floating couch aspect. It's 90s luxury (CD, heated seats, and auto-on headlights) but super comfy.
I'm pretty well-versed in the mechanical bits, it's more the options that I don't get.
I have the JBL sound system. Is it a separate amp, or just a speaker package? The 90s radio really needs to go, but I don't know what I'm in for as far as compatibility.
JBL is usually a separate crappy amp. Good ol Crutchfield is actually a decent resource for what fits. If you have the JBL system unless you wanna do a whole nuts to soup just check the speakers, refoam if needed, use a premade adapter to drive the factory jbl amp. Or get an amp bypass kit and rewire the whole thing with modern speakers.
You can do any modern double DIN headunit in your 97 with very few mods.
There are some kind of neat things on the Mark VIII. They were one of the first cars to use HID lights, the rear lights in the center are actually a neon tube. They are pretty silky smooth. I remember test driving them when they were 5 or so years old in the early 00s. I was coming off a 1989 Mark VII, all done up (gears, full exhaust, cam, aftermarket bags, sprayed, so on so forth) and man, the Mark VIII was like a Camry, and not in a good way.
Re: mirror- probably is auto dim but not heated. Need new glass, as iirc, it's a snap in and out deal.
In reply to Ranger50 :
If it's like other Fords, yes... snap in, but the full glass/frame is NLA. I found new glass that sticks on, but didn't want to go that route if they were heated. The adhesive usually insulates the heat and doesn't melt ice/frost.
93gsxturbo said:
JBL is usually a separate crappy amp. Good ol Crutchfield is actually a decent resource for what fits. If you have the JBL system unless you wanna do a whole nuts to soup just check the speakers, refoam if needed, use a premade adapter to drive the factory jbl amp. Or get an amp bypass kit and rewire the whole thing with modern speakers.
You can do any modern double DIN headunit in your 97 with very few mods.
There are some kind of neat things on the Mark VIII. They were one of the first cars to use HID lights, the rear lights in the center are actually a neon tube. They are pretty silky smooth. I remember test driving them when they were 5 or so years old in the early 00s. I was coming off a 1989 Mark VII, all done up (gears, full exhaust, cam, aftermarket bags, sprayed, so on so forth) and man, the Mark VIII was like a Camry, and not in a good way.
I'm trying to figure out if my neon is working. Is it a running light, or a brake light? If it's a running light, it's already not working. The common fix is to get a ballast (of course, NLA) but Mk8 owners stockpile good used ones. I'm tempted to crack it open and replace with LED tape.
I realized the HIDs the first time I fired it up at night. The lights turned themselves on and I was like, "wow, those are terrib... oooh... HIDs."
Will
UberDork
6/19/23 11:01 p.m.
All Mark VIIIs came with open diffs and traction control to make up for it.
The diff housing, lower rear control arms and driveshaft are aluminum, compared to iron on the T-Bird.
The heads are identical to 96-98 Cobra heads ("B" heads). Different cams and intake, though.
Curtis, my 98 LSC came with the JBL stereo as well. I just ordered from Crutchfield and their "here's what your car has/needs" stereo finder thing worked fine for me.
My build thread has a how-to for diagnosing the neon trunk light. I think the replacement ballast is $109 or so on ebay now.
For the mirror, it's a failed auto dim setup. Likely similar to what my Jeep had on the driver's side. There's fluid and electrodes sandwiched between 2 layers of glass. As a "fix" without spending $300 for new OE heated/dimming glass, I removed the seal and outer pane of glass and drained the dimming fluid (don't get it on the paint or your skin), leaving just the inner pane of the glass for the mirror. Heats fine, looks fine, etc.
Door tag. Axle is 34 and the only reference google turned up was for trucks. In trucks, that's apparently 3.73 LSD, but I know LSCs all got the 3.27.
I also read that all Mk8s got open diffs, but there are some that apparently got them. No one knows why, but likely they ran out of open diffs on the shelf and stuffed in an LSD on some? I think it's a myth, although one guy on a lincoln forum claims he has one and showed a picture of an aluminum 8.8 with a 3L27 tag on a bolt. Maybe a junkyard swap.
