I have a 1999 Mercury,Villager how many catalytic converters are on this vehicle? I have only identified one. And is there anyway to get a diagram? “
Your villager has two cats on it. One in the very front right off the manifold, and one further back. I can’t send diagrams here, but if you use the site and e mail me, I can e mail you back pictures from my all data information system.
“My 97 Sable’s wipers won’t turn off. I was told to replace the wiper motor assembly.So I put on a rebuilt unit from a discount auto store. It’s still doing the same thing. What’s up?”
Well, that is THE most common problem causing the wipers to stay on. The motor and or circuit board in the motor assembly shorts out. Now you could have a bad wiper switch, or a bad general electrical module (a computer part that ultimately runs the wipers). But, before you go that far, I’d advise trying another wiper motor assembly, preferrably a new one instead of a rebuilt one. I’ve had lots of problems with some rebuilders and getting a bad rebuilt Ford wiper motor assembly has happenned to me MORE than once. I’ve personally never changed out a wiper switch on a Sable yet, but I’ve changed lots of motor assemblies. So that will show you what breaks most often.
” My 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis is acting like it needs a new transmission. When shifting at about 30mph I get a vibration like I’m driving over rumble strips. Not all the time or when I’m accelerating quickly or very slowly, but in that in between range when the car is rolling along between 30 and 40mph. Anything I can do short of going to some transmission shop and getting charged for a replacement transmission?”
Yes, there is a good thing you can try, which can help such a problem. Your problem is technically called transmission shudder. Change out the transmission fluid and filter, and install a premium synthetic transmission fluid in the car (such as Mobil 1 synthetic transmission fluid.) And also add some anti shudder additive to the mix, such as Lucas anti shudder transmission additive. Give the stuff about 450 miles of driving to work its way in. Hopefully this will help and you won’t have to pull the transmission off and have it rebuilt or replaced. I’ve seen such a process work wonders.
Question: John has a 1997 Mercury Villager. When he hits a bump or hole, he hears a clunk like the floorboards are being hit with a hammer.
Mercury Villager suspension problems
Answer: Did you ever see that old Twilight Zone episode where the gremlin is hammering on the airplane engine (with William Shattner)? It must be the same gremlin whacking away on your van. But seriously, here’s a common problem on those Villagers: A “rattling/creaking” noise may come from the rear of some vehicles. The noise may be present in the floor area or the sliding door. On some vehicles, it may be heard on the left side. This may be caused by excessive clearance between the spring shackle plate mounting bolt shoulders and the shackle plate.
ACTION: Replace both shackle plates and upper bolts. And this may also be applicable: NOISE – “CLUNKING” OR “THUMPING” FROM REAR OF VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPS – VEHICLES BUILT FROM 4/13/92 TO 10/22/96 LIGHT TRUCK: 1993-97 VILLAGER This TSB article is being republished in its entirety to correct the service part numbers. ISSUE: A “clunking” or “thumping” noise may be heard from the rear of the vehicle while driving over bumps. This may result from improperly calibrated rear shock absorbers.
ACTION: Replace the rear shock absorbers with redesigned shocks having revised valve calibration. Refer to the following Service Procedure for details. SO, basically check the shackles and the rear shock absorbers FIRST. Of course any worn suspension part can make such a noise, but these are the TWO most common problems villagers have had. good luck
Patt’s Question: At odd times my 2001 Cougar won’t start. It will crank over, but the engine won’t start. When it doesn’t start, there is no spark at the spark plugs. But sometimes it will run for days with no problems at all. What’s a common fix for this?
Answer: Since you have no spark, you can rule out the fuel pump or injectors. If you start as the basics, the main spark firing signal comes from the crankshaft position sensor. I’ve seen them start to go bad, and have the same exact symptoms as your Cougar. Generally ignition coils or computer controls also give you bad running symptoms when they go bad. They will start hard, and then run poorly also. But the crankshaft position sensors will often fail upon initial start, but once the engine does start, the car can run fine for a while. I’d definitely check that first.
