400k 4.6 Ford

[lucky7901]

Hi everyone. I'm a long time lurker. I typed up a long post then somehow I lost it but this is my first post in a condensed version.

I'm the owner of a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria with 397,000 miles. I do all the repairs on my own vehicles and have worked on cars and have been around hot rods since the early 1990s. 1987 Buick Grand Nationals are my favorite actually.

I have used all brands of oil off the shelf from Walmart for my crown victoria including using Shell Rotella T6. I have used oil viscosity from 5w20 to 5w50. The only difference I have ever felt was when I used 5w50, the engine seems to work a little harder until the oil thins out. I use 5w30 now strictly.

The only boutique oil I have used is the HPL engine oil cleaner about 2 years ago and maybe it was just a coincidence but around that time my exhaust started smoking blue smoke. Well all roads pointed back to the valve stem seals so I replaced all the valve stem seals (along with valve springs and roller followers) and the smoke was not only gone but I went from burning 1 quart of oil every 5k miles to nearly nothing every 5k miles!

The pictures are from me recently replacing all the timing chain components and any valve stem pictures are from at least 2 years ago. I have used Valvoline Restore and Protect as well and I change my oil at least every 5k miles.

The 4.6 is nothing short but an amazing engine. Very easy to work on and very reliable. I plan to upgrade the cylinder heads and add headers in the future. A 400hp engine is enough for the street as a daily driver.

 

[facility1]

all things considering, Valvoline Restore and Protect 5w-30 would be a good route to stay with, no need to add anything to this oil. Stay on top of proper filter changes.

 

[dnewton3]

I've owned a few MGMs of the same era over the years. In many ways, I miss them.

The 4.6L 2v in a Panther is the cockroach of vehicles; nearly impossible to kill with just the most basic of maintenance efforts. You're ready for another 400k miles!

 

[Kira]

18,000-19,000 per year WITH MAINTENANCE is how to do it.
Congrats
Do you even know what a car payment looks like?

 

[fantastic]

Nice work on the chain guides. I'd really wonder when the transmission or something will fail at that mileage but I suppose if it's worth fixing those at that time? I don't think these cars are high dollar but they're most certainly thinning out as time progresses.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

18,000-19,000 per year WITH MAINTENANCE is how to do it.
Congrats
Do you even know what a car payment looks like?

He is taking great care to keep his car alive so I think he is acutely aware.

 

[Kurtatron]

Impressive. Original transmission? Consistent transmission fluid changes?

 

[lucky7901]

To answer eveyones questions:

I bought the car at 120k miles. She was a NJ police vehicle for at least 100k miles in the suburbs. Then a single mom bought her and this lady and her daughter ran it into the ground including major fender damage.

I saw the car parked at a mechanic shop for at least a year and inquired on it and the shop owner said the owner (single mom) didn't want the car anymore but she owed the shop money so we all worked it out where I bought the car and the money paid off the shop owner for his work so we all walked away happy.

Boy did I have a project! The interior alone was a job. The entire floor of the car was covered in cigarette ash so I cleaned that. I also took the seats out and washed the fabric in the washing machine. Seats look like new! No dash lights at night so had to pull the dash trim and install about 20 new small bulbs just to start.

That said, the transmission went out at 220k and even then I was able to drive her home. Luckily I already went to the junkyard and bought a used transmission out of a Lincoln Town car of the same year and the unit I bought had only 60k miles. It was sitting in storage ready to go.

I had a transmission shop install it for me along with a new torque converter for only 800 bucks. I then sold the old transmission for 350$ to someone online to recuperate some cost.

I then did custom valve body work such as the Jmod and upgraded all the valves with Sonnax valves. She shifts very quickly and firm as a result. I have the Dorman transmission pan installed with a drain plug and I do a spill and fill every other motor oil change. Its about 3 and 1/2 quarts for a transmission spill and fill. I use Walmart Mercon V for now.

Then about 2 years ago I rebuilt the entire rear axle. What fun!! I went from 3.27 open to 3.55 Trac-Lok. I used 3.55 Ford Racing gears, 2003 Ford Cobra differential, ARP bolts, 31 spline axles and 2014 Shelby differential cover. Best mod so far. Out the hole she no longer lugs down and I still have amazing speed up top on the freeway.

I have done so much work on this car it's not even funny but it's such a joy as this is my hobby and working on her keeps me sane. I use to hear guys talk about these cars so much that when I got one I finally realized what they were talking about and that led to me buying another one but my other car is a mint condition 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis.

These cars are easily rebuildable! Aside from rust there is no reason to junk these cars out. And to answer a posters question no I have never had a car payment. Haha. Do you want to know how much I paid for my mint 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis with 120k miles?? 600$!!

Young owner said the AC didn't work, the transmission was slipping and a noise in the front. I got her home and fixed everything. The transmission issue turned out to be an aftermarket filter that didn't flow at the right rate. A new Motorcraft transmission filter fixed that. Noise up front was just a detached disc brake dust shield that broke off.

 

[lucky7901]

Nice work on the chain guides. I'd really wonder when the transmission or something will fail at that mileage but I suppose if it's worth fixing those at that time? I don't think these cars are high dollar but they're most certainly thinning out as time progresses.

As you can see above already done. I get compliments all the time in my 2004 P71.

Just last night a man stopped me at the gas station and told me how good these cars run and how he will never buy a new vehicle. He was 55 years old.

These cars will never be worth major money but they will always be worth something because people know they are good all around soild cars. Once a lady stopped me at a gas station and told me her crown victoria saved her life. She was hit by a bus and she said if she were in any other car she would probably be dead.

 

[lucky7901]

all things considering, Valvoline Restore and Protect 5w-30 would be a good route to stay with, no need to add anything to this oil. Stay on top of proper filter changes.

Sounds like a plan. Like others here I often have a hard time finding Valvoline Restore and Protect on the shelf at Walmart due to the popularly. Fortunately the Walmart close to me has Pennzoil Ultra Platinum so for right now I'm sticking with that.

 

[meep]

I’d say you know your way around hot rods for sure. The maintenance and upgrades and upkeep to this CV is superb. Wonderful job!

 

[Fordiesel69]

WOW!! Perfect timing on those roller followers. Just in time before the chrome peeled.

How come you took the blower motor plenum off?

 

[lucky7901]

I’d say you know your way around hot rods for sure. The maintenance and upgrades and upkeep to this CV is superb. Wonderful job!

Thank you Sir! I guess it runs in the blood. My dad use to race at Atco Raceway in the 1970s. He was a Mopar guy and rode motorcycles. I have pictures of him and my mother at the track and my mother next to his car on slicks looking like a pin-up model.

Only met my dad a hand full of times but my mother says I'm just as talented as him and use the tools just the way he did.

I wanted to be a mechanic back in the late 1990s but a mechanic I knew who had his own shop told me not to go into the trade. I also was very interested in working on jet engines but that never happened.

I'm glad I took my neighborhood mechanics advice. I have a pure love for fixing cars but I couldn't do it for a living, especially how I see how people neglect their vehicles.

For example, once I helped this waitress who was having car trouble with her 2008 ish Mitsubishi. I pulled the oil dipstick and no oil registered. The brakes were metal on metal; and when I finally got to the rotors they were seized onto the hubs so I had to use heat, a 3 jaw puller and Liquid Wrench to remove. Dog hair, trash and random papers all inside the car and old makeup covering most of the steering wheel. After I fixed her car and cleaned it up to the point she didn't even recognize it she crashed it a few weeks later.

 

[Ursatdx]

The axles on your carpet made me smile.
For most a death knell.

 

[lucky7901]

WOW!! Perfect timing on those roller followers. Just in time before the chrome peeled.

How come you took the blower motor plenum off?

I replaced the evaporator core to the AC system. The orifice tube went bad and the Ford OEM evaporator core was only 80$ new from Rockauto so I said why not after 20 years.

And let me tell you, people are getting ripped off with automotive A/C repair!!!

People have told me they have paid $1,500 for A/C repair. Wow. I bought a nice used vacuum pump and used manifold gauge set for about 100$. That's all you need aside from the refrigerant that is 5$ a can at Walmart.

 

[lucky7901]

The axles on your carpet made me smile.
For most a death knell.

Haha.. Between us, I used the old lady's oven to heat up the pinion when rebuilding the differential.

I heated the pinion up for about 10 minutes at 350-400 degrees fahrenheit. The pinion bearing was in the freezer for weeks ahead of time. I quickly took the pinion bearing out the freezer and it slipped over the pinion and seated exactly where it should have right on the kitchen floor. No press needed!

 

[OVERKILL]

One of the best engines ever made and one of the best car platforms ever made. A winning combo! I had an '89 Town Car with a hopped up 302 for many years (was originally my dad's car) and my dad's "summer car" is an '03 Town Car.

 

[loneryder]

The Taxi fleet..Washington Flyer and mostly CVs. They took really good care of them. I always saw them at oil change shops. The I used them I would always ask how many miles. 3-400k was always the answer. The cars looked new. They had all replaced transmissions but nothing major on engines. I asked what they did with them when they were done. They sold them to South America. They made long runs carrying people from Dulles to DC.
Now they use Toyotas.

 

[Oliveoil2]

To answer eveyones questions:

I bought the car at 120k miles. She was a NJ police vehicle for at least 100k miles in the suburbs. Then a single mom bought her and this lady and her daughter ran it into the ground including major fender damage.

I saw the car parked at a mechanic shop for at least a year and inquired on it and the shop owner said the owner (single mom) didn't want the car anymore but she owed the shop money so we all worked it out where I bought the car and the money paid off the shop owner for his work so we all walked away happy.

Boy did I have a project! The interior alone was a job. The entire floor of the car was covered in cigarette ash so I cleaned that. I also took the seats out and washed the fabric in the washing machine. Seats look like new! No dash lights at night so had to pull the dash trim and install about 20 new small bulbs just to start.

That said, the transmission went out at 220k and even then I was able to drive her home. Luckily I already went to the junkyard and bought a used transmission out of a Lincoln Town car of the same year and the unit I bought had only 60k miles. It was sitting in storage ready to go.

I had a transmission shop install it for me along with a new torque converter for only 800 bucks. I then sold the old transmission for 350$ to someone online to recuperate some cost.

I then did custom valve body work such as the Jmod and upgraded all the valves with Sonnax valves. She shifts very quickly and firm as a result. I have the Dorman transmission pan installed with a drain plug and I do a spill and fill every other motor oil change. Its about 3 and 1/2 quarts for a transmission spill and fill. I use Walmart Mercon V for now.

Then about 2 years ago I rebuilt the entire rear axle. What fun!! I went from 3.27 open to 3.55 Trac-Lok. I used 3.55 Ford Racing gears, 2003 Ford Cobra differential, ARP bolts, 31 spline axles and 2014 Shelby differential cover. Best mod so far. Out the hole she no longer lugs down and I still have amazing speed up top on the freeway.

I have done so much work on this car it's not even funny but it's such a joy as this is my hobby and working on her keeps me sane. I use to hear guys talk about these cars so much that when I got one I finally realized what they were talking about and that led to me buying another one but my other car is a mint condition 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis.

These cars are easily rebuildable! Aside from rust there is no reason to junk these cars out. And to answer a posters question no I have never had a car payment. Haha. Do you want to know how much I paid for my mint 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis with 120k miles?? 600$!!

Young owner said the AC didn't work, the transmission was slipping and a noise in the front. I got her home and fixed everything. The transmission issue turned out to be an aftermarket filter that didn't flow at the right rate. A new Motorcraft transmission filter fixed that. Noise up front was just a detached disc brake dust shield that broke off.

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Are you kidding me?? Doing all that in a parking lot with a small jack?

 

[Kurtatron]

Car parts on the carpet inside. You must be single.