New to me Grand Marquis

[mrjlube]

Hi everyone,Im on my first oil change on my new to me 2004 Grand Marquis. Has 25,000 original miles. Im running 5w20 Motorcrat syn blend from dealer. Ibjust turned 4,200 miles on the oil. Should it be changed or let it go a while? Car always gets to operating temp,on 25 mile commute. Thanks for your advice.

 

[CharBaby]

Hmmm, that's a tough one!
Do you know the maintenance history over the past 15 years. If you do know and it was good, go to 5K miles & dump it!

 

[Jetsfan421]

That's a nice car with low miles, I hope you enjoy it for years to come. Keep up with 5k oci and that engine will give you many trouble free years. I would also change the tranny fluid, having only 25k it's a good time to get the factory fluid out and fresh fluid in.

 

[mrjlube]

Thanks guys,the car was rarely driven amd changed with mobil 5000 5w20 once a year. Car runs great,im loving it so far. I bought it from a guy whos dad owned it and passed. Love the old school full frame rear wheel drive.

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by mrjlube
Thanks guys,the car was rarely driven amd changed with mobil 5000 5w20 once a year. Car runs great,im loving it so far.


Thats an average of 1667 miles per oil change...

I would switch over to Havoline PRO DS .. also probably change the fuel filter if there is one... put some techron or Redline Si-1 and give it an Italian tuneup..
Check air filter...probably been sitting awhile.. i found a mouse nest in my Fuzion when i bought it.

 

[mrjlube]

Oh yes,i found a nest also. I took it to the dealer and had them check it out. I need to change coolant before winter and ya fuel filter for sure.

 

[nascarnation]

Lots of these (mostly in the Ford body config but same vehicle) have run a half million miles as cop cars then taxis.
Keep the body from rusting out and you may have a lifetime car.

 

[bullwinkle]

Pretty much tougher than nails-I would add to ALWAYS use a silicone anti-drainback valve oil filter, and to replace it at the first sign of any startup noise. I am a big fan of Castrol Magnatec 5W20 in mine, and it has returned 25 MPG when driven at reasonable speeds (like Portsmouth, OH to Cincinnati on US 52 this past summer).

 

[ZZman]

5,000 miles is a good number and easy to remember.

 

[14Accent]

5k OCI, but I would use a 5W30. Yes, I know, many many MANY Panther's are just fine for half a million miles on 5W20, and just as many (if not more, because Ford changed the spec then changed it back) are running just as well on 5W30. I never once considered using 5W20 in my Marauder, it liked it's 5W30 Amsoil OE and 5k changes. Didn't burn a drop at 225k miles.

 

[buck91]

Love those cars. Had a 94 CVLX with almost 200k on it before I was totalled while stopped at a red light. When I did valve stem seals at 150k miles it was spotless- and that was running plain old dino for 3k-5k miles.

 

[69GTX]

I've had several of these and used 5w-30 since that was the actual design spec they were built on. For 2001 Ford changed to 5w-20 for CAFE fuel benefits....nothing to do with oil viscosity for max engine life. At one point I was doing 5w-20 winter and 5w-30 summer. Now just 30 grade all year round.

The cabin filter is probably original too. Probably the weakest link in these is the transmission, though not all that weak. Change the Mercon V at 20K-25K and it will do well. I think Ford recommends 30K. If you go to a Quick Lube service on these they will sometimes try to put in the older Mercon spec.

 

[Rob_Roy]

Nice car. I drove a 2001 Marquis for nearly a decade.

I think the 4.6 is more picky about the oil filter than the oil. One time I used a cheapo oil filter and the timing chains would make noise on startup after sitting overnight. After that I just used Motorcraft filters.

Don't forget about the coolant. Considering the age of the car, the coolant is likely due for a change.