Companion to my Crown Vic website. Updates on my 1998 - 2008 Crown Victorias, and other related info.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Crown Vic Flattened for Boston ‘Ghostbusters’ Filming
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| (photo by Adrienne Lavidor-Berman) |
The Boston Globe has a photo today showing a flattened Crown Victoria in NYC taxi livery. The car is part of the new GHOSTBUSTERS movie being filmed in Boston MA. The paper sees it as amusing. If you are looking at this blog, then you feel otherwise...
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Brand New 2016 Ford Interceptor Utility Spotted
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| Brand New 2016 Ford Interceptor Utility spotted at Gateway Ford in VT (6/6/15) |
Friday, May 29, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
UPDATE: Wires & Starter
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| As of 3/28/15 |
Back in March, Vic was dead in the driveway for a
while. It would crank and crank, but not
start. The first day this happened, the
battery sounded like it was dieing. So
we picked up a new battery and I installed it ($170 later…).
Still didn’t start.
After a bunch of time looking under the hood, we decided
maybe it was one of the wires in the front wiring harness that had been
repaired in the past. We wiggled stuff
and swore internally. Somehow, the car
started and all seemed well. Then it
didn’t.
One thing I noticed was the car would start only if the
engine light lit before cranking. If
that light didn’t go on, the car wouldn’t start. If it was on, it would start and either stay
running, or shut off.
We decided then to look at the starter relay. It is in a box under the hood, along with 2
other identical relays. We swapped them
around, even added a new one, and we thought (again) that all was well. In fact, I drove the car about 70 miles the
next day. BUT, on the way home the car
started to cut out and restart on me.
Next day, dead again.
So we messed around with it and got it running, then drove
it to Taxi Guy to have him check for bad wiring, etc. The result?
A bunch of bad sections of wiring harness cut out and repaired. Problem solved.
… until last week when I drove the car .5 miles to a
day-job. When I went to take it on a
coffee run, it wouldn’t start. Wouldn’t
even crank. One tow later, I had a new
starter.
So Vic has been worrying me lately. But I really can’t complain too much, as I
have been driving it for 15 years now.
The poor thing is rotting away and there isn’t much I can do about
it. Soon we will swap on the summer
wheels/tires and that will spiff it up a bit.
But the ultra-cheap Bondo jobs are really bothering me…
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
UPDATE: Snow, Coil Packs, and Bad Wires...
The winter of 2015 has dumped a LOT of snow on New England so far, and the Boston area has been particularly hard hit. I've lost track of the actual amounts. Let's just say my father's decision a few years ago to buy a snow blower was a VERY good one!Vic hasn't moved much this season. Right now, it is sidelined due to what I am hoping is the same offending wire in the harness by the radiator. Hard to put into words what it is doing, or rather NOT doing, but basically there is some issue causing the car to crank just fine, but the car won't actually start most of the time. When I turn the key half way, the engine light flickers... sometimes it stays on like normal, and when it does, the car will start. BUT, it won't say on. This reminds me of what happened years ago, and that was a bad wire. I hope to get this looked at soon, as I am starting to experience CABIN FEVER!!!!!!!!
Todd's Vic has also been under the weather. Last month we hit the road for the day and it was running real rough. It was behaving like it had bad gas, or water in the tank, which with all this snow wouldn't be surprising. We got some dry gas, put it in the tank, and it didn't work. As we headed for home, it was decided that it could be a bad spark plug or coil pack. It was a Saturday, but Taxi Guy was still open and we got some A1 service, as usual. It took him no time at all to figure out one coil was weak. Less than 15 minutes later, Todd's car had a new plug and coil pack. The old one was actually steaming when it came out. It didn't smell like coolant, but now we need to keep track of the intake, as it has not been replaced yet in the car.One GOOD thing to share. I picked up 2 headlights for Vic. One NOS OEM, one OEM used but in great condition. Nothing I do will keep mine shiny, so I took the plunge and got some on Ebay. I spent less for 2 nice original Ford ones than what Ford wants for ONE new one! Hopefully someday they can get installed.........
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Ford's 2016 Police Interceptor Utility Goes RoboCop
(SOURCE: FoxNews.com 2/11/15)Ford’s police fleet has a new recruit.
The 2016 Police Interceptor Utility bows at the Chicago Auto Show this week featuring fresh looks and some nifty new tech. The Explorer-based cruiser has firmly grasped the mantle handed to it by the classic Crown Victoria Interceptor since it went on sale in 2012, and now accounts for over half of the police cars sold in the USA, outselling even Ford’s own Taurus-based Police Interceptor Sedan by a 2 to 1 margin.
The new model gets updated front and rear bodywork and lights, plus a freshened interior design that includes plenty of police-specific equipment like utility belt-friendly seats and an interior dome light that can be switched from white to red for better night vision. There’s also an optional surveillance system that can detect potential bad guys sneaking up on the vehicle from the rear like and alert the passengers while automatically closing the windows and locking the doors. It's almost like having RoboCop on board.
All-wheel-drive is standard, and departments can order the Police Interceptor Utility with either a 304 hp 3.7-liter V6 for regular duty, or a 365 hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 if they need to tow or see a lot of high speed action in their precinct. In either case, they’re both pursuit-rated and the vehicles automatically switch into a special Pursuit Mode if they sense that they’re being driven hard, which changes the transmission logic to stay in gear during maneuvers and optimizes the all-wheel-drive system to facilitate action-movie style J-turns.
Look for one approaching in your rearview mirror this summer, and please pull over when you do.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Vic... Getting Old...
It’s been a while since I posted an update on Vic. I had to replace 2 of the Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice snow tires due to wear and cracks starting to show on the sidewalls. They were replaced with 2 used ones that I like to call “generic snow tires”. My boyfriend Todd had them hanging around and were still good, so on they went. I am not big on having mixed tires on a car. So far, it seems they have less dry/sand grip than the Goodyears, which are on the front. Haven’t driven in real snow yet.
The rust situation hasn’t improved much. It KILLS me driving around with rusty fenders
and quarters…
I have had an intermittent issue with the ABS acting up in
wet weather. Slowing to a stop, even a
controlled stop, would set the ABS off and make it unsafe to stop due to the
added distance ABS causes. When the
problem started up, I would pull the ABS fuse under the hood. After a few days, or when it was dry outside
again, I’d put the fuse back in. Thing
is, it didn’t ALWAYS do it! My mechanic
said it could be a wheel sensor or under-hood ABS component. Knowing my financial situation, he said to
just keep taking the fuse out.
I am starting to wonder if the actual issue is a wire
somewhere, because it hasn’t happened since we swapped on the winter
tires. Time will tell…
Another issue has been the speedometer. Sometimes the speed stays at “0”. If I jiggle the key, it will try to
work. Another issue that only happens
now and then. Worn ignition lock? Is it the chip in the key?
Over the holidays, Vic didn’t move. When I finally took it for a ride, it was
bucking a lot. I chalked it up to
moisture in the gas tank. Put in some
dry gas, and over time it got better. I
had a new bottle of Stabil that was supposed to go into my Javelin, and decided
to add a little to the Ford as a precaution.
So far, so good. Todd’s ’06 was
also running rough, and we now wonder what garbage is being put into the gas
around here lately…
Mass State Police... Lives Matter!
From the Mass State Police Facebook page:Police Lives Matter
Yesterday morning, Trooper Robert McCarthy found this inscribed on his cruiser, parked in his driveway. He doesn't know who did it, but when asked if he would begin an investigation to find out, he stated they will get a "pass on this one."
The Massachusetts State Police would like to thank all of our supporters, and continue to express that ALL lives matter.
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