1990 Mercury Grand Marquis Station Wagon

[101Volts]

Small update. I don't expect to do much with this car, it's hibernating now (I never use it in winter) but here are my goals:

1: Change the oil from Castrol Magnetec 5w30 to something thinner (Magnetec's a very thick 5w30 and I've mostly been getting 18 MPG in this car partly because of that,)

2: Fix the broken coolant temperature gauge and broken odometer;

3: Replace the recently stuck open thermostat.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by 101Volts

Replace the recently stuck open thermostat.

Do it ASAP. Some people claim a Ford doesn't need a thermostat, but that's a misconception.

[101Volts]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Do it ASAP. Some people claim a Ford doesn't need a thermostat, but that's a misconception.

Understood, thanks. The coolant never gets past 130 like this, it needs to be about 60 degrees hotter. The car's just going to sit all winter now aside from an occasional startup, however, so I'm not in a hurry.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Indeed. But anyway, in my homeland I see Ford owners getting rid of the thermostat and running without it even in the winter, claiming the failure rate justifies not replacing it in due time. Well, if I would ever take that risk, I'd try at least an adjustable grille block. BTW I know it's a whole different matter, but Citroën resorted to a removable flap as a way to avoid the bypass valve on the oil cooler of the 2CV.