Coolant leak from crack in plastic intake manifold. This car only has 97,130 miles on it and well cared for. They should not be using plastic in this application - it should be iron or aluminum. This is a common problem I was told with the 4.6 v8 engine. Ford needs to recall these and replace at no cost to customer. I will be writing a letter to ford if the dealer doesn't cover this as a recall. Ridiculous to use plastic in this application.
1997 Mercury Grand Marquis engine problems
126 complaints (40% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 80,800. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 126
- of this car's complaints
- 40%
- typical mileage
- 80,800
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe55
- Engine21
- Cooling system21
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor3
- Engine: gasoline3
- Exhaust system2
- Exhaust system: emission control1
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Mercury Grand Marquis engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
Speed control deactivation switch fires
Based on the low rate of fire incidents (2.5 incidents per 100,000 vehicles sold) where failure of the scds is involved and the age of the vehicles ? 7 to 11 years ? A safety-related defect trend has not been identified and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report.
EA02025
What 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
1997 mercury grand marquis. Consumer writes in regards to cracked intake manifold in vehicle.
While driving home on interstate 35 north of minneapolis, mn, the intake manifold cracked and lost anti freeze. Pulled off the highway at forest lake, mn and had to be towed to tires plus in forest lake to have the car repaired. Total cost for towing, intake manifold replacement and nights lodging came to almost $1500.00.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly overheated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who replaced the intake manifold. The manufacturer was not notified. The current and failure mileages were approximately 114,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the service check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they diagnosed it stating that the intake manifold failed due to the structure. The manifold was replaced at the owners expense. The failure mileage was 47025 and the current mileage was 47050. Updated 11/24/10
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercury grand marquis. While driving at speeds of 10 MPH, the contact observed smoke coming from under the hood and within seconds, the interior cabin was filled with smoke and flames. The vehicle occupants were able to safely exit the vehicle. And the fire and police department were contacted. There were reports filed by both entities. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer advised there were no recalls for the vehicle and the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The failure and current mileages were 37,000.
My 1997 mercury grand marquis just experienced the failure of its intake manifold made of plastic.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury grand marquis. While driving at any speed, the vehicle will suddenly shut off. The contact is able to shift into neutral and restart the vehicle. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 67,000.
I was driving my father's 1997 mercury grand marquis ls at 35 MPH. I noticed a car pull up beside me with the driver waiving frantically. I rolled down my window and he told me my car was "pouring water". I looked at the temperature gauge and it had risen. Managed to make it the five or so blocks to the house and raised the hood. Steam came out. Filled with water and took to a local shop on monday morning to find out the car had a cracked intake manifold. Repair bill for intake was $800 with more to come as now it has noisy lifters. There was a recall and class action suit as my 1997 cougar had 3 intakes replaced, one the manufacturer reimbursed under recall. They would not pay for the other two but they sent me the same faulty part on the second go round. On my car and this grand marquis, mileage was right at 80,000 on first occurrence. My parents never received a recall letter on this car but did receive notice of the class action suit. The kept the notice of the suit in their file but did not respond as they never received a recall letter and thought their vehicle was not included. The manufacturer states they "cannot help". The recall was for seven years, unlimited mileage from feb 2008. Ford motor company should make good on their faulty parts regardless. In certain instances and depending on where you are when it happens, the results could be devastating, not to mention the bill for all the repairs. Believe me, on both cars, repairs did not stop at the replacing of the intake. Please help!!
The 1997 mercury grand marquis had started running a little rough, and being on a very fixed income I hoped and prayed nothing was too badly wrong with it. The manifold failed on the way to the repair shop and I lost all the coolant from the cracked plastic manifold. I had to replace the defective manifold,due to the 3 inch crack in it and all the related gaskets and peripheral equipment. I still have the manifold and the outrageous bill that went with it!!!!!!!
Questions about the 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis engine
Does the 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis have engine problems?
Owners have filed 126 complaints about the engine of the 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis, 40% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 80,800 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercury Grand Marquis have bad engine?
The Mercury Grand Marquis model years with the most engine complaints are 1997 (126 complaints), 1996 (86 complaints) and 1999 (33 complaints).
Other 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis problems
Brakes 35Fuel system 32Suspension 26Acceleration 24Steering 21Lights 19Visibility 13Electrical 12Transmission 12Body 6Seat belts 6Locks 5Tires 4Airbags 2Seats 1Wheels 1
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