Wierd things happening To my Mark VIII - HELP!!

[thaywood]

Okay. Last week my '96 Mark VIII overheated with me. The "check engine temp" warning came on and the temp gauge was almost pegged. Before I shut it off I opened the hood and noticed that the electric cooling fan was not running. So I naturally assumed it was the fan. So I bought a used fan and tested it to make sure it worked. It did. When I was installing the fan, the upper radiator hose gooseneck broke off the radiator (I hate plastic radiators!!!!!). So now I have ordered a new radiator. It should be here tomorrow. Anyhoo. I gorilla glued the gooseneck back on so I could hopefully get it home. But when I tried to start it, the battery was dead. When I jumped it off, it ran for about two minutes and died. It would do that every time. So I finally got it towed home. I put a new battery on it and now it will run, but the a/c compressor is engaged all the time, even when the a/c is turned off. And the clutch on the a/c compressor sticks and starts smoking. And the cooling fan still won't come on. So does anybody have any idea WTF is wrong with this frakking thing????? I need to get it right so I can sell it. I hate to get rid of it, but it's nickel and diming me to death. And I've had it for almost 10 years so I've gotten my money's worth out of it. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[kustomizingkid]

Hmmmm.... sounds VCRM related...

 

[thaywood]

What is a VCRM? Where is it located and what does it do?

 

[Frogman]

Should I whip out the baby spoon?

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/search.php?searchid=1049230

 

[Aquabrit]

What is a VCRM? Where is it located and what does it do?

Just so happens, I have a pic!

It's a relay module that controls various functions.

 

[thaywood]

Just so happens, I have a pic!

It's a relay module that controls various functions.

Thanks! I have heard about the VRCM, but never had an issue with it. Thanks for the pic and after reading more posts about it, that sounds like my problem! I'll let you know.

 

[thaywood]

Now. Where can I find one and how much do they cost?

 

[kustomizingkid]

You have the rare 96 one... I have one for sale...

 

[thaywood]

You have the rare 96 one... I have one for sale...

Okay. How much $$?

 

[thaywood]

Is there a difference between gen1 and gen2 VRCM's? And will any other year version fit my '96? Just asking because I found a '93 model version on Ebay for $59.99 and wondered if it would work. I am on a severely limited budget. So I need to find the least expensive items humanly possible. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[kustomizingkid]

93-95
96
97-98

Those are the compatible years.

 

[thaywood]

Well that sucks. I guess mine's gonna be a lawn ornament until I can find one I can afford.

 

[danny_holtermann]

best bet is kustomizingkid

 

[thaywood]

I just called two different Ford dealerships in my area and both told me that 93-96 VRCM's will interchange. And 97-98 models will interchange. So who's right?

 

[unity]

Good question.

Has anyone actually tried to interchange? Could it just be lore that they are not?

I could see 93 to 95 being incompatible with 97/98 since we are talking ODB one versus ODB two.

 

[Aquabrit]

That doesn't sound right, to me, thaywood. From what I can remember from looking at a 96 VCRM pin out diagram, the 96 VCRM has less inside it i.e. it controls less, as more things are controlled by the OBD II computer.

Does anybody have the pin out diagram for the 96 module that they could post up? If so, I can put up my 93 pin out diagram and we can compare the two, side by side.

Edit: A pin out diagram for a 93, a 96 and a 97 or 98 posted into this thread, would be good! - Then we can see what the 'deal' is.

 

[XLRVIII]

I just called two different Ford dealerships in my area and both told me that 93-96 VRCM's will interchange. And 97-98 models will interchange. So who's right?

ford dealers are full of idiots.

Call them back and ask them.. IF it doesnt work, are you gonna refund the returned part?

I'd get it in WRITING that this particular ford tech/parts guy states they will interchange.

I know for a fact they are different...

 

[unity]

Ya. Pin outs would be great.

 

[XLRVIII]

Ya. Pin outs would be great.

Let me introduce the PRESIDENT of "more than 1 thing wrong with an OLD CAR"
I bring you.."unity"!
take a bow unity!
(JK)

 

[unity]

HAHA!

My Mark will ALWAYS have issues. Until I sell it. Then the new owners will say "boy she runs great, dont know why ya ever sold it to me."

 

[thaywood]

Yep. That's how it works. But like I said, mine has been relatively trouble free for the past 10 years. Air springs, fuel pump, and alternator have been my major issues, other than regular tune ups. So I guess I got pretty lucky up until now.

 

[thaywood]

You have the rare 96 one... I have one for sale...

I may have to take you up on your offer. Let me know.

 

[rayner601]

Does anybody have the pin out diagram for the 96 module that they could post up? If so, I can put up my 93 pin out diagram and we can compare the two, side by side.

Edit: A pin out diagram for a 93, a 96 and a 97 or 98 posted into this thread, would be good! - Then we can see what the 'deal' is.

Ask and ye shall receive....
As you can see, there's a pretty significant difference between the 93-95 and the 96 and 97-98.


This one is for 93-95...

This one is for 96....

This one is for 97-98....

I am adding these for the benefit of the LVC community :wrench

 

[Aquabrit]

Good job!

As I suspected, as the years go on, the modules contain less and less.

 

[thaywood]

You think a '95 model could be 'rewired' to fit a '96? I haven't studied it too closely yet, but it looks like some of the functions are similar but in different locations. Could the wires be rerouted to suit the model year using the '93-'95 model as a starting point? Just another wild thought.