Common Merkur issues and recommended fixes

Found this elsewhere on the Internet (on that classic DIY website hosting company angelfire of all places) but thought it was worth reposting since my custom domain name isn't going away any time soon, Blogger isn't going to go away any time soon, and neither am I. Well, I guess that's what we all think. Ha ha.

So, here it is, the common issues and common first things to try to resolve them on your Merkur XR4Ti.

Driveshaft torsional dampener or guibo

• It is not a U-joint. It must be in perfect shape with no cracks. The driveshaft must have zero degrees runout when checked at the guibo or it will deteriorate quickly. 

Rear brake lights

• The ground wire which is brown in the connectors will corrode and short out the adjacent connectors. Remove the bad ground wire in the light panel and solder a wire onto the light bulb holder that is directly connected to this ground wire. 

Valve cover gasket

• Recommended: The Ranger gasket works well and is reinforced with steel so that if the top end is getting pressurized it will help to stop the oil from leaking out. 
• Also works: Use the blue silicone rubber Fel Pro gasket to eliminate oil leaks onto the exhaust manifold.  

Leaking sunroof

• Blow out the drain lines that connect to the pan in the roof. If this doesn't help then you need to fix either the drain hoses or the drain pan. 

Bad window switches

• Take apart the switches and clean them or buy good used ones. 

No rear view mirror

• Buy the correct Ford rear-view mirror attachment kit. 

Poor performance

• Usually ignition parts. 

Yellowed headlights

• Normal polish and refurbish. Polish the plastic lenses with a plastic polish. 

Broken hazard flasher

• Only real option is to find a used one in good shape. 

Broken hatch lock

• Find a good used one in good shape. 

Wetness in the car after it rains

• Either fix the sunroof drain tubes or the tail light gaskets. 

Inconsistent idle

• Clean the ENTIRE intake tract until all carbon is gone. Replace all the gaskets. Set the base timing, base idle, then the TPS. 

Heated seats don't work

• Fix the small wire in the back of the seat. Both heaters are hooked together, If one doesn't work then the other won't work. 

Hard leather seats

• Use a good saddle soap multiple times to restore the moisture into the leather. Maintain the leather regularly. Window tint will help stop the sun damage to the seats. 

Gauges don't work

• Usually a cold solder on the daughterboard. This is located on the back of the instrument cluster. 

Oil blowing out of the engine

• The Ford PCV valve is not adequate to hold the boost from entering the crankcase. Add a good one way valve in line with the stock valve to stop the boost from entering the crankcase. A brass brake booster valve will work well for this. Also the dipstick is not calibrated correctly. Put in a new filter and five quarts of oil. Run the engine for one minute and shut it off. Let the car sit for 30 minutes and check the oil level. Mark the correct level line on the dipstick with a file mark. 

The buzzer in the dash goes off whenever you step on the gas

• This probably means that the Wastegate Actuator is bad. Cost: between $50-90 dollars. 

Front end shimmys at different speeds

• Replace all the front end bushings and balance the wheels and tires as a start. 

Door rattles when it's closed

• The track may be broken. Very common on the drivers side door. Weld the track back together or find a good used one. 

Bad radio reception

• The wire that runs to the antenna in the rear decklid glass frequently breaks. Replace it. 

Automatic Transmission leaks

• The factory cooler is way too small. Replace it with the biggest one you can afford and bypass the one in the radiator. Also the dipstick tube leaks where it goes into the trans. You can fix this by removing it and wrapping it with Teflon tape and reinstalling it.