from the Detroit news...


So are they letting her win the law suit because Ford failed to warn that if you drive like a mad man and the front tires break traction you may not be able to steer?

 

Sounds like another case of hyperactive law-leaches to me.

I'd wager that Ford is settling because it will ultimately cost them less in the end, than if it dragged out and got national publicity.

I agree with you though, driving like a moron would have nothing to do with it, huh?

FWIW, I was just at the Ford dealership yesterday and we were talking about the panther body cars (I'm having a town car serviced) and the 3 tech's there that work on the local law enforcement cars were really hot over the crown-vic issues in the press. They were adimant that the cars are as safe as anything else on the road. They had oodles to say about how our own local sherriffs are beating the sh1+ out of these cars, crossing curbed dividers, going through corn fields, etc. yet these cars just keep on going. They recently dropped 2 new engines intoa pair of late '90's Vics to keep them in service - the cars themselves are holding up very well, but the engines start smoking at 100-120K miles. (The way they drive, go figure. ) Interestingly enough, the replacement engines the county bought were Jasper Engines and came with a 100K mile warranty!
Anyhow - it's a great testament to the CAR, as opposed to some of the race-car-driver-wanna-be's that get to drive them.

 

I agree I have seen a lot of abuse to the Crown Vics here in Houston, sometimes even seen the local deputy start a cold engine and go speed to a scene pretty far away while running near the rev limits of the engine. My dad knows a few of them and they all drive that, I have also witnessed with my own eyes sheriff's doing 180's on U-turns (public roads mind you with traffic in full flow) to turn quicker and catch up to racers... (ironic huh)

Also seen them drive them through flooded areas when it rains heavy.. only to get it towed later... (drive an engine through waist high water = not a good thing)

 

I don't recall Chevy having the same troubles with their cop cars as Ford, and I'm sure they got driven just as hard over curbs and through corn fields. Some departments love their Chevys so much that there are companies that will completely gut and refinish Caprices for sale to police departments that won't drive anything else.

As to the smoking problem, that's an acknowledged problem with the modular engines. It's not hard driving that does it, it's when they idle for extended periods (as cop cars and taxis often do). The oil pump starves the piston rings and cylinders for oil and causes excessive wear.

 

I read this as saying that the power steering couldn't keep up ...didn't that happen to Mark Martin at the start of a race last year?

 

I'm not sure about the CVs, but I know that the power steering on the B-bodies can't keep up at low engine speeds if you're sawing at the wheel like a madman. That's assuming that the belt is actually driving the pump, which is a rare occurance due to the fact that A) GM decided to drive the pump with the non-ribbed side of the belt, which offers much less ability to transmit torque than the ribbed side; and B) the belt gets soaked by the water pump weap hole, and as we all know LT1 water pumps fail on a pretty regular basis.

But, hey, most vehicles suffer from somewhat inadequate P/S boost during very fast steering-wheel movements at low engine speeds. You have to make a compromise between too little fluid flow at low revs vs. too much at high revs, and in the second case you boil the fluid and wipe out the pump - this also tends to affect your level of P/S boost, but on a more-permanent basis. So, manufacturers give up a bit of flow on the low end of the pump speed range, assuming that you're not trying to drive like Makinen while cruising through a parking lot at 1200 RPM.

Additionally, many rack-and-pinion systems have problems with high effort as they start to wear out. That's a maintenence issue, not a design flaw. If your steering system develops effort issues, fix it!

 

Not flaming you - just a comment in general...
How many LT1 Caprices were used for how long, as opposed to C-Vics for how long? I'm thinking that the Vics population is CONSIDERABLY more that the Caprices at this point, making it the more recognized (and scrutinized) of the two.

I definitely agree the Caprice was a super LE platform - no doubt. But with all the press the Vic has been getting lately - whether deserved or not - it has become a buzz word for trash-hounds in the media. ANYTHING goes wrong with ONE CAR, and it's a "design flaw" or a "safety issue" at this point. Gimme a break.

Isn't it funny how the wreck (constituting the basis of this thread), the rear-end collision fires, and all the other propaganda seems to be happening to LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL WHILE THEY ARE IN PERSUITS!?!? Strange how no civilians are reporting these issues with their cars, and there are FAR more civilian-owned Vics/Marquis'/Town Cars than there are patrol cars.

Again, certainly not aiming this post at you Eric, but the material in your post applies - Nobody remembers this as a problem on the Caprices... well, nobody remembers this being a problem on the Vics either since 1984, probably because it's not a problem. ONE ACCIDENT without even having results from the investigation DOES NOT A DEFECT MAKE. The press on the other hand frequently is defective.

 

in the year 2000 i worked near where they sell cop cars after the're done and i saw many a 98-99 C-V but the caprices were 94-95 modles.

 

That's simply because GM quit making the B-bodies in 1996

Yes, the LT1 Caprice is nearly 10 years old and you still see them in service. Heck, I've seen some TBI Caprice around here even

 

and they had 4 times the milage of the fords(but the cars were more beat up)

 

You know, a thought came to me today at lunch regarding the "rebuilding" of old cop cars - both Caprices and Vics. I am seeing alot of that over the last couple years. The state auctions are now selling cars with 200K miles or more on the car and you see fewer of them for sale to boot.

I don't think the superiority of the Caprice has as much to do with them being rebuilt as the economy. Again, I'm seeing Vics redone too, it's not just the Caprices.

I think the economic times and the cutbacks in state and local government spending is forcing agencies to spend $2500 on new engines and drivetrains as opposed to $24k on a whole new car.
The bodies, suspensions (mostly anyways), and interiors may show wear, but still function. All they need are freshened powertrains and they keep on rolling. Also, think of the cost incurred in fitting a patrol car with radar, radio, computer, lights, etc. - they are saving those additional costs to boot.

I just think it's an economical call as opposed to a superiority one.
Just my .02.