'97/'98 Mark VIII EVTM, Anyone?

1997ThunderbirdLXV6

1997ThunderbirdLXV6

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Does anyone have this manual?

I'd like to see the diagrams for the electronic transmission shift indicator. Where exactly does it get its information from? How many wires, etc.?

I'm thinking about installing a '96 Taurus/Sable shift indicator into my instrument cluster, and I need to figure out a way to wire it.

Thank you!

s-l1200.jpg
 
All our cars use the same mlps. They use the same 2 solenoid wires to control the trans.
The mlps is a chain of resistors, and outputs an analog voltage. The solenoids are digital, and pull low to activate.
 
Thank you, @Grog6 .
Yes, I do realize the MLPS is a 2-wire affair for gear selection.

The question is: how many wires go into the electronic shift indicator in the facelift Mark VIII? (The unit directly under the shift plate that illuminates the PRND21.)
I never looked at one closely. I just remember that it has one separate LED under each of the PRND21, so I'm assuming it lights up the selected gear (?).

The indicator from the '96 Taurus/Sable has eight wires. You would assume that's illumination, ground, and one wire each for PRND21.

I'd like to know if the Mark VIII indicator has eight wires, as well, and if so what do they connect to.
If it only has two wires, or anything less than eight, it may just translate MLPS voltage into the selected gear.
 
To clarify:

I'm talking about the indicator next to the shifter in the 97/98 Mark VIII.

Now that I'm thinking about it, there might be a secondary indicator in the instrument cluster. If possible, I'd like to see the diagrams for both.
 
...so I just partially answered my question, thanks to pictures in an Ebay post:

Screenshot_20240830_135648_Gallery.jpg20240830_135450.jpg

Seems there are ten pins (?).
:unsure:... Eight pins I would have been ok with. Again, my assumption would be illumination, ground, plus one each for PRND21. But what are the other two pins?
 
You'll need the mark and the towncar evtm. Be careful what you do with those signals. opposing the eec will leave you stuck in 2nd, with no spark advance.
 
When I get a chance, I’ll look it up on Alldata for you, but the 97/98 MarkVIII uses a different type of MLPS with different resistance values for each position, whereas ours uses continuity on different wires to determine shifter position.
 
MadMikeyL said:
97/98 MarkVIII uses a different type of MLPS
Click to expand...

Hmmm... that may throw a wrench into it right there.

Even if I could isolate that signal, the next question would be if/how it could drive the Taurus indicator.


The only thing I do know is that the Taurus indicator physically fits into the '97 MN12 cluster.


Maybe this is more complicated than would be worth it. The reason I'm pursuing it is that A. I like the look of that illuminated indicator in the cluster, and B. I could consider a leather shift boot then (without any indicator near the shifter).

Just playing with ideas.
 
So I'm piecing this together...

Here's a diagram from that old site. Note the row of LEDs ( = shift indicator next to shifter) and the row of bulbs ( = shift indicator in instrument cluster). The connector going to the shifter unit is C319.

97mark8diagramInstrumentCluster1of3-1.gif

It would appear that the solid state in the instrument cluster somehow controls which bulb/LED gets a ground. The question remains how that solid state knows what to do...

Here is a shifter assembly. I'm assuming that C319 is the connector on the right. Meanwhile, that slim connector in the middle fits into the underside of the shift bezel (see the picture I posted earlier).

Screenshot_20240831_103428_Samsung Internet.jpg


All in all, this appears to be very involved, and I'm thinking there's some electronic/digital signal required which simply doesn't exist on my car due to a different MLPS and PCM. Which points me into another direction:

If I really want that Taurus/Sable illuminated shift indicator in my instrument cluster, it might be easier to feed it through a custom concocted sliding switch inside the shifter bezel.

Or...to be a bit more basic, just use a Taurus mechanical indicator (which came on cars equipped with a column shifter) and run a fishing line to the shifter. I'd really like the electronic version though...
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Does anyone have this manual?

I'd like to see the diagrams for the electronic transmission shift indicator. Where exactly does it get its information from? How many wires, etc.?

I'm thinking about installing a '96 Taurus/Sable shift indicator into my instrument cluster, and I need to figure out a way to wire it.

Thank you!

View attachment 7436
Click to expand...
Pop the white cover off, and post detailed pix of both sides, and I'll see if I can tell you how to hook it up. The transistor circuit you see in the pic is a driver circuit. The resistor with the orange band is a 10k, and is probably the input. Post the number on it , most are house numbers, but not always.
 
supergordo said:
Its been awhile. How can i assist?
Click to expand...

Well, the diagrams in that old thread originated from another user. And there's none showing how the gear selector position info is transmitted from MLPS to instrument cluster (potentially via the PCM).

If you have that diagram, I'd be interested to see it. But frankly, this whole idea seems too complicated already - not that that ever dissuaded me.
 
If all the leds/lamps are driven by a transistor, with a 10k input resistor, you can hook them to anything without fear of damage or interference.
A thought: the LOD site might have the lincoln manuals you were looking for.
 
Grog6 said:
If all the leds/lamps are driven by a transistor, with a 10k input resistor, you can hook them to anything without fear of damage or interference.
A thought: the LOD site might have the lincoln manuals you were looking for.
Click to expand...

Lincolns of Distinction, right? I didn't find anything there other than marketing information and various blend door tutorials...
 
IIrc, it's in here
Well crap; it won't let me attach an iso file or a zip that big.
Suggestions? I have the 96 and 97 ford cds iirc, its ford linc and merc. They need a 32-bit windows install to run them. well, wen I tried to post te text, it said it would cancel an upload, so I'll see what happens. Any messages of pain from the server, give me a call.
 
Are you running a 32 bit version of windows?
 
I'm pretty sure I have 1994 Taurus in the large format diagrams but nothing for 1996.
 
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