1981 Lincoln Mark VI from North America - Comments

The engine control module went at 110,000 miles.

Normal wear and tear like fuses, lights, brakes, etc.

One of the best looking Lincolns in my opinion. The continental tire hump in the back and the side vents gives it the air of classic luxury.

This car was the technological triumph of the luxury cars in its decade. The digital gauges and read out panel are fun to have.

The interior has everything modern cars have today, like 6 way power seats and an fuel economy gauge. This Lincoln even has things that some of the new cars don't have, such as heated rear view mirrors, digital read out screen, digital trip meter, window locks, and more.

Not sure what "window locks" are, but all that other stuff was typical luxury car equipment, even back in 1981.

There was nothing "common" about the Lincoln Mark VI. It was not "common" back then or now to have a computer that gives you digital readouts on how your engine is doing, what your fuel economy is, and how many miles are left to drive before you have to fill up, among many other diagnostics this computer would make -the Mark VI's computer would even warn you and start a countdown to how many miles were left to be driven when you had less than 50 miles or less of gas in your tank. Now I ask you, what car does that today? And how about having high beam headlights that turn off automatically when sensing oncoming headlights -you could even set the distance for this to happen. Is that common? And don't even get me started on the beautiful exterior of this car: protected hidden headlamps, gorgeous trunk with the half wheel molding, beautiful round opera windows on the side, a grille that would make Rolls Royce envious, and chromes in lavish amounts. The interior was sumptuous, and even today, many who have had the honor of owning this vehicle like myself consider the seats the most comfortable driving seats ever for an American luxury car. This car had it all, with special touches throughout: if you wanted to open your windows, first the small glass window on the door would open, then the large one, giving you the option of "cracking" a small window safely without having to open you large one. Then there was the fact that the driver and passenger windows were angled so that they would reflect exterior light and give you driving privacy by creating the illusion of having tinted windows. And last, but not least there was the famous ride, a ride no Cadillac, Mercedes Benz (I know because I drive a Mercedes S-Class now as my Mark VI was sadly stolen) or any other luxury to this day can match. All of these things made the Lincoln Mark VI most uncommon, and many people consider this particular model by Lincoln to be the best Lincoln ever made, even to this day.

This genre is easily the best riding automobile ever made. There isn't much not to like in these!

I've recently bought a 1981 Lincoln Mark VI that doesn't run. I think it only needs a fuel pump, but do not know where it's located on the car. Can anyone tell me? My email is kentjohnston@excite.com. Thanks!

I have a Lincoln Continental Mark VI. The car runs great, but periodically shuts off while driving. It starts again after waiting for about 15 min. I have taken the car to a couple of auto shops and they cannot find the problem. This car is a keeper and I want to hang on to it. Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem?

It sounds like it could be the "brain." This should be on the left hand inner corner fender. I had a TBird of that vintage and when the brain would go, the car would just die. It would mysteriously start back up after a few minutes.

I have a Lincoln Continental Mark VI and I have no idea where the ECM (Engine control module) is located. I'm also looking for the Computer. Is there a difference between the two? Or are they the same unit? I have a repair manual, but it's a little unclear. I'm trying to do the job myself!

My mark VI used to shut off when warm because the crankshaft sensor was bad. I replaced it and it runs great!

It is definitely bad crankshaft sensor.

http://www.thelincolnforum.net/

Window locks are on the driver's door and prevent any passengers from controlling the windows, i. e. small children.

I still love my Mark VI. It has a very smooth ride, even smoother than my 1998 Town Car. It is waiting patiently in my garage awaiting a beauty treatment. Being the original owner, I can honestly say it was well worth the money.

A little FYI...

The introduction of 1980 Lincoln's were the first mass produced cars in the world to offer... Digital dash readouts and keyless entry. The 1980 Lincoln's were larger, more fuel economic, and by far the most state of the art cars of their time. Any magazine report or automobile report will state that. Cadillac suffered tremendous sales loss to Lincoln.

I have to agree with the post above this one. The 1980-1983 Lincoln Mark VI was the absolute leader in automobile technology. It offered more options than any other car in that time period. Most of the features on these Lincolns are still used in vehicles of today, regardless of the builder. The digital dash and keyless entry system were first in the world! The fuel injection V8 in these cars were the first massed produced in the United States. Basically, at that time and still to this day, Lincoln Motor Division is one of the most trend setting and technology advanced vehicles in the world. They may not all be the best looking or best performing, but overall... They introduced the world to most of the technology in vehicles of today. If you don't believe me, just read some old Motor Trends or notiable automotive magazines. There is a reason that most of the livery and limousine companys use Lincoln.

I love all the excitement in this area regarding Lincoln. To the poster who responed about his Seville having digital dash. Cadillac got that from Lincoln. In the 70's, 80's, and most of the 90's Cadillac was the "stepchild" to the Lincoln brand. Yes, Cadillac has come around today, but most of their features are improvements on features that Lincoln introduced decades ago. In the 40's, 50's and 60's, Cadillac had the market. Simply put..Lincolns were more expensive and exclusive. That's the era the slogan, "she drives like a Cadillac" came from. You don't hear that anymore. How many Cadillac limo's do you see on the road? Both brands are good, but overall, Lincoln holds the gold!

While Lincoln may have been the best AMERICAN luxury brand in the 1970's, 80's, 90's, it certainly was not the best car in the world. That title goes to Mercedes who used to build the most solid, most dependable, and most advanced cars in the world.