1997 Mercury Villager GS from North America - Comments

Drive over to an auto parts store and they can check for the codes that are causing your check engine light to be on.

My 1997 Mercury Villager has started skipping & running rough when it's been raining hard. On sunny days everything is fine. We replaced the distributor cap & plug wires, but it still does it. My mechanic says the code reads that cylinder #5 is misfiring, and the top of the plug is rusted. (Plugs are only a year old.) He says it looks like water is getting in, but can't figure out how that is happening; all tests show everything is working fine. What do I do now?

I Have a 1997 Mercury Villager, only need another 400KM to reach the 300,000. It still run's great. I will however need soon to change the left door and the back door due to rust. I did not change any major component beside having to change the rubber boots on both axles, and few ball joints and brakes pads, that I did it myself. The van is great never had to complain about it. Now my older son (17) is looking for a vehicle he'll probably be the next owner the van still have some way to go before resting in peace.

Christian

Quebec

Canada.

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Finland. I just purchased a 1993 mercury villager. The car runs quite well. The problem is that when the engine is started, there is a high tapping noise which seems to disappear on high motion. What could be wrong? Any suggestions? (suomi280@yahoo.com)

I have a 1997 Mercury Villager GS... Has been the absolute perfect vehicle.. but she's getting old.

Never a single problem, until recently. The front air vents won't blow, but the back ones will.. any similar problems for anyone???

I have three sons, VERY soon to be drivers, and I already know that I want them to drive Mercury brand cars... They seem to be the best from my own experience. I've driven many others and they have failed.. BIG TIME!!!

MERCURY RULES, as far as I am concerned.

I have a 1997 Mercury Villager with 125776 miles. We are original owners. Same problems as many others have mentioned. We did have that engine check light come on a few years ago and it was a sensor that had to be replaced. This had to be done in order to pass smog inspection. The fuel pump makes a loud whining noise. The mechanic said fuel pump is going out. I thought about replacing it myself but do not know where it is located. Any ideas? I have replaced a fuel pump on an old truck before, but this is a new kind of beast full of compact parts and wires. The transmission shifts rough now. The side window popped out and had to make shift bolts and glue to put it back in place. The front air works but the back air vents do not blow air. The door locks don't always work. Especially the rear door and side doors. When starting the Van, it clicks sometimes. I guess that would be the starter going out. We are a two car family and poor Van is slowly dying. We only drive it locally. All in all the Van has always been reliable. We even had it with us for several years when living in Honolulu, HI. But, guess it's time to either sell it or pay the money to get her fixed up.

There is a blower motor under the dash by the passenger seat. It is by the door and has a black foam filter over it the wire coming out of it. Pull it out and wiggle it back in. That's what worked for me.

For all villager owners:

These vans are fantastic but they are an electrical nightmare. Almost all the problems with driveability and CEL lights can be traced to electrical Transmission problems like rough shifting are virtually always a sign of a bad electrical ground, and NOT the sensors that the mechanics change after simply reading the code and assuming this is the problem. Bad grounds cause an abundance of issues and need to be considered. Google bad grounds and there is a site with evidence of this.

I have a bad battery drain that I have almost completely solved. Several things were wrong such as the brake pedal slightly sticking, not enough for the rear lights to go on but enough to draw power. I had the light under the hood shorting out from melted wires and the rear brake light bulbs need to be checked on these vans as they melt and fuse together causing a short.

If anyone has any more battery drain solutions please advise. Battery charges great but out of the blue it will die. I've replaced the battery several times.

I am a owner of a 2000 Mercury Villager. It has 138,900 miles on it. We are having an issue with the van shifting from 1st gear and going into 2nd; it jerks when it has the A/C on and the heater too. Is this normal? Anyone else having issues with that. Please email me at dsmmomma@peoplepc.com

Thanks.

I too had the rear heat control problem. The problem is usually in the circuit board behind the a/c controls up front. You can replace the board OR jury-rig it using other instructions you can google for, that will make it work BUT will prevent the rear fan from automatically turning off when you turn off the ignition. This worked for me.. just have to be careful to turn it off or it will drain the battery. A new circuit board was too much $

For the person who wishes to replace his fuel pump. I'm looking at buying a used Villager 97 year and it is in clean condition, but the fuel pump makes a constant humming noise, a real pain.

The fuel pump is located in the fuel tank, so run the fuel nearly out, then drop the tank, and located on the top is the fixture that will need to be twisted counter clockwise or simply removed with screws. Undue elect, and remove unit from the tank, pump is usually held in place with a small strap to the fuel float sending unit. It sounds complicated but it is a doable fix if you have some abilities. Buy a pump on the Internet, and save money, pump and labor!!!

Many of the questions posted can be answered by going to your local library an obtaining a Haynes auto repair manual for Mercury Villagers. The Nissan Quest is the same vehicle. You can also purchase one of these manuals at your local auto parts store.

I have a 1999 Villager, and I'm having a brake problem; the pedal pulsates only if the vehicle is getting hot. The front brakes with rotors, rear brakes with drums, and wheel cylinders are all new ones.

If your brakes are pulsing even after replacing the rotors, it may be the wheel spindle (s). I do not own a Villager, but on my Focus wagon I had the same problem on the left front wheel and by replacing the bearing and spindle solved the problem.

I am looking at a 96 Villager GS Mercury minivan. It has 106000 miles on it. Is there any reason why I shouldn't buy it? Seller is wanting $2700.00 but willing to take 2000.00 because we know them. (acquaintances)

There is a moaning noise when braking? The door is hard and sticky when using the key to unlock driver side. He says the brakes have been checked out and everything is fine.