CD and DVD Drives

I had a Pioneer 6 CD changer in my Sport Trac that began refusing to eject CD's. I could see the CD in the slot, but it was not reachable. I would slide an Index Card or similar stiff piece of paper between the top of the CD and the Changer. Usually, it would eject immediately. A few times I had to let it load and try to eject the CD again before it would work. I have NO idea why this worked...or even how/why I thought of it.

In my experience a dealer can remove the cds from the player. Through my work in the automotive industry I have found that most dealers do not remove the cds that are stuck inside the units at the shop. They are sent to the factory and then removed. Usually they are sent back to the dealer and then returned to the customer. Yes, for $275.00

Without seeing it? Right. Try a local mobile audio repair shop? The price will be more doable than a dealer by far (though you may find that replacing it is still more cost effective in the long run). This is not a specific enough question to answer, unless we are expected to do certified training tutorials here. I prefer NOT to do such walkthroughs, since it is a safety hazard (at a minimum) and I do not know anyone's skill levels but my own.

Disconnect the battery and reconnect it. This will reset it and often the radio will spit out the cd. This works on aftermarket and often factory radios. Or if it has a reset button, push it.

Not an answer but...I have been told that CD changers (at least those in Ford vehicles) have a habit of jamming when you load homemade CDs in them. Apparently, the blank CDs you can buy are slightly thicker than pre-recorded music CDs. If you buy a blank CD and go on your computer and copy all your favorite songs to it, that CD doesn't get any thinner. And, apparently, the CD changers in Ford vehicles are built with a minimum of extra space, so there's not enough clearance for even an extra 1/64 of an inch.

So, this is not an answer to the question about unjamming the CD changer. But it might help you avoid jams in the first place. Also, it might be the case that certain brands of blank CDs are thicker than others, and some are no thicker than the pre-recorded CDs. So, you may be able to use home-made CDs after all, if you can find a brand that is thin enough.

Open and read your owner's manual to find this information. Use only the octane rating stated there. If it requires premium, do not use regular. Pinging and engine damage can occur. It says "Premium Fuel Recommended", so while you can use regular, you can expect less power and worse fuel consumption than if you used premium. The difference you find in filling up the tank is usually offset by the worse fuel mileage, so you don't end up saving any money. The Mark VIII has a pretty sophisticated engine management system, and it's knock sensors should prevent any detonation. You can get away with using regular (87 octane) fuel, but you will lose gas mileage because the system will add more fuel to each combustion cycle in an attempt to offset the difference in octane rating. In addition, the knock sensors will only tell the engine computer to adjust fuel timing to avoid detonation after they detect that detonation has already occurred (damage may already have been done). If you are going to insist on running regular in your Mark VIII, you would be wise to not floor it.

If you want to use regular gas without the negative consequences, look into purchasing and installing chip with a tune customized for running regular gas. -JMiles_T Answer #4 I see no problem running 87 octane in either one of my two 1994 Mark VIII vehicles. Both get between 20 & 22 MPG combination in town and some HWY and both get 30 MPG HWY no pinging no loss of power. They both have over 140,000 miles, One Hundred & Forty Thousand Miles on them. Neither one uses any oil between oil changes and they are changed at 3,000 mile intervals. The bigger problem I see in loss of performance and mileage is when my local station snuck in 10% alcohol on me. Mileage dropped immediately 4 miles per gallon. I changed stations with a sign stating 100% Gas No Alcohol mileage came right back up. If you run 87 Octane fuel in your Mark VIII and it pings, you have other issues. Find a repair shop that has a fuel system cleaner (Machine ) called MotorVac. & have your fuel system & injectors cleaned. Also there is an Octane switch on the Mark VIII's it's under / around the driver side strut tower cover. It looks like the old spout connector in fact it's interchangeable mine is still in place but it can be removed and that will drop the timing 4 degrees. Look close cause there will be two ( shorting ) bars / Switches ~ ~ one is the spout the other is the Octane switch / shorting bar. I didn't need to remove mine it was unnecessary. I'm just letting you know that it is there if you feel the need. I've been making my living working on vehicles for 42 years ASE Certified Master Tech W/L1 Advanced Diagnostics. Take it for what it's worth, but 87 Octane does fine in both my Mark VIII's no problem. drl