How to Program a Remote Fob Key for a Lincoln Mark VIII

The Lincoln Mark VIII was Lincoln's last personal luxury car. It sold between 1993 and 1998. The remote key fob provides keyless entry to your Mark VIII. It needs to be programmed initially. Otherwise, the car's computer won't know that you have authorized its signal to open your car. Fortunately, you can do this yourself instead of having to pay a dealership to program it for you. The instructions, however, differ by the model-year.

1993-1996

  • Turn the ignition key to "Run" or "Acc." Open the glove compartment. Locate the gray "Program Connector" behind the glove compartment.

  • Locate the shorting plug in the same area behind the glove compartment taped to the harness.

  • Insert the shorting plug into the program connector then connect the pin marked "Program A" with "Program B." If you can't find the shorting plug, use a shorting wire with bare ends instead. When you complete the short circuit, the doors will all lock and then unlock to confirm that you have successfully entered programming mode.

  • Press any button on the remote fob that you are programming. If the car's computer accepts the signal, it will cycle the door locks again to confirm that you successfully programmed the fob.

  • Turn the ignition key to "Off." The computer will cycle the locks again to indicate that you have exited the programming mode.

1997-1998

  • Enter your car's permanent 5-digit entry code into the remote fob. If you have lost or forgotten your car's entry code, you may have to go to the dealership to have a new code reprogrammed.

  • Press the "1/2" button within five seconds of completing Step 1. The car's computer will lock and unlock the door locks to indicate that you have entered the programming mode.

  • Press any button on the remote within five seconds of completing Step 2.

  • Program any other remotes by pressing any button on it within five seconds of the previous fob's programming. The locks will cycle.

  • Press the "7/8" and "9/0" buttons simultaneously on the fob to exit the programming mode.