Lincoln Town Car Maintenance & Repair

papaa · June 2007

This is A sign the car is needing A little more than you can give it. I am crossing the same bridge. It is A toll bridge. If you can first find someone who knows how to work on the model. That will be the biggest help. The cost factor is not high if this person can solve it fast. I hope you have good luck with the car. If it is meant to be useable it will show with your attempts to help it. I only wish we were well off financially. That is the wish. The reality is try to keep it going and don't stop useing the car until it dies completely. The sales people will envy your efforts. You don't need to fall for their idiotic sales pitches. Good Luck

nwraaa · June 2007

Your blend door actuator motor is not functioning. This is a $49.95 motor that costs from $600.00 to $900.00 to replace. Yours is locked in the heat-on position. The dash board has to be removed replace this motor.

betabox · June 2007

OK, it has more than a few issues, but there are some I think I can handle by myself for now, with a little help.

First, the 7/8 button on the Keyless Entry System doesn't work. Is this more likely to be the keypad, or a wiring/connector issue? Where is the 'box' that handles all of the keyless entry stuff? The system seems to work just fine other than the 7/8 button.

Second, the Passenger-side Rear power door lock isn't working. When you actuate the locks, you can hear a medium-loud whirring from that door, but the lock knob stays put. I've got the doorliner off, but I don't want to go further without advice.

Those are the two that I think I want to tackle this weekend. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-kevin

papaa · June 2007

The keyless problem is best solved by going to your local Lincoln Dealer parts counter and get yourself A new key Fob that can be set to your cars code. About 12 to 25 dollars. It is well worth the effort. The lock problem is going to take drilling out factory rivets. This can be done by you. Or you can find someone who will drill for you.Good Luck

betabox · June 2007

The remote control works fine, but I use the keypad on the door also. Without 7/8, you can't lock the doors by pressing 7/8 and 9/0 at the same time.

As to the doorlock motor, I see a round, black part on the back of the door with a rivet in the middle of it. It appears to be the shock mount holding up the motor. I guess I just drill out that rivet and work the motor out?

They sure didn't leave much room for maneuvering in there, did they?

Thanks,
-kevin

euphonium · June 2007

Remember the switch on the driver's door armrest will lock all doors.

Before tearing into the keypad, try the following:

To enable autolock.............

First enter the permanent code. Within five seconds depress and release the 3/4 key while holding the 7/8 key depressed.

melognoma · June 2007

I recently bought the car, knowing that the window motor was out. After taking the door apart some, I was able to check the power coming in with a volt meter. It was fine. So, I started trying to figure out how to remove the motor without a whole lot of cutting. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

papaa · June 2007

The problem you have to solve is what original rivets need to be drilled out. Once the two rivets are drilled out the motor will come out through an existing portal opening. Replace with screws to hold it in place. Good Luck

azlincolntc · July 2007

I have a 1994 lincoln town car, 112,000 miles. I had the tranny rebuilt recently, but it's still down shifting out of overdrive and then back in, ocassionally. It only happens at 45 to 60 mph when I'm cruising at a constant speed.I've been told it could be the park/neutral saftey switch, trans range sensor or tr mlp sensor, or........... Ever hear of such a problem? The car is from AZ and has zero rust and is in really good shape. It's red on red with no dents and excellent leather interior. I want to get this problem fixed so I can sell the car. I have another car and a truck.
Dave in Western NY

papaa · July 2007

I had the same problem recently. I took it to A reputable repair shop and had it diagnosed. The part was A little switch and it was cheap. The labor is what hurts everybody on getting the older cars repaired. I'm happy and you will be too when it works right again. Good Luck

euphonium · July 2007

Having recently the unit rebuilt, I'd return it to the rebuilder for an adjustment. I don't think it is the safety switch, but there is an adjustment on shift points.

Have you checked the volume of fluid in the transmission?

The trans range sensor may be faulty if it is original.

azlincolntc · July 2007

"The part was A little switch and it was cheap."
Do you have a name for that switch, that would be helpful. Thanks.

azlincolntc · July 2007

The volume of fluid was the first thing checked.
I returned it to the rebuilder and he replaced some of the parts he replaced, overdrive solenoid. I think he is better at rebuilding than diagnosing.
I'll probably have the trans. range sensor replaced(original) and hope for the best.
When excellorating the tranny shifts smoothly.

peachpie5254 · July 2007

I have a 93 with the same mileage and a similar problem except at slightly lower speeds around 40 mph. Check engine light comes on and diagnosed as the park/neutral safety switch. That switch is not cheap. I was quoted around $150 to replace. It's very intermittent, so I live with it.

straydread · July 2007

Hi There:

I have a 1988 Lincoln Town Car, which I have had for over 7 years now and I had the A/C fixed at the end of April/07 and it was working fine including the automatic climate control. Last week, I had the cooling system flushed and radiator replaced and heater hoses also replaced. When I got the car back, the A/C is working fine on manual blower control, but when I put it on Automatic, the fan cuts out when I accelerate. It comes back when the car gets up to speed. I took it back to the mechanics that did the work and they can't find anything wrong, although they acknowledge that the system is acting in this way. Anyone else have any ideas about what can be causing this problem in a system that has always worked properly as long as I have had the car. Please note that this garage is not an A/C specialists, but the garage that serviced the A/C in April was a specialist. Any help or suggestions would be gratefully accepted. Thanks

euphonium · July 2007

Your engine is a 302 engine that has been around in some form or another since 1964. When you step on the gas, the AC automatically disengages so that all available power will be applied to accelerating up to speed. Upon reaching the desired cruising speed the compressor switches back on and again attempts to cool the cabin. What is happening is normal.

mfreehill · July 2007

the brakes on my 99 sig. are but gone. I have replaced the front rotors ( 200k on them) hoping to fix. have bled the lines , and still no lasting brake. could it be the master cylinder? if so is this an easy fix?

pdesautel · July 2007

Replaced the a/c relay in engine compartment $10.98. Now spitting snow balls at men. Thanks for your help. Now the salesman can eat Mc Onalds like the most of us.

neauxbunny · July 2007

Just picked up this car yesterday...hubby bought it and checked it out 4 days ago.

When driving, there is an odd odor and a milky-like mist??? coming from the a/c vent.

I do not have a clue about this. Any help?

Thanks,
Da Bunny :confuse:

trclark61 · July 2007

Had the same problem with my 68 monterey. Turned out to be a leak in the heater core....your problem could be core or hoses inside the heater plenum. Fix immediately will not get better. Do not run ac or heater until repaired as the mist is anti freeze it is very hard to get off of your windshield and will stick to the innards of your ventilation system causing fogging of the windshield every time you turn on the defroster. Wish I could have given you better news. The repair can be done by the average back yard mechanic but is tedious due to the location under the dash. try to clean as much duct work as possible only time will completely clear the entire ventilation system. PS: Antifreeze mist has a sickly sweet smell and is probably poisonous as the fluid is deadly to small animals.

trclark61 · July 2007

Replacing the ignition switch will take care of keeping the keys in place but I do not think it has any thing to do with the c c problem. To replace switch remove column cover 3 or 4 screws. (you may want to disconnect negative battery cable) insert keys in ignition, turn to on position (not start),find small silver button on bottom side of switch housing depress and pull switch out. installation of new switch only requires you to push it in with the key and turn back to off it is now locked in place. no since paying a lock smith for a job that anyone who can turn a screwdriver can do!!!

nsks475 · July 2007

I have a 1992 Lincoln Town Car which ran great till we replaced the air filter,4 months ago.as soon as we started it afterwards,it ran just awful.we figured out that it was the mass air flow sensor,so we bought a new one and put it in.now,the car runs fine under acceleration,but will die when coasting,and we have to pull over and restart it.according to what i've read just browsing the internet,this still sounds like the mass air flow sensor,but how could this be the problem?does anyone have any suggestions what may be causing this? thanks for your replies. karen

euphonium · July 2007

Our 94 TC's fuel filter was replaced when the Mass Air Flow Sensor was replaced. How old is your fuel filter? Ours is located under the car on the side, but I forget which side.

nsks475 · July 2007

we haven't replaced the fuel filter.i guess we can try that and see what happens.it couldn't hurt,anyways,and maybe it'll fix the problem. thanks. karen

lonnieamcon · July 2007

hi i have an issue if anyone can help? i have a 96 town car and there is a coolant hose that goes from where the water pump is underneath the intake manifold. were does this hose go? can i replace it without taking off the intake manifold? also the brake lines that go under the body on driverside rear any help would be appricated. thank you lonnie

peachpie5254 · July 2007

Unfortunately, I've been down this road before. On my 93 the intake manifold (plenum) had to be removed. You're looking at around $500 for a shop to do it. I believe the hose connects to a metal heater line directly under the manifold where you can't get to it. The hose is connected at this point by a metal crimp.

I believe they usually start leaking at the crimp point. It starts slowly and progresses. At first you won't see any coolant underneath because it stays in the v of the engine block. But you'll smell that tell tale odor of leaking coolant.

You have four options at this point. 1. If you don't ever use the heater you may be able to cap off the water pump outlet and the heater for a cheap fix. 2. Sell the car and let the next guy worry about it. 3. Live with it for maybe another 6 months until it gets serious . 3. Fix it right away.

To fix it you'll have to remove the plenum and everything connected to it. Cut the metal tube at the crimp point as the crimp can't be reused. Put a new hose on with a new metal clamp at both ends. Replace the plenum, reconnect everything and hope a pray it doesn't happen again while you still own the car.

I've commented on the stupidity of this design before. I would never buy a car/truck with this setup again. Most owners don't know about this expensive problem just waiting to happen. It's not a matter of if... but when. Rubber wears out and leaks. Why you have to go thru all this nonsense is beyond me.

lonnieamcon · July 2007

thanks peachpie5254 for the info this helps narrow my options. if you have another comment on another factory ideal as to the metal brake lines the run along the frame rail (thats fine) until it gets to the rear wheelwell and then goes under the body between it and the frame rail any way to change theses with out lifting the body? any info on this issue would be appreciated also.

nwraaa · July 2007

I have replaced a number of these hoses without using the expensive Ford/Lincoln hose and without removing the intake manifold. It takes a little more than an hour to make this fix. Procedure: Disconnect battery at the negative post; Remove the black structure that is on the top of the engine; Slip the serpentine belt off of the alternator; remove the alternator; drain about a half gallon of coolant out of the radiator; slip the hose clamp off of the hose that is connected behind the water pump; cut the hose using a box cutter or hawkbill as far as you can under the manifold and remove it; at the other end of the hose at the fire wall, disconnect and remove the hose from the heater core. You will need to buy a piece of heater hose about 4 feet long. The diameter has to match the size of the hose that fits the connection at the water pump. You will need a piece of "L" shaped hose that looks similar to the piece that was removed from the fire wall. In most instances I've had to destroy the old hose to get it off. This small hose has to be the same diameter as the hose removed from the heater connection. Because the hoses will not be the same size, you will have to buy an adapter to fit one end of the 4 foot hose and the end of the "L" shaped hose. Push the 4 foot hose under the manifold. It will pass beside the old hose. It will come to the back of the engine where you can pull it over near the heater connection. At the heater connection, clamp on the "L" shaped hose. Place the adapter in the other end of the "L" shaped hose; Put the hose clamps on; Cut the 4 foot hose to the length needed to fit the connector. Refill the coolant tank, reconnect and reassemble and you are ready to go. By the way, does your 96 have the all plastic black manifold? If it does then you may be looking at replacing it. They have a tendency to crack. It takes about four hours to replace it.

mrcoinring · August 2007

I Have a 1993 Lincoln towncar that was just given to me when my grandfather passed away and was wandering
if someone with knowledge of these cars could help me out. The car runs very good when it has been wormed up but when you first start it it runs very rough. I know that a lot is computer controlled but is there any main unit or module that would control motor performance when it's still cold?...also the climate control unit keeps going from floor and defrost to the vents when all I want is for it to blow from the vents. I have traced all vacuum lines and have found no leaks what so ever. Also the actuator for that door flap
is obviously working so could this be the head unit itself?
itself?

nwraaa · August 2007

Do you know if the spark plugs and plug wires have been changed on this car? Does the "Service Engine" light come on? You may be having trouble with the mass air flow sensor and/or the oxygen sensors. The A/C problem may becaused by the heater control device which is in the heater hose line which is under the hood of the car on the passenger side of the car. Some times you can just clean these and the A/C system will start functioning normally. This device has an electrical connector and vacumm lines connected to it.

mrcoinring · August 2007

I had no I idea that there was a heater control device in the hose line...I will have a look and do my best to clean it, but
I don't know how that would effect the randomness of the controls...There is no service lite on and I personally changed the spark plugs and the wires appear to have been replaced not long ago with oem parts. I don't know if it would cause this but the motor does appear to burn a little oil from what I think is a few valve seals...only smokes blue a little
after you sit for a while and then accelerate which at this point it goes away. Could this be why it runs so bad cold but runs very good when worm?

mrcoinring · August 2007

Just in case this is the problem I want to get a new one anyway because the buttons have that notorious cracked up problem....My question is will a unit from a later year like say a 97 mark viii with better designed buttons work in the 93 town car? As far as I can tell they are identical in terms of connections and vacuum lines in the back. Do you know what all is compatible?

nwraaa · August 2007

That heater control item is called a switch and hose assembly. When it malfunctions, it confuses the A/C heater control unit. The Town Car A/C heater system is constantly measuring the inside and outside temperature of the car and constantly attempts to make adjustments to the cabin temperature according to the temperature that is set by the driver. When the switch and hose assembly is not opening and closing as it should, the cold air and hot air blend doors don't operate as they should. Heat will come out of the panel vents when the driver wants cool air and cool air will come out the floor vents when the driver wants heat. A little oil use in this engine will not cause it to misfire until warm-up. Clean the mass air flow sensor and clean and or replace the oxygen sensors. The valve stems are probably a little worn but replacement of these on this engine is a serious undertaking.

nwraaa · August 2007

I really don't know if the 1997 unit will work on your 1993 or not; but the 1997 unit was designed to send signals to an electronic item called a blendor door actuator which is on the 1997 Marl VIII. This component, however, is not on your 1993 Town Car.

mrcoinring · August 2007

Thank you...I will check the o2's and the mass air. Also the air stays cold when I want cold, and worm when I want worm...its just that it wont stay on the dash vents for long befor it goes to a mix of the defrost and floor.

rijk0291 · August 2007

Hi Idowling, Did the problem ever come back? I am driving a 2002 TC in Amsterdam Holland and this weeek the same problem occured while I was driving on the freeway, after restarting the engine the check trac light was off and the temp was as normal, within 2 minutes it came back on again and the temp meter showed zero degrees again,
On several forums I have placed this problem but have no solution yet,
maybe you can help,
greetings from Amsterdam,

Peter

adjuster · August 2007

Hi; Yes I finally did find the solution to this problem. I posted the solution earlier, I guess you didn't see that. The cause is a bad spark plug coil and spark plug covered with rust, leaking spark to the engine block. It will usually be the one on the passenger side-rear of the engine, the #4 coil, but one other person I know of had the other side rear coil bad, the #8 coil. The coil will cost about $50.00 at Auto-Zone. This problem is caused by water getting into the deep hole that the spark plug and coil sit in on top of the engine. Check the heater hoses for a leak and fix that if needed. I found no heater hose leak on my car and suspect that rain water gets into the engine compartment and leaks into the rear spark plug holes as the engine slants down lower at the rear. :lemon: Fix this now, I didn't fix this soon enough and had to replace the transmission because this problem also causes rough shifting which broke the gears in my transmission. I also had to replace one cat because unburned fuel wrecks that too.

/\/\ark

rijk0291 · August 2007

Thanks a lot Mark, I am now going to work on the car, I did had a bad coil about a year ago, but the engine ran on 7 cylinders then and did not stall, so I didn`t think it was same problem, I will surely check for leaks,
thanks again,

greetings from Amsterdam,

Peter

rijk0291 · August 2007

Mark, I have changed all the sparkplugs(that`s not easy the car runs on Propane and almost the whole LPG-systeem had to be removed) and now the engine is running perfect again , no stalls and no warning lights came on, sparkplugs had done almost 100.000 miles,

thanks again for your help,

best regards,
Peter

adjuster · August 2007

Peter;

You did not find a bad coil? I'm a bit surprised. There is something about this engine's computer that really gets confused when the spark plugs and/or coils mess up. I tried to talk to the dealer's service manager about this and he denied that there was such a problem that he was aware of. In spite of that, he did finally suggest I change all spark plugs and coils "just in case" after I pressed him with the information I'd gathered about other vehicles I knew of with the same symptoms. I changed all plugs and the one coil that looked bad and seemed to come up the most often on the check engine analizer code and fixed the problem. Strange that I know of many others with this same exact symptoms and problems but the dealer says he's "...never heard of it." :confuse: Why don't they just admit they have a problem and tell us what to do? Is Lincoln/Ford afraid to admit that this problem is common? Why? :confuse:

nwraaa · August 2007

If they admit that there is a problem, we will be after them to issue a recall. I have had issues with the coil on plug design. To me, the 4 - coil pack with the conventional spark plug wires was more relaible. With the coil on plug design, when the engine misfire causes the car to buck and jerk, the computer may or may not indicate which cylinder is misfiring.

mrtowncar · September 2007

i have a 2001 linconln town car and it has just started doing what i hate the most out of car, when im crusing and i want to increase speed by just 1 or 2 miles it starts jerking as i just show the foot to the gas pedal, it only does it when i very very lighly step on the gas to increase speed by 1 or 2 miles, i have tried changing the gas from BP 93 to Marathon 93 and still the same , i added lucas fuel injector cleaner and still the same, does anyone have an idea what it could be? Im not sure if its a fuel injector problem, or a spark plug problem or a coil, i dont know, first time i own a lincoln and im already disappointed, the car only has 38000 miles very clean, but this is really getting to me

mrtowncar · September 2007

i have the same problem and i come to find out the is the plug on the fan blower, im still having problems with it, i have to open my hood every morning and play with the plug until i hear the heat blower go

mrtowncar · September 2007

somehow the plug looses contact with the blower end of the plug and wont run

nwraaa · September 2007

The engine is probably misfiring underload because all of the spark plugs and coils are not firing as they should. It is not uncommon for the Ford 4.6 engine to start misfiring at 30000+ miles. Does your engine service light come on? In most instances, all of the plugs and coils do not need changing at one time, just the one or two that are misfiring. If your engine service light is not coming on, change the plugs and coils in this order: 1, 4, 5, and 8. For some reason, the plugs near the very ends of the block are the first to start misfireing. Replace these, one at a time. That is, replace the coil and plug in cylinder 1, then drive the car. This may be the only one that needs to be replaced. I hope that your opinion of the car will change for the better. You should be getting about 30 mpg. With basic maintenance, the car should give you about 140,000 miles and 7 years of trouble free driving.

izaclown1 · September 2007

I have had a 2000 and have a 2002 and have never gotten anywhere near 30 mpg. Best on the 2000 was around 24 and my 2002 w/dual exhaust has been a little over 26. I have done the other things like keep good tires properly inflated and slow starts,easy accelerations, and use cruise on the interstates. I seem to get good mileage around 55-60 and 85+. The time I got over 26, I was driving on interstate running 85 mph. I do not use the higher octane due to the recommendation from the LM dealer. I was told it is a waste of money.

Both engines started to periodically not crank or idle around 65K. The engine will run but will not idle. Drive it for a couple of minutes. It will crank and idle fine from then on.

adjuster · September 2007

I have a 2000 Towncar. I get 30 mph on the freeway if I stay at 55. At 65-70 I get 25-27 mph. I get 19.4 mph average with about 70% intown driving, 30% freeway driving. My car has about 83,000 miles and runs great on regular gas now that I've found and repaired the coil problems.

mrtowncar · September 2007

i wanna thank you much for your help, i love the looks of this car and will like to keep it but i wont if i dont find the solution to this problem, i have removed all spark plugs to inspect and they all look good, i noticed the car started doing that after i rammed the engine up preety good trying to impress a coworker that was behind me in a mustang i took it up to like 80 to 90 mph in short distance, it usually does it around 40 mph and like i said only when i hit the gas very very lightly it jerks preety bad it does feel like a misfire and no i have no check engine light, is there a way to check the coils for misfire, i was told that if it was the coils i would have a check engine light but i dont have one, do u think is more of a coil spark plug problem than a fuel injector problem? i checked the auto part i can get one coil for like $58 bucks and e-bay has a set of all 8 for $100 after market new ones, what do u think. i also want to mention that i also have a 1997 lincoln continental now out of service due to a bad transmission with the same excact problem, on that one i changed the spark plugs and all wires and i stiil had the same problem all the way until the tranny went out, but now im concern about the town car i just thought i meantion that, it seems like the problems i hate the most of car have follwed me with this town car taht i have only owed for 11 months

izaclown1 · September 2007

Is it possible that the transmission is "searching" for overdrive. My 2000 was bad about that when I was on a slight incline and was just trying to maintain speed. It would shift in and out of OD several times until I released the gas or put more umph behind it. I have seen that as a "problem" on earlier posts.

mrtowncar · September 2007

i thank u for ur info , im not to sure about the transmission because i dont think im giving it enough gas to ask for overdrive, now its almost an intermitten problem its only doing it sometimes, it was alot worst before i changed the gas from bp 93 to marathon and before i put the lucas fuel injector, it seems to have gotten better but i still feel it sometimes, i hate it

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