Lincoln Town Car Maintenance & Repair

99towncarexec

I might still have the heater thing in the garage if I didn't give it to the kid who I gave the car too.I'll check tonight.

monkeymays

This is an old post, but I just had to say thank you to the poster! My car was stuck in park, and your solution worked for me!! The stoplight switch was less than 10 bucks...

qso

Have a check eng light on. Checking the code it states the egr Valve is bad. Can anybody help on tips to change this valve.

msledge50

Hello,I was wondering does anybody knows how to hot wire a window to go up,My window switch on the drivers side went out and i ordered a knew one,But my window is stuck down i want to get it up while i am waiting for the switch, THANK YOU

99towncarexec

pull up the panel that the switch sits in and jiggle the wires connected to the switch.Don't know what year you have but there are only a couple of screws if it's a 90's version.

msledge50

I already have the switch out,the switch is bad I need to know is there a way to hot wire the window to just get it up until my new switch comes. It's a 1999 town car

wicket

my check engine light comes an after driving it for a while and then after a while it will go off only to come on later. wont stay on long enough to test it.

99towncarexec

Mine was doing that (1996 town car).I put in a new mass air sensor.95 bucks or so for the part and another 40 bucks to put it in at the mechanic.So far so good.Not a big job. Also,could be your 02 sensors starting to act up.Oh,and last but not least,drop some dry gas in the tank and switch brands of gas.See if that helps.

euphonium

My '94 Sig w 150,000 has been doing that for several years. Otherwise it runs great w good gas mileage and performance. The CE light is the Environmentalists illumination to scare you into making your combustion less invading to them while they hitch hike down your highway. :mad:

joemama8

my 87 year old Dad has a 93 lincoln town car. The digital instrument cluster has stopped working. I have checked fused but am unsure where to go from here. Does anyone know if this unit is controlled by a body or chassis computer? Is this a common problem?

99towncarexec

Don't think there's a fix.Better off getting a used new one.Probably way cheaper.

nvbanker

Are you sure the bulb isn't just burned out?

lrew

lrew

I have a1993 Lincoln Towncar with 150K miles. When the Temperature is above 85 degrees you can only drive the car for 2 to 20 miles and then it begins surging badly and eventually ends up at about 20mph with the throttle wide open. If I shut it off I can not restart it for 20 minutes or so. I have replaced the MAF sensor, and the IAT sensor twice and no change. If the temperature is below 80 degrees the car runs fine all day at any speed. I have checked the fuel pressure and I have 35psi. Any ideas?

nvbanker

Sounds like an old fashioned vapor lock to me. There should be a sharder valve on the fuel rail. (looks like a tire valve). Push that, let the air out (with the engine off) when it does this, and it should restart and go again.

wjones51

I have a 1997 LTC with battery drain and would like to know what possible causes are since I cannot seem to find it. Battery drains completely over a 12 to 13 hour period.

Willie

wjones51

I have a 1997 Lincoln Towncar and I am trying to figure out what is causing my battery to drain over a 12 to 13 hour period. I have tried removing each fuse under the hood with no change. I removed the light from the trunk and this has slowed the process but has not eliminated it. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what else I can consider to be the problem.

Willie
[email protected]

euphonium

How old is the battery?

Disconnect the + cable overnight and see if the battery is healthy the next day. It could be you just need a new battery.

nvbanker

And if Euphonium's solution doesn't help, go into the car at night after it's been off a few hours, and feel everything on the dash. If something (like the stereo) is hot, there's your drain.

gfoley1957

when you said you replaced the blend door motor did you have to take the whole dashboard out. my husband is trying to fix my car and isnt sure where to start. could you help him.

yardley327

Hello, I own a 1998 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series. My problem is no cold air comes out of the air vent. The AC compressor kicks in and water drips beneath the car, but no cold air. In fact after turning the AC on, the air almost instantly becomes hot, not even cool. I was curious if anybody would be able to pinpoint the problem or even some suggestions on what the problem could be. I thank you in advance.

Mike

yardley327

nvbanker

You have the oft diagnosed "blend door" problem under the dash in the diverter box. The door that regulates cool air and hot air, to maintain your temperature is stuck on hot. Not an easy repair either.

nsarafia

I have a very annoying problem. My air conditioning works fine in dry weather however, when it starts raining, the air conditioner starts blowing warm air.
This will also happen when I take my car thru a carwash.
After 10 or 15 minutes when it stops raining all of a sudden the ac is blowing cool air again.
This happens all the time when it rains. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

nsarafia

bremertong

Recently traded for this car, had a 2005 Town Car Signature with 10,000 more miles and fewer features. The 2004 has a very jittery ride compared to the 2005 that I previsiously owned. The dealership did a four wheel alignment to try to correct the ride quality but without success.
Wondered if there are other ways to produce a better ride quality in the 2004? When I bought the
2004 assumed there was too much air in the tires but that and the dealer provided alignment have not corrected the problem. What other diagnostics can be done to find and correct this problem?
All suggestions and owner comments appreciated.

99towncarexec

As in you go over a pebble and the whole car bounces??That's suspension issues. If that's not what it does,your problem could be tires..

edc60

1)Check tire pressure with your own gauge. All should be the same.
2) Look at wear pattern on tires. Even ?
3) Check shocks -- bounce on each corner, pumping up & down & release... Should be same all around, Usually no more than 1 1/2 up and down after release.
4) problem with power steering?
5) Try dropping tire pressure by 5 and recheck ride. Could be related to replacement tires.
6) any pulling to side with accelerating or breaking?
7) air suspension?
8) How many actual miles? Carfax history - wrecks?

euphonium

If the 04 sat for a long time, flat spots could develop on the tires. Try a new set of Michelin Symetrys. They improved the ride on our TC.

bremertong

Thank you and every one else for your replies, they are very much appreciated.
Car Fax came back fine with no accidents reported and two previous owners, actual score was 92 which I am told is very good.

Was at the dealership today. In that my 2005 car was still there we took a ride in both cars and compared the ride. The 2005 is a bit more floaty but not jittery
as the 2004 Ultimate is. the tires were at 32 front and 35 back and I put them back to 35, front and back as I had them on the 05 model. The service department did a diagnostic check to see if there were any stored error codes and did a reset and suggested this might help in that the adaptive feature might
adapt to my driving habits. Also mentioned that the transmission fluid might
not have been changed at 30,000 miles (car now has 43,000 miles on it).
The tires are near new and look to be the same tire that was on the car when new, white wall Michelins. This might need another check. The shocks were previously checked when I first mentioned the ride quality and were said to be okay.

I am to drive for a week or so and get back to the service department for followup. Looks like the makings of a detective mystery in that there is no substantive clue as to what the problem is. Any follow up suggestions appreciated and will pass along to the dealership on subsequent visits.
Many thanks for the input and suggestions.

mstauffer

Have you checked the manufacture date code on each tire and the sidewalls for dry rot? If they are the original tires from 2005, assuming the tire manufacured date is 2005, they may be timing out even though the tread looks good. I had one front original tire that had not been replaced and when it was replaced, the "funny" ride went away. It had dry rot in several places on the sidewall of that tire. The other tires were ok having been replaced earlier.

99towncarexec

It could just be the difference between 04-05.See what changes FORD did to the car,if any and perhaps that will solve the mystery.

edc60

May want to check "MAX TIRE PRESSURE " on tire. Used to be 32lbs on auto tires, higher on trucks. Space Saver spare sometimes 65 lbs.
Use that as a hard limit.

Do NOT use a higher cold temp pressure than the Max on the tire.... Over pressure can cause internal separation of tires.

Higher pressure will cause harsher ride and change handling.
Uneven pressure can cause pulling to one side or another.

bremertong

Date on the tires is March 2010 so they were changed about two years ago.
I may ask the dealer ship to recheck that the tires re the right ones for this car but I believe they are.

bremertong

Does any one know if Ford Extended Warranty program will support an owner such as myself with an unresolved issue such as the jittery ride? I was told by the dealership that I would be billed by the service department for any sealed parts that are opened such as the transmission and no defects found. Since I'm not sure which part is the one causing the problem, I am sort of in an awkward position.

99towncarexec

Bremertomg,maybe a weight fell off one of the wheels causing it to be out of balance which in turn will cause it to not drive right.

nwraaa

At what speed is your car at when the "jittering" starts?

bremertong

More noticeable at slower speeds but also present at highway speeds. The problem seems related to rough road surfaces which suggests to me that it could be related to shock absorbers, dealer also claims to have checked them. The dealership claims to have done a four wheel alignment without any improvement to the ride. I did purchase a Ford extended Warranty in buying this car so did my best to protect my purchase from this kind of situation.
For those familiar with this model and year they are really attractive looking cars, have great power for the size of the engine and in the case of my 05 Signature limited was very comfortable riding. I will be back in touch with the dealership this week and try to move the process towards resolution. I am most appreciative of all the interest and replies I've received here to date.

99towncarexec

Can you give a more detailed description of what exactly you mean by "jittery ride"?? Steering wheel shaking?? Back end bounce? What exactly? Obvious question but..Is the air suspension on?

bremertong

Jittery meaning that it does not absorb bumps in the road as well as the 05 did
and yes I did check to see if the air suspension is on and yes it is, I tried switching it off and back on just see if it would make a difference, no difference.
I will drive it a while longer and than again contact the dealership. I am begining to think that I may have just traded a car with a better tuned overall drivetrain even though it had 10,000 miles more on it and less equipment but will have to wait a little longer to see.

izaclown1

Is the tranny shifting smoothly? Wonder if the torque converter needs to be replaced. That cleared up my 02.

bremertong

The service department informed that if any sealed parts are opened and no defects found I would be charged labor for the work even though I have an extended warranty. I expect to have a resolution of this whole situation within the next week and will be sharing the details when it is finally resolved. I again wish to thank all the people who have shared their interest, care and concerns to help me resolve this matter. Ford is willing to send me to another dealership to do a second opinion but it involves over one hundred miles of driving and so I am not eager to do this in that it might well mean I would have to travel that distance every time an issue came up. Tranny appears to be shifting fairly smoothly and may ask about torque converter as a last resort, thank you for making the suggestion.

jamj1234

My Town Car was lifted today to change the oil without turning off the Air Suspension in the trunk. My car is now sitting down in the back. I drove it for a while hoping the air suspension bags in the rear would re inflate but nothing yet. Any ideas.

Thanks,
Jack

99towncarexec

do you have the "check air suspension" light on the dash?? If not,try turning it off and on a few times and see if it fills up.Otherwise it may be replacement time...

jamj1234

No light on in the dash. Let me try turning it off nd on a few times.

Thanks

jamj1234

Thanks 99towncarexec,

turning the switch on and off worked. It has refilled and the suspension is working fine.

Jack

99towncarexec

Glad to hear it.

euphonium

Good to know in case a 4 year old grandson flips the switch while playing in the trunk.

bremertong

Wanted to update the forum on the Jittery ride in the 2004 Lincoln Town Car. We have reached a point where the problem is unresovlable in that the dealership vehamently states that the ride is normal for this model and year. I have no air tight method that to challenge that finding. When I make a final disposition I will report it here in that I appreciated all the information I received from the members of this forum. Just wanted the members to know how much I appreciated the advice and assistance received so far and most importantly can say the ride and suspension on the 05 was substantially more smooth and desirable.

bremertong

After trying to resolve ride quality issue in this most attractive car I have ever owned I sold it back to the dealership.
Appearance is not everything and the failure to absorb bumps as the 05 Signature Limited did was an insurmountable issue. I had some options such as taking the car to another Ford service department or replacing shocks myself. I had an extended service contract on this vehicle, I was told that if items such as the transmission or other sealed parts of the car were opened and no problems found I would have to pay the labor for the work.
What I did learn from this experience was that buying a car after a 30 minute test drive is a very bad idea. I had been lucky in that I did that with the 05 and owned it for six years with no problems of any kind. The biggest obstacle was that the dealership said that the ride quality was within the normal range for this vehicle. Prudence is always wise when buying any vehicle, I would welcome any comments that could help me be a more prudent buyer in the future. I am now waiting for a refund on the extend service warranty less the short time and cancellation fee.

I wish to thank all those members of this forum that offered their assistance in trying to resolve this problem. Still think Lincoln Town Car is a great vehicle and think Ford made a mistake in discontinuing the model.

99towncarexec

I'd go buy another town car. 30 minute test drive??That's one patient dealer!!Usually,10 minutes tops,rarely and I mean rarely, longer then 20.If there was any issue it would have popped up on that long of a drive.Now as for ride, if it wasn't the air suspension that went bad then perhaps it was just the way that car rides.Even with the air ride shot,LINCOLNS still ride well although they will bounce over a bump like the bobble heads people used to put in their cars.In the future,turn the air ride on and off a couple of times to see that it's working right and make sure the "check air suspension" light comes on too. Really no idea why the ride appeared bad in the town car with no warnings or anything.Good luck!