Lincoln Town Car Water Leaks

silverton

I own a 2004 Town Car Ultimate (no sunroof) that has a problem in the trunk area. After it rains, when I open the trunk, water drains out of two holes on the underside of the trunk lid. AS the trunk lid is opening, the water goes directly into the trunk area. I have complained to Ford Motor Company about this and they say it is within factory specifications. I would like to know if anyone else out there in Lincoln-Land has the same problem. If so, would you please reply to this post and let others and me know how you got it resolved?
Thank you..........Silverton

euphonium

The one and only time your problem happened to me was when I parked facing downhill and the accumulation of rain over flowed the ridge and seeped in the trunk. Since then I park facing uphill so the rain will drain down the trunk canal.

silverton

Thank you euphonium for the input. However, my problem seems a bit different. The water gets inside the trunk lid and will stay there until it either evaporates or the trunk lid is lifted, at which time it drains out through the two holes in the lid. I park my car on a level spot and it doesn't seem to matter how hard or little it rains. It still gets inside that trunk lid.
I didn't expect a reply so quickly. That's great. It shows me that there are people out there who care about what's going on around them.
Thanks again, euphonium.................Silverton

nwraaa

The two holes are there so that water will not build-up around the black trunk seal; however, there should be at least four other holes along the same plane as the trunk latch at the bottom of the trunk lid. These holes, at the bottom of the trunk lid when closed, allow the water which comes in through the two holes that are underneath the trunk near the back window to flow out. Make sure that these holes have been drilled in the trunk and that they are not obstructed.

99towncarexec

Well fellas,they found the water running in from the hood release cable!Ralka,you said that was one possibility! Hopefully,that's the one and only leak.The pad was soaked so it's out and drying and will be glued back in
.link title
Actually,the carpet is kind of easy to remove.Back seat out,trim removed,front seats out and there you go.I'll admit that I had the body shop remove it because I don't have space or time to do that,but I did have the trim off and back seat out for a while myself.

twein1

2001 town car with sunroof. Foot well area at right rear passenger side, gathers water when sitting in the rain. Sometimes up to an inch of water. I have inspected door weatherstrips, they look and feel like new. Checked sealing area at sunroof, appears to be okay. The carpet is dry all around the footwell area and the headliner is dry. I did park it with the nose a little downhill, just to eliminate water coming in the front vent area and running back to the rear area. I am at a loss regarding this problem. The water leak started about 4 weeks ago. I could use some suggestions on how to repair the leak. Thanks, Tony

3wlonerider

i own a 97 towncar executive series with 53,000 miles on it..just bought it a month ago..seems that everytime it rains or i go threw a car wash. the carpet in the right rear floor board gets wet. i can feel no wetness around any sides of the floorboard and the front carpet is dry. the door weather stipping is in perfect condition there are no holes in the floorboard or wheelwell that i can see. no rust under car at all. the water has to be getting in somewhere and getting to the rear floor pan.. the trunk remains dry and all other floorboards are dry..it's just the right rear. the car does not have a moonroof or sunroof whichever you may want to call it..all seals around the doors and glass look to be in perfect condition. even the little side windows in the rear look good.. any help would be appreciated.

alchemy61

Hi twein1, Found these suggestions under "wet floor"... Good Luck, Jim
"REMOVED BLACK PLASTIC LEAF/RODENT GAURD & RAN WATER IN LEFT CORNER ON BODY--SAW LEAK INSIDE AC BOX-NOT A WINDSHIELD LEAK--
-GASKET BETWEEN AC BOX & BODY LEAKING INTO BOX & ONTO CARPET BELOW GLOVE BOX ON PASSENGER SIDE--REMOVED SCREWS--LIFTED PLASTIC--APPLIED SILICONE SEALANT TO GASKET & REPLACED ALL---LEAK GONE---GUD LUK---RUDY IN LA.3-17-05" and "dealer said that this is a common issue with TC. There is a air supply intake for the A/C system that can develop a leak at the gasket. The water will run down inside the door and soak the passenger carpet. They fixed it the first trip and I have not had any problems since."

melba1

the same thing is going on with my 2000 lincoln town car. Did you find out what it was? If you did can you let me know what it is.

3wlonerider

yes..as a matter of fact i did find the problem..heres what it was..mine as well as your door weather stripping looks new. the rear doors have 2 weather strips. 1 outer and 1 inner. it was the outer weather stripping. on the rear side of the door. the rear side of that weather stipping has 3 plastic peices that hold it to the body frame. the water was running down the weather stripping and going into where those plastic peices are..heres your fix..pull the weather stripping away from the door frame. you'll see the holes where those plastic peices go into..also pull some of the stripping off that goes up around the rear corner. run a nice bead of weather stripping glue where the top section goes over the frame and keep running the bead down till you get below those holes. make the bead around those holes as well as putting some on those plastic peices before pushing them back into those holes. then push the weather stripping back into place..shut the door and after it drys..you should have no more leak....the water was running into those holes..then down inside the door frame and coming out rigfht at the corner of the rear seat..giving it a nice place to go..the rear floorboard..

melba1

Thank you so much. I will work on it this weekend.
Thanks again,

3wlonerider

great..let me know how you make out and if indeed that was your problem also..

melba1

Ok, Thanks....

lynsaint

When I start my 2006 Lincoln TC you can hear what sounds like water dripping under the dash. The carpet remains dry. The dealer doesn't seem to have an answer to this problem. It is very annoying. Does anyone else have this problem, or can answer what the noise is?

euphonium

As I don't think you are hearing a liquid drip, try turning off the air shocks by tripping the switch located in the trunk area. After turning the air shock switch "OFF" then start the engine and listen. Your owners manual will reveal where the switch is. It is always turned off when the car is being elevated.

mehomzl

Okay I'm new at this posting and I probably posted wrong the first try. Here goes again. I have a 2005 TC with a water leak on the pax side, had water in the front and rear. Believe the water is coming from the front. Read some of the posts on how to fix it and was wondering if this is the same water leak as in the earlier models. Dealer claims they fixed it through a sub-contractor (guess they don't like doing warranty work themselves). Still leaking.

tcguy3

Hey! twein1,
Your fix seems (to me) that this must be the problem.
I have 3 Town Cars (airport service) and each one has
wet floors on passenger side only. I'm going to try your method.
I'll let you know.
TCGUY3

99towncarexec

I just got a 99 town car w/a roof last week and their's a leak on the pass.side up top of the carpet under the dash area on the floor.The weather stripping was off the edge of the door so That might be it.Any other ideas??A/C condensor??

lincolnowner

I am new ot this and i dont know jack [non-permissible content removed] bout cars my Lincoln TC SS 98 just got it a month ago there was no leak at all it has a sunroof and I look back today in the passanger side on the floor theres a water enough to tell and smell it I was told check my rug in the trunk its dry as can be the water is only in the back passenger side a couple weeks ago I vaccumed my floor and it was dry so it happened recently checked underneath as far as I can tell the floor isnt rusted any suggestions the sunroof is in very good condition hell the whole car is but this issue is getting to me rapidly any suggestions? Make note all weather sealers were looked at and is all good and its too far back to be a windshield issue.

melba1

I had the same go on with my car. I took it to the dealer and he charged me $200.00 and all it was, leaves was in the little grill thing under the windshield if you open the hood you can get to it better. They took that thing off and vacuumed it out.

Two hundred dollars later it was fixed and they said thats all it was.. No more problems..

Melba

99towncarexec

Yea,my leak was passenger side front and not a real big spot.Big enough to notice though.I opened the hood and cleaned out some gunk from under the plastic thing on the passenger side by the fire wall.All good so far now.

lincoln2

after cleaning away all debrie from water chanels pour some water over the windshield and monitor where it goes if you notice that it runs under your window lipseal it will end up inside your front passenger seat I am still trying to find a cheap solution the dealer quoted me 600.00 to fix it good luck to all

99towncarexec

Pull up the plastic cover,passenger side,stick your hand way in there.I pulled out some leaves and other crap.So far,no more leaks.

ralka

The water will settle in the lowest spot ( wich is the rear floor pan under the rug)
Remove the side sill plate in the front and the kick panel than pull the rug up enough to feel under the carpet. if it is wet than you may have one or all of a few issues 1. it may be as simple as debris stopping the plennum/air vent cover from draining 2. it may be tht water is getting under the air vent cover and entering the heater case. 3. you may have water entering around the heater case, or 4. you may have a cowl seam leaking ( the worst case ) . let me know if there is water under the rug

99towncarexec

Well,the car was ok for a while but with this rain of the past 2 or 3 days in a row it's all wet inside again.Passenger side front.I pulled the glove box down and that filter type thing up in there is soaked.I don't know how to get it out of there or fix it.Any help is appreciated.

ralka

It sounds like the water is getting into the air vent assembly. if the water is dripping directly down from the hvac case onto the floor . the "filter thing" you see is probably the fresh air vent opening on the inside of the case. on the outside of the car is a cowl screen, directly under the windshield. this has a bolt on screen for the pass. side of the car. it is held on by 5 8mm screws in the screen side and 2 11mm (i think) nuts towards the center and a clip in the front. remove the screen and check the foam gasket on the bottom. if it is ok you will need to 1) take your 11mm socket and tighten the mounting nuts that hold the housing below the screen, than you need to seal the foam for the housing. a butyl based sealant is best like crest products "re-seal" . if you use silicon you must make sure you do it right the first time or it will be a nightmare to take everything apart again. than you need to take the cowl screen you removed and apply sealant very generously around the perimeter of the cowl screen gasket so that when you bolt it down that it squashes out especially in the rear part ( towards the passenger compartment). if the gasket is torn use the sealant and put it as close to in place as you can and seal over the breaks in the seal ( don't skimp on the sealer.) take a brush and smooth over the excess sealer so it overlays the plastic in the rear forming a good seal. also make sure you do the same on the inside housing under the screen. an acid brush is easy to work with and you can stick a phillips screwdriver in the brush handle to make it longer and reach the hard spots . I use a spray undercoating with a plactic tube to spray behind the cowl screen and let it flow over the excess sealant that you smoothe over. when you bolt the cover back down a start the two rear 8mm screws but don't tighten with one hand push the cowl screen down and hold it while you tighten them to compress the gasket and sealant as much as possible ( the mounting holes are slotted). good luck

99towncarexec

Thanks ralka!I'll check this out this weekend.The filter behind the glove box is soaked!!I stuck a kitchen towel on top of the plastice thing under the hood by the windshield as a temporary thing to try and stop some of the water.I'll let u know how it turns out.Any shot the AC duct could be clogged>?

ralka

the a/c drain will only cause interior leaks if the outlet is clogged and the vehicle is running with either the a/c or defrosters on. there is a drain channel on the cowl screen with a flapper that does get clogged sometimes but 99% of the time the water gets under the screen and into the hvac box and than into the car. did you pull the rugs up and look at the bottom of the heater case with water running on it?
remember there are a few things that can be happening at the same time to soak the floor. if the cowl seams leak you will have to remove the right front fender and probably the hood to access the seam which wraps behind the fender . happy hunting
what state are you in?

99towncarexec

I'm in NY.I haven't lifted the rug yet.Tomorrow is supposed to be nice out so I'll mess with this then.What is that filter behind the glove box??That's where it's all wet and most likely where this water is getting in.I've had a few lincolns but this is the 1st one in a few years so I'm forgetting some of the quirks and the fixes!!lol.Appreciate the help bro!P.S. haven't had the AC on in a while.It's cold out here now.Only gets wet when it rains,and always in that one spot.

99towncarexec

Well,I took all that apart today,cleaned it out real good and put some sealer all over the place.Tightened the bolts down good too.What is that black rubber flap under the hood??The water supposed to run out thru that?It had some crap in there too.

ralka

sounds good! the rubber flap is a drain flap, they do clog up, but the water usually comes from under the cowl screen gasket. I remove them when i make this repair. as for the filter you see under the dash , the black grated piece is the inside section of the air inlet. did yu lift the carpet ? the rug can take a while to dry if it it soaked, and the padding / foam will hold moisture resulting in mold and odor issues. let me know if you have any more problems.

99towncarexec

I didn't lift the rug as yet.I put some baking soda and a towel on it a few days ago when it was soaked.It's still a little wet.I'll pull that rubber flap off so it's all open there.Is there a way to open that black grated piece??Does that thing inside it need replacing?Thanks for all the info!

ralka

the piece in the the heater case is a blend door ( if we are talking about the same thing), it diverts the air from the heater case to the defrosters or to the floor or panel vents. if you start the car and change the air flow setting see if that moves, than you will know if it is what i think you are seeing.
good luck

99towncarexec

I think I was asking about the filter type thing behind the glove box.Kind of big,encased by the black grated box.It was wet.It does seem to move so as to let air in.Anyway,it's raining out now.1st time since I put the silicone sealer stuff around.I'll let you know if the fix was enough.

99towncarexec

Hey bro.I was just vacuuming the Lincoln and I noticed the floor in the back,driver side and front driver side is wet too.Where's that coming from???Front passenger side seems nice and dry now though.It rained for a while yesterday.I guess the fix worked on that side, so far,anyway.Any idea what's up with the back??

ralka

check the hood release cable and grommet , sometimes the water channels through it

99towncarexec

ok.I think that it may be weatherstripping too.It looks good but who knows.

robkstone

HELLO ALL: i BOUGHT MY TOWNCAR A FEW WEEKS AGO AND WENT THRU A SMALL STREAM(THE ROAD GOES OVER A CREEK) NEAR MY HOUSE-i'VE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS GOING OVER THIS CREEK WITH ANY OTHER CAR SO i WAS SUPRISED TO SEE MY CARPET ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE SOAKED- i LOOKED UNDER IT AND THE RUBBER DRAIN PLUG ON THE BELLY PaN WAS LOOSE- SO i DRIED THE CARPETS THE BEST i COULD AND STUCK THE PLUG BACK IN. tHAT WAS OVER A WEEK AGO AND TODAY i FELT THE CARPETS IN THE FRONT AND REAR AND THEY WERE STILL DAMP-NOW i'M BEGINNING TO THINK AFTER READING ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER INTENTIONALY KEPT THE DRAIN PLUG LOOSE TO LET OUT ANY WATER THAT IS GETTING IN FROM ANOTHER SOURCE WHICH i HAVEN'T LOCATED YET. i WILL TRY ALL THE FIXES THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TRIED AND HOPEFULLY i CAN SOLVE THIS MYSTERY- i THINK THERE IS A MUSKY ODOR AND I NOTICED SOME SURFACE RUST ON THE SEAT TRACKS INDICATING THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR AWHILE.-HOPEFULLY MY FLOORS DON'T ROT OUT! i DID SEE ON EBAY WHERE YOU CAN BUY AN ENTIRE NEW MOLDED CARPET FOR THE CAR FOR A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS.

99towncarexec

I think I'm going to replace the door weatherstripping on mine.I'll put a bunch of silicone/adhesive on the new stripping and hopefully that stops it.I have to much stuff going on to worry about the damn floors in my Lincoln rotting out!I'll just trade it for another one.

robkstone

I cleaned out the area in front of the cowl-there were a few leaves and some debris but not too much.

robkstone

I'd like to remove the seats and replace the molded carpet after I fix the leak.If the car has been exposed to moisture is there a way to prevent the floors from rotting out once I have the carpet out- has anyone done this?

99towncarexec

Yea, I did the cowl thing a couple of weeks ago and put silicone all around that area too.That wouldn't get water to the back though.

robkstone

are you referring to removing the black plastic piece under or behind the glove box first and then reaching behind to see if there's moisture? Is the cowl area with the removable screen under the hood also the fresh air vent location where the water might be coming in?

thanks for all your technical help-

rob

robkstone

evidently if enough water gets in from the front it can settle in the back as it's the lowest point in the car. If water does get in to the rear you can loosen the rubber drain plug and allow any excessive moisture to drain and allow air to get in there- I took out my back seat and removed the cover over the seat belt and got as much as the carpet away from the metal and drove around for awhile with the plug out to get some air to circulate. I couldn't loosen the the star nut however on the seat belt anchor. Someone told me it's secured with loctite. Just remember to put the plug back in after everything dries. I'm going to try baking soda to try to remove the musky odor as someone else has done.

99towncarexec

Where is the drain plug located back there??That's a new one on me.RobKstone,the plastic black thing under the hood is what I removed and cleaned up.The thing behind the glove box was wet,but I couldn't get it out.Don't know if it's removable or not.I went all the way down to the screen outside and cleaned all that up,made sure all nuts and bolts were tight and put some silicone all around.I also put silicone between the weatherstripping to see if that helps w/the water in back.I'll do the plug thing as soon as you guys tell me where it is!!lol.

robkstone

there is a rubber oval drain plug on each rear footwell-look under the car and you'll see them. If you lift the carpet(some disassembly required) you can see it as well.- by the way the metal under the carpets on my car and I assume everyone elses is painted which gives me some hope against corrosion.

Is the screen you're talking about under the removable black plastic piece that can be removed with the long plastic screws on the passenger side, when you lift the hood in front of the windshield? I found some debris in there but didn't look further. What is this screen for-fresh air? I'm assuming everyone is saying that if water leaks through there it will eventually wind up on your front carpet and if it leaks a lot, can eventually find it's way to the rear as well since it's lower. I have to find this problem as I'm not garaging my car at present and every time it rains, I'm getting some moisture. At least this explains why it's only on the passenger side front and rear.

99towncarexec

Yes,The screen is under the black plastic grate.Undo all the bolts there and clean it out good,put some kind of sealer in there too.My bolts were all on the loose side when I went in there so I tightened them up good too.

ralka

check thread message 23 and 25. It can be a few things. run water on it with the sill plate and kick plate off and the front carpet pulled back to see what area it is comming from. it will run under the rug front to back and saturate the foam padding.

robkstone

I finally saw where the water is coming from on my car today as it is raining hard here in the Philadelphia suburbs- I saw water run down the front passenger side carpet behind the glove box on the right corner. It's definitely coming from atop somewhere near the windshield. I'm hoping I can stop it by resealing the screen and it's not a windshield or weld seam problem.

99towncarexec

I finally saw where the water is coming from on my car today as it is raining hard here in the Philadelphia suburbs- I saw water run down the front passenger side carpet behind the glove box on the right corner. It's definitely coming from atop somewhere near the windshield. I'm hoping I can stop it by resealing the screen and it's not a windshield or weld seam problem.

* digg
* delicious
* stumbleupon
* netscape
* addthis
I had that issue and I did the plastic fix under the hood.It's raining here today as well so this is the test for that fix.I'll let you know how it's doing later today.

robkstone

99towncarexec:yeah, let me know if your fix works-also did you find the rubber drain plugs?