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Lincoln Town Car Maintenance & Repair

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Comments

  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    If the fluids are semi synthetic, I understand the 100k for tranny and 150 for axle.
  • jpfjpf Member Posts: 496
    Catalytic converters are covered by the federal emissions warranty which I believe is 8 years or 80,000 miles. A Lincoln Mercury dealer should cover it for free. Good luck.
  • dude24dude24 Member Posts: 4
    There is a flap inside the right engine compartment that drains water from the wiper blade area. It is right up against the firewall(right side). Lift it up and you will see all kinds of debree. Clean out and it will solve you problem.
  • dude24dude24 Member Posts: 4
    Have a 98 LTC with 89,000 miles. Time to replace plugs and coil boot. Any advice on how to. Dealer wants $450 for job. Used to turn wrenches but that was on old school cars.
  • chief007chief007 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1996 Lincoln Town Car and it is eating a lot of oil. There are no visible links, and no oil coming out of the exhaust. Any suggestion as to what may be causing this. I am putting about 1 qt of oil in every two weeks.
  • lestermanlesterman Member Posts: 4
    My 99 LTC after starting won't let the AC compressor come on for 5 minutes. The HVAC system itself works fine except the air won't be cool until the compressor is energized. Any idea on how I can check this out. I'm a retired HVAC technician.and work on my own cars even doing an off frame restoration on a 40 Ford coupe.
  • gseterrygseterry Member Posts: 13
    Your system may have borderline just enough freon to run the system. When it is at low pressure (car is Cold - hasn't been running) there isn't enough pressure to trip this switch. After the underhood temp rises from it running it may warm the freon just enough to trip the switch and it works?
    Had similar problem on Wifes '95 New Yorker in '05.
    Hadn't had a recharge since new.
    Threw in ONE can (and it barely took a full one) and it worked fine till we sold it in '08.
    Un-plug the Low Pressure cut out switch and Jumper the 2 wire connection right after you start the car and turn on the AC. If it works immediately there's your sign of just a hair too low of freon charge.
    NOTE: To all FoMoCo RWD full size car owners, especially anywhere in the Northern Salt Belt. There is a wrapper/cover on your AC Dryer (vertical cannister about 3" - 4" in diameter X 8" - 10" tall) that has a tendancy to HOLD moisture and inturn cause the housing to rust through.
    REMOVE this cover/wrapper ASAP. If it has begun to rust or corrode, apply some Rustoleum Gloss Black to it.
    Good Luck........
    Terry
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    wrapper/cover on your AC Dryer

    Thank you for the tip. We don't live in the Salt Belt, but we do have a little moisture in the Winter = WA. :)
  • landdlrlanddlr Member Posts: 1
    starts again only to shut down a few seconds later. This happened on Monday (2 days go) just before I turned it off. When I got back to my car, I needed a boost. It started right away but the A/C would cut out and "reset" blow a few seconds....then repeat the process. I bought a new battery and all seemed to be solved. Unfortunately today it started to do the same again after a couple of days of use. Has any one else had this happen and have a solution. Many thanks in advance.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    When the new battery was installed, the Negative cable was disconnected & that may have caused an unknown module to "reset" itself until "the unknown cause" tripped it again. The challenge is to determine the cause. Let us know the outcome.
  • retired8retired8 Member Posts: 15
    I have a 1995 TC that is experiencing the same missing/bucking problems that are scattered throughout this forum. I ran through all the applicable entries today and decided it could be the plugs/coils, or possibly the transmission going in and out of OD. I tried the easy fix and drove around with the OD off. It was hard to determine if that was the problem. It is not a constant problem. I can drive for 20-30 minutes one day and not experience it, and the next day it happens immediately. It seems to happen mostly at very slight acceleration at low speeds, 15 to 30 MPH. Seems like it does it more on hotter days, 90 + (Shreveport, LA). I do have the check engine light on constantly. Local garage changed all plugs and wires less than 10, 000 miles ago, and it turned the light off and ran great for about a month and started again. I have 71,500 miles on the car. Love the car, but don't want to hurt it. If the check engine light is on, along with the other symptoms, does that give you any more ideas what to check? I'm looking at the mass air flow gizmo tomorrow. Please pass any ideas along. Thanks-- Charlie
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Our 94 TC & 95 TB both had a shudder under slight acceleration and changing the transmission fluid incl the turbine solved the problem.

    We R & R'd the Mass Airflow sensor on the TC when it caused the engine to lose power while pulling the boat/trailer. That fixed it. As the CEL light is on, I'd bet it is something related to the emmission control system and if not the Mass Airflow sensor, perhaps the EGR sensor.

    Let us know the outcome.
  • retired8retired8 Member Posts: 15
    Please see my post #885. I had the transmission checked out by a very reliable shop. They say the transmission is not the problem, that it is plugs and wires. So, I say to myself,"I'll try changing the ones the blog says to change first". Well, I can't even get the first plug wire off. It stretches out about 3 inches to where I'm afraid I'll break the wire!! Is there a secret to removing the wire? Shall I just keep pulling? Thanks-- Charlie
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    4.6 Town Cars? Ours is a 94 & runs great.
  • nwraaanwraaa Member Posts: 177
    Keep pulling while simultaneously twisting the wire back and forth. The plug is deep in the cylinder head.
  • stinkylinkystinkylinky Member Posts: 8
    hello all, noticed this was the most active thread so i decided to hop in and maybe get a tad bit quicker answer. im experiencing nothing but hot air being blown by my lincoln, even with the temp set to 60 etc... its a 95 LTC, 130 K miles. i happened across a few posts about it possibly being the blend door actuator, can anyone provide the ford part number for that piece, and if they feel that is the correct diagnosis? Hate to be a pest, but if also the part numbers for front right and rear right window motors, and the fan clutch part number, my old girl is gettin' a makeover! . im sure i'll be in this forum a ton, so any help in advance would be greatly appreciated, yea its only about 100 today here in houston, who needs A/C right!
  • tgd1tgd1 Member Posts: 5
    my 1991 tc (125k miles) runs great and has had a lot of work done over the past 2 years - new tranny, new alternator, new suspension, brake lines. It was rejected in NJ for "visible smoke". Any ideas on what would cause this? I'd like to have a clue before speaking with a mechanic. Thanks
  • nwraaanwraaa Member Posts: 177
    This engine needs new valve stem seals. Valve stem seal replacement usually eliminates the smoke and reduces oil consumption.
  • hoosierbillyhoosierbilly Member Posts: 2
    About 3 weeks ago the panel lights on the dash went out and the ABS light came on, plus dashes replaced where the numbers would appear for the mileage. I was close to home, so I shut it off. We looked under the hood and noticed the power brake fluid was low (it was just serviced), but not leaking, so we filled it the next day. It was running fine ever since. This evening the exact same thing happened, except not only did the ABS light came on but a second light came on "O/D Off"; so, we pulled off the road and turned off the car, opened the hood and the master cylinder was okay; we turned the car over and it would not start, it took 3 tries and the panel lights still had the same issue. We drove the car home and parked it. I'm calling the shop on Monday, but any ideas what I could be facing with possible repairs - e.g. computer chip, electrical, fuses? Thank you.
  • hoosierbillyhoosierbilly Member Posts: 2
    Just a clarification on my previous posting... last evening when the exact same thing happened with the panel lights going out while driving and it lit up "O/D Off" accompanied with the ABS Light on, the Speedometer read "0" which is odd since we were driving. When attempting to turn the car over after parking and shutting it off, it didn't even make a sound as if it had a dead battery. After 3 tries of starting the car, it then turned over and all of the panel lights came back on. We drove it home and there it sits because I won't let my wife drive it until I call the service dealer. The car has 95k orig miles. Any ideas on what it could be? Thank you.
  • nwraaanwraaa Member Posts: 177
    The major connector at the back of the alternator is broken to the point where it intermittently does not make contact as it should. This is the plastic component at the back of the alternator with the three prong connector. It can be removed wtih a torx screw driver but if I am dealing with an alternator with the mileage that yours has I replace the alternator.
  • lampulampu Member Posts: 1
    I have a Lincoln Town Car 1997 Signature Series with Automatic Temperature Control (ATC). Recently, the ATC has gone mad: it switches to maximum heating, no matter the temperature setting, also on A/C. The A/C itself works fine (I can hear it kicking in, the system is pretty cold under the hood).

    The dealership suggests it is likely the actuator motor (and offers a fix for ~$200). However, the motor seems to be just fine: when the ATC works correctly, I can hear the valve moving and feel the air changing the temperature while I change the temperature setting up and down stepwise. When the ATC does not work correctly (max heating), the following diagnostic procedure seems to reliably solve the problem: turn the ATC off, press the floor and off buttons concurrently, press the auto button within 2 seconds. The diagnostics are run, and I get the 25 (temperature blend door actuator) and 115 (engine coolant temperature sensor) error codes. After the blue button is pressed, I restart the engine, and the ATC works fine.

    The max heating issue seems to be triggered by the car being started while it's cold and the ATC is set to any temperature above the outside, but it's still pure guesswork, as it wasn't really cold here yet, and it occurred just a few times and I wasn't observant enough to be sure. Could it be the control unit rather than the actuator? There's another issue with the ATC that makes me suspicious: when I switch between imperial and metric units, the ATC would sometimes ignore the change, and sometimes the display flickers between F and C. Is it something I can safely ignore (in the sense it won't break completely and cook me up in the cab or deprive of any ventilation)? I'd rather spare 200 bucks if resetting the ATC with the diagnostic test is enough to make it work.

    Thanks in advance for any hints and comments.
  • prospector01prospector01 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 96 Lincoln Town Car with the digital dash. Today the dash went blank while I was driving and I could smell something burning. Fuse 18 (10 amp) was blown. I replaced the fuse and it blew again along with a burning smell. Pulled down the cover under the dash and could not see where the smell was coming
    from. Fuse is for instrument cluster, clock,A/C control module, radio, & diagnostic connector.
    I temporaly replaced fuse with 30 amp; radio and A/C came on but could smell burning so I pulled the fuse. Dash did not come on. I can not afford another car. Does anyone ever had this problem. Thanks Bob
  • nwraaanwraaa Member Posts: 177
    The blend door actuator is defective. This is a $49.95 motor that is under the dash that cost from $600.00 to $900.00 to replace because of the labor involved in making the repair. If your dealer has a way to do it for $200.00 have them do it. From messages on this board and other sites it appears that the dashboard has to be removed in order to replace the part.
  • carpetwebcarpetweb Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem with my 1997 town car sig .....it is the blend door motor that is failing.....I would run the self diagnostic and it would reset itself. did that for about a year but it slowly got worse. sooner or later you will have to replace the blend door motor, about a 60 dollar part but the dealership wants an arm and a leg for labor. did it myself in about 3 hours..... you can find great directions here on the web. one thing you might do is not run your heat or a/c on automatic, when its on automatic it keeps switching from cold air to hot and works the blend door motor that much more..........Good Luck
  • camillitcamillit Member Posts: 1
    did you ever find out the answer? My 02 Town Car started same thing. Thanks, Tony in PA
    camillit@comcast.net

    How do I reset the drivers seat so that it stays where I position it. When I take the key out of the ignition it goes to the full back position! This has worn out the forward/reverse worm gear in the gear box. You cant buy the gear and they want to sell the complete seat frame assembly at 357 bucks. I am handy and rebuilt the gear but the normal person can't do this. I put a switch in the feed wire but there has to be a better way. The procedure using the remote that is in the owners manual doesn't work. The dealer gave me a blank stare.
  • jfostertnjfostertn Member Posts: 1
    I too have the wet floor syndrome. But I noticed today, just took over the car from my wife, that it needs to be raining really hard before the floor gets wet.

    I am curious about your mass air flow and climate control problems though. I have noticed that if I put the temp on 85 or 90 it blows hot air but anything below 82 it is about like haveing outside air come in. It does not freeze you but then it is not winter yet either. Could I have the same problem you had and is it a cheap fix?
  • wicketwicket Member Posts: 18
    ihave a 1993 lincoln town car sig. when i let off the gas the car drifts to the left and when i give it the gas it drifts to the right. the car has 107000 miles on it and just put in shocks.
  • faustmanfaustman Member Posts: 1
    the message in the message center reads CO what does this mean and what is the fix.also fuel gauge only has top end two bars and low end two bars readings . what does this mean.Owners manuel is of no help.
  • zmgoshertzmgoshert Member Posts: 2
    Hi

    I've been trouble-shooting problems I've been having with my blower motor and am at a loss. My air randomly will not start up and I can not figure out why. Listed below are what I have tested to far.

    1. Blower Speed Control Module- Knowing that these were notorious for having bad solder problems in the '98's I checked here first. Once removed, the BSCM looked almost as if it were new. No problems aesthetically.

    2. Voltages- the line into my blower motor is receiving 14 volts when on high, meaning that there doesn't appear to be any problems upstream (BSCM, wiring, etc.)

    3. The Blower Motor- Once I removed it from it's housing I tried connecting it up and everything worked fine on it. There did not appear to be anything in the housing itself that may be obstructing it.

    Where I am confused is that the blower seems to work just fine for a while, then all of a sudden won't want to turn on. It always happens once the engine has been turned off (won't ever quit in the middle of working). I have also noticed what seems like a metallic grinding sound that comes from the engine when I turn on the air at first. I thought it may be the compressor, but I checked it and it's not trying to kick on when I get the sound (the A/C was off also).

    Does anyone have any ideas of what I should be looking at?
  • gseterrygseterry Member Posts: 13
    I have a large fleet of Ford products (Mostly '97 to '03 E Series vans), and I own a 99 TC Cartier.
    Over time we have had blower motor problems with this fleet where the rotary switch would wear out (obviously not equipped with ATC), the connection plug at that switch would o/heat melt the plug end allowing the blade connector to expand from the heat and disconnect.With the molded plug end melted it could not hold the blade in contact with its mating part. Disconnection.
    BSCMs that have thin wire coils to produce the various speeds of the blower motor, can have that crimp between that thin wire and the base connector develop some fine corrosion build up. It may be hard to see yet that wire is loose at the crimp.
    I've seen this more so in 80's - 90's AC equipped Chrysler Products where the loose connection would even spark/glow causing more heat than it was designed to withstand.
    Upon replacement of any/all electric switches or connections involved with our Ford Heat-AC Systems, we use dielectric grease during reassembly.
    Hope this helps.
    Terry
  • zmgoshertzmgoshert Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for the info. I will be sure to check this out and see if either of those might be the problem.
  • wicketwicket Member Posts: 18
    does anybody have an answer to this problem. when i let off of the gas the car seems to want to go to the left and when i step on the gas it will go to the right. it does this at any speed above about 40. I have just replace the air ride in the rear with new coils and shocks and that didnt help. ty
  • gseterrygseterry Member Posts: 13
    I believe you may have worn/failed Rt Rear rear lower control arm bushings, or worse - broken Rt Rear control arm anchor brackets. :sick:
    This condition is allowing your rear end to WALK forward on the Rt side under load and back (off load) in the 2 steer directions.
    Your car in essence is steering itself with the rear wheels.
    Have all these bushings (RT & LT - if they are the culprit) replaced.
    If the brackets have failed or are broken, have them repaired but inspect the LT side too .........
    Good Luck.
    Terry
  • wicketwicket Member Posts: 18
    thank you for the information i will be checking it and will let you knnow how i make out. i will be gone about a week so it will take me some time to check it and again thank you.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    the CEL goes off and on while at highway speeds. It is a '94 Town Car, 145000 miles and runs great otherwise. What could be causing this?
  • tcb74tcb74 Member Posts: 7
    My 1984 town car did not pass the California emission test. To high on nox only at the highest speed measured passed everything else.
    I replaced the tps sensor(was bad) and o2 sensor. Can the bad tps cause it to fail alone?.
  • nwraaanwraaa Member Posts: 177
    Many Ford cars with that engine did not pass emmision testing when they were brand new. I put so much money into the emmission controls on a Lincoln that I bought during that era that the car should have been making oxygen. After spending at least a grand on the car and it would not pass, I took it to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a waiver. That is when they told me that they hated dealing with that engine. They could not even get their own cars to pass emission inspection. The TPS, more that likely had nothing to do with it not passing. Your inspector simply may not have had the RPMs at the right speed to make the car pass. To get this engine to pass the following items need to be right: Clean air filter, weight of oil, grade of gas (they like Exxon and BP Premium), clean calalytic converters, hot spark plug, right on the money timining, new oxygen sensors, new PCV, and a can of gas system cleaner. If you do all the work at one time, drive the the car around at highway speeds for a couple of days before you take it in for inspection.
  • gillespie7gillespie7 Member Posts: 1
    can you have an oil leak at the pressure switch and where is it located. i have a 1998 lincoln town car. help.
  • nwraaanwraaa Member Posts: 177
    The oil pressure sensor is located below the oil filter. It can leak; however, check the filter to make sure that it is tight enough and also there is a gasket between the engine block and filter housing. I have had more problems with this gasket leaking than with the oil pressure sensors and oil filters.
  • petanpetan Member Posts: 1
    I have 1992 Lincoln Town Car with about 200k. Worked good, but suddenly transmission started hesitating when driving constant speed (at 60mph)- gears everything (1st to 4th)!\r\nI can't also engage park brake in neutral.
    The diagnosis says 522 - open circuit manual lever position sensor.
    Where it is located and could I anyhow check if it is working good or the problem would be only wires?
  • industmechindustmech Member Posts: 3
    I have worked 2 weekends on my father's 99 TC. Found that when the traction assist is turned off, it runs fine. Found that he had the wrong size tires on the car.
  • barjorobarjoro Member Posts: 4
    We bought a 2006 Town Car about 2 months ago and are having the same problem. Ford dealer said the car had warped rotors and "fixed" the problem. After that I crashed into another car because my car kept lurching as i was braking. My husband also had the same problem and narrowly missed hitting 2 people. Lincoln dealer cannot find a problem. Did you find out what was wrong with your car? I read in the forum that someone with the same problem was told it could be the throttle air control but I can no longer find that posting.,
    Does anyone have any other ideas?
  • 0rnery0rnery Member Posts: 23
    My '94 Town Car started idling rough and even stalling on occasion. I cleaned the throttle body and MAF sensor wires. After starting it back up, it was idling just as rough. This morning, after a cold start, it was still idling rough. Just for the hell of it, I disconnected the MAF sensor, and it smoothed out. Connected it again and it became rough. Disconnected, smooth... ????

    Drove it 7 miles to work without a hitch. Ran great, as a matter of fact. Coming home, I noticed it was perfect from a cold start. Used to be a bit sluggish when cold.

    I'm assuming I can eliminate plugs, wires, injectors etc. as the problem. Is it a given that the MAF Sensor is no good? Could it be triggering another bad component, like the Idle Air Control, or EGR valve? What am I risking by running it as is, with the MAF Sensor disconnected? I really can't afford to just throw parts at it.

    Thanks,
    John
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    I understand that great care is to be used in cleaning the wires of the MAF for they are rather tender. If in the process of cleaning, they were damaged, perhaps a new MAF sensor is in your future. I agree that you have ruled out other ignition parts and wonder what is at risk if you drive without the MAF sensor connected?

    How many miles on your engine?
  • 0rnery0rnery Member Posts: 23
    Like I said, I can't afford to just throw parts at this. Just got done reading the story of a fellow with the exact same problem. He replaced his MAF Sensor ($75.00) with no improvement. Also, read about the cleaning procedure, and Failure Mode and Effects Management (FMEM). Moved on to vacuum leak detection. I'll try and track down leaks in the morning. Won't cost me anything but time. The leak detection source mentioned a stuck EGR valve ($50.00) being a culprit. I'm also worried about the Idle Air Control Valve ($75.00). I've got an old one on my bench, and am unable to "unstick" it.

    I used spray carb cleaner liberally on the wires. I suppose I should have used the "Tuner Cleaner" instead.

    This car only has 125,000 miles on it, but our Northeastern Ohio winters are taking a toll rust-wise. With such a short commute, I can afford to take a hit on gas mileage, but I'd hate to hurt the engine due to a rich mixture, or similar damage.

    If I figure this out, I promise to post the answer. Thanks loads for the super prompt reply.
  • 0rnery0rnery Member Posts: 23
    A couple hours, and a couple bloody knuckles later, it seems to be back to normal. Pulled the Idle Air Control Valve and noticed the connector may not have been attached. Its socket is damaged and unable to clip tight. Not 100% sure it was connected at all, because it fell free of the IAC as I removed it.

    Cleaned it and used needle nosed pliers to work the shaft up and down freely, however the valve doesn't seat in the default state. It's about .05" open, but has free movement to seat. Applying 12VDC in one polarity merely shorts, and the other way hums, but doesn't move. The IAC I have on my bench is a different style, but will hum with either polarity, yet not move up or down. Obviously, I don't know what kind of voltage this thing operates with.

    After a struggle of an installation the car started and idled OK. Not super smooth, but OK. Disconnecting the MAF Sensor didn't affect it. Seemed a little "lumpy" while pulling out of the drive, and a bit sluggish once on the road, but smoothed out nicely after the first stop. Idled fine, and accelerated great. Every stop after that was a nice idle. I suppose I should relearn the idle. Hope to be done with it otherwise...
  • barjorobarjoro Member Posts: 4
    Was your problem lurching (accelerating) while braking? That was our problem.
  • 0rnery0rnery Member Posts: 23
    #918 of 922 Disconnected MAF Sensor, Runs Like A Top... WTF? by 0rnery, Jan 15, 2010 (6:50 pm)

    If my car accelerated while braking, I'd get that solved like immediately! Is your brake booster leaking?
  • barjorobarjoro Member Posts: 4
    I don't know what a brake booster is so I don't know if it was leaking. Lincoln mechanics could not find anything wrong with the car.
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