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Lincoln Town Car Electrical Problems

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Comments

  • shiftless2shiftless2 Member Posts: 2
    I sold the Lincoln for $725 for parts and when the buyer met me at the motor vehicle office to correct the paperwork, he drove up in it. He took it to the Lincoln dealership, they ran the diagnostics for $300 and it cost $35 for the key sensor part which fixed it. He showed me the little piece of plastic that was replaced. I'm still without a car and he has the Lincoln worth over $3000 with 113,000 miles on it. Everyone told me not to take it to the dealership because they would charge all this labor and never find the problem. The buyer had agreed to pay me $800 until the mechanic who had worked on the car told him the problem was bad. I won't use that mechanic again.
  • zmall88zmall88 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2003 lincoln town car signature and the rear power windows are completely dead. I know its not the regulator since I can't hear anything at all. The switches just don't do anything. I hear no motor moving and the windows don't respond at all. They don't slip down manually either. They just don't respond when you try to open them from the front or the rear.

    I've looked at the fuse diagram and the power windows are connected with the moonroof/radio,both of which are working fine, so I've ruled out a bad fuse problem.

    The memory seats are a little quirky but still work and the pedal adjuster motor is not working very well (moves pedal just a couple of millimeters). I can't hear the parking sensors either. Otherwise the rest of the electricals seem to be working fine and dandy.

    Has anyone else experienced this? If so, any solutions?
  • zmall88zmall88 Member Posts: 3
  • zmall88zmall88 Member Posts: 3
    PS: BOTH rear windows are out.
  • nacnudjrnacnudjr Member Posts: 1
    Did you ever get to the bottom of this. I'm having the same problem with a 2000 town car. The air shock compressor does run occasionally, but not enough to be a suspect. My keyless entry was having problems and the lights were coming on intermittently, but that has been disabled now. Any help appreciated.
  • pacific20pacific20 Member Posts: 1
    edited December 2010
    Two months ago I was idling for an hour in traffic and air suspension light came on then trac light then abs light, then entire cluster started blinking on and off, I turned off ac off and things went back to normal. Parked for 30 min and needed battery jump.
    Flash forward a week ago went to start and nothing but clicking. Replaced Battery.
    Checked alternator output 14.1 v.
    2 days ago driving interstate and air, trac, abs light come on one at a time, cluster goes dark and engine quits. Stop car, starts up like no problem and gets home.
    Today's start was almost normal but before I could release the starter the cluster went dark. There it sits. I'm not sure where to start.
    One other event a month ago in a heavy rain the wipers would barely move, they were in super slow mo, but set on fast.
  • qsoqso Member Posts: 32
    shiftless2

    Can you tell me what is required to remove the dash board upper cover on a 95 Towncar?

    Thanks

    RV
  • lincolnforeverlincolnforever Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2005 LTC and my dash lights will only work if the switch is in the off position. If I turn it to auto or to the on position I have no dash lights. I checked the dimmer switch and it seems to be working. The lights on the overhead console will dim as well as the lights on the door switches. Can someone please tell me what is going on?
  • richietcrichietc Member Posts: 1
    Check the child lockout switch on the driver's door window control panel. If the switch is bad, it will cut off power to the rear windows as if you had set it on lock. (Driver's door usually gets a lot of water related problems - it's opened the most in all kinds of weather)
  • dbgriffindbgriffin Member Posts: 1
    edited April 2011
    i have a 2003 lincoln town car signature series and recently i starting having a problem with the key fob dosent work, seat wont move(drivers), heated seat dosent work(drivers) trunk latch wont open trunk and door locke wont work from any door> this problem occored suddenly and three days later went away. a week later it happened again for a few hours then has been random since. any help appreciated
  • mastsrtechfordmastsrtechford Member Posts: 2
    The 95 only has a starter interrupt and will not let it crank. Sounds like you have a Crankshaft Position Sensor problem. I have fixed many by just taking the connector apart and solder the crimps and tinning the ends. You can prove it usually by unplugging then plugging it back in. It's such a low signal it doesn't take much resistance to lose it.
  • mastsrtechfordmastsrtechford Member Posts: 2
    I have a 95 Town Car with the same problem and haven't been able to find it. Did you ever come up with anything? Just put a LCM in it and still the same thing.
  • ashtabulaohashtabulaoh Member Posts: 3
    Well, when i first posted that, it was a year ago. i finally found the problem last July by tapping around under the hood while it wasn't starting. here's what I found: under the hood there are two fuse boxes. They also contain a few "relay" switch type things. One of them was for the ignition system. When I tapped it, immediately the car started fine. The switches were $11.00 apiece. I also found that I needed one for the horn which worked intermittently. I now keep a few of them in the glovebox in case I ever need one on the road. The relays are almost square black plastic with a plug-in-end. ***side note:*** A month ago car wouldn't start and had to have it towed. Crank position sensor. We are gonna rebuild this car one part at a time. Thanks for your reply!
  • rickm4rickm4 Member Posts: 2
    The interior dome lights will not shut off. all doors are shut. any ideas?
  • acdiiacdii Member Posts: 753
    If you also have a door open light on the dash it is most likely a sticking door switch. Happens quite often in Fords. You can try spraying WD-40 into the latch on each door and opening a closing them a few times, close them hard so it will unstick. It is probably the drivers side that is stuck. If that doesnt work, then the door panel needs to be removed to get to the switch to lube it.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Is the manual headlight switch turned too far in the direction that turns on the interior lights?
  • amacoamaco Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2011
    I have a 1998 Lincoln Town Car. I bought it in 2005 with 51,000 miles on it.
    The battery light would come on for a few minutes and then go off for a few minutes. It keeps coming back on and off everytime I use the car. It doesn't matter if the car is moving or standing still.
    I replaced the belt. I cleaned the terminals. I cleaned and reconnected the short ground strap from the battery to the fender. Nothing had an effect.
    The alternator is putting out about 14 volts everytime I check it.

    Every place I took it to said I need to replace the alternator because the light goes off and on. ---B.S.
    This has been happening for 6 years and I finally had to replace the battery last week, at 89,000 miles (40,000 miles later)
    The light still goes off and on. The new battery stays charged.
    Can anyone tell how to fix this?
  • steve385steve385 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem on my 1999 Town car so as of now no one knows what could be wrong. The mecanic changed the altenator, cleaned terminals, checked connections & the battery light still goes on and off but is charging at 13.5 volts. They say it might be the computer module which would be costly. It is quite annoying because when that light goes on it should indicate a altenator battery malfunction.steve385
  • jmcgregorjmcgregor Member Posts: 6
    I have a 2007 Lincoln Towncar Signature with an electrical problem. I have lost power to the doors, the keyless entry and the trunk. I have checked all the appropiate ( and indeed ALL the fuses ) and have swapped the relays.
    I'm thinking I have a disconnect in the harness...
    Any suggestions ?
  • bmorales4bmorales4 Member Posts: 1
    GUYS in my 2000 LIncoln towncar my tail lights just went off like turned off completly. but the heres the thing. when i press the brakes they turn on and i put on the emergency signals THEY TURN ON is only when i put the lights on for the head lamps and all is when they DO NOT TURN ON,! also my BOTH SIDE SIGNALS IN THE FRONT ARE GONE. Now i know is a short but where?! i tested all the fuses and they are ok so... IM STUCK AND NEED HELP i need to get around in the night if not i got no car for the night :(
  • qsoqso Member Posts: 32
    The tail lights coming on when you brake or when you put on the tuirn signals . is the one filiment in the tail light bulb and that is controled thrpugh sa seperate circuit. There are two the second filiment is for the parking lights and the side markers not coming on tells me you have a problem in the light switch. I would start there. You didn't mention whether the front parking lights come on. These are aside from the side markers? If you had a short the fuse should blow. try turning the switch off and on several times , try jiggling the switch. if the dimmer is in the switch rotate it several times, Then check your out put from the switch when you turn the switch on!

    Its a start.

    RVH
  • furley523furley523 Member Posts: 1
    I would change the headlight switch.....
  • eldjomlaseldjomlas Member Posts: 1
    I bought Lincoln Town Car 2001 Signature Edition and its in perfect condition. Except in order to start engine i need to pull Multifunction Switch (High Beam Lights and they are on same switch as turn signal ) towards my self. So i get in the car turn the key and power (lights, radio, etc..) comes on and if turn key to start cranking engine it shuts off.The only way to start the engine is to pull and hold multifunction and it will start without any problem and run like a beauty . I did also notice that while i have my Windshield Vipers on key will be warm nearly hot when i get to destination and turn car off.Will this cause any more problems? and what could it be safety hazard?Any ideas? and finally does anybody else have the same problem? PLEASE HELP

    P.S. When i called $$$dealership$$$ they never had anything like it.They told me that is a cool security feature .....

    Thanks
  • ashourmirzaashourmirza Member Posts: 1
    I have an 99 TownCar, and had the same problems 4 months ago.. The fix was a rely in the fuse box under the hood. I had an guy check everything out and cost me a ton in man hours.. but once he found it, it was a $40.00 part. Don't waste your time looking in the back lights or even your wiring...
    Good Luck, hope this helps.

    Ashour Mirza
  • kalifa1974kalifa1974 Member Posts: 1
    Hello, I have exactly the same problem with my 2003 town car, if you now how to solve this please post, it will be very useful, thanks
  • kasyxkasyx Member Posts: 2
  • kasyxkasyx Member Posts: 2
    Just bought a (new to me) 2005 Lincoln Town car Signature series. Love the car, but I cannot get control of my windshield wipers. They wipe at random all the time. They stop and start, then they turn on and stay on. I have resorted to pulling the fuse. The knob on the column can speed them up, but not turn them off. Can I cover up the sensor somehow and get the "rain sensing" part to shut off? I feel confident that I can use the manual switch if I see any .... rain. :) Where should I look first for the short? The switch on the column? The relay under the hood?

    Let me know your thoughts.

    CD
  • clyde19clyde19 Member Posts: 1
    I endured a problen like this on my 2003 lincoln town car. horn would sound any time,things progressed to doors would not lock. trunk lid inop, interior lights would not go off. I took it to my local Lincoln dealer for a diagnosis,$130.00 later they said they were 95% sure the lighting control module was bad because their computer could not communicate with it and for slightly less than $1000.00 they could replace it. I purchased one on line for $300.00 and then had to have it programmed by a Dealer for an additional $230.00. Did not fix anything. I became very upset with their mechanics. As I am an electronic technician I did some research and found all of these components go through the door control module located in the drivers door, I found one on line for $120.00 all I had to do was program my remotes to the new module, with instructions I found on line. Everything is working fine. So much for Expert Lincoln mechanics. Good Luck
  • jmcgregorjmcgregor Member Posts: 6
    I likewise finally diagnosed my 2007 Lincoln problem to the DDM and priced it out from the dealer at $425. I located a brand new unit on the internet for $200 and installed it which cleared up all my major elecrrical problems. I had to reprogram the remote keys which was detailed in the manual and the only item still not working is the keyless entry pad which I can live without. If anyone knows how to reprogram the pad, I would appreciate hearing from you...
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Our Owners Manual has a section on adding one additional combination for the door keypad. Look up and read that chapter as it has your answer. :)
  • jmcgregorjmcgregor Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for your info but I have already tried the procedure in the manual. It initially requires an entry of the original manufacturers code which is now de-programmed and that's the hub of the problem. How do I reprogram the DDM back to the original keypad code ?
    Again thanks for your effort...
    John McGregor
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    So as to neutralize the computer, disconnect the Negative cable to the battery and let it sit overnight. Sometimes this causes the DDM & /or computer to go to the default code from the factory. No guarantees, but give it a try. Radio presets will vanish as will A/C settings so this may work.

    Connect the battery the next day and try the original manufactures code followed by a 2nd Personal Code.

    Good Luck. :)
  • jake_gjake_g Member Posts: 3
    Hi Ashour,

    I would appreciate the name and any other info. on the part you had replaced. Thank you very much, Sir!
  • dman56dman56 Member Posts: 1
    which relay fixed your Interior light/ door ajar problem
  • jmcgregorjmcgregor Member Posts: 6
    Hi euphonium,
    Thanks for your suggestion which I have tried without success.
    Seems to me that the original DDM was coded with the keypad code. Since I have replaced it with a new unit, the original code cannot be recovered since it resides in the old unit sitting on my garage shelf.
    Does that make sense ?
  • jake_gjake_g Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for a good write-up.

    I'm losing power when I hit the gas hard - lose all electrical interior and exterior but still can drive - lay off gas and power pops back on after afew minutes.

    I believe I overheated the motor recently and got a 'check engine' - then the following week i noticed this problem.

    think it could be from the DDM or another component?
  • sascompsascomp Member Posts: 1
    The factory keycode is not resetable. The permanant code for your new DDM is printed on the module it's self on the serial tag.
  • jmcgregorjmcgregor Member Posts: 6
    Not willing to remove the door panel, I carefully examined the old (ie Original )DDM and could not find any evidence of the key-code. I even removed the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) from it's case and examined both sides, without success.
  • nbay29nbay29 Member Posts: 1
    edited November 2011
    You've probably solved the problem by now, but I was going to suggest that it's the Light Control Module (LCM) located under the dash to the right of the brake pedal and just behind the "plug in port" to the computer. It is a module about 4.5 X 2.5 X 7 inches in size. It has 4 connectors on it. Note the model number and be sure the one you use to replace it is compatible. I had the exact same problem and a replacement LCM solved it. Look online and you will find them for a lot less than the $800++ that Ford wants for one. Most sellers provide a link to determine compatibility. Hope this helps.
  • booey1booey1 Member Posts: 3
    I am hoping to buy a 2002 TC this week, it has the "doors won't Lock" problem, the seller was quoted $1500 by Ford dealer to fix the problem (Control Module)
    Luckily for me the seller is knocking off $1000 from the selling price.

    Wish me luck
  • lincolntownlincolntown Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Lincoln town Exec. My problem is when it rains or I hit a puddle of water all my dash indicators flicker or stay on including battery light, when that happens my headlights will sometimes cut out and the car will overcharge the battery and will in most cases make battery over heat to where the battery wont hold a charge? The indicators will sometimes flicker or stay on then go off for about 10 sec on dry days but over charge battery ?
  • furleyfurley Member Posts: 13
    I had something similar to that happen; it was corrected by the alternator being changed.
  • chedicornchedicorn Member Posts: 1
    I'm interested in your post.

    I'm wondering if this will be a solution to my problem.

    I recently just bought a 99 lincoln used

    and when I Got home I noticed at night the interior lights were on.

    I went and used the key remote to hit the lock button to turn it off,

    it turned off, but came back on and then went off and back on again.

    I gave up and took the fuse out after testing about 20 of them to see which one it was.

    IF I leave the headlights on the timer they will also go on and off with the interior lights. Anyone have this exact problem?
    Also I noticed that the lights on the keypad on the drivers door also is consistent with going off and on with the headlights and the interior lights.

    Anyone have this exact problem and have the fix?
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    Sometimes electrical problems will be reset to factory settings when the battery is completely disconnected for overnight. Just remove the + & - cables & reconnect the next morning. It may work and can't hurt. While the cables are free, use a wire cable cleaner on them and the battery posts can be cleaned as well. The tool costs about a dollar.
  • riggo1riggo1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello there,
    I am having the same problem with my 2003 T/C. You had said you located a brand new DDM on the internet for $200? Could you direct me to this website please? I'm not having very much luck. thank you! Riggo
  • jmcgregorjmcgregor Member Posts: 6
    Riggo,
    I would be happy to send the info but I no longer have it. I did a google search and found several units available. They were mainly $300 to $4oo but I negotiated the price downward.
    Good Luck !
    John
  • van_hohenheimvan_hohenheim Member Posts: 1
    My 1998 Town Car has a strange problem where, when the car shifts into a high gear, the electrical systems shut off. The engine continues running, but the dash goes dead, the lights shut off, and the AC/Heating systems shut off. When the car comes out of high gear, the electrical systems reboot themselves and continue working normally. Any ideas where I should be looking to fix the problem?
  • jake_gjake_g Member Posts: 3
    Not sure - but it sounds like a short.

    I had a similar problem (on my LTC Limo 6pax) and it turned out to be the second battery installed under the right front bumper which supports were lose and caused the short when contact was made. Shortly after I fixed that I burnt out my alternator (had it replaced). Now the car is running fine. Maybe got lucky as I thought it was a transmission problem or a more serious electrical problem.
  • datboiluckdatboiluck Member Posts: 1
    I also have a 98 TC that is doing the same thing. It started off with car not starting and having to get jumps from people. So I automatically think alternator. I usually go to junk yards to get parts because they're a lot cheaper and always do the job. I ended up having to get 3 different alternators, because each time I installed it, I kept having the same problem. Also, after charging the battery and starting the car, I would put volt meter on battery to see if it was charging, and on all 3 of them, all I seen was the voltage dropping down until car shut off. I had a friend follow me to auto zone, jumping me a few times on the way so that I can get the alt checked just so I would know that it wasn't my car, but instead just kept getting bad alts. Auto Zone told me it was bad, so got my money back, went to next junk yard and got another alt. So now after taking on and taking off 3 different alts I was doing it again, but one from another junk yard. Did everything like every other time, I would charge the battery while I took out the old alt, and installed the newer one. And just like each time before, the car started, but this time, the volt meter was showing the amperage going up. I was happy as hell because I thought I was finally done with changing out alts. But later that day when I was driving 1st, the radio shut off, then the instrument panel, but car kept running. At night, the same thing happened, but this time after the instrument panel went out, the headlights went off too. And whenever I slow down or come to a stop, it feels like it wants to die on me. I wasn't able to find time to go back into it and try to fix it all over again, so I figured out that whenever my radio goes out, that gives me the signal to put the car in park, or neutral, and rev it up for a few seconds and then everything powers up like I put a brand new battery in it. So 2 days ago, i finally took the alt back to the junkyard and exchanged it for another one. I got so good at taking it out and putting it back in, that I took my tools with me and did it in the parking lot and had the guy come out and test the alt and it showed that it was bad, and was doing the same thing all over again with the lights, and radio going off untill I rev up the engine., but this alt was giving out less power than the one I had in the car when I got there. So, I put the other one back in, They were cool about it and gave me a full refund, and I got to keep the alt that they have me to begin with. The mechanic at the junk yard told me to take my car to auto zone and have them hook up the comp to the car and check for any errors. So I did that, and auto zone told me that there was nothing wrong with the car. So what I'm going to do now is finally buy a new alt and see if it's just been me getting bad alts this whole time. If you have come up with any solutions yet please let me know, just in case its not going to work when I put the new alt in it. If you can e-mail me with the fix, (if you've found one by now) that would be great, because I am soooo tired of extracting, and installing alts. I'm guessing they wont let you put your personal e-mail address on here, so I'll just spell it the full way. its datboiluck(at)Gmail dot com. Also I don't know if you can facebook me, because that's how I signed in, but you can also do that, and I would appreciate it so much if you told me how to fix this damn beautiful car.
  • w9r1w9r1 Member Posts: 15
    Sometimes it's simple things. Make sure your battery cable terminal connections are NEW. If you have a corroded + cable it WILL cause weird crap to happen. My car had one of those clamp on cable ends on it. Eventually the wire got so corroded underneath it wouldn't start. Had to have it jumped, etc. Thought it was the battery....I've also seen this cause really weird behavior in interior lights and instruments (recently on my son-in-law's Taurus) which made me think the battery was bad or going bad. Turned out to be a bad cable connector on that one too. I took the connector off, cut the + cable off to the point of having clean wire and put on a pig-tail you can get at most auto parts stores. Problem solved for me.
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