1989 Linclion Town Car

T

TWasArroundHere

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Hey, how ya'll doing? Im new here, to these forms, the name is Tony. Well, I just got a few questions about my recently aquired 1989 Town Car. I've had the car for about 4 months now, its pretty nice, I like it alot. I never owned a Linclion before, I allways had Chryslers and Cadallacs, but, heck, I dont think I'm going back after having this car. Now, its not the newest of cars, you see- its a bit beat up on the outside. Its in dire need of a paint job, not so much on the car, but for some reason just on the trunk lid, the paint is comming off. I dont know why. But, anyway, my question (or questions, rather) are as follows:

1) I recently have been having problems with the power windnows. The back ones will go down, but then thell stick down, and when you hit the up button, the motor just worls and you acutlay have to pull them up. And my drivers side one is allways getting stuck. Is this somthing I can fix on my own, or do I have to take it to a mechanac?

2) I cant figure it out, but when Im on the highway, the car smells like burning. Like, a burning smell comes out of the engine, and if I open the hood, it smokes. Now, I figued out it was an oil leak, but like, the oil isnt hitting the ground. Its just disspearing, and I have to put in like, a quart every 4 days or so. So, does anyone know where this leak could be comming from? And is it gonna be expensive to fix?

3) And lastly, I'm just wondering this out of pure cirousoty- what is that coffie can thing attached to the engine for?

Thanks allot for your help, I apprecate it.

:dancefool
 
My Father had an '89 TC and thought it was the best car on the road...
Me and my 2 boys took a ride with Dad one day and it was the smoothest thing on the road... He knew it... We knew it... There was nobody cooler than us............!

Awesome Ride... One of the best Lincoln designs for the Town Car...

Jamler
 
coffee can - vacuum storeage, so when the throttle changes, vacuum is maintained.

oil pressure problem - CHANGE THE PCV FILTER ASAP. The pcv vavle is on the back fo the intake manifold between the intake plenum and the firewall, the filter is below the valve. It sucks to get at and stucks to find. Otherwise, check the wells on the block near the distributor, oil gets through there sometimes, but the oil pressure issue starts with that damn clogged filter.

windows - sounds like regulator issues. You are pretty much gonna have to go in there and see whats goin on. The power window things tend to happen on this car. As long as the motor is turning, it is mechanical.
 
Have you looked at your valve cover gaskets? They could be leaking and the oil burning on your exhaust manifolds. I hate to say this but I think your power window motors are going out in the back. It depends on how mechanically inclined you are if you want to fix them yourself. Take a good look at where the smoke is coming from and let us know if you can pin it down to a certain area.
 
Mine was leaking from the valve cover gaskets and the back of the intake. While changing the PVC valve, have a look at the back of the engine. If it seems wet and greasy directly behind the intake, yours might also be leaking. PCV valve can best be found by laying on top of the engine with your feet sticking out over the grille (yes, it looks and sounds silly, but it works). PCV will be directly behind and slightly to your right of the big upper air intake. Just pull the hose and the valve should come out with it. Filter is the screen located in the hole the pcv valve came out of.
 
Thanks for the help ya'll. I think the oil leak is comming form the vavle cover gaskets. But I discoverd a new probelm. The night I orginaly made the post, the sterring weel started shaking. I took it to my mechanc, and he told me the Caster&Camber- not quite sure what that is- is broken, and the ball joint is dammaged. The car pulls to the right ALOT and the wheel shakes when I'm driving. He siad the damage to it was there before I got the car, but now is getting worse. He told me its not safe to drive because the front wheel might fall off, and my dad is telling me to just get rid of the car. I've only had the thing like, 4 months! What should I do?
 
Ball joints aren't usually something to scrap a car over.The caster and camber is the straightness and tilt of the wheel.It isn't something that can be broken, it's just an adjustment that can be off, probably because of worn suspension components.I don't know what the car is worth, but its probably worth replacing the ball joints.Like I said, its usually not too hard of a job, and shouldn't cost too much.
 
Caster and Camber adjustments will need to be made after replacing the ball joints anyway. It should be part of a full front end alignment, which will also cure theh pulling problem. The shaking could be a bulge in a tire, or a bent or out of balance rim. I'd have the front end gone over and get a full list of reccomended replacement items.
 
:iconcur: too.

I don't think that a front suspension problem like that warrants scrapping your Lincoln, but I wouldn't drive it til you can fix it, or at least drive it to the mechanic and no where else.

I also have an 89. Really good car. It is having the same paint problem yours is, except mine started on the hood and now is happening on the trunklid too. Only thing you can do is repaint the whole car, cause even if you match the color to it's original, the original will have faded and the new paint will appear brighter and more vibrant than the old paint on the rest of the car even if the color code matches the original.

As far as the burning and smoking, I'm there on my 89 too. What it is for mine is a leak in the rear main seal, as I'm driving it'll get on the outside of the tranny and onto the catalytic converters and cook. It wont catch fire, but it'll smoke and stink a bit. Mine will put little drops of oil on the ground, but if yours isn't but still smoking, burning, then your leak has either got to be higher up, a la the valve cover gaskets, or you're burning and not leaking oil... in a choice of two evils, you want the leak.

But seriously, don't give up the boat for what's going on. Fix'er up and turn heads. :)

Welcome aboard.
 
Well, thanks for the help ya'll, I apprecate it. But I guess I just have bad luck. This was car number three, and two days ago, I got hit at a stoplight by a Dodge Ram. Hit right in the back, the guy was doing like 30. Just didn't stop.

:slam

So, the car is.......well, totaled, for the most part. So, now, I dunno what I'm gonna do, execpt mabye save up some money and try to find another nice Linclion. But that'll be awhile.

But, anyway, thanks for the help, and I'll stick arround here on the forums, and when I get my new car, I can't wiat to show it to yall.

:L

Well, I did.
 
TWasArroundHere said:
Well, thanks for the help ya'll, I apprecate it. But I guess I just have bad luck. This was car number three, and two days ago, I got hit at a stoplight by a Dodge Ram. Hit right in the back, the guy was doing like 30. Just didn't stop.

:slam

So, the car is.......well, totaled, for the most part. So, now, I dunno what I'm gonna do, execpt mabye save up some money and try to find another nice Linclion. But that'll be awhile.

But, anyway, thanks for the help, and I'll stick arround here on the forums, and when I get my new car, I can't wiat to show it to yall.

:L

Well, I did.
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Thats a shame. Glad you're OK tho. And now be prepared for the vultures to come out. Are you interested in parting it out before it goes to the scrapyard? Depending on color and condition, you can probably find some people that need odds and ends from it. I have a list myself if you'd be interested in selling some parts.
 
gadget73 said:
Thats a shame. Glad you're OK tho. And now be prepared for the vultures to come out. Are you interested in parting it out before it goes to the scrapyard? Depending on color and condition, you can probably find some people that need odds and ends from it. I have a list myself if you'd be interested in selling some parts.
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I wish I could help you man, but my dad allready junked it. He didn't even let me get my new CD player out of it before he did. I'm sorry, pal.
 
Im glad you were in a big car when you got hit. I totaled mine out also and ill never drive a small car again.
 
Im glad you were in a big car when you got hit. I totaled mine out also and ill never drive a small car again.
Click to expand...

Why?

A big car doesn't necessarily make you safer.

I love how people assume that a big car is safer, or even moreso, that an old car is safer.

The reason they assume so is that they hold up better in wrecks presumably keeping the driver safer. "The big old iron tank is less likely to kill you ... you could hit it with a bus and not scratch the paint! ... See how these new hunks of junk just fall apart at the flick of a booger? That's not safety!!!" The irony of this belief (which is simultaneously bitter and amusing) is that that is precisely the reason the old iron tanks are not as safe, the very reason they are more likely, not less likely to kill you.

The old ones are designed to maintain structural integrity, thus they do not absorb the force of the impact, but channel it... guess where? That's right! The driver. :) And no hidden pillow to keep our flimsy brain holders from the iron steering wheels or windshields

A new car is designed with "crush zones" The new cars are deliberately engineered to compress in a certain manner from any given impact angle to absorb the maximum amount of force. The airbag takes care of the rest. (I know, I know, airbags sometimes kill, but in the minority, in the minority. In cases where airbags singlehandedly made the difference between life and death, it was almost always life.)

Now, the new car will be a loss, but the driver wont be, isn't that a hell of a lot better than the other way around. Headlong a 77 silverado into an 05 and the outcome will be the 05 driver will need a new truck and the 77 will need a new driver.

Big often is better than small, even if comparing new to new (especially if comparing old to old), but with the new, bigger is not always better. The 2000 Taurus got a better safety rating than the 2000 Town Car. So, theoretically, if you headlong the smaller Taurus into the bigger Town Car, and one, but only one of the drivers die, it's gonna be the one who can afford the more expensive funeral. The other guy will probably buy another Taurus.

Don't get me wrong, I love the old big boats... they are some of my favorite cars on the road, but I drive them for the look and feel of them, not for safety. My silver bullet keeps me damn near bullet proof. :)
 
But, if you want to look at the other side of the coin:

If you feel a burning compulsion overwhelm you and you just must, and I mean must slam your car into a phone pole doing 25, or some other non-lethal speed, then by all means, do so in the iron giant. It wont feel a thing. (though you will)

Your newbie, on the other hand, will be toast. (But you probably wont even notice til the giant marshmallow jumps out of your steering wheel.) :)
 
Just so long as it's a clean death and my family can sell my car without needing to repair any damage, thats fine by me:)

Seriously tho, old cars are certainly not the best thing for safety. Nor are larger vehicles, but one certainly does feel safer in one. Given the choice of riding in a new import compact car with a super safety rating doesnt feel as safe to me as riding in my big old Lincoln with no standard safety features. Heck, my car doesn't even have ABS brakes.
 
gadget73 said:
Just so long as it's a clean death and my family can sell my car without needing to repair any damage, thats fine by me:)

Seriously tho, old cars are certainly not the best thing for safety. Nor are larger vehicles, but one certainly does feel safer in one. Given the choice of riding in a new import compact car with a super safety rating doesnt feel as safe to me as riding in my big old Lincoln with no standard safety features. Heck, my car doesn't even have ABS brakes.
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I know there's the hightened perception of safety in a big old battleship and a hightened sense of risk in a new small lightweight. I sometimes feel it too when I'm riding in Moby or The Doc, but it's a false one. I know I said this part already but I think it's worth repeating: I love the irony of the situation. The very reason people feel safer in the bigger/older cars is the very reason they are less safe in them. Oh, God and his sense of humor. :)
 
Moby and Lucille said:
Why?

A big car doesn't necessarily make you safer.

I love how people assume that a big car is safer, or even moreso, that an old car is safer.

The reason they assume so is that they hold up better in wrecks presumably keeping the driver safer. "The big old iron tank is less likely to kill you ... you could hit it with a bus and not scratch the paint! ... See how these new hunks of junk just fall apart at the flick of a booger? That's not safety!!!" The irony of this belief (which is simultaneously bitter and amusing) is that that is precisely the reason the old iron tanks are not as safe, the very reason they are more likely, not less likely to kill you.

The old ones are designed to maintain structural integrity, thus they do not absorb the force of the impact, but channel it... guess where? That's right! The driver. :) And no hidden pillow to keep our flimsy brain holders from the iron steering wheels or windshields

A new car is designed with "crush zones" The new cars are deliberately engineered to compress in a certain manner from any given impact angle to absorb the maximum amount of force. The airbag takes care of the rest. (I know, I know, airbags sometimes kill, but in the minority, in the minority. In cases where airbags singlehandedly made the difference between life and death, it was almost always life.)

Now, the new car will be a loss, but the driver wont be, isn't that a hell of a lot better than the other way around. Headlong a 77 silverado into an 05 and the outcome will be the 05 driver will need a new truck and the 77 will need a new driver.

Big often is better than small, even if comparing new to new (especially if comparing old to old), but with the new, bigger is not always better. The 2000 Taurus got a better safety rating than the 2000 Town Car. So, theoretically, if you headlong the smaller Taurus into the bigger Town Car, and one, but only one of the drivers die, it's gonna be the one who can afford the more expensive funeral. The other guy will probably buy another Taurus.

Don't get me wrong, I love the old big boats... they are some of my favorite cars on the road, but I drive them for the look and feel of them, not for safety. My silver bullet keeps me damn near bullet proof. :)
Click to expand...


The reason i made the comment is becuase i have been in three major accidents where the vehicles were completely demolished 45-60mph. 60 in the 87 continental and was tboned, 50 head on in an 89 towncar, wrecking the front end into a F250 with a snow plow package. He recieved no damage due to the frame reinforcements, and the airbags deployed. Me and my five passengers were untouched. And i also was rear ended in the 88 towncar. Now mind you i drive vehicles that are at least 12 years old. Your statements ring true in new vehicles. But if you have a choice between a 92 tuarus and a 92 towncar, which do you choose to be in an accident with.

On a side note the 04 towncar has like i believe 3 five star crash ratings. Go lincoln!!
 
Pepsi2185 said:
The reason i made the comment is becuase i have been in three major accidents where the vehicles were completely demolished 45-60mph. 60 in the 87 continental and was tboned, 50 head on in an 89 towncar, wrecking the front end into a F250 with a snow plow package. He recieved no damage due to the frame reinforcements, and the airbags deployed. Me and my five passengers were untouched. And i also was rear ended in the 88 towncar. Now mind you i drive vehicles that are at least 12 years old. Your statements ring true in new vehicles. But if you have a choice between a 92 tuarus and a 92 towncar, which do you choose to be in an accident with.

On a side note the 04 towncar has like i believe 3 five star crash ratings. Go lincoln!!
Click to expand...



You're Right.

My claim that newer cars are safer only begins to really become true in the 1995 window (give or take a couple years depending on the model. But I think certain cars, like the Taurus and the Lumina and the like began to experiment with crush zones well before the 95 area, they just lust lacked the sometimes critical air bags until about the mid-90's redesign.

In the case of bigger is safer in older cars, you're right, that is almost always true, bigger is almost always safer when it comes to older cars. Almost always.

But when it comes to newer cars, size has more or less become immaterial. The T.C probably did get triple 5-star rating, but the Taurus got a quadruple 5-star rating, so all in all, it's still the safer car, in fact, to my knowledge, there is no car safer than the Taurus (unless you start looking in the armored car field, that is.) :)
 
Ford builds the taurus that well???? Im impressed. Im in a panther chassis family, never gone beyond the cop cars.

By the way what is that white car in your garage picture???
 
Ahh, That's Moby (the other's Lucille) Moby is a 1977 Lincoln Continental (with a 460) I'd tell you that it's a 4-door, but the picture does that better than I ever could. :) Lucille is a 1996 Pontiac Firebird. These are my project cars. In my member garage, I lay out all the details of what's up with them and two other cars not shown in that picture. It's a real long read, but if you're interested..... also, I've got the maximum 12 pics up in my garage too.... check it out. :)
 
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