things to check when car has been sitting

[1990LTD]

Acquiring a 93-96 aero Crown Vic with only 80k kilometers, good body and frame. I need to get a windshield and replace brake lines for sure but I'd like to know what else usually goes on these cars after they've sat for a while? I'm going to flush all of the fluids and do a tune up but besides that what should I be looking at?

[1990LTD]

the ass of the car is sitting low...really low. could that be because the air ride in the back isn't on? i don't know a thing about the air ride systems so any info on diagnosing that would be great.


looking forward to learning more about aeros and mod motors and getting this thing back on the road, it looks like a real nice car except for the cinderblock sized hole in the windshield - and the cinderblock on the front seat.

[marquisman]

brakes, tires, lines, wiring(including main battery cables), fluids, belts/hoses. just 5min of looking around the vehicle tells you alot, since you know your way around a panther. as far as the rear bags, best bet is used rear coils to replace the bags. thats the cheapest thing to do

[gadget73]

air springs are optional, so it may or may not have them. If it does, and its low it may mean the springs are leaky. Theoretically, good air springs will stay up forever. Its not a difficult system to deal with though if you do indeed have it. Going to coils is easy, but fixing the air suspension is also very easy. Slightly more expensive, but once fixed, its quite reliable.

How long is "a while" ?

[1990LTD]

A while in this case - I've been driving past it in the same spot for 5 months or so. Next time I run into the owner I'll find out exactly how long it's been sitting.


- its got itty bitty tires on it (205/55)
- brake lines are either all fucked or missing
- windshield is smashed. thanks kids.
- gotta inspect/diagnose the rear air ride
- fluid change


a fairly low km (works out to 49k miles) car on the road for probably less than 600 bucks. it'll be fun!

[79lincolnlover]

Other parts to think about:

-check frame rails for holes***
-check trunk for rust holes
-check rocker panels for rust
-intake manifold (if buying a '96 CV)
-fuel line
-pads, rotors and wheel cylinders
-front end parts
-axle seals

[1990LTD]

Car needs obviously glass for the front, air bag actuator needs to be secured to the rear end solidly, gusset on the frame for the sway bar in the rear on pass side is missing and needs replacing. No sway bar on the rear right now. And drivers side could also probably be replaced.

Little fab work involved for that, but nothing out of this world. Car only has 3 aluminum rims on it, pass front is a steely. Under-sized tires on all 4 corners. Should have at least a 225/60/16 on it, but he has 205/55/16's on it when i bought it. Small hole in front of driver's rear wheel well between the fender lip and door seem needs filling. And the exhaust is true duals, but the rubber hangers could use attention.

i've never been under one of these cars so i don't know what the talk about the rear sway bar mounting spots means. the sway bar for my car just bolts to the LCAs but i guess it's different on the aero.

[1990LTD]

also the wheels looked like lacey spokes but he says they're 16s..don't 16" alloys on an aero mean it's a hpp? that would go with the air bags and dual exhaust..

92-02:

* All '92-'97s require 15" wheels minimum to clear the front calipers. 'All 98+ require at least a 16" wheel to clear their larger front dual piston calipers. (15" will clear in the rear, however)
o There have been mentions of people grinding down their 98-02 fronts calipers to allow use of 15" wheels. I do not recommend this.
* All '98+ use 16" wheels as standard equipment, 17" if it was a CV Sport (and later Town Cars and 18" for Marauder)
* -97s received 15" steel wheels as standard equipment on base models, 15" alloys on upper models and 16" alloys on 93+ HPPs

[1990LTD]

looked again, they look like hpp wheels but i didn't think the lugnuts were exposed but i could be wrong

[1990LTD]

how can you identify a hpp car?

[pantera77]

Duals, HPP's, air ride, I think electronic temp controls, leather maybe even a digi dash, ect... Also will probably have 3.27's. From your description, definitely sounds like an HPP.

If it's been sitting over grass, dirt or even gravel, it's probably going to be fairly rotted. I wouldn't be surprised it it needs fuel and brake lines. The tires may have flat spots or be dry rotted. Check the frame over real good. Rotors are probably shot. Parking brake too is probably shot.

The rockers on aero's like to rot fairly easily because they have this stupid plastic covering it. You can't see it until you take the plastic off, but it might have holes. Front fender lips and doglegs also rot out easily. Also the trunk floor sides.

If it's a 93-95, they have bad valve stem seals and tend to burn oil, 96-97 have the all plastic intake that breaks and leaks.

The rear sway bar does not attach to the LCA's. They have end links like a typical sway bar.

[1990LTD]

thanks for the clarification about the rear bar. i'll get one from a junkyard since aeros and whales aren't extinct. probably get some moog end links or something.


also the seats definitely aren't leather, maybe some hpps came with cloth seats, or this car just has a few extra options but not the whole mess.

[79lincolnlover]

Pics please...

[1990LTD]

i'll take some whenever i get it back here. gotta clean glass up out of the front seats and get it covered/protected from the elements. as soon as it's drivable and i can afford to do it, i'll take it in for the windshield.

[johnunit]

check for electrical and rust damage from the water that probably is hitting the dash.

+1 on rotors probably being fubar. They may be machineable, as opposed to just replacing them. That's something your mechanic could tell you fairly easily.

Parking brake is also almost guaranteed to be seized, don't even try it unles you're prepared to replace it (after having it towed from wherever you are to a place you can have it repaired)