My '89 Lincoln Town Car

[sly]

good cables help. I can't be bothered to replace mine, so I rigged it.

[L1011tristar17]

I got lucky finding mine where I did. Most other junkyards only sell them with the rest of the transmission.

[L1011tristar17]

Transmission slips

New cable is on and the shifts are more where they should be. However, the transmission is still slipping. It does it whenever I leave the parking deck and sometimes when I'm stopped on a hill and try to get going. It doesn't slip at all if the car is already moving. Fluid level is where it should be and the fluid on the dipstick is still bright red. What could be the problem?

[sly]

might need to tighten the cable a dink (technical term for 1mm or less). It also may be suffering from "Morning Sickness". If you only have the issues when cold, it could well be morning sickness. If it's sporadic, tighten the cable a little.

[gadget73]

How old is the fluid? When it was changed, was the gasket installed on the filter? If the gasket is missing it sucks air and slips in first.

[L1011tristar17]

I replaced the fluid and filter six months ago. I did forget the gasket around the filter the first time. I drove it about 10 miles before I realized what had happened, drained the fluid, and reinstalled the filter with the gasket on it.

[L1011tristar17]

Bad throttle cable?

To follow up with the bad cruise control and kickdown cables, I think my throttle cable may possibly be bad too. The pedal isn't very responsive and I have to push it down a bit before the engine responds. It feels as if the cable has extra slack. And it would make sense how it broke if the upper plenum was removed without disconnecting the three cables from the throttle body and having them snap.

[L1011tristar17]

I took it for a short drive today and noticed white smoke coming out of the driver's side of the exhaust. Passenger side is fine. Could it be the recently-replaced intake gaskets?

[L1011tristar17]

Also the coolant level seems a little low considering it was filled up not too long ago. The oil level on the dipstick seems pretty high to me and that was also changed recently.

[sly]

could be. Could also be the egr spacer if you haven't bypassed the coolant lines going to it.

[L1011tristar17]

Just dropped the car off at the shop. Hopefully it will get fixed today (or tomorrow at the latest)

[L1011tristar17]

Good news everyone!


Just got the car back from the shop. The intake gasket wasn't leaking at all! I guess I was wrong about seeing coolant in the oil. They did a couple pressure tests and only found a few leaks in various hoses, all of which were replaced. Guy who runs the shop used to work for Lincoln for a while and definitely knows his stuff. He did say that the timing cover gasket could go bad soon, but I won't worry about it much until the summer. Since I already sold my parking pass back, I won't be driving it much until then anyways.

[gadget73]

well thats good. Could have been short drives not burning the moisture out of the oil. That can happen when its cold.

[purplebomb302]

Good news everyone!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]38597[/ATTACH]

Just got the car back from the shop. The intake gasket wasn't leaking at all! I guess I was wrong about seeing coolant in the oil. They did a couple pressure tests and only found a few leaks in various hoses, all of which were replaced. Guy who runs the shop used to work for Lincoln for a while and definitely knows his stuff. He did say that the timing cover gasket could go bad soon, but I won't worry about it much until the summer. Since I already sold my parking pass back, I won't be driving it much until then anyways.

Totally read that whole post in his voice.

Glad it seemed to be a simple fix.

[L1011tristar17]

Car is back on the road after sitting for five weeks! It got fixed five weeks ago, but it cost $280 to buy my parking pass back from the school. F that. I hated having it sit for so long, but it's back on the road again. I still need to adjust the transmission cable a hair. It shifts a little late.

In other news, our van needs a new serpentine belt and my sister's car needs a new radiator cap, upper hose, and window motor. I'll try and get as much of this done in the few days I'm back at home.