2003 Lincoln Town Car Signature #3

[87gtVIC]

Wonder if a reason will POP up surrounding the vacant cruise/horn fuse slot.

[TecNickal]

Busy day and yesterday. Managed to break every single bolt head off of the front row of bolts for the front seats. Luckily the studs for the rear ones come up out of the floorboard in the nuts spun off easy . Went to a friends house and he used his torch to heat up the floor pan to put vice grips on the remaining threads to spend them out. Also found out my lower control arm bushing's are wasted the ones further back. Also found out my exhaust system has counterweights in the H pipe it's very different from the crown Victoria and grand marquis which have counterweight at the joint between the H pipe or y pipe and the catalytic converter's. I'll still install the new gaskets between the catalytic converter and the H pipe with the new nuts and bolts but would like to know what causes the engine vibration.

I created one seat from two seats that I had to repair the broken seat track on the driver side. Unfortunately it is only mildly better and the gears are making crunching sound. Just wonderful. Need to source a replacement motor as well as instructions on how to install

Since the seat came out I pressure washed the carpet need to get all the dog hair out of it still it won't come up with the pressure washer . Charge the AC up some but it's still not as cold as it should be

[TecNickal]

Wonder if a reason will POP up surrounding the vacant cruise/horn fuse slot.

I see what you did there. I laughed

[87gtVIC]

I see what you did there. I laughed

[TecNickal]

Something with the exhaust is resonating against the body or the frame and its really annoying (and unsophisticated for a lincoln!).

AC ain't working so well, compressor sounds like hell. I will probably move over the AC lines, compressor and condenser from my crushed blue 03 to this one.

[TecNickal]

Cleaning off the back porch last night of pollen and trash, I picked up the steering shafts to put in the scrap metal pile. I noticed a logo on the lower shaft - Dorman. That explains why its such a POS.

Buy Ford new, or buy Ford used. This dorman stuff can really do a number on your car if you are using it in the wrong place (ie 4.6 intake manifold!).

[DerekTheGreat]

I think a good question is, "Does Dorman make anything that is worth buying?"

[sly]

I've had no issues with the door strikers... but it's rather hard to screw up a grade 8 massive bolt with a sleeve on it. I've also had no issue with replacement rod retainers I've used. Other than little parts like that, I tend to avoid Dorman like the plague.

[TecNickal]

Well i put slightly used Moog uppers from crushed blue and put the used junk on the crushed car. I put new lowers intended for a limousine on the car. Put new moog endlinka since old were junk. Also got an alignment. Guy got it dead nuts on. It steers and tracks perfectly.

Next up - replace tires, put interior back together as well as replace driver seat track motor. And clean the heck out of it inside. Flush brake and power steering fluids too.

Once is safe, clean inside and ready, then I'll start thinking about body panel swapping with parts car

[TecNickal]

Well this evening I went ahead and moved bumper covers from old blue 03 to new blue 03.
MUCH better looking. Conveniently The park assist wiring has two disconnects as well as the module actually being attached to it. Does make it easy for swaps.

Next up is swapping over the trunk lid - body panel wise.

Really need to swap good tires/wheels over.

[TecNickal]

Finished cleaning the cars interioe carpet. Spent at Least an hour to hour and a half vacuuming the interior carpet. Sucked a ton of dog hair out. Much improved. Reinstalled in cars. Hood release grommet siliconed and no more water leaks inside! Finally.

So much quieter with carpet in.

My dipstick has a hole in it :-o not seen that before - rusty rusty.

Scrubbed the center console down and sanded rust off. Cleaned and also reinstalled with seats.

If I feel ambitious enough I may do the power seat motor tonight. We shall see. Or I may do front calipers on the 90...they are seizing - reman popo calipers.

[TecNickal]

How could I forget?

I went to trans shop this morning. They replaced the output shaft bushing, seal and the old VSS plug o-ring. No more trans leak, and no more rumble underneath car between 60-70. May still do U joints or swap driveshafts between crunched car and this one.

AC compesssor sounds TERRIBLE.

[DerekTheGreat]

Bah, that is why I'd never let pets in my vehicles among other reasons. Mark VII I have is full of pet hair.

My vote, calipers.

AC compressor on our K1500 sounds like angry aliens arguing..

[TecNickal]

For whatever reason the AC is working great in the car.

Swapped gauge faces and message center circuit boards between blue cars. Now I have constant working gauges. Quite satisfying. Scrubbed and cleaned the dash. Much cleaner. Replaced bezel for cluster/radio. Swapped in a different clock and headlight switch so now my background lighting works.

Noticed blower motor hadn't ever worked right - wasn't blowing correctly at temps. Went ahead and took a look. Ran EATC diagnostic. 1259 - aka bad sunload sensor.
$40? Heck no not paying that.

Went to U Pull - grabbed three of them. Installed, all is working well - two were junk one was good. No more EATC codes.

I really need to either swap windows/doors between cars or something. The tint is NEEDED. God it gets hot in there.

Trying to decide if I should order a Ford dealer intake manifold or get the Ford performance one. I'm told they are exactly the same but the Ford performance one carries no warranty...it currently has a Dorman one. I don't do Dorman unless required and no other option.

Still need to do something about mushy brake pedal. Maybe a flush and ABS bleed. And replace power seat track motor.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I really need to either swap windows/doors between cars or something. The tint is NEEDED. God it gets hot in there.

+1 Both my cars needs tint.

Trying to decide if I should order a Ford dealer intake manifold or get the Ford performance one. I'm told they are exactly the same but the Ford performance one carries no warranty...it currently has a Dorman one. I don't do Dorman unless required and no other option.

IIRC, the Dorman intake manifold for a PI engine isn't nearly as good as the Ford ones. The Ford PI ones go deeper into the valley, while the Dorman ones look like the nPI ones given their height, save for the fact they have the correct ports for a PI intake.

Essentially it'll work, but many people that used a PI Dorman intake said the car felt down on power. Swap on the PI Ford one, and the car was back to normal. The only time the Dorman intake should even be considered would be for a nPI motor, but I'd still go with a Ford one.