2003 Lincoln Town Car Signature #3

[TecNickal]

Recently decided it was time to get some cold AC on the Lincoln.
My crushed blue one (#1) had great AC.

So decided to move the compressor, lines, condenser/cooler/radiator assembly over to this high mileage car. The AC compressor was noisy AF on the high mileage car.

Swapped it all over. Used a can of AC flush to get the evap core flushed out...why? The orfice tube was clogged with metal!

Replaced shraeders on lines from
Car #1. Lubed o rings. Installed new accumulator from ford. Installed new radiator because original was rotting out - fins were at least.

So got everything replaced, moved over. Bled cooling system. Oiled system up. Installed new orfice. Vacuum, charged and the gauges showed a blockage on low side :-( w t f.

So the evap core must still
Have crap in it. So tonight going to replace the evap core. Town Car uses its own evap core different from Crowns and Grands.

Hope that fixes it.

Btw the replacement radiator from Spectra for the 03+ panthers is MADE IN China!!! $160 from Autozone. I try to avoid using Chinese crap but no real option...

So rad and evap core will be Chinese on this car...yay....

Used to be able to get canadian made Spectra box panther radiators at autozone for $100 or so. I hope they still make those in Canada

[DerekTheGreat]

If you do end up getting tint, use the ceramic stuff or whatever it is. I had that put on my Townie and it's great at keeping the heat out & unwanted UV rays. Even on hot days, once the car cools off I can put the fan at the lowest setting. I'd run auto if I could make it run in MAX at all times..

[TecNickal]

AC is fixed. Evap actually had a leak. But that wasn't the main issue!

The 03-05 Panthers have an post evap temperature sensor in the plastic casing in the engine bay! Mine is readinf 100+ degrees off!

So I left it dangling in the engine bay - it thinks it's 95 when it's sitting on the valve cover of a heat soaked 200 degree motor. Now it's blowing ice cubes out the vents cold AC .

Also found my resonance issue - the stupid dipstick tube was smashed against firewall - someone welded it in to the trans. It was modified - now fixed. Just need to replace a trans mount and a motor mount and this car will be gravy smooth.

[TecNickal]

I will move all the tint over from my other blue car. Nice dark 20% illegal in sC tint. Irish ginger likes me has to keep the UV rays at bay!

[DerekTheGreat]

Is it the ceramic stuff? Makes a big difference, or at least the sales display sold me on it. I'm not worried so much for the rays on me, it's my car that I'm worried about. I hate the idea of it just sitting somewhere and baking the interior like a batch of cookies...

[TecNickal]

Yessir! 3m stuff

[DerekTheGreat]

Good man. What I'll always run. Never had my windows tinted before but after this I highly recommend it. Had to put brighter bulbs in the reverse light slots though.

[TecNickal]

This car continues to be a great daily driver going to work and back. I installed some weather tech floor mats into the vehicle the ones that actually are molded to the floor pan. I also have to send in the instrument cluster for reciter in for $150. That fixed the flickering display issue. Still need to resolve the brake pedal issue. Also need to resolve the power seat motor replacement and use the application to shut off the easy entry exit feature.

[TecNickal]

Installed a 70mm throttle body off of an aviator yesterday. No cable adjustment required. Cleaned it all up. Also installed a job#2 2003MY air box that uses the updated air box lid that seals better. Cleaned up all that I could. You can definitely tell the acceleration difference even with the extra 5mm. Once I buy a MAF conversion harness going to plug in an 04 P71 zip tube to see what it does...

[TecNickal]

Replaced the power seat motor on Friday. Much better - once I get a brass gear for the pedals - the adjustability will be spot on for this car.

Motor mounts and a transmount should make this car butter smooth.

Crossed 227K - think the oil filter housing gasket is seeping, causing oil loss :-\

[DerekTheGreat]

Ya know, we almost picked up an 03 or 04 in FLA, was really, really clean with like 220k miles and dirt cheap. It almost made me get past my twin cam & mile long timing chain stigma..

[TecNickal]

I am doing the two motor mounts and 1 trans mount this weekend. Tired of the buzzy, vibrating and clunking. I scored both NOS 03-08 town car mounts for like $110 on eBay for the motor and a trans mount for $40. Believe I have to take the wiper cowling off and the fan out to do this job. Jack it up on the harmonic balancer.

[TecNickal]

Well - I removed the upper and lower cowling, got some wood blocks and jacked on oil pan (yea yea yea), but there was no way to jack on harmonic balancer, sway bar in way. Removed lower 18mm nuts jacked it up up up. Three 13mm bolts with integrated washer and blue locktite. Both mounts were junk - the safety on each one was holding the motor in. Even though this is a northern car, the bolt/rust situation on each one was fine. Nothing stubborn or hard to work with/deal with. Just difficult angles. Had to remove battery connection as to walk the mount out on the passenger side you had to really jack the motor up to walk it between the frame and the starter. Accidentely grazed a + cable to the starter and got a little zap where the sheathing had pulled back - another reason to disconnect! oops. There's also a half matchbox size hole in the frame right under where the evap drains. Those of you with non salted cars should consider putting some kind of shield over the area to save your southern frame (like my 89 and 90). Will get a picture when I go under there to do the oil filter housing gasket and sending unit.

There was so much rust, salt, sand, and dirt that came down on me while removing the mounts - poor car. I cannot tell you how much better this car feels. Hardly can even feel when you change between P R and D now. Butter smooth. No more NVH. Feels new - love it. I may change the trans mount, but need to road test it - have a stuck bell housing bolt at the moment, 13mm, want to replace dipstick tube for trans as its welded on and rubbing on body.

Oil pan gasket is damp around it (yay). Looks like the same PITA like on a 5.0...jack it up, stuff wood blocks under exhaust manifold and motor mounts to hold it high enough to get pan down enough to remove the oil pickup so you can remove old gasket and hose out crap that comes down in the pan. No leaks so it's being left alone for now.

[87gtVIC]

Nice. Last motor mount job I did (on the 04 Benz) I had to remove the exhaust. NOT the manifolds luckily.

[TecNickal]

The mounts on the boxes are great - doubt they’ll ever fail.

I purchased a European vehicle recently. Oops . How hard was removing the exhaust on your car?