kishy's 1984 Town Car

[kishy]

Dragging my heels here, evidently.

As above, heater core and plenum assembly came out of the car.
I replaced the two problem hinges. Vacuum checked that everything moves correctly.
Scraped off the disintegrating foam and cleaned things out reasonably.
Reassembled the halves of the plenum. Used some RTV along the seam that the factory had used butyl for. Used bolts where the factory had used rivets - just being mindful of how destructive getting the rivets out is, in case I have to go in here again sometime.
Heater core went in. Had to trim the foam thing as it didn't fit quite right. I feel like that happened with the wagon as well.
I put the whole thing back in the car, hooked it up with some new heater hose.
Unfortunately, the tee to send coolant through the EGR spacer crumbled, so I capped off the EGR cooler outlet hose for now.
Ran the engine (with dash still on floor) for a good long while, made sure it gets properly hot, all the doors move properly, and there seems to be no leakage inside the plenum.
I think the dash is just about ready to go back together now.







As for the dash cam wiring, I found one of the hardwire devices (handles the transition from regular recording to parking mode, and low battery shut-off), and identified good options for fuses to use in the fuse panel for "add-a-circuit" type fuse taps. The wiring is tucked in the trim above the windshield, I still have to route it through the dash when that gets reinstalled.

I made some alterations to the headlamp buckets in preparation for LED headlights, but I ran into an issue, that being the heat sinking on the new lamps wants to poke too far back not only for the bucket, but the header panel itself. It looks like I could clearance the fiberglass to make it work.

This car has pretty catastrophic rust in the right side A-pillar area, by the upper door hinge. I know this is a common spot on these cars but I can't say that I really understand where the water comes from that causes it. It looks like it starts from the inside, and probably from water that is somehow running down inside the pillar itself. Sort of wondering if a vinyl top sealing defect is maybe the origin of this problem - if not it's probably a hole somewhere around the windshield butyl.





Replaced the TV bushing. Found a couple of the "aftermarket" ones I've collected from junkyard cars are thinner and work better for CFI than the actual Ford items.



I finally could put my hands on the emblems and the little mounting clip things for the fender Town Car emblems, which have been missing since it had the front bodywork painted years ago.
While I was at it, I put a Town Car emblem in the spot normally occupied by a Continental emblem on the left headlamp door.
For what it's worth, I had collected the retainers from junkyard cars, but I think this is them: https://www.amazon.ca/Retro-Motive-E.../dp/B07F5VTCMK
Oddly, those (when in stock which they aren't right now) ship from the US, but US Amazon doesn't list them at all.
There are a couple varieties of visibly identical in a photo, but differently sized ones. The Town Car emblems have a 1/8" stud.
The original Ford retainers have a rubber ring moulded onto the outer end of the retainer which spaces the emblem off the paint somewhat.

[gadget73]

I think the water runs down the windshield and ends up running down inside the A pillars. The rot forms where the metal pieces overlap and get welded together. Water gets into that joint and just sits there. Not uncommon to see rust streaks down the hinge bolts too.

[kishy]

The other day, I wrestled the dash back into position, making the car back together enough that it could be driven. The dash pad remains off at the moment as I'm pretty sure the ATC interior temperature sensor is problematic in this car (but maybe I'm thinking of the wagon) so I may want to poke around with that before fully closing it up. Aside from some air I'm having difficulty bleeding, the heater core job is done and it works well. I even tried filling the system through the heater core, but I think a high spot in the other hose continues to trap some air. Not a big deal, but it is making the waterfall noises typical of trapped air.



The dashcam hardwire kit has been routed through the dash and given the constant and switched power sources it wants. I'm now fighting with the dash cam itself (and its identical twin from the wagon) to get the settings set how I want.







One casualty of the heater core job was the hood release knob. Dash fell on it, broke it off. Today, I drilled a hole in the metal portion of it, tapped it, and screwed (+super glue) the knob back on the end of the cable. Works great.







I located the problem with the Air Lift bag that wouldn't take pressure. Broken line. Easy enough, fixed that.





While under there, I noticed the license plate still has a stack of expired stickers on it. Ontario got rid of license plate stickers so this is fairly common, but I like to remove them, so I did that. I also used nicer looking stainless hardware to put the plate back on.



I took a look at the exhaust hangers. The four hangers (behind each muffler and at each tailpipe exit) are all Walker universal parts and the rubber strap portion of each is looking really rough. They haven't aged well at all. I still have more of the same garbage hangers new on the shelf so I may swap them before they fail.

Went to grease the U-joints but found that it doesn't have greasable ones. Apparently I've never changed them on this car. Interesting. Probably not going to mess with those until/unless they get noisy or sloppy.

There's a noise from the rear end of the car cruising at road speed. It's sort of a rhythmic sound, seems to pulse with vehicle speed. Not sure how to describe the sound. Definitely not a squeak, maybe sort of a growl or muted grinding. But as I recall it didn't change when I put new axle bearings on this a while back. Some sort of drum brake nonsense, maybe.

I have de-fogged the H4 headlamp housings. They aren't airtight/watertight and over time they picked up some condensation which made them a little cloudy. I wiped them out with paper towels dampened with isopropyl alcohol and it seems to have worked well. If the road trip does occur, and this car is the car for it, I want decent headlamps. The H4s are good enough if I don't get the LED option to work in time (re: fitment), but obviously only with clean lenses.



I drove the car a little bit tonight and it drives well. The brakes don't feel like they bite very well, needing more pedal force than what the 95-97 brakes have set as my expectations in the wagon, however this car did get secondhand pads and rotors so of course it isn't going to perform like new-new. The drum brake lock-grabbiness that I remembered from the past is not occurring with this car anymore so I almost wonder if a master cylinder defect had something to do with it.

I did a little poking around with the inoperative temperature gauge in the cluster.
The fuel gauge works, so we know the instrument voltage regulator works.
A test light hooked to the end of the temp gauge sender wire dimly blinks, which tells me there is no break in the wire back to the cluster.
A multimeter from the sender to ground (oops, manual says not to do that) finds a plausible number of ohms for a hot engine (86) and a plausible number of ohms for an engine that has sat cooling off for a while (100), with resistance increasing the longer it cools.
I swapped the gauge out of my parts cluster and nothing changed.
As best I can tell, everything here works, so I'm not really sure where to go next with it. I'm certain I swapped the sender in the past in pursuit of this too, but maybe I should dig around and see if I've got a new one somewhere.
The gauge does rise off its minimum position to point at the Cold mark, but it doesn't climb past that.
vs the original symptom when I got the car of the gauge gradually climbing to its maximum position.

edit: I just realized what's wrong here. The book says the range is 73 ohms (cold) to 10 ohms (hot), so a normal running temp engine is somewhere in the middle of that. Mid 30s perhaps. What I said above about 86 ohms and 100 ohms is clearly wrong and is also clearly what the problem is. The sender is "working" in that the resistance is changing in the correct direction, but it's off the chart for correct values. A sender should fix the problem.

[gadget73]

once again the EVTM saves the day. Having decent documentation available makes fixing anything so much easier.

[WagonMan]

Kevin, I have an extra hood release if you need one. Pete

[kishy]

Today was mostly spent putting tools back in their homes and cleaning up the garage, however I did a few car things:

I spent entirely too long troubleshooting a firmware problem on the dash cams for both this and the wagon. They have identical Viofo A129, in the "duo" configuration (front and rear facing cams). A firmware update the other day broke the Wi-Fi capability, but I troubleshot my way out of the problem and figured out that it seems to be a bug, however I found a workaround that involved going back many versions, setting the settings a specific way, then updating again and not resetting the settings. Both seem to be working now.

I "calibrated" the interior temperature sensor, reinstalled the dash pad and left and right kick panels, cleaned the fingerprints/smudges off the windshield, and put my dash carpet back on (just sitting loosely as before). The calibration method (per shop manual) for the sensor is to set the control to 75, then adjust the cable at the sensor so that the arrow on top of the sensor body is pointing at the middle of the arm that the cable acts upon. I suspect that with age the accuracy of these things has drifted a fair bit, but at least it's a starting point. I thought on it some more and remembered that this car has a properly working sensor which doesn't have the "gradually leaks colder" problem they often develop, so that's staying right where it is.







It's pretty dried out and crispy, but I think not meaningfully worse than it was in 2016 when I got it. Dash carpet has done its job.

I put 8psi in each Air Lift bag. This perked up the rear of the car significantly. There is absolutely zero cargo of any type in the car currently, so I expect that it should be no big deal to do the big bike rack or a vacation's worth of crap in the car without it sagging. But for ride quality I think I need to do less than 8psi for just driving around normally.

I jacked up the rear axle (two jacks) to try to identify the noise I described previously with the engine running, trans in gear, and wheels spinning. It's definitely sort of a growl or howl. Removing the wheels and drums did not make it go away. Stethoscope on the axle tubes suggests the outer axle shaft bearings are making a consistent, steady noise - not the problem noise. The sound is either coming from inside the diff housing, or possibly the rear U-joint, however the noise seems to pulse at wheel speed rather than driveshaft speed, which would leave only the differential side bearings as likely culprits. This diff has been seen making glitter in the past so something inside there has been eating itself, but I don't know what. The road trip is less than an engine oil change interval and I don't think I'm particularly concerned that the diff will fail that soon, but it's definitely something I'm giving some thought to.

I took the car for an evening grocery run, deliberately going to a further-away store to get some seat time. Aside from the CFI-isms (most notably how ungracefully it handles suddenly letting off the throttle), it drives great. I take back my prior remark about the brakes, they seem about right. Very smooth, no weird twitchiness.

once again the EVTM saves the day. Having decent documentation available makes fixing anything so much easier.

That book is an absolute asset for anyone who has one of these cars, no doubt.
With about 20 USD being the "landed" price for any of the various senders on eBay, and me not having immediate need to make a RockAuto order for anything else, I'll try my luck at the local parts stores tomorrow.

Kevin, I have an extra hood release if you need one. Pete

I appreciate the offer but I think I'm OK using the repaired one as-is, at least until it breaks, if it will.
Also, being a Lincoln, I suspect the cable is longer - unsure if the one you have is a Lincoln one or Ford/Mercury.

[WagonMan]

The one I have is from an 87 Town Car. WagonMan

[DerekTheGreat]

If you haven't already, slap a strong magnet on the diff cover. It'll at least buy you peace of mind, if nothing else.

[Arquemann]

- Aside from the CFI-isms (most notably how ungracefully it handles suddenly letting off the throttle -

How's your throttle kicker / dashpot? Is it adjusted correctly? If the dashpot isn't functioning correctly, the throttle just slams shut.
I noticed a difference in behaviour after having mine actually somewhat adjusted. And now that I'm running the Holley 4bbl, I kinda want a dashpot again.

[kishy]

How's your throttle kicker / dashpot? Is it adjusted correctly? If the dashpot isn't functioning correctly, the throttle just slams shut.
I noticed a difference in behaviour after having mine actually somewhat adjusted. And now that I'm running the Holley 4bbl, I kinda want a dashpot again.

I knew that would come up.
That component itself seems to be fine, however I have a super heavy return spring on the TV lever because it is hopelessly gummed up and gets stuck at the full throttle position with the stock spring. So that spring is collapsing the dashpot too quickly I'm sure.

[Arquemann]

I knew that would come up.
That component itself seems to be fine, however I have a super heavy return spring on the TV lever because it is hopelessly gummed up and gets stuck at the full throttle position with the stock spring. So that spring is collapsing the dashpot too quickly I'm sure.

That certainly won't help. The gumminess in TV rod caused by something inside the trans?
Personally I've removed the factory return spring (still have the one around the throttle cable). The long spring that came on the Lokar TV cable didn't quite pull the cable all the way back, so I installed a light spring to pull the TV cable back properly. Later removed the Lokar spring too as the pedal was unnecessarily heavy. I hate a heavy pedal, and as is it's still a bit heavier than it was with the TV rod and both factory springs. Mainly due to the TV cable not being particularly slippery in it's sheath.

[kishy]

That certainly won't help. The gumminess in TV rod caused by something inside the trans?
Personally I've removed the factory return spring (still have the one around the throttle cable). The long spring that came on the Lokar TV cable didn't quite pull the cable all the way back, so I installed a light spring to pull the TV cable back properly. Later removed the Lokar spring too as the pedal was unnecessarily heavy. I hate a heavy pedal, and as is it's still a bit heavier than it was with the TV rod and both factory springs. Mainly due to the TV cable not being particularly slippery in it's sheath.

No, it seems to be rusty grittiness in the stack of stuff on the end of the throttle shaft. If I soak it in brake cleaner and work it by hand repeatedly, it gets better. A thin oil after that helps it stay OK for a while, but if the car sits for more than a week or so, it gets sticky again. With the rod unhooked from the throttle body, it freely comes back up, the issue is definitely at the throttle body.

If you've ever had it get stuck at 100% TV you know it's an extremely disconcerting feeling. The first time I had it happen I was sure something serious had broke. Oddly they don't engine brake at all when that happens either, so it feels really extra broken.

My pedal is very heavy and I don't much care for it, but I care a lot less for the TV lever getting stuck.

[DerekTheGreat]

...My pedal is very heavy and I don't much care for it, but I care a lot less for the TV lever getting stuck.

CFI.. Throttle dashpot and heavy pedal. Yep, I remember that after all these years. Love SEFI for how much more refined it is. Loved CFI for how it looked under the hood.

[kishy]

Well, would you look at that...for the first time since 2016, the temperature gauge works.
Actual running temperature has been observed with a numeric mechanical gauge before so I now know that 190-195 on the dot happens to correspond to the needle being precisely in the centre of the word NORMAL. Perfect. The climb from the far left to reaching running temp was smooth and matched up with my expectations for how long it took, as well as the temperature of the heat output from the vents.



I noticed that the left rear door window channel, which I replaced a few years ago, was collapsed into itself from having not been positioned right at some point and then being crushed by the window. The window adequately seals water and wind, but I wanted to make it fit better, so I messed around with it for a while and eventually hot glued the channel to the metal channel it sits inside, to keep it spread apart. This seems to have worked. The glue is ugly but I don't have to see it from the driver seat. While doing that, I had the window stop working (recall I recently went through the motor to try to fix this problem), found the "slam the door while holding the front door switch" fix worked, so we'll see if that escalates. I don't want to go into the door again right now.

I sorted out a phone mount for this one. I've standardized on using RAM Mounts products because, despite being expensive, they have a lot of customization available via a wide array of components. I figure if I put their standard ball mounts in each car, I can have just one or two phone holder arrangements floating around that move from vehicle to vehicle. In the 91, I mounted the ball to the windshield glass, which allowed a great position for the phone but also fell victim to sun releasing the adhesive. This time around, I've decided to mount the ball to the door armrest, which may seem odd but seems to be a reasonable "second best" position for the phone to be. Lesson learned: isopropyl alcohol removes the paint/colouring on the stick-on repair panel on the armrest.







I did apply a magnet to the differential cover following the remark above. Not the strongest magnet, so I may upgrade it at some point. Keeping metal slurry out of the bearings is probably worthwhile. That being said, I've bought a bearing kit for the diff so I'll at least have the option to tear into it if I feel so inclined. 56 Canadian dollars for the differential side bearings, pinion inner and outer bearings, outer races for all, crush sleeve, pinion nut and a diff cover gasket in a kit is entirely reasonable. Current closeout on RockAuto in the differential carrier bearing category.

I have relocated the fill/vent shrader valves for the Air Lift bags. I had "easy buttoned" them originally by putting them in holes that exist on the trailer hitch, but this means getting nearly under the car to add air, which has proven super inconvenient. Their new location is copying what I saw on a junkyard Town Car once, on the reflector panel that spans between the tail lights, but up in the area that is covered by the trunklid while closed.

[gadget73]

something that helped the pedal feel on my 86 quite a bit was taking some scotchbrite to the ball stud on the throttle to polish it, scraping the throttle cable end out as best I could, and putting a dab of grease in there. Doesn't fix any pedal heaviness caused by springs but it gets rid of any extra friction caused by rust.