kishy's 1984 Town Car

[kishy]

Updates:
210,045km

• Installed transmission cooler. Used same approach as on my 1991 Grand Marquis. It's weird but it works.
• Removed secondary air injection pipe to the cats, as well as the TAB/TAD valve assembly. I used miscellaneous bolts I had hanging around to plug the air tubes. The head injection pipe remains. As its check valve leaks (or otherwise makes an obnoxious noise), I plugged the hose where the TAD/TAB unit used to sit. I will remove the pipe when the engine is out for larger scale re-sealing, which it does need.
• Drained transmission pan and torque converter. Replaced filter. New fluid (regular D/M) plus 2/3 of a bottle of Lucas Transmission Fix. Not chasing a particular symptom, just happy with how it changed the wagon shift quality. Previous fluid and filter on 2016-10-08 at 172,454km = 37591km or 23357mi change interval. Magnets had stuff on them, but not enough to really concern me.
• Changed engine oil and replaced filter. Oil is 10W30 semisynthetic diesel oil. Filter is the STP S8A that I happened upon new in box in a junkyard. Previous change was 2022-04-13 at 203,931km = 6114km or 3799mi but includes a fair bit of idle time.

The fan clutch is un-working. With a cold engine, the fan intermittently ramps up and then slows down again. When hot, it seems to just stay in slow mode. This was a Hayden part installed 2017-06-21 at 182,700km and is no longer in warranty. RockAuto has Famous Brand (which seems to all be liquidated CarQuest store branded inventory) for a decent price even considering shipping. 30 day return on the closeout stuff, but if I won't figure out it failed until well after the regular warranty, it doesn't make sense to pay more for the privilege of having it.

[kishy]

The car is driving quite well. The diff noise is definitely present, but seems not meaningfully different than it was for what I believe may be most of the time I've had the car. Everything feels pretty good but the shocks are definitely dead. The transmission is behaving reasonably. The engine runs well, though there is some idle weirdness - it idles too high at fully warmed curb idle. I am almost positive that I had the idle fully straightened out on this car when it was last in regular service so perhaps it's a vacuum leak.

I did attempt self-tests today and received the following results:
KOEO on-demand: pass
KOEO keep-alive: pass
KOER: test begins but aborts without generating codes (the engine kind of coughs when it exits the test, it's a noticeable event), which is a symptom I've observed before is connected to the idle speed being too high.

But with the KOEO results being favourable and the engine running well, plus knowing how thoroughly I've been through this car before and knowing that I didn't leave it alone until it worked properly, I think KOER isn't hiding anything I need to know.

Temp gauge reflects the fact that as long as air is moving across the rad, things stay correct. Extended idling, or sitting at a stop after running at speed, it does creep up. Fan clutch should arrive Monday.

[kishy]

The decrappifying continues.

I think I've finally got the dash cam sorted. To recap some assorted remarks here and there:

• This particular Viofo A129 Duo was the first I purchased. I later purchased a second one maybe a year later, which went in the 85 wagon.
• In this car, I always powered the camera with a regular mini-B USB cable to a cigarette lighter adapter, which I plugged/unplugged manually as required. In the wagon, from the beginning, I used a hardwire kit. Since I've liked the hardwire kit benefits (auto power off by battery voltage threshold, and parking mode which allows more efficient monitoring when parked since it's aware of the state of the ignition switch) I decided to go the same way with this car. I already had the hardwire kit on-hand from a while ago.
• I recently updated the firmware on both cameras. This introduced a problem with the Wi-Fi feature on both cameras. I was able to resolve the problem on both cameras by wandering through a series of downgrades and re-upgrades and settings tinkering, and they are now stable.
• With the hardwire kit now installed in the Town Car, I identified that parking mode was not working. Specifically, the camera remained fully on and did not sense that the key had been turned off. I spent a great deal of time focusing on the camera itself thinking this was yet another firmware upgrade related bug, but eventually I swapped the cameras between the two cars and determined that both cameras worked properly in the wagon, and neither worked properly in the Town Car. This pointed to the hardwire kit being in some way defective. I checked that the fuses I chose to tap into were indeed correct (always hot, switched hot) and opted to buy another hardwire kit.
• Upon receiving the new hardwire kit, I bench tested it with a booster pack and both cameras. The cameras accurately sense when the "accessory" wire turns on and off - perfect.
• I removed the old hardwire kit from the Town Car. My chosen routing wasn't too crazy but it did require some disassembly to get it out.
• I then tested the new hardwire kit in the car (not fully routed through the dash). I was dismayed to find parking mode not working.
• Really put out, I stared at it for a while and realized what differed between the bench test and the in-vehicle test: powering the camera through the combo GPS sensor/camera mount (which remains adhered to the windshield) pass-through connector rather than directly plugged into the camera. I moved the connector from the GPS mount to the camera directly and found it now works as intended.
• Now quite annoyed, I repeated the test with the old hardwire kit bypassing the GPS mount, and found it also works.
• A quick Google finds that this deficiency (no parking mode via GPS mount) was a well-known issue when the hardwire kits were first released years ago. It wasn't on my radar because this issue doesn't affect the installation in the wagon, probably because the GPS mount was revised to fix this problem and the one in the wagon is newer.

So, with that, the parking mode problem is solved, and I now have an extra hardwire kit. Perfect, I'll put it in the 2-door and then all I need is just a mount to stick to the windshield and I can readily move a camera from one of these cars into that one.

Moving on from that nonsense, the sun visors in this car have been completely trashed (probably combination UV and moisture damage) for years. It has been my intent to reupholster them (can't possibly be that hard) but I'm getting into time crunch territory for the road trip, so I went to my storage unit and collected a pair of perfect condition ones in the wrong colour. Installed those, problem solved. While I was at it, I found a combination of vacuum caps which stacked together can adequately replace the disintegrating rubbery nubs at the end of the visors that engage with the retainer clip.









I wanted to take a look at the idle speed as noted above. First, I traced all the vacuum lines that I could and made sure everything seemed to make sense. I finally actually figured out how canister purge works on this system and it's really bizarre** - but checks out OK so I'm not worried about it. One system I capped off ages ago is the heat valve in the left side exhaust downpipe; I was not able to verify my cap job was still working, so I disconnected it further up and capped it there redundantly. I then noticed a giant crack in the PCV hose. Yep, that would do it. I replaced it with a length of heater hose, probably not properly oil resistant but it'll work for a while. Idle speed has calmed down somewhat. Free idle is somewhere around 900 and in gear against wheel chocks is about 600, which is maybe a touch high but pretty close to right.









Driveability is surprisingly improved. The aforementioned "ungracefulness" when closing the throttle is much improved. I can't tell if I'm imagining it, but it feels like it might be up on power mid-throttle.

KOER runs now. One code, 41, lean. It's not misfiring so I don't think I'm concerned about that. I also think someone had once remarked that EEC-IV CFI often sets a lean code when given better-breathing exhaust than stock, so maybe this is just normal.



The windshield leak, which suspiciously "went away" a few years ago, has revealed itself to me again. It looks like the butyl is not really touching the glass very much on the entire right side of the car. Given the risk of breakage if I try to pull the glass to re-do it, I'm probably going to strategically silicone some spots. It isn't clear to me that this leak is the same water source as what rusted out the area in the door jamb - obviously it might be, but this leak is a direct water drip into the interior.

In an effort to reduce more rattles, I wrapped the back door strike bolts with electrical tape. This has been a clear improvement.



**: canister purge. It looks like the way this works is, there is a canister purge valve which is a purely vacuum-operated device (the off-white plastic thing pictured above with the vacuum tester). This opens/closes (normally closed) the path for intake vacuum to suck on the evap canister. The purge valve receives its control vacuum from one of the electric solenoids on the driver side valve cover - but it does so via a temperature-operated ported vacuum switch, which appears to flip the flow of vacuum from the heat valve in the exhaust, to the canister purge valve once at operating temp. So basically, cold engine, the solenoid controls vacuum to the heat valve. Warm engine, the solenoid controls the purge valve. This seems incredibly imprecise because the computer doesn't know the state of the ported vacuum switch - obviously it knows what the state should be, but doesn't know what it is, and therefore if the switch fails the computer could close the heat valve instead of pass evap into the intake, which I feel like would mess with AFR. Anyway, none of this is from the book, it's all just from looking at it with my own eyes, so I may have hit some points wrong.

[gadget73]

Probably trying to work around limitations on the number of outputs on the ECM. Basically the thermal switch is allowing it to do two functions with one output.

[kishy]

Last night, I djd a few things, none with particularly great results.

The box with the fan clutch and a couple other odds and ends arrived. I swapped the fan clutch. The CarQuest part is identical in casting, stamping, machining, and assembly to the Hayden part that was on the car, and based on the photos on RockAuto, it's identical to a few of those as well. I swapped it onto the car and then poked around with other stuff for a bit, but eventually determined that the new one just simply doesn't work. It does not do the intermittent fan ramp-up that the old one was doing, but once hot, it freewheels no different than when it's cold. Took it for a spirited drive to get it nice and hot, no difference. Though I suppose one thing I didn't check is trying to rotate it backwards in case it has some sort of a sprag inside, because I determined that it isn't working by shutting the engine off and watching it continue to spin (which a competing Four Seasons clutch will not do when working). If it has a sprag/one-way-clutch, it could do that while working correctly. Replacement requested from RockAuto and they're sending it without requiring the old one back, so at least there's that.

I tried to determine if the O2 sensor is working. A 41 as a running code and not also as a memory code would suggest that the computer does see the O2 switching, but that it's running leaner than desired. Maybe it was only running leaner than desired in the moment of the test, since it drives well and doesn't smell super rich (lean code = computer dumps fuel to offset it?). One year ago I mentioned KOEO and KOER test results in this thread and there was no 41 at that time. But I'm now back to it refusing to do the KOER test so...I dunno. I am suspicious that the O2 sensor connector (harness-side) might be kind of crappy, but it's not a disassemble-able connector so whatever's going on inside it is a mystery. I tried to make a wire with male and female spade terminals to go in between the sensor and harness so I could poke it with a meter and see the voltage, but I got absolutely nothing, which means either my terminal wasn't making contact inside the suspect connector, or the sensor wasn't outputting voltage. So absolutely zero meaningful conclusions. BOB is next step there but since it runs well I don't know if I want to go there. Fuel economy at next fill-up won't be favourable because I've been driving it hard, so that won't tell me anything either. I do have a known-working O2 hanging around if needed.

Replaced the windshield wiper blades. Replaced the fuel filler cap. The locking one is annoying and its seal is cracked, so a new plain one went on.

Rotated the tires. Set the pressure to an even 38.3 PSI on all four. Set the Air Lift bags to 4.6PSI each. Filled the trunk with assorted heavy car parts simulating the amount of junk normally carted around back there. Dropped it off at a shop for an alignment. Found a new-to-me place that's well-reviewed within walking distance of my house which simplifies the process.

Outstanding priorities:

• Re-replace fan clutch
• Maybe poke with the O2 a little more / interrogate the computer that doesn't want to KOER again
• Maybe replace the shocks. They aren't dead but seem close to it. The ones on the shelf are also hot garbage, so it's not the most appealing upgrade.
• Slather some glue on the rear right side marker bezel as one of its two threaded studs has broken off and it's just sorta dangling there.
• Plumb the EGR cooler back in, as I now have a new tee for it. Or maybe don't, there was that TSB that deleted the cooler so it clearly isn't that important.
• Maybe poke around with the exhaust hangers a little.
• Put together a kit of spares for roadside incidents (ignition bits, mostly).
• Probably swap wheels and tires off (TBD) either 91 or 85 for the trip - the current ones are not well-suited for a number of reasons.

edit the next day to avoid a superfluous bump:

Picked up the car from the alignment shop. It drives great. I did tighten the steering gear a tiny bit beforehand to try to aid them in getting the wheel on-centre, and they did a good job of it. There isn't much dead zone on this but it is a little sloppy at any angle which makes me think the rag joint is on its way out. Should probably put eyes on that before the trip just to be sure.

KOER appears to be some sort of problem with my code reader. It's never done this with the wagon but it is basically refusing to self-test (acting kind of like the self test connector is unplugged mid-test) with my OTC Enhanced Monitor. One of the simple LED+beeper ones is working just fine. It verified the 41, so I dug around the parts hoard and found a NTK sensor that I had briefly ran in this car back in 2016 and swapped it while chasing an issue. I put a chubby Bosch in it at that time, and that's the sensor I've now taken back out, putting the NTK back in. KOER now finds a 44, thermactor system inoperative, which tells me that the Bosch sensor was lazy (couldn't achieve high enough voltage to convince the ECM it wasn't lean) and that the NTK is working pretty well because the ECM can sense that the thermactor system did not lean out the exhaust like it expected it to (given that it's deleted, the code is expected).

There are shockingly few O2s listed for the 1-wire years now. It may be in my best interest to buy a couple NTKs to put on the shelf. OTOH it probably isn't very hard to retrofit a newer 3 or 4 wire HO2S, and it's not even clear to me that the heater has to run because a system expecting a 1-wire won't be picky about how long the sensor takes to give a reading anyway.

[gadget73]

The one CFI O2 sensor issue I recall ran just fine and produced no codes, but it ate a lot of fuel. New O2 ran no different but it made a very noticeable improvement in MPG.

Now I'm worried about that fan. I bought one while grabbing some closeout things because I don't remember how old mine is. I really didn't want to install it immediately but if its NFG I don't want it on the shelf either. I guess maybe it will have to go on the car right away for testing since its only a 30 day warranty.

[friskyfrankie]

Bum parts are a real issue and getting worse. Even OEM ones are having issues and this situation can make diagnosis a real MOFO!

[DerekTheGreat]

I replaced the fan clutch on my Town Car ten years ago or so. It was NFG about two months later. It's still on there.

[sly]

This is exactly why I swapped to an electric fan.

[Tiggie]

CarQuest part quality tanked in the past couple years. Multiple bad electrical items from them. Bad reman brake caliper. Bad belt tensioner out of the box. It was all replaced under warranty with Advance Auto, but still an unnecessary headache. I believed they changed a lot of their suppliers to a bottom of the barrel parts brand. All of the above mentioned items were made in China.

[gadget73]

This is exactly why I swapped to an electric fan.

The electric fan failing and causing one of those damn rear engine heater hoses to explode on me is why I re-installed the clutch fan. I also was tired of the noise and dimming headlights.

[friskyfrankie]

CarQuest part quality tanked in the past couple years. Multiple bad electrical items from them. Bad reman brake caliper. Bad belt tensioner out of the box. It was all replaced under warranty with Advance Auto, but still an unnecessary headache. I believed they changed a lot of their suppliers to a bottom of the barrel parts brand. All of the above mentioned items were made in China.

Gotta love those Chinesium parts!

[sly]

The electric fan failing and causing one of those damn rear engine heater hoses to explode on me is why I re-installed the clutch fan. I also was tired of the noise and dimming headlights.

I don't have an issue with the noise since I'm using a 2000-2002 fan. Can't really hear it much in the car even with the stereo off. The mechanical fan was even louder than the electric fan. But that was the plastic 93 fan so that probably had a lot to do with it. And with the 130A alternator, I don't have light dimming issues. With the LED swap, there's even less chance of dimming issues as well.

[kishy]

The temp gauge sender I picked up at a local CarQuest is made in China. I was fairly sure Mexico had a fair bit of production of parts like that.
I think the CarQuest fan clutch sourced from RockAuto is China as well.
We can go around and around the topic of if China can make good parts - I am certain they can and do - but I really doubt good product is the result of moving production there for pure cost reasons. I can imagine how that meeting would go: we can save money and still have quality, or we can save even more money and have no quality. Duh, obvious choice. Stonks, etc.

If the replacement fan clutch is also no good (a statistical improbability, but we'll see), I will pick up a Duralast one at a Detroit area AutoZone.
RockAuto photos suggest that among the thermal clutches, there are maybe only 3 actual variants.
Four Seasons/Hayden/"Famous Brand"=CarQuest
GMB/FVP
US Motor Works/GPD/also AutoZone Duralast

Forgot to mention that I changed the power steering fluid. Not a really significant thing but it's done.

I dug through my pile of junk (actually, organized totes of somewhat inventoried parts) and found left and right factory tailpipe hangers (the pre-90ish design). I used those to replace the failing and kind of awful universal hangers I was using at the ends of the tailpipes. This did a lot for the appearance as the pipes were kinda hanging all wonky before. I put chrome tips on the pipes which look pretty at-home on this car.

On a drive, I detected a new and incredibly irritating noise which seemed to be suspension related. I put the front of the car on ramps and then bench pressed the front frame crossmember (the Lincoln-specific one in front of the rad support) and spotted the issue. Shock bolt holes let go.

I decided to try a new approach for this fix (having done u-nuts on the wagon). M8 rivnuts and grade 8.8 bolts. The control arm holes drilled out super easily, they're made of a really soft steel. Rivnuts went in nicely. Bolts tightened down nicely. Seems like it'll work.

Went on a long test drive targeting a few things: fuel economy, engine management behaviour, NVH.

296.6km or 184.3mi with 3/4 being fully highway averaging about 110km/h or 68mph
45.315 litres or 11.971 US Gal
15.4 US MPG. Not good. Not unrealistically awful, but I know this car has done better before.

FWIW - economy for the period of O2 not working (but also lots of prolonged idling) crunched out to 10 MPG.

Other findings: ECM is well behaved. NVH is decent, some minor rattles out of the driver door, a subtle squeak out of the dash, the diff bearing noise is fairly prevalent but easily ignored.

[DerekTheGreat]

Gotta hand it to you for your patience and determination with CFI. Ten years ago I would've been right there with you hangin' tough, now I'd either slap a "For Sale" sign on it or SEFI swap it.