1994 Lincoln Town Car "Build Thread"

[killgore]

Hey guys I installed nitrous on my TC.



But in seriousness I am itching to fix something, but I really don't have the room

[sly]

If it ain't broke... don't fix it... unless you're upgrading it... and then, you wanna be sure you won't break something else in the process :-p

[killgore]

Yeah just after having my truck for so long there was always something to tinker with whenever I got bored. Now no such luck. But I am going to try to remove some of the glazing on the headlights/taillights and give her a good wash and polish

[killgore]

Hey guys I have a couple of questions.

#1. E3 spark plugs, snake oil or actually good?

#2. Heater Core Replacement. How hard is it? If it is just time consuming I have time coming up to fix it, but if it is actually really difficult I might have to take it to a professional.

[sly]

#1 dunno, but every time I see them tested against coppers and plats and multi-fires (2 and 4 prong plugs) they come out on top by reasonable amounts... a few HP/TQ and a small percentage mpg because of it. No personal experience though.

#2 just freakishly time consuming. Go slow and if something seems stuck, you probably missed a bolt.

[IPreferDIY]

... #2. Heater Core Replacement. How hard is it? If it is just time consuming I have time coming up to fix it, but if it is actually really difficult I might have to take it to a professional.

I don't know the specifics of your car, but changing your heater core should definitely be doable as a DIY project. Here's the approach I used to make sure everything went back together properly when I did mine:

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?51085-General-DIY-Repair-Procedure-Method-Derived-from-Heater-Core-Replacement

[killgore]

So I have seen that people usually fix the "blend door" whenever they fix the heater core. But when I got on O Reilly's I cannot find the "blend door". What part am I looking for? Also do I need to disable the air bags or just unplug the battery?

[IPreferDIY]

I've heard of the blend door issue, but I never bothered doing mine. I work at home, so my car doesn't see nearly as much use as a daily driver. If worse comes to worse, I wouldn't have a problem taking the dash out again. (I kept my notes from the first time.) I read something quite recently along the lines of just getting hinges from a hardware store and fixing the blend door that way. This might have been related to an unavailability issue, but I don't recall. I think the actuator itself can also be problematic. Hopefully other members will be able to pass along their experiences. As for the air bags, I've always resorted to just unplugging the battery, but don't consider that to be expert advice.

[AC75]

So I have seen that people usually fix the "blend door" whenever they fix the heater core. But when I got on O Reilly's I cannot find the "blend door". What part am I looking for? Also do I need to disable the air bags or just unplug the battery?

The blend door actuator most likely. Looks like the picture attached. You WILL want to spend the few extra bucks on the proper Ford part for this. The Dorman brand type break quite often, sometimes within months. Take a look though the parts catalog at RockAuto.com for price listings. It's not crazy expensive.

[slack]

Just saw this build thread. Nice '94! It reminds me of my old one I had about 8 years ago. Mine was blue exterior (but with a top) and the same interior. I completely forgot about the arm rest storage spots! lol

I know you said when the air shocks go, you're going PI springs but just a heads up. Both my Town Cars (my '94 and '97) both ate their back air springs. They sprung a leak and I wasn't quick enough to catch it so it burned the compressor out costing more money than it should to fix. So, if you do end up keeping the air springs setup, swap them when they start leaking. They'll burn the compressor out really really quickly! (It will basically run the whole time your car is on if the rear springs leak)

[killgore]

Currently the compressor cycles for about a 15 seconds whenever I start the car and shuts off and I think I've heard it come on once when driving (trunk was loaded pretty heavy and I had been driving for about an hour and a half). The PI springs would just be for the stiffer suspension in which this car will eventually (albeit slowly) go more and more performance oriented. Hopefully anyways.

About the heater core, I'm going to drop the dash here in a couple of weeks and work on it. I'll probably do the swap to a hard button EATC while I'm at it. Worse case if i get stuck and can't finish it in the weekend i'll have my dad drive me back down to college and finish it the weekend after. It might suck to not have my whip for a week, but it isn't like I do anything important XD

[sly]

to fix the blend door itself if it's broken, you typically have to redneck rig it or glue it beck together. There is no replacing it unless you want to rip a good one out of a yard.

[miamibob]

Actuators are available but the blend door itself, yeah...gotta tear one from a JY.

[killgore]

I think the blend door itself is alright, I just only want to rip a dash apart once. Is there a way to get to the heater core through the globebox?

[sly]

nope. gotta remove the air plenum to get the heater core out. These cars were build for assembly, not service.