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Going to look at am 89 Town Car/what to look for?

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    #1

    Going to look at am 89 Town Car/what to look for?

    Let me preface by saying that I have never owned a Ford. What type of things should I look out for? Do these have any typical problem areas to watch out for? I understand these have the AOD transmissions, which use the tv linkage. When I test drive it, what should I pay attention to? Am I looking for hard shifts, soft? What are the shift points like?
    Its a 1989, and the guy claims 60,xxx some original miles. The interior looks really good from the pics, but the paint is really faded as is the vinyl top. Is the odometer only 5 digits, I mean is it possible that it really has 160,xxx miles?

    Thanks for any tips or advice.
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    #2
    hello and welcome. yes just give it a good once over. check for leaks and engine noises. its possible it has 60k good way to tell is a look at the brake pedal rubber is worn out and a look at suspension parts like bushings and springs but it more that likley has 160 and thats very possible as my 84 merc is at 246k. . here are the shift points on my 86 cp
    1-2 15-17mph
    2-3 25-30mph
    3-4 42-45mph
    and thats at light to medium acceleration but hard to know for sure what yours are because of the different rearend available in the panthers.
    Last edited by 84merc951; 04-07-2012, 07:22 PM.
    1984 mercury grand marquis ls rebuilt 306 flat top pistons with factory cfi and lincoln headers with single glasspack dual snorkle air cleaner. Gloss black paint with slick top coversion.
    1986 mercury grand marquis colony park 5.0 sefi dual exhuast thrush turbos with h pipe and turbines

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      #3
      it probably sat outside and is sun damaged. It may only have 60K miles on it. Things to look for are leaks. After the drive... pop the hood and look for any. As for the transmission, check for the TV cable bushing.

      info here: http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00052.html

      If it has the plastic POS and you do get it, replace that with the brass bushings ASAP.

      Shifts should be smooth but not sloppy (should take less than half a second). Typical shift points are 20/35/45 going easy. balls out: 35/55/you're speeding. Typical half throttle or more high way merge is about 30/45-50 and then OD as you level off at a comfortable speed.

      There should be no knocking/ticking after 30 seconds of start-up tops. typically this should stop after 2-5 seconds. If it persists, the lopo knock is probably showing itself and could indicate the odometer has rolled once. It's not a killer though as these engines have been known to run for over 100K with that light knock.I know I've put about 20K on mine with that mild knock.

      Also, check the control arm bushings for cracking/squishing. They're a bitch to change and will help ruin tires if not in good shape.

      check the passenger side frame rail for rot. The junction box just behind the front wheel well is known to rot on non-southern vehicles due to the A/C dripping there.

      Check for rust bubbles around the vinyl roof. that's some more noise you don't wanna deal with.

      and if you do get it... welcome to owning a panther.

      Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
      rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)

      Originally posted by gadget73
      ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.

      Originally posted by dmccaig
      Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

      Comment

        #4
        Just keep in mind its old. It will have things wrong, its probably going to leak oil, and its also likely to need some immediate TLC to be really reliable. I typically expect a full tuneup, a full fluids change and probably valve cover gaskets at a minimum on something this old. It may also need intake gaskets if its really vomiting the oil out. The rear main seal almost never fails, so if someone says its bad, most likely the intake gasket is shot. This is good and bad, good that you don't have to pull the trans, but bad because pulling the intake is a bit of a PITA too. Check the coolant as well. If it looks like brown mud, it will probably need cooling system repairs fairly soon. At a minimum, its a sure sign that the cooling system has been neglected.

        Oh, and something Lincoln (and all auto climate control cars) specific. See if the heater / AC works right. Even if the AC doesn't actually work, you want to make sure you can control the temperature. The sensor fails fairly commonly on these and it goes hot to cold or wont go hot or sometimes just does whatever the hell it wants to do. Its not that bad to fix most of the time. Usually its either vacuum leaks and/or the sensor inside that needs replacing but its just something to be aware of. Shifting from dashboard vents to defrost is a vacuum leak indicator.
        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

        Originally posted by phayzer5
        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

        Comment

          #5
          All rubber parts deteriorate with age. If the tires haven't been replaced in the past 5-6 years, they will be due.
          '79 Continental Town Car
          '90 Crown Victoria LTD
          '94 Crown Victoria

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