I have a 1965 Lincoln Continental that will not shift out of 1st gear while driving. I recently replaced the intake manifold gaskets due to a coolant leak. Before I did this, I didn't have any issues with the transmission. Now there is no coolant leak at the intake manifold, but I have checked for a vacuum leak and the gauge shows 13-14 inches of mercury at idle. The manual says that it should be 18 inches of mercury minimal.

I have a few questions. First, is there any way to any way to correct the vacuum leak at the manifold without taking it back off? Second, would a low vacuum cause the issue with the transmission not shifting into higher gears?

Thanks,

B. Tucker

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Benjamin -

It is difficult to answer your first question regarding the vacuum leak because you don't say where at the manifold the leak actually is. If the leak appeared only after you replaced the gaskets though I would say yes it would need to be removed and checked for a gasket out of place or the possibility that the wrong gaskets were supplied to you. If you rotated the distributor during the manifold gasket replacement the resultant incorrect ignition timing can affect the vacuum gauge reading. If a vacuum fitting on the manifold was damaged or not reinstalled etc. etc. that alone could be the only cause of your low vacuum reading. The transmission does require vacuum in order to shift properly and in fact has its own vacuum supply from a fitting at or near the intake area to a valve known as the "Modulator Valve" at the rt. rr. of the transmission. This possible lack of vacuum and the possibility of the transmission kick down rod from the carburetor linkage to the transmission linkage being out of adjustment or not reinstalled will result in poor transmission operation. To sum up, a simple vacuum disconnect may be your only problem so I would advise you to diagnose very carefully before deciding to pull the manifold again. Good luck with a simple fix.

Sincerely,

Bill

I am writing to you in concern to a 1966 Lincoln Continental that a friend of mine is having a problem with. The problem is the rear passenger-side brake/directional light is staying on all the time and brake light switch was replaced and the problem still exists.

The driver's side brake light/directional lights do not operate at all. I am asking you for insight so that this problem may be rectify.

Thank you,

Amado

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amado -
The rear brake lights receive power to the left and right rear bulbs through separate wires (left and right) from the turn signal switch. When the brake sw. is activated power travels from the brake sw. to the turn signal switch and depending if the turn signal switch is engaged or not these wires to the brake lights may or may not both receive power for the rear brake lights. Your description of the rt. rr. brake light staying on seems to indicate a problem with the turn signal switch itself or the wiring to the switch. If all the rest of the cars wiring is intact etc. a good test for you will be to unplug the t.s. switch at the lower steering column and then observe if the rt. rr. brake light then goes off. If the light does go off and the wiring from the plug to the sw. is o/k a new switch may be needed. If the light remains on with the t.s. sw. unplugged the body wiring from the plug to the rt. rr. brake lights will need to be traced for a short etc. with the aid of the correct wiring diagram. The correct wiring diagram and good automotive elecrical knowledge may be necessary as this circuit on these 66's can be complicated. Some vehicles have appeared at Lincoln Land with more than one fault and this of course makes diagnoses even more complicated. Keep in mind that a "four way hazard" flasher circuit as well as a brake light relay may also be involved in this issue. The turn signal switches though are usually the culprits with the symptom that you are describing. Also, there are two styles of turn signal switches on a 66 Lincoln depending on whether the car has a fixed or a tilt steering wheel. The installation of the switch for the tilt wheel style may be adjustable and if so should be checked for proper adjustment and operation before condemning the sw. itself.
I hope that the above helps you to a quick diagnosis. In the event that you require repair parts we will have these available for the job.

Sincerely,

Bill

Carter here, again.

In addition to the 67 4-dr I acquired in Florida at Lincoln Land last year, a 68 2dr Landau has found me and a new home. Turning into a very nice care, however; I have replaced the gas tank, and the fuel sending unit. The fuel sending unit twice... why? Because the first one sent the gas gauge to a point way past "full" and I thought it defective.... So, I order another one, same result. Help!

Your favorite nephew,

Carter

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Carter -

If the other dash gauges are reading correctly and the new sending units that you have installed are not internally faulty I would suspect that the vehicle plug to the sending unit is not compatible with the new unit. You need to carefully compare the electricals on the original sending unit with the new ones that you are trying to install. I believe that there is some problem with some senders that was causing exactly what you are describing. Contact us at Lincoln Land Carter as you may need to send us your original unit as well as the new unit so that we can test both and configure the wiring on the new one to operate correctly for your car. "We'll git er done."

Sincerely,

Bill

I have a 67 Continental Coupe with the original 462. 73k miles, well taken care of car. Car runs just fine, except in one particular situation. After the engine is hot, if I sit at idle for a bit, like at a long stoplight, when I start to accelerate, the car will occasionally stall. It seems fuel starved when it happens. Sometimes it stutters for a few seconds and seems to recover. Other times, it stutters and dies completely, which is no fun in the middle of a busy intersection.

It always starts right back up though, and then will run fine. In cool weather it is very infrequent, but as it heats up here in Orlando, it becomes more frequent. My mechanic has checked the fuel system and carb and can't seem to find anything wrong. He has also had difficulty recreating the problem on test drives, mostly because he doesn't stay in the car long enough in the heat. Car is driven daily, so I would love to get this addressed before our weather warms up more.

Thanks, Bill!

Derek

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Derek -

That sounds like a real nice car that you have there! After reading over your letter a few times and assuming that your engine is in otherwise excellent tune with regards to ignition points, condenser, spark plugs, wiring etc. and your fuel is of a good quality I would strongly suspect a carburetor problem and in particular an accelerator pump issue. Even if your carburetor was recently rebuilt or overhauled the accelerator pumps are known to be a source of annoyance especially with today's low quality fuels that we all are being compelled to use. When the car is initially accelerated from a stop it is the pump that supplies a quick generous spritz of fuel to the engine as it begins to rev up to ensure that the vehicle gets smoothly underway. If this extra fuel is not available every time the result will be exactly the condition that you are describing. If your carb. has not been serviced it may be needing a cleaning which would include a new accelerator pump. This of course should be verified by your mechanic who should be quite knowledgeable of carbureted vehicles. I hope the above leads you to a good repair.

Sincerely,

Bill

When I drive the car with the lights on for about 10 minutes something happens.All the lights (tail,dash,markers) with the exception of the headlights, start to go out and on again until I turn the lights off and wait a little and turn them back on.After a while it starts again.My guess is that something overheats in the circuit where those lights are connected and I checked the book and it says that there is some kind of a fuse built in the light switch to prevent overheating in the light circuit.If you could help me on this.

Thanks,

Steve

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings Steve,

The headlight switch has two circuit breakers within the unit. One is for the headlights and the other is for the dash,tail and marker lights. When they open the circuit these breakers will flash the lights and reset as you describe after you turn the switch off. This issue can be caused by several things and these are .....a direct short to ground in the circuit, fatigued breaker inside the switch, a bad connection at the switch (which will transfer heat inside to the breaker it self) and an overloaded circuit that is caused by the addition of more lights than the circuit will tolerate etc. If ALL of your lights are working correctly for a period of time before the breaker starts to open the circuit I would suspect in your case a fatigued breaker or a bad contact at the switch itself. Of course the problem needs to be thought out and diagnosed carefully. Let us know what you find and of course we have any parts available that you may require for the repair.

Sincerely,

Bill

I have air release under my dashboard, possibly preventing the vacuum system from allowing my headlight covers to close. Do I need to remove the dashboard to get to it or is the air release coming from the engine compartment. I replaced all visible vacuum lines and I suspect the air release under the dashboard is rotted or cracked.

One more question related to acceleration. When the car sits for an extended period of time, I can't accelerate in 1st gear. The car revs really high like the transmission is shot, however after it warms up a bit, no issues at all. Also, when I accelerate up a hill or at a faster pace then cruising, I get a rattling sound under the car as if something is loose, however nothing is and once the car levels out or I accelerate enough, it's quiet again. Any thoughts? Any assistance you can provide would be great!

Gerardo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Gerardo -

By air release I think that you mean a vacuum leak and yes a vacuum leak at certain vacuum hoses or vacuum switches will prevent the headlamp doors from closing. I cannot tell you to remove parts to find the leak because finding and repairing the leak may not require any major disassembly at all. If you can hear a vacuum leak under the dash, it may be caused by any number of hoses that has disconnected under the dash as the 69 Mark has several. I would carefully try to locate the culprit by listening to the leak and following the hoses from the headlight switch vacuum section as they lead to and through the firewall to the vacuum motors. The sw. itself may have fallen apart. Let us know what you find.

A transmission that is slipping and allowing the engine to rev up when cold would seem to indicate that the transmission is low on fluid. If it is not low on fluid it may require an overhaul and if that is suspected a visit to a trusted transmission shop may be needed for further diagnoses.

I can't tell from here what your rattling sound is when accelerating but what you describe could be engine pinging from incorrect ignition timing or low octane fuel. Your Mark is designed to operate on premium high octane fuel.

I do hope that the above helps you to correct these issues that you are currently experiencing. If you need anything further in the way of advice or parts please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Bill

I've consulted you before and your advice was a Godsend so here I am again! On my 1969 Mark, I am trying to get all power windows working. I know every motor works, but controlling them is a different story.

Here's the current situation: I can only open and close both front windows, and only from the drivers side switch panel. The switches on the front left panel will not open the rear windows, nor do the rear switches work. I can say for certain that the wiring has been tampered with by a prior owner, but to what extent, I'm unsure. When I purchased the vehicle, everything worked. Magically, now it doesn't.

So I consult my wiring diagrams and am overwhelmed to say the least. From what I can tell, there should be power at each panel (panel being the black connector that the switch plugs into) at terminal number 328 (for passenger front and both rear) and terminal number 400 "a" and "b" (for front master panel). Is this correct?

I also assume that the bypass switch has to in proper working order for this whole system to work, as from what I can tell, each switch is wired through each other starting with the bypass switch. I also notice that stamped metal plates go between two pieces of "paper" on each master switch assembly. I assume these are also necessary.

Here's the question I have - is there a terminal (or multiple terminals) I can test for power (12V) to rule out faulty wiring and prove an inoperative switch, and how do I test a window switch to make sure it works, or is there a better Troubleshooting procedure for my current issue?

Thanks in advance for consult!

Dan

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Dan -

We are glad that the Lincoln Land blog was able to help you. Some of the problem areas can be complicated at times and the power window circuits can be one of these areas. The power to operate the motors must travel from the switch to the motor and then to ground from the motor through the same switch. For the out board windows (rt. frt. and both rear 1/4 windows the power must travel not only from and back to the drivers switch but also in and out of each remote sw. as well. There is no easy way to address some of these issues and accurate diagnosis is very important. The only way to correctly diagnose the system is to test the power path of the circuits with the use of a 12v test light and the wiring diagram. The switches themselves have proven to be a big problem and many owners just go ahead and remove all of their switches and have them serviced but being able to diagnose only the faulty ones can be a real dollar saver. All of the wiring etc. of course must be intact with good connections to the switches as you indicate yours is or was. In addition to all of the above the rear side windows can suffer with some of their own special problems such as binding from lack of use and gear issues. If necessary please contact us further and Al may be able to offer more advice.

Sincerely,

Bill

I have just recently replaced the power steering pump on my Lincoln. During start up for the first time I allowed the system to run with just the wipers on to assist in bleeding the system. The wipers worked for a while then I had some fluid back up into the reservoir then the wipers stopped working. The wiper motor now when the engine starts sends the wipers to an upright position and they stay there weather the switch is on or off? This has been stumping me now for a while, do I need a new motor or is there a fix? Please help!!

Thanks

C M Lutz

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings Chris -

You don't tell us if the power steering itself is now working correctly in all respects. If the steering is operating properly and is quiet it would seem that some unknown problem has developed inside the wiper motor. I assume that the wipers operated correctly prior to the pump replacement. If this is so and you have not disturbed the wiper arm alignment I believe that all you can do now is to check the wiper motor cable adjustment. The wiper motor would need to be replaced if a problem in the motor is suspected. Is the hydraulic oil filter intact inside the reservoir? Some debris may have entered the motor or an internal seal could have failed. Please let us know what you find.

Sincerely,

Bill

I have a 1979 Lincoln Continental Town Car (Coupe) with a 400 V8. It has 2 issues at the moment that both bother me quite a bit. The first is the steering wheel. It is on at least an 8th turn to the right when I'm driving straight, so I was wondering 2 things about it. One is does it have a clockspring? And if so, would I be able to simply park straight, remove the steering wheel and put it back on straight? The other is does this car have an adjustable drag link? I'm unable to take this car to a garage so I want to try to fix it myself. My other concern is my cornering light. When my headlights are on, my right cornering light is on.....always. When I turn on the left signal, however, it goes off while the left one goes on, and when the signal cancels after the turn and the left one goes off, the right one goes back on? I've ran up and down the wires several times and changed the bulb. What could be causing this issue? Thanks

Tanner

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Tanner -

Your steering wheel should be able to be centered by repositioning it as you suggest and the tie rods are adjustable under the vehicle at the steering linkage. This tie rod adjustment should only be performed by a front end shop in order to maintain the critical alignment of the front end geometry. This car does not have a clockspring.

The cornering lights should only operate with the light switch in the on position. The power to the cornering light bulbs originates at the turn signal switch when it is activated and if all of your car's wiring appears intact this sw. could be your problem. To prove this out you should unplug the turn signal connector while the cornering light is on when it should in fact be off (as you describe). If it goes off when the sw. is unplugged it would then appear that the ts. sw. has an internal short and would need to be replaced. After you check this out contact us as we have these available if needed.

Sincerely,

Bill

It's starting to warm up here in MN and I'm back at it slowly restoring my 63' Continental. I can't seem to get the brake lights to work. Signals work and tail lights work. I've read on a couple forums that there is another fuse box connected to the headlamp switch but I can't get the switch out underneath the dash to check the fuses. Am I going about this the right way? Any advice would be of great help. Thanks Bill!

Sincerely,

Zac

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Zac -

The best way to begin a check of the brake light circuit is to test for power at the switch itself and then with the brakes applied test for power from the sw. into the turn signal sw. From there the power should come out of the t. s. sw. to the brake lights. The brake light sw. or the turn signal switch may be the culprit here if the wiring is o/k. A 12v test light and a correct wiring diagram for your vehicle is a big help. Please contact us further if you would need any diagrams or parts for the repair.

Sincerely,

Bill

I live in the Bay Area and own Lincoln Continental 1989. Local mechanics just charging lots of money and problem still persists. I am so confused. I have electrical shortage recently which burned my radio and knocked out normal idle valve operations. It was rebooted and radio fused was changed. However here is whats happening. When driving car shows high voltage increase and decrease. Its like going up and down up and down with message "charge system. All became bright and then back to normal. Heating unit on and off. It does not affect driving though, but the last time car stopped on the freeway with my whole family aboard. What would you recommend? To change voltage regulator?

Would appreciate if you have a good advise,

Thanks,

Max

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Max -

Sorry to hear that you are experiencing difficulty with your 1989 Continental. Some of these electrical gremlins can be difficult to properly and quickly diagnose and can become quite costly. The problem worsens as the vehicle ages and the parts become scarce. All mechanics cannot of course be expected to be experts with all of the difficult quirks that these electronic systems in all makes of cars tend to develop as the vehicles become older. The trick is to find a good electrical shop that is able to and is willing to take the correct approach to successfully diagnose your Continentals issue.

The problems that you are presently experiencing could prove to be as simple as a loose critical body or engine ground circuit (loose wire) or it could be an alternator, electrical contact, bad battery or an engine management module. The idea is to correctly identify the problem in the shortest time. My advice for you is to find a known trusted and competent electrical shop that is close to where you are located. You should visit the owner or manager with all of your vehicle's repair history receipts regarding this matter for him to review in order to find out if his shop is in fact capable and willing to correct your issues. You may need to visit several repair shops before deciding on which one is correct for your car.

If you would wish to discuss this repair with Lincoln Land, please contact John Harroll here at 727-446-2193. he will be aware of your e-mail to us may be able to provide some further advice.

Sincerely,

Bill

I am having issues with the headlamp covers opening and closing on my '79 Lincoln Bill Blass... The car has the autolamp feature,and didn't do this before (years ago), however the car had been in storage for a number of years, and was wondering if there were some seals or something that are prone to drying up and leaking or something.

I took the vacuum lines off of the headlight door actuators and tried some self diagnosis with a handheld manual vacuum pump, and the doors would open and close. After ruling out vacuum leaks there, I then reversed the lines on the left hand side of the engine compartment...just so I could have the "cool factor" of the doors being closed while driving...in the daytime at least...not so cool when it gets dark and you pop the hood to reverse the lines again lol. I'm hoping that it's not the headlight switch itself, seems to be very difficult to find for a car with the autolamp option.

Anyway, a little about the car; it's a '79 Lincoln Mark V, Bill Blass, white and dark blue with white leather and electric moonroof. As far as I know, it has all options except a CB radio. The car was purchased new by my Dad in either 1978 or 1979, haven't been able to find the original bill of sale yet, but it'll turn up. My Dad passed away in 2008, and my Mom sold their house, however her new house only had an 18' long garage, and my Dad wanted this car kept in the family, so I brought it from it's original home (garaged since new) near Vancouver British Columbia to my home in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan where it stays in my heated garage. It has 46,000 kms on it now. It's near mint...except on the RHS door, it has a small door ding where my bicycle fell over when I was about 11 years old...(my butt still hurts!!!) lol.

Attached is a couple of pictures, and thanks for your site...lots of useful information.

Kevin Jurovich

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings Kevin,

Your car looks like a very nice well optioned Mark. Driving and maintaining it should give you many years of pleasure. The "Autolamp" feature issues that you are experiencing and some of the methods to diagnose them have been posted previously on the blog. George will provide you with the links to them. If you would need the original correct shop manuals for your car (these include the AUTOLAMP section in very good detail) , any further information or any parts for the repair feel free to contact us at any time.

Sincerely,

Bill

Kevin -

If you type "autolamp" in the search section of our blog - you will find numerous posts in regards to your issues as this is a common problem on Lincolns. After you have reviewed these posts - please feel free to contact us with further questions. I have enclosed a link to the Blog with Autolamp already in the search.

George @ Lincoln Land

Link: http://www.lincolnlandinc.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=AUTOLAMP

I came across your blog trying to source a radiator for my 69 Lincoln Continental with a 460 engine. I live in New York and deal with a lot of heavy traffic, stop and go. I am looking for something that would have better cooling performance/ efficiency. Do you think you would have any leads or suggestions on what to get. Any help would be appreciated. By the way your blog is great. It provides a wealth of information for people like myself. Thank you for your efforts.

Fred

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Fred,

We are pleased that you enjoy the blog. The only radiator used for your 69 should be of the three core design as used with factory A/C vehicles. If you somehow would need better cooling capacity the best and easiest way for you is to discuss the possibilities with some "well known and trusted" radiator shops in your area. The right shop will be able to custom build you one.

Having said that I will also say that the cooling systems in these 69's and most other Lincoln vehicles are very well designed and have proven to be more than adequate to handle any high temperature service in the U.S.A. However this is only true if the complete cooling system is well maintained in all respects. If some other component of your engine cooling system is faulty a larger capacity radiator will not pick up the slack. I hope that the above helps you and please feel free to contact us further regarding your 69 at any time.

Sincerely,

Bill

When pursuing issues with the Autolamp and Auto Headlamp dimmer operation we advise to examine the circuit with the device switched to the Manual operation first. Many faults originate from the "easier to diagnose" manual side of the circuit and are wrongly deemed to be a difficult electronic issue. If a problem is found here in the manual position it can be corrected and the complete system may become perfectly operative again. Once the manual side is checked and found to be in working order you can then move to diagnosing the more complicated Automatic portion.

We cannot emphasize enough that a shop manual and wiring diagram is a must in order to help diagnose many of these electronic devices. Even if you are not doing your own repairs, your technician will appreciate the shop manual and schematics that you provide. The manuals can save you many dollars and time and if you ever sell your car they may prove to be a selling point.

Sincerely,

Bill and the Lincoln Land Staff