I'm having an issue with my 78 Continental Town Car. The horn won't work. It used to work just fine a couple weeks back, but then I took it in for an inspection (a safety for insurance) and it came out with no horn. Whenever I hop in and turn the key (to any position that activates the accessory power, including full ignition) there seems to be a slight hissing (maybe air?) from under the middle of the dash, which stops whenever I hit the horn button. But alas, no sound. I'm struggling to find where the hissing is coming from, but it seems constant. Any tips or help?

Also, just as a side note, would you happen to know anywhere where I can find replacement chrome bumpers? I've looked everywhere, but those things are hard to find for a beauty such as this!

Thanks in advance!
Tommy

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Hello Tom -

You have stated that your horn became non operative after you visited a shop for a vehicle inspection. As the horn circuit can be disabled at many locations I cannot imagine what this other shop may or may not have done with your car from our location here in Florida. Therefore if the problem isn't obvious a technician in your area would need to diagnose the horn circuit beginning from square one with the use of the correct wiring diagram and a test light. It is a simple circuit but the correct wiring diagram and the ability to read it is an asset. The horn circuit is all electric and cannot cause any hissing that I can think of. To find out where the hissing sound is coming from someone with a trained ear near the source should easily be able to locate it for you. Your car has many vacuum operated accessories and many of these are located under the dash so of course I cannot pinpoint the source of the hiss with your description of " a slight hissing from under the middle of the dash". The only item that may activate and emit a hissing noise when you turn the key to acc. or "ignition" is the optional "Auto Lamp" feature if your Lincoln is so equipped. Have you considered this possibility?

George or Chris will advise you regarding the bumpers that you require.

Sincerely,

Bill

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Greetings Sal -

We are glad that you are enjoying the blog. You are on the right track to consider "u-joints " as the cause of your vibration and clunk. A severe drive shaft out of balance and vibration issue can develop from worn u-joints. They should be carefully inspected with the car on a lift and replaced as necessary. Sometimes it is also necessary to re-balance the drive shaft. Another popular item to consider is the age and balance of the tires. Old tires can cause all sorts of vibrations. If your tires are aged, do not overlook the possibility that they may be contributing to some of the vibrations as well.

Sincerely,

Bill

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Hi John -

The knock that you describe sounds to me like detonation possibly caused by excess carbon deposits in the combustion chambers, engine overheating or the use of a poor grade of fuel. If so the knocking can be reduced by checking and adjusting your ignition timing or adjusting the vacuum advance unit ( If it is adjustable) . You can experiment with the above along with different octanes and brands of fuel to find out if the condition improves. An engine compression test will help to determine whether or not the engine is severely " carboned up". If you are concerned with the possibility of an engine bearing knock you will need to do an engine oil pressure test with the use of a master oil pressure gauge and the engine at FULL operating temperature. By the sound of your post though I think that you may find that the cause of the knock will likely be one of or a combination of the first suggestions above.

Sincerely,

Bill

I Have a problem with my steering on my 62 Lincoln, went to pull away from the curb and the steering wheel just went free wheel. I could just keep turning it and it is not engaged to the steering shaft? Could you suggest a possible problem and how I can get the steeling wheel apart. Not sure how to get the center cover off so I can start exploring the problem. I am worried that I might do some damage if I force it, or do it the wrong way. The steering wheel seems to flop slightly around as I turn it as well. Looking forward to a possible cause.

Regards,

Dale

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Greetings Dale -

The steering wheel is removed with a "steering wheel" puller as outlined in the service manual. I would not advise you to perform any repairs though unless you are familiar with the procedures. The steering wheel rarely separates from the shaft unless the driver completely ignores some previous severe looseness in the steering column area. There are other more certain possibilities to examine first that can be inspected without disassembling anything. These are the steering shaft Coupler above the steering box, the steering box Mounts and any parts in the steering linkage under the car. A good mechanic can diagnose and locate the problem for you in a very short time. I would advise you to visit one in the event that you cannot easily find the problem yourself.

Sincerely,

Bill

Could you tell me the correct way to remove the blower motor on a 1971 Mark III. Does the metal apron need to be completely removed? If so, how does it come out?

Larry

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Hello Larry -

The blower motor on a 1971 Mark III is not removed from behind the right front wheel splash shield. It is removed from inside the vehicle through the recirc door inlet area which is located in behind the right side kick panel. The complete recirc door assembly which includes the duct elbow must be removed in order to gain access to the blower motor. This procedure will be explained in detail and possibly along with drawings in the Shop Manual. A Shop Manual is a great asset and in most cases a "must have" when performing your own repairs on a car. We of course have the manuals and the necessary parts available if you will need them.

Sincerely,

Bill

It's me again, the guy with the bad cornering lamps and crooked steering wheel. Now I've got a whole new problem. I had stored my Lincoln Town Coupe away for the winter and when I pulled it out again for summer the alt light came on. It does every time I start it but when I start driving it goes off again, meaning there's just a fault somewhere that's otherwise harmless. Driving it from the shed to the house through the light stayed on. I had the battery disconnected all winter so the clock wouldn't drain. This concerned me because I knew if the light stayed on while in motion that meant there was a serious problem somewhere. I parked it by the house and left it there still hooked up, I came back a few hours later and it started up just fine, and again a few more hours later. I had no idea what was wrong because it seemed ok. So I left home for a few days and when I returned I found that the car's battery was stone cold dead. Upon trying to boost it the power components worked just find but it wouldn't crank, and when I disconnected the vehicle doing the boosting it was dead again, so that battery is toast. It worked fine all summer last year, and I had dropped $110 dollars into having the alternator redone, completely rewired engine, new voltage regulator, and a brand new battery. My battery cables are crap though, I need to replace them, could they be causing this? I don't understand how this could have happened just sitting in one place all winter. We just recently rat/mouse proofed the shed so that's got nothing to do with it, and I went out in plus weather and started it up to keep the blood flowing 2 or 3 times during the winter. Any suggestions?

Tanner

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Tanner -

If your battery cables are that bad of course you should replace them first. Then if the problem persists you would need to do a complete charging system and battery condition test even though you have already made repairs last year . This will tell you if the charging system is operating properly and if the battery is capable of receiving and maintaining voltage etc. during a load test. If your alt. light is on as you describe, the above tests will be necessary in order to diagnose the problem. It is possible that some underhood wiring has suffered a over winter "rodent chew" in a hard to see area.

Sincerely,

Bill

Congratulations for your great blog, it is so useful!

I'm Italian and I have a 79 Town Coupe' that has been to the Lincoln Land Shop.

Over the past there year I did several jobs to maintain it in good shape and I love it!
Some weeks ago a problem started. I hear a 'toc toc' under my feet! When the engine is at Idle, no problem and also when I put it in Drive with the brake on, no problem but as I start and the car runs I can hear this clunk improve as fast as the car goes under the feet in the center of the floor.

During the trip I tried to shift in Neutral with the car in movement and the noise disappeared! It seems only in traction and for sure in movement.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Best regards,

Christian

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Hello Christian -

If you have an unusual sound from under the vehicle that changes with speed etc. as you describe it could well be a bad u joint as you suspect. To eliminate that possibility or prove that you have a bad u joint, the car must lifted on a hoist and the u joints properly and carefully inspected for looseness etc. At this time other parts such as engine, transmission mounts and exhaust can also be checked out.

Sincerely,

Bill

Last year I purchased a complete and running 1965 Ivy Gold Lincoln Continental here on Kodiak Island. I have a problem with the charging system that no one can seem to solve. The alternator, voltage regulator, dash gauge and wiring have been gone through or been replaced new but the problem persists. The car will not go from charge to discharge so whenever I drive it the battery gets sucked of charge and the car dies after the battery is dead. The wiring appears to be correct and was even looked at by an auto electrician. But when the car is running if I disconnect the negative cable the car dies instantly. This would be a good indicator that the alternator is not running the ignition but the battery is. What else can I possibly do to fix this. I love this car and want to enjoy it but getting it to be a daily driver with this problem is impossible since I have to carry around two batteries with me at all times. Thanks for your time.

Al

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Greetings Al -

The charging system on the 64 and 65 Lincolns are unique to that era as the AMP gauge is very involved in the correct function of the whole electrical system as much of the power travels through this gauge. This amp gauge is also extremely problematic when and if it develops poor connections or short circuits at its connections behind the dash. Many technicians are not aware of this fact as they are familiar with the more common "Shunt" style of charge indicators. Assuming that your alternator,regulator and battery are correct and have been tested to be in "very good" working order and also not knowing the history of your car's electrical system I can offer the following advice. I would obtain the "correct" charging system wiring diagram for the car and using this schematic I would inspect the wiring for bad connections or alterations that a previous owner or technician may have performed to the wiring. You should begin though with a very careful visual inspection of the amp gauge connections behind the dash as it may be disconnected or burnt. If you do uncover a problem in this area the repair needs to be done accurately with the contacts well isolated and tight. If you have more information or require parts for the repair or further assistance please contact us by telephone and refer to this blog post.

Sincerely,

Bill

With a lot of patience we managed to get it roadworthy again and it is quite the car only 44,007 kms (approx. 27.5000 miles) The only problem I am still trying to resolve is the excessive play in the steering wheel. At present, there is approx. an inch of play in the wheel and I'm pretty sure that's more than what it should be. I know there is an adjustment screw on the top of the steering box but I'm thinking this is more for fine tuning vs. the amount of play I am experiencing.

As an experience pro can you offer me any suggestions? I've checked the underneath of the car and the steering components appear to be fine ...is there a chance this could be a steering column problem? Or, should I try adjusting the steering box first to see if I can get the play out?

Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated ...best regards.

Sincerely,

M.J.

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M.J. -

Nice to hear that you are keeping that Mark in the family. If you are seeing excess steering play do NOT adjust the steering gear box first. Instead do a complete examination of the steering components first. If you are not confident in doing this correctly yourself with the help of a friend do take the car to a trusted front end shop. This examination will include the very popular flexible Coupler or "rag joint" that is located between the steering box and the steering column shaft. This coupler is well known to fail and is relatively inexpensive to replace. The steering box will also be inspected carefully for excess play of its interior components as well as all of the other steering connectors between the box and the wheels. The total sum of all of the looseness will give you the amount of play that you are concerned with. From the sound of your post I think that the above mentioned coupler would be my first guess as the culprit.

Sincerely,

Bill

Recently my 97' Town Car has been having issues starting, especially when cold. I'll have to turn it over a few times and when it does start it sputters a bit before it roars to life. Any idea what might be happening?

Sincerely,

Leo

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Leo -

What have you done so far to correct this issue? Do you know the tune up maintenance history of the car and basic engine condition? If this information is unknown you should begin by performing basic tune up procedures which will include new quality high tension wiring and spark plugs as well as engine filters and battery condition etc. A possible neglected engine at 16 years old regardless of mileage will display exactly the symptoms that you are describing. If the above is found to be in good order then a visit to an automotive shop near your location that is skilled in the diagnosis and repair of the electronic engine controls etc. of these engines will be necessary in order to avoid guessing and replacing parts that are already in good working order.

Sincerely,

Bill

I have a question regarding the power window relays in my 1966 Lincoln Continental 4 door sedan, the master safety relay specifically. I am in the middle of getting all my power windows functional again. I have gotten all my switches back from being rebuilt (except the drivers side master control) and I tried testing a few out but they didn't work. I wasn't concerned about the switches being faulty (they aren't) so I have been chasing the electrical issue. All four up down relays are good, but when it came time to test the Safety relay I unfortunately discovered that it wasn't even there! My questions!..

1. Could this prevent all the switches from working (again I have only tested the three door controls I have gotten back). I wasn't sure if it acted like an open circuit in the system or something, I'm kind of electric impaired. That being said, is there any other things I should trouble shoot (other than motors which I know are good)

2. After 4 months of owning the car I'm starting to believe that the 66 Continental is the hardest to find parts for. I have looked everywhere for that relay and I found one for $175, and I came across Lincoln Land which rebuilds but it is a mandatory exchange. Do you guys have 1 that I could buy? or what would you recommend doing? I appreciate you letting me pick your brain on the matter.

Greg

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Hello Greg,

Without the power window safety relay the windows will only work when the By-pass switch is activated along with one of the window switches. On a complete working system the windows will also operate with the key in the Run or Acc. position. We certainly can supply you with a P/W safety relay if yours is missing but are you looking for this relay in the correct location? Call Lincoln Land and ask for Al. He will advise you exactly where this relay is located and at the same time be able to give you details of our replacements. Do you have a Service Manual with a correct wiring diagram?

Sincerely,

Bill

I checked it with a laser gauge at several locations and it checked at 220 to 225F at idle.

Please advise standard operating temperature, also is there a larger radiator available for the Mark III?

Any help with this is much appreciated.

Best regards,

Gene

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Greetings Gene -

Using a laser temperature gauge is a nice idea but we cannot rely on laser temperature readings to decide if an engine is overheating. To use this method correctly one would need to compare all of the readings and reading location areas with a similar engine that does not have an overheating problem. There is also no published correct laser temperature readings for a technician to compare with. The owners manuals and shop manuals usually point out where the temperature needle on your instrument cluster should read at certain times and and driving conditions. Many times a normal elevated reading is misinterpreted as an overheated engine. Your concerns of overheating of course are very valid and should be carefully and correctly verified. At Lincoln Land we would carefully check out your important cooling system components as follows. Your 71 MK III should be equipped with a seven blade cooling fan and the thermostatic fan clutch behind the blade MUST positively engage this blade on the warm and hot days at idle and low speeds as necessary to pull large amounts of air through the radiator. These two components are many times overlooked or NOT diagnosed correctly. The original three pass radiator in your car is of a capacity that will handle any driving condition in North America. If it was ever replaced with a lesser capacity rad. or if the possibility exists that it could have some blocked passageways it must be removed and properly serviced by a good known rad. shop. Always choose your radiator shop wisely as we have found that while there are many excellent ones out there, sadly some poor quality shops can do more harm than good. Of course the rest of the cooling system should have a good history of maintenance and coolant flushing etc. and the correct working engine thermostat and radiator cap should be in place. A small overlooked item such as a faulty rad. cap can spew coolant from the cooling system and give the illusion of an overheated engine. Good luck with your diagnosis and if you have any further information to provide us regarding the situation please let us know.

Sincerely,

Bill

-Randy

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Hi Randy -

That is an ambitious project. The original power window safety relay on a 1965 Lincoln is located behind the right kickpad panel near the passenger area foot well. The easiest access however is to remove the right splash shield behind the right front wheel. The relay can be found near the power antenna area.

Sincerely,

Bill

I just bought a 1959 Lincoln Premiere that has an electric fuel pump incorrectly mounted in the engine bay. It does not work properly. I have the original, mechanical fuel pump in good condition with good gaskets. My plan was to restore the car to original and put the mechanical pump back in. However, I keep reading that the fuel pump push rod and eccentric are prone to premature failure.

With your experience on these cars, is it generally unreliable to run the mechanical pump? Should I just mount a quality electric pump back by the tank and call it good?

Thanks!

-Jake

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Hello Jake -

At Lincoln Land we believe in restoring the original mechanical fuel pump system completely as designed and then installing the electric fuel pump as a back up device. When you do it this way the electric pump can also be used to prime the carburetor on those occasions when your vehicle has sat unused for a period of time. Priming the carburetor of course saves excess cranking of the engine before starting. We really like this idea because also there is always the risk of an electric pump failure and leaving you stranded.

Sincerely,

Bill

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Bill,

Sounds excellent. Thank you for the advice. Should I replace the fuel pump pushrod and eccentric as a precaution, or is that usually unnecessary? (Id like to avoid pulling the timing cover off if possible.) Also, should I expect about 6-7 psi from the stock pump at idle?

Thanks!

-Jake

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Jake -

The decision to replace certain " hard to get to" parts only as a precaution is a personal choice that only you should make as we have no idea of the condition of your present fuel pump drive parts or the history of the engine maintenance. If you do decide to proceed you should also consider replacing other parts that you will be removing and uncovering such as the water pump, fan clutch and timing chain and gears etc. Personally I would only replace the fuel pump push rod at this time as it can be done with the front cover intact.

Our shop manual indicates a fuel pump pressure testing specification of 4-6 lbs. Are you working on this Lincoln without a Shop Manual? We hope that the above advice helps you make the correct decisions for your repair.

Sincerely,

Bill

Just bought a 1966 Lincoln, all the lights come on yet have I have no turn signals or break lights on passenger side once I step on pedal. Would the hazard switch missing in glove box cause this problem? I've replaced all flashers and bulbs in car.

Thanks,

DDB

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DBB -

If one side of the vehicle has stop lights and turn signals and the other side does not I would be leaning towards a Turn Signal Switch problem or that someone has altered the wiring in an effort to repair the circuit without consulting the wiring diagram. I would begin by tracing the power path from the brake light switch, brake relay and through the t/s switch with the use of the correct wiring diagram for the car. If your 1966 Lincoln is equipped with the Tilt Steering wheel option the turn signal switch will be adjustable and located in the lower steering column area. At that time you could also trace out and repair the Hazard Light circuit with the aid of the same wiring diagram. While tracing the circuits be on the lookout for non factory altered or spliced wiring etc. The absence of the hazard light switch in the glove box is a mystery though. I would wonder why anyone would remove it and not want that feature to function.

Sincerely,

Bill