1992 towncar probs

Hello all , im new here . I just purchased a 92 towncar with a few probs .It has a 4.6 in it . The guy i got it from said he washed under the hood and thats when it started these probs .
it wont start unless you press gas pettle. just a little bit is all you need or it will race up. once started it runs great but idle serges at idle. dash lights dont work . and interieor lights wont turn off .i have to disconect batt or it will go dead . and when you drive down the road it shifts ok kinda holds 2nd for a while .but when you let off gas peddle it downshifts every time ,hit gas it upshifts . the shift handel was loos i tightend it up today . Could this be a sensor prob? any help apr ....its not slipping just downshifts when you let off gas . no noise shifts good otherwise . maby sensor?

car has 47,134 miles on it , great shape . i think its worth fixing .

Hello all , im new here . I just purchased a 92 towncar...
..car has 47,134 miles on it , great shape . i think its worth fixing .

Hey Bandit..
Sounds like you got yourself a grandmas in-town runner :)

The wash under the hood most likely filled up a few spark plug wells with a bit of water. Pop the wires off the top of the plugs (carefully) and use a blow gun in the plug wells to dry them out. Also blow out the wire ends before you re-seat them. Be Careful when you blow compressed air in there, there all sorts of shit in there that'll blind you if it hits your unprotected eyes. A rag over the blow gun would be a good idea.

The interior lights could be a problem... make sure all the switches are off. The rear compartment has rocker switches for your guests to use, sometimes they need to be nudged to the off position. Other than that, there may be a short somewhere... or a Pin Switch stuck.

The shifting problem definitely sounds like an adjustment on the Transmission end of the shifter cable. Hmmm, I can't remember if the 1992 has the TV Bushing problem... <minutes later> nope, it's the 5.0's with that problem.

Tightening the shifter: Was that loose at the bottom of the shift column? There's a plate down there that comes loose on some of our cars, it's held in place by 2 or 3 bolts. When that plate loosens, shift problems are the result. You can see it right away if you look under there and a buddy moves the lever.

Other than the column, yes -- there's adjustments to make on the other end where the cable mounts to the transmission. I have the 1992 FSM on CD, I can send you a copy if you'd like to read up on the process of these adjustments.



:popcorn:

Drop me a PM if your interested in the CD... I can't say how the mail service will be this time of year though :) (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/private.php?do=newpm&u=44517)

Thank you for the quick reply . I have sorted out some of the problems .
The reason the car would stall and surg at idle ,was because the idle sensor was bad , i unpluged it and problem fixed .
The reason the interior lights wouldnt go out , lol im dummy the switch was turned on .
The reason i have no dash or tail lights the switch is bad , if i jiggle it they work .
The reason it was downshifting and upshifting iraticly was because the shifter was really lose at the plate under the dash .
the hex bolts were almost completly unscrewed . now the shifter is nice and tight .
1 thing still messed up though . the trunk pops ok and the motor goes up but wont suck the trunk back down . ive pulled it apart and checked the brushes as well as tested it . it tested out fine . Any sugestions as to where to test wires . theres 3 going to motor starting from left

Ground /black
motor down power/orange
motor up power /red

where do these wires go inside car?
Thanks in advance
Chris

1 thing still messed up though . the trunk pops ok and the motor goes up but wont suck the trunk back down . ive pulled it apart and checked the brushes as well as tested it . it tested out fine . Any sugestions as to where to test wires . theres 3 going to motor starting from left

Ground /black
motor down power/orange
motor up power /red

where do these wires go inside car?


I don't know if the 92 is the same as my 96, but there are two 'limit switches' built into the pull down assembly on mine. If the Striker Bar doesn't hit one of the limit switches properly it won't pull down.

i've taken the switch off but havent taken apart yet . I think its the switch cause the motor tested out ok . it does have 2 switches though a huge one and a relly small one but the small one looks to be a directional stop switch .

There is also a switch in the trunk lid on the latch. It should operate the pull down motor by moving it back and forth. It's a two position switch, easy to test with a volt meter. Also on those limit switches for the motor, check to see that the tabs havent broken off.

Mike

There was a lot of discussion on the same trunk issue, search back and you will find it. I believe I posted quite a bit on that trunk pull down problem.

Mike