'91 towncar dash lights...

[tackbradley]

hi, my '91 towncar has a digital dash, when the car idles the dash lights flicker as well as the interior lights. any ideas? also, does anyone know where i can get lincoln paint? the primer started showing through and i want to re-paint it. if i cant find lincoln black then im going with hot pink sparkles with black stars!!! haha any help would be amazing!

~Jason

[Towncar]

Be concerned !!

I've heard of this problem getting better with some maintenance, but sometimes it's never fully resolved.

As you most likely know already, your TC can catch fire all by itself, without warning, sitting parked in your garage, and burn your house down with it.

This problem has been attributed to the wire harness connecting to the alternator. The same problem causes what you've described as flickering lights.

What happens there is, the harness and connector are made of crap plastic that gets brittle and falls apart under heated conditions (like next to an engine) and then the wires short out, TC goes up in flames.

To correct the problem, disconnect the alternator at the plastic plug, clean up all the connections, replace the plug with a new one from the dealer.

This should also correct your flickering lights problem. If not, you need to disconnect, clean, and re-connect all your body/engine ground straps. I've heard of some folks adding additional ground straps near the alternator, starter, and transmission.

See flamingtowncars.com for some additional information.

[ltdltc]

The cars that were attributed to catching fire were the 1992-1993s. It was because of a component to the cruise control. I had this recall done on one of my 1992s.

I don't think it was because of the alternator.

But in any event check your battery and electrical system for any irregularities. It may lead you to a faulty component and getting the lights to stop flickering.

[Towncar]

Originally Posted by ltdltc

...I don't think it was because of the alternator...

Ahh yes, I stand corrected. It was the 91~93 Trucks where the alternator's burst into flames while running. Bad connector's.

Still, the same connection, and grounds have been discussed as the cause of flickering lights in the dash and elsewhere.

There's also been talk of contaminated connections in the cluster assembly itself, causing eratic lighting effects in that assembly.

[tackbradley]

ok, the lights stopped dimming after i got the fuel pump replaced and replaced the battery...weird. now there is a weird vibrating noise under the hood that the mechanic cant explain. plus it now sounds like the exhaust has a leak...damn!
the vibrating sound is like two hollow metal tubes vibrating together and it is from the front of the car. we looked and couldnt figure out where the sound was coming from. it sat for about a month before i got the fuel pump fixed...any ideas?
thanks for the other posts to help me out, i really appreciate it!!!

~Jason

[Towncar]

Sounds like time for the Stethoscope method.
I'd check the alternator bearings, waterpump bearings, AC compressor bearings, and any other device connected via pulleys. Another way to eliminate all these at the same time is to remove the drive belts to check the noise effects.

[trans-am-kid]

It also cold be the clamps holding your exuast system, and the flickering could just be a bad altenator itself. I have delt with these problems before. I had two lincolns go up in flames because of electrical problems. I must have at least spent 2500$ on electrical equiptment on other lincolns Ive had in the past.

[tackbradley]

OH MY GOD!!! this thing is a bucket!!! i have always wanted a towncar cause i had an 81' and i loved it!!! so now i got a 91' with just over 92,000 miles on it and ive had nothing but problems...im super glad i found you guys.......now i have a real problem!!!
i started driving away from my house and the check engine light came on right away, then a grinding sound from under the car. so i pulled over and shut it off. then i waited a minute and started it again and there was the sound again...i let it run for about 10 seconds. when i was about to shut it off the noise stopped and she sounded sweet and ran super smooth...for about 5 seconds then the sound came back hard and it was louder then before. so i shut it off and when i got out i smelt like a metal to metal burning smell. i have no idea and im afraid to start it and i dont wanna tow to a garage and get ripped off.
any ideas? i appreciate the help and i will check the belts as soon as i get this problem fixed.
***you guys have been a huge help and i appreciate it more then you know.
oh and when it was running hard i opened the door and the sound and the smell seemed to be coming from under the car.
should i just sell it?
thanks guys,
~Jason

[Mac626]

Sounds like you're current and previous problems are related. I'm betting a set of bearings fried. Take the belt(s) off and try to turn the altenator, compressor, and water pump manually. You should be able to determine which one is bye bye.

[tackbradley]

you mean bearings under the hood? not the wheels right?

~Jason

[Towncar]

Originally Posted by tackbradley

you mean bearings under the hood? not the wheels right?
~Jason

Hey Jason..
It's been almost a month.... what have you done under the hood to determine where the noises are coming from?

Have you removed the S belt yet and hand-spun the individual belt driven components?

Now you'll need a code scanner as well, if you don't already have one. Their fairly cheap for the OBD-I anywhere from $10 to $30 will read the codes stored with the "check engine" light.

Remove the S belt, or pulley belts (whatever was used in 91) and run the engine for a few seconds to see if the noises are still present.

Spin the pulleys of all the components, Alternator, Air Pump, Water Pump, Air Cond. Comp., and whatever else is left in there.

Something is making the noises, something is making the smell.
If it's the engine, short block it should be obvious with everything else temporarily disconnected and you run it for a few seconds.

Whomever you pay to diagnose these problems will end up doing essentially the same thing.

[tackbradley]

hey guys, i appreciate your help but i am not good with tools (not to mention i have none). i build drums so i only have woodworking tools. i was hoping one of you would know what it might be or i was hoping it was something minor. the only question i can think to ask is...what sound does a towncar make when the trannie is bad or going or if its low on fluid? the car was shifting fine before this problem but it sounds like its coming from under the car by where the trannie would be. i live Long Island N.Y. and mechanics are notorious for ripping people off. but i think its all i can do now. unless someone has a good idea, but without tools its hard. thanks soo much guys, i really appreciate you guys helping me out! thanks!!!

~Jason

[tackbradley]

WOW,
Steven and Mac...you were right about the bearings. it was the alternater. so my friend replaced it with a used one from the junkyard and that lasted a few months. then i got a bunch of other things done cause i was taking it to ohio (12 hour drive). he told me he replaced egr valves (why the check engine light was on) and cleaned out carbon from a tube. took the car to ohio and on the way home check engine light came on again.
heres where the crap really started. i would start going ad it would shift all good but as soon as i would drop down to about 20 mph (second gear), then try to accelerate it would rumble and not drop down to first gear for the acceleration i needed. my mechanic tried about 6 different things that i had to pay for that did nothing!!! then he charged me $350 to bring it to his trannie guy and he adjusted something that made it shift a little different...not better or worse, just different, but did nothing with the problem i was having. so the mechanic told me abaout a computer recall bulliten from LINCOLN. he replaced that for $250 and now it still does what it did but it doesnt make the rumbling sound anymore. still wont shift right and when i hit the gas after dropping down to 2nd.gear, it jerks and bucks a little until i floor it and it finally kicks in and i have acceleration.
i paid this jerk $2200 to NOT fix the problem? what should i do? take him to court? he said he spen numerous hours working on it and didnt charge me for that labor. i could have spent half of that on a new engine.
if you guys have any idea on what this could be please let me know. when i accelerate from a stand still and it goes through the gears the right way, it drives amazing! i think its something small but i reall dont know what to do.

im begging you guys to please help me out. i have no money left after this and im about to lose my apt cause of this.
thanks again for all the help...i cant thank you enough!!!

~Jason

[Towncar]

Originally Posted by tackbradley

....if you guys have any idea on what this could be please let me know. when i accelerate from a stand still and it goes through the gears the right way, it drives amazing! i think its something small but i reall dont know what to do.

~Jason

Hi again Jason,
I've been away for awhile, Happy New Year... bet it was nice over there

Have a look at this article. It describes a very small part that causes large problems. Also, you don't need any tools to fix it

[tackbradley]

dude, i dont even know where this is. im pretty lost under the hood. you think this will fix my problem? i'll see if my friend can help me out. if this fixes the problem, should i take the mechanic to court? after spending over 2 g's and still not fixed seems wrong to me haha!!!