90 TC vs. 93 TC + Antilock light shining

M

madfordz

Registered
Experts,
I am contemplating two TC's - A dark blue 90 and a light blue 93. The 90 has around 150k on the clock and the 93 has 163k on it. Both are priced around $1k. Obviously, the earlier car has the 5.0, which I honestly prefer, even though it is somewhat underpowered with the restrictive exhaust and all vs. the 93. I just have a penchant for roller 5.0's because I have experience tweaking them, but in this case, I am trying to be reasonable.

So, here are my questions -
1) are there any serious reasons that I would not want the 90 other than engine preferences, i.e., are there any known problems with this being a redesign year and the only year of the of this particular model/body style design to carry the 5.0?
2) are there any upsides or downsides to any other systems on the car (suspension, etc.) on the 93 vs. the 90 or vise-versa?
3) is there anything in particular about EITHER of these cars that I should beware of before I pick one to buy?
4) (most subjective questions of all)...of all of you guys that own or have owned one or both of these cars, which do you prefer and why?

Oh...almost forgot - the Antilock light is shining on the 93. Is that likely a sensor and if so, where is it located and how hard is it to replace? I have access to a 92 parts car that is wrecked and was as smooth as butter before the crash, so I know I can probably get whatever I need off of it. Is this a common problem with these cars (not the crashing part, the antilock malfuntionpart (for all of you wiseguys out there!!!))? ;)

Thanks for your time guys.

m
 
RE: 90 TC vs. 93 TC + Antilock light shining

I see everyone is just jumping up and down to help you out!

I can't really say which one is the better buy. I'm not sure what's wrong with the ABS on the '93, but maybe you could take it by Autozone and see if they can scan it. It might just be a wheel speed sensor, in which case it shouldn't be too hard to replace. If it's a module of some sort, it'll probably be too expensive.

I think the suspension on both of those cars is about the same, but i'd take a look at both and see if the air bags look bad, or if there are reciepts for replacing them. That can be an expensive repair (not that expensive if you do it yourself, though) that will eventually have to be done, if it hasn't been done already.

Both the 4.6 and the 5.0 are good engines. If you have a preference for the 5.0 and more knowledge about it, go for that one. But the 4.6 is as good an engine, if not a better engine, than the 5.0. So i'd recommend you make your decision based on the conditions of both cars.

Good luck!
 
RE: 90 TC vs. 93 TC + Antilock light shining

Thanks for your thoughts Dave. I will probably just go with the one that is cheapest to get into. Other than the engine, it does not seem like there is that much difference, so I guess it would boil down to preferences. Both are relatively clean for the money so it will probably be a wash either way I go.

One thing that I didn't consider though is that with the 93, I have that 4.6 that I could play with some. I could take the heads, intake, engine management, etc off of my broken Mark VIII and swap them onto the TownCar. That would make for one heck of a dohc Town Car, assuming the shortblocks are the same for the sohc and dohc 4.6's. Anyone know of someone who has done this "modular" swap? Did it work? Will it work? Is it worth the hassle?

m
 
RE: 90 TC vs. 93 TC + Antilock light shining

There are people who have done the SOHC to DOHC swap, but i don't know anyone personally. I think there are a few small differences, you'll either have to plug or drill a hole or two somewhere, but other than that it's straightforward. You might be able to find more info at forums.modulardepot.com
 
RE: 90 TC vs. 93 TC + Antilock light shining

Dave,

thanks for turning me on to the modular forum. Although no one over there has answered my questions about the 4v for 2v swap, there is a ton of info about mod motors there. So at least I now have a deep resource for any playing I might want to do with my "broken" Mark VIII motor.

In the meantime, I think I am gonna get the 90 Town Car. The guy that has it wants to trade for an 87 Cressida Wagon that I have and I am inclined to take the Lincoln. I can do all kinds of stuff to the Lincoln that I can't do to the Toyota and plus, I know how to work on it and it just looks cooler. So I will soon be tweaking this Town Car with appearance items like a paint job, mildly tinted windows, 17 or 18 inch wheels and dual exaust to start (and the obligitory sound system upgrade, of course). Tben if it doesn't break or show any tendency to be moving towards breaking (as it does have 150K on the clock), I will probably do a bit of intake adjustment to help it breath better. Who knows where to from there.

Again, thanks for the resources on the mod motors and for chiming in about this purchase. Seems like no one else is talking much in this particular forum.

Cheers,
m
 
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