93 power drain , no cluster , thumping in dash

[jackofroses]

hi , i havent posted in a while....

i love town cars because they are first to turn up when you look for a good cheap car.... mine have all gotten between 18 and 25 mpg.... (depending on my foot)
a few years back , i bought a 95 town car with 225k that ran like a kitten , and had many new parts...... unfortunately it was owned by an elderly gentleman, who fancied himself a mechanic(?) while it purred like a kitten , there was much wrong with the body , and parts changed out improperly.... finally a rear freeze plug took it out of commission at 240k.... still got it , still runs .... still has sweet stainless duallies under it.....

then i got a later 95 with higher mileage..261k...... it was much more run down , but not by a hack mechanic... I blew the rear end , and used a big shoehorn to put a limited slip from a 91 mustang gt under it (30k ago) it shreiks and whines and screams , and the computer is very confused , (reads 44mph= 55 mph) or 1 to 1.2..... other than that , we're golden ... ive swapped out most everything on the axles and supension , and it rides/drive like a dream....... then i blew a head gasket =[..... whats this blue devil head gasket in a can stuff?.... i'll give it a shot.... don't wanna play with overhead cams , and if it fails , i've still got another engine....... i miight as well change out the whole cooling system , since its there , right. 15k more miles , so far, so good. so i'm guessing (adjusting) around 290k miles and still hangin' in) how far DO they go?? going strong considering the howl , and the goo in the water jacket.... the headliner is desintegrating, and a/c needs help..... car is gold, ugly and mean looking

enter my newest town car ..... a pretty black 93..... 125k same car only completely different i think the engine block , and steel are the same....
clean, runs ok , handles good, dash is totally different from the 95's but still digital ..... looks like the same components in different mountings.

this car has a power drain , and an unresponsive instrument panel/computer/radio...... all the lights and the heater and such still work...

the climate control panel has been badly abused , but still seems to work ok.... you can hear a 'thump' in the dash like a servo just not connecting and spinning into a broken linkage.....

my biggest question is

A: will the 95 parts actually fit in that 93 dash? or even the whole dash?

and

b: how do i disable the airbags (they scare the devil outta me)


thanks

grand total :

three town cars , three years 4k , in prices and repairs ..... still have two that run like bears

 

[tixer]

Hey Jack, welcome back!

Sadly, the 90-97 Town Cars are my "missing link." so most of this will be guesswork based upon what I have learned from my '86 and '99 town cars.

I don't think they changed a whole lot between 93 and 95, and both cars should be OBD1. I'd guess that most of the wiring and mounting points would be the same. Certainly worth investigating.

As for the air bags, I assume you are referring to the impact air bags rather than the suspension air springs? If so, I believe there are some fuses you can pull to disable those. You'll know if you get it because the "air bag" light will illuminate.

For your thump in the dash, I'm going out on a bit more of a limb. On my '86, the various flaps within the climate control box that adjust the airflow from dash to floor to defrost were all hinged by flexing plastic. There was no actual mechanical hinge. I discovered that that plastic eventually broke, at which point the actuators were just shoving these things around inside the airbox without actually sealing against any surfaces. I eventually tore the thing apart (in one of my heater-core replacement jobs) and removed all the broken flaps. If memory serves, it left me being able to select between "defrost" and "everywhere else." But that was good enough for me..

 

[jackofroses]

thanks .....
the small bit that is visible is the same.... yeah i was referring to the impact air bags..... they cant discharge without power? .... i knew about the fuse , but didn't know if that would completely disable them(it)



i dont much care for the other airbags either..... all three cars have been converted.....
i'm still trying to think of something cool to use the compressors for

defrost or not defrost would work for me too


you know , a lot of the 93 interior parts seem more compatible with my 78 ford truck.

i tried putting the big 95 leather seats in it , but they were just TOO big!!! these 93 velour ones look quite a bit smaller

 

[tixer]

The air bags are ignited electronically, but use a chemical process to inflate. So pulling the fuse would prevent the electrical signal from getting from the sensor (or hopefully anywhere else) to the air bag's ignitor to inflate it. It'd be tough to discharge without power, but maybe not impossible?

See here for more detail:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/airbag1.htm

I pulled the air suspension out of my '99, too. The compressor and both bags were shot. as much as I love the idea of self-load-leveling, I just couldn't justify the added expense. (for now, anyway)

Good luck with your truck interior upgrade. I want to see photos of that.

 

[jackofroses]

thanks for that air bag info .... good to know.

the rain finally let up a little while today while i was home.... i was able to locate a bad fuse
(was somewhat less than difficult) ... and all the broken electronics spring to life. i could have sworn the guy said he checked all the fuses....... oh well, his loss..... i'm guessing im going to take that 'power drain' issue with a grain of salt , too..... it was likely left with a light on somewhere.

i need to work on the drivers door panel , and the back door window, and a full blown tune up(runs rough at first) change a taillight cover, clean it up, and i should be in business.


im a happy camper (except for the rain)

 

[jackofroses]

btw , my truck is more or less a shell... i've rebuilt both axles , and about half the front end suspension. the engine runs good, and has been about 1/2 tuned up...the interior is basically gutted at this point,and I plan to get a brand new wiring harness. there is a good core here , whats here is decent. I guess its just a long term project. I guess im waiting to stumble across a fully loaded, fully dressed rust bucket that falls into my lap.

young me would have crammed it all in one piece in one weekend and hit the woods.

old me has had it two years , and really isn't in a hurry to ever get it finished up.

one piece at a time.

 

[casper]

Clicking noise behind dash is the blend door actuator. The gears inside are stripped, and it is trying to move the blend door, but can't.

You can get a new one from ford for $59.

You have to pull the dash and drop the steering column to get to it, it's behind the glove box towards the center.
Pulling the dash out away from the cowl about 2 inches will give you enough room to make the repair without unhooking any wires.

Once this repair is made, your defrost/ vent/ heat will function properly

The electrical problem on my Town Car turned out to be the trunk pull down switch.

I removed it, and used a battery charger to pull the trunk down to a closed position. The trunk still opens with the button, but you have to push it closed.

 

[jackofroses]

thanks , casper.... i finally got around to putting it on the road , today.

it went down the road , and to the inspection station pretty well.
seems a bit sluggish about shifting (its been sitting awhile)

dash is still thumping , and i havent yet decided what im going to do about it.
i may just have it fixed . sounds kinda like a nightmare.

I got it some fancy full synth 10-30 and a bottle of slick50 , and a jug of transX for the sluggish shifting tranny.
some lucas upper engine lube/injector cleaner , and some spiffy bosch platinum plugs.

should get me going with it

 

[casper]

It may have an AOD trans in it.

Does it have an O around the D in the PRND21?

Does it have a switch to turn on/off the O/D?

If no switch, it's an AOD, you need to adjust the TV cable.

If a switch, you need to pull the codes to find out what's going on

 

[jackofroses]

it has a o/d switch.
i don't really think its that , though , because it has plenty of get up and go when its moving along....
its more a case of the valve body hanging up , and staying in the higher gear a bit too long, so the car just doesn't want to go 35 mph right now .... 30 is fine , or 45 is fine....(speeds are just rhetorical numbers, and will vary) .... the car has been sitting a long while , if it doesn't smooth out , i'll change the fluid, filter and gasket.

today it tried the 'dead spot on the starter/ flywheel trick' ..... like it was some kind of general motors product. It only did it once , and i just turned the motor via the fan , and it was good to go ...... i'll be swapping that starter though, with one from the parts car

 

[jackofroses]

so today i found some time to spend with the 93.
changed the oil / filter and the plugs.
while changing the plugs i noticed that the big plastic air cleaner/ plenum adapter thing was broken , and just a very inferior design , so i modified a 95 one to fit.... that was the stalling issue, i'll bet.
put a radio in it , dont laugh , where i live fm isn't much of an option....(gotta have cds).
the ant seems to be stuck 1/2way up , but seems to work.
underneath , it seems to be a bit of a grease pit.
i'm seeing antifreeze on the oil filter (bottom hose?) and some pink ps fluid running around , too... the wipers work but the washer fluid pump doesn't seem to.

i scrubbed the pitch covered (what i thought was) , black paint job , and it turned out to be a really pretty metalflake deep purple colored lacquer. the wet sanding/ buffing never got finished... i don't need perfect, but i'd like to get this looking a bit better than it is right now.

there is primer on the tires (i hate that)
and i have no idea what to do with the cloth top. it needs a lot of help. (i'll take pics tomorrow)

 

[jackofroses]

here it is ..... because its a dismal day , it looks more black than purple

 

[jackofroses]

the fancy lacquer is at almost an equal level of unfinishedness all over the car.

front spoiler needs some help ...... i'll swap it out with the one from the part car .... i may have to paint that black. i think the plate holder would look better black too.

ive got five of these wheels .... each sports a liberal helping of light gray primer overspray, and a decent p215r70....... there are several missing mouldings , too

for today's lesson , this is how NOT to wetsand (why, because it'll look like this)

of course chip made an appearance , as well

what ever will i do about this nasty top?

i'm thinking of carefully cutting off the offending bead , and covering it wiith a stick-on molding

but that wont help this.

or this

i need help to figure those out.

the color change isn't too brutal

something here just ain't quite right.


heh one 95 tail light , one 93 an 'innie' and an 'outtie'

inside looks ok

cept this

and this

modified air cleaner

whats this?

as you can see i've got some work to do ;]

 

[driller]

That should be the EEC-IV data connector for checking PCM codes.

 

[tixer]

It looks like you have your work cut out for you! If memory serves, those cables that driller pointed out are normally tucked into a plastic "cap" that is secured to the hole in the fender visible in that photo.

I /might/ have a climate control gizmo for you. I pulled it out of a '95(ish) mark at a junkyard, but it sure looks a lot like that one. I'd have to dig it out of the box to be sure.

I don't really know what to say about that padded roof.. I know that they can be replaced, but it is expensive. Who knows what you would find if you tried to peel it off..

 

[Lvnmarks]

From what i have heard its best just to leave those soft tops on, and replace when needed. those things compleatly desroy the roofs.


Looks fairly rust free though, wish I could say that about mine.....

 

[jackofroses]

thanks guys ....

ok , i remember the capped thing in my car.... I'll find the unit that that cable plugs into.
it shouldn't be flopping around like that.

i have a climate control controller in my parts car ..... i don't even think that i'll need the whole unit , as mine works properly, it just has the broken buttons/ faceplate....
gonna have to hunt down that 'thump' eventually anyways.

i don't think i want to lose the top (but i don't like them) for two reasons.
my roof on my tc is just one big oil can..... its too big of a flat panel to ever work the waves out of.
and
anything i might do to the car would need to be not-quite-cured lacquer friendly.
there is a spray-on vinyl top , but its nasty stuff and not recommended over fresh paint.

there must be a cleaner , conditioner and sealer for them, and something to cover up that overspray.
the beads that i was referring to cutting off , appear to be mostly superficial. the back one looks like it could just come off and would look fine

the only spot thats lifting is part of a bolt on bit on the door.
if i can't fix it , i'll find another one in the junkyard

 

[driller]

ok , i remember the capped thing in my car.... I'll find the unit that that cable plugs into.
it shouldn't be flopping around like that.

It doesn't really plug into anything. It is simply the data-port for the code reader. Usually there is a 'cap' secured to the fenderwell or other structure that secures the harness connector from simply 'flopping around'.

You really don't require a code reader either - a simple alternative procedure will perform the diagnostic tests.

http://oldfuelinjection.com/files/self_test.pdf

 

[jackofroses]

yup. i mean to say 'cover' .....the wires inside just look like they are getting corroded.

i have four fords averaging 20 years each .... not one has 'tin fleas' (much) certainly no 'cancer'....... one of the bonuses to living in the south. if this were massachusetts, my old truck would probably cease to exist completely ;] , with all the bare metal on it