The Unofficial "Ask a Stupid Question" Thread

NEURO said:
Sounds like you have a Town Car, which you probably already know is a Panther with different skin & trim.
And yes, never sell her if you've got her sorted out and she's doing good.
They're probably one of the most trouble-free, inexpensive, and easy platforms to own & work on.

Our Birds are also mostly trouble-free and inexpensive to work on for the most part, though they have their quirks.
Our biggest problem is finding many parts & interior/exterior body and trim pieces.

NOTE: The early generation of the new Town Car design around 1990 had an issue with the new 4.6L that burned oil...if I recall correctly, oil was getting past the rings(?). They're infamous for blowing smoke out the tailpipe. I forget the details and when Ford fixed the issue, but it's easy to look up.
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K

Post in thread 'Thinking of getting a 04 Town Car'

Vicinity said:
Sweet sweet. Are those art deco style wheels? I want more angles :)

I was thinking about getting into this forum, because Lincolns of Distinction is way too quiet

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that intake seems to be a real PI. I’d be nice not to have to worry about plastic cracks.
 
Kidd-7 said:
that intake seems to be a real PI. I’d be nice not to have to worry about plastic cracks.
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I've only heard second hand, but the old Professional Products intakes were allegedly down about 5hp versus a real PI. I have absolutely no data to back this claim up. The upside is you can open these up and port them. Certainly the durability over the plastic would be a big positive.
 
So what J-mod (if any) does one do if the sole purpose is transmission longevity, and one likes the way it feels and shifts exactly as it is in stock form? More of a if it ain't broke, don't fix it?
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
So what J-mod (if any) does one do if the sole purpose is transmission longevity, and one likes the way it feels and shifts exactly as it is in stock form? More of a if it ain't broke, don't fix it?
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I'd like to know this myself.
I know that the J-Mod will extend tranny life...but from what I read, a typical J-Mod will provide quicker & sharper shifts, which I DO want, instead of the lazy shifts. I still prefer my Sport have the comfy touring feel and don't want the tranny slamming into gear.
 
That's what did. Originally I had no lower spring with the 1-2 and no spring for the 2-3 pistons. Shifts got to be a little old with the tune I had and put the bottom spring in with both pistons which helped a lot. Now I have another EEC with no tune the shifts are quick but no harsh.

Joe
 
NEURO said:
I'd like to know this myself.
I know that the J-Mod will extend tranny life...but from what I read, a typical J-Mod will provide quicker & sharper shifts, which I DO want, instead of the lazy shifts. I still prefer my Sport have the comfy touring feel and don't want the tranny slamming into gear.
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The larger you make the hole, the faster the fluid flows in, and so the quicker and sharper the shifts. The springs kind of act as a damper against the fluid flow, allowing the shift to happen progressively instead of all at once. With no springs, the shifts are decidedly harsh. If you want race car feel, then that’s the way to go. By leaving the springs in place, it can still be firm with the larger holes, but it will still shift smoothly under normal driving.
 
MadMikeyL said:
The larger you make the hole, the faster the fluid flows in, and so the quicker and sharper the shifts. The springs kind of act as a damper against the fluid flow, allowing the shift to happen progressively instead of all at once. With no springs, the shifts are decidedly harsh. If you want race car feel, then that’s the way to go. By leaving the springs in place, it can still be firm with the larger holes, but it will still shift smoothly under normal driving.
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Thanx for the info 8-)
 
One of the most common and earliest wear points for the 4r70 is the torque converter clutch. When it starts to wear, it creates a shuddering as it engages, and the only fix at that point is replacing the torque converter. One of the changes in the formulation of MerconV was to address this, but it can still happen even with clean fluid. The ECM modulating it is actually part of the problem. With the small hole, it takes longer for that clutch to fill and engage, and when the ECM is rapidly turning that solenoid on and off, the fluid can’t flow in and out fast enough, and the clutch wears and shudders. Making this hole significantly larger will resolve this problem, especially if done before the TCC shudder has presented itself.
 
MadMikeyL said:
One of the most common and earliest wear points for the 4r70 is the torque converter clutch. When it starts to wear, it creates a shuddering as it engages, and the only fix at that point is replacing the torque converter. One of the changes in the formulation of MerconV was to address this, but it can still happen even with clean fluid. The ECM modulating it is actually part of the problem. With the small hole, it takes longer for that clutch to fill and engage, and when the ECM is rapidly turning that solenoid on and off, the fluid can’t flow in and out fast enough, and the clutch wears and shudders. Making this hole significantly larger will resolve this problem, especially if done before the TCC shudder has presented itself.
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Concerning clutch wear...my '97 4.6L has only 70K miles on her (all original car and engine/tranny) and the tranny fluid/filter has been flushed (including the TC) by me with Motorcraft MercV at regular intervals when I felt it was needed.

Considering that I only put about 1K miles/year on the car and have no transmission issues, is a J-Mod advised or is a waste or would cause issues?

Also, just for my FYI, what's the typical mileage on these trannies before they exhibit the shuddering issue or begin to slip & wear out, when they're properly maintained?

Thank you 8-)
 
The j-mod is always a good idea if you want the trans to last. The TCC shudder I have seen as low as 40k miles, and I’ve seen cars with 150k miles that don’t have it, so there isn’t a particular mileage that it occurs at. It was more of a problem on the 94/95 cars, but it does still happen on 96+ 4r70s.
 
NEURO said:
what's the typical mileage on these trannies before they exhibit the shuddering issue
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Anecdotal response from my end:
I bought the car with 40,000 miles on it, 26 years old, with factory fill transmission fluid. Several months into owning it, I had the shudder for the first time. There had been plenty of opportunities for it to happen before then, and it didn't; so I concluded that it indeed was the first time, not just under my ownership, but the first time altogether. Within a few days, I flushed the transmission fluid. Since then, four years of ownership, over 50,000 miles added, and two drain/fills, it has not happened a single time.

I think it was really a fluid issue, and I'm telling myself that the clutch is just fine.
 

So I can across this product a lil while back. Pretty much it allows you to use Tesla rear calipers (they have an Ebrake). Getting ride of the stock cable driven one foot brake.

image.jpg

I’d love to use the rear brembos I got a while back on the rear of the bird but they have no provision for a hand brake.

That’s where this controller comes into play, it would control the locking/unlocking of a Tesla model s rear e brake, such as this one.


The biggest thing obviously would be making an adapter bracket for, the brembo AND the e brake.

I asked my pops and he says you can control it instead with something as simple as a window switch haha.

Thoughts?
 
MadMikeyL said:
The ECM modulating it is actually part of the problem
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...thinking about this more, this actually makes me want to reconsider my manual TCC disable idea.

Why did I drop that idea again? I think I figured I could just tap the brake, but the TCC just comes right back on once I get back on the throttle, including uphill.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
...thinking about this more, this actually makes me want to reconsider my manual TCC disable idea.

Why did I drop that idea again? I think I figured I could just tap the brake, but the TCC just comes right back on once I get back on the throttle, including uphill.
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Press harder on the gas...
Yes, sometimes I have to hit it another time,but usually when I tap the brake, I go hard on the gas after. I hate the pinging that happens if the tcc doesn't unlock with just the gas pedal.
My acceleration is way better with a brake tap first, though people behind me may assume I am a two footer.
I am ghandi by then anyway, so they don't see me until the next light.
🤣
 
How many drive cycles does it take for a CEL take to clear on its own after the issue has been resolved?
 
I usually do three drive cycles of five minutes or more with an average speed at or above 25mph. That is on later model stuff, but I'm guessing still applies to our old junk.
 
Some codes may not clear; on emissions stuff, iirc it's 3 good ones. O2 sensors is my experience there.
 
Are factory or TRW front LCAs worth rebuilding? And does energy suspension or anyone else make poly or solid bushings for those?
 
Kidd-7 said:
Are factory or TRW front LCAs worth rebuilding? And does energy suspension or anyone else make poly or solid bushings for those?
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No, it’s still better value to just replace, but long run they might be worth holding onto if supply dries up

Poly won’t be good in the inboard bushing, and solid just plain won’t work with the way the arm essentially is guided by the strut rod
 
I’m assuming that’s because the arm needs to move laterally with the strut rod?
Not only for alignment, but the suspension movement would be a semi circle because of the strut rod…
 
I have a small oil leak from the oil drain plug, what’s the recommended gasket or fix?
 
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