'99 Lincoln Continental Refurbishment

[Svets96]

Well its been awhile since the last update. A lot of things are going on currently, business wise. So I found a problem with my emergency brake light will not illuminate on the dashboard when e-brake is on. I checked my Continental workshop repair manual and could not find anything. So I searched on the internet to find that the e-brake switch might be stuck or need replacing. The manuals do not say how to take out the switch. The switch itself is really crammed in there. I do not know what to take apart in order to do the job effectively. Trying to come up with a plan.

Here is the picture of the switch it is white:

Here is a better angle, I've circled the switch in yellow. Now it may look like there is a screw to take out and replace it, but that is not the case when you are looking at it underneath the dash. Especially when blood is rushing to your head! :

 

[Svets96]

I had thought about getting the headlight film kit from this company: http://www.xpel.com/

Weathertech also has a kit for around $55.00 which is $20 cheaper then xpel kit.

Some people had used the xpel with great results.

Has anyone here done this? Can you post results??

 

[Svets96]

I had refurbished my wiper arms both drivers and passenger sides. They looked kind of weathered, the black paint was slowly flaking off, showing the bare aluminum. In order to remove them you need a 3/8s drive 15 mm 6 point socket.

First take off the dust cover, it simply snaps off and on:

It exposes the 15 mm nuts:

Take arm off, you might have to move arm down to remove, same goes for the passenger side:

First I had to lightly sand down rough edges of old coating. Here are mine all re-painted with 2 coats of Rustoleum high performance enamel:

To install line up the wiper blade with these small rectangular etchings as you can see in this photo: Same goes for passenger side, these photos are of the drivers side:

**Once you tighten the nuts, pull up on the arms to make them bend, there should not be any play near the bolts, if so tighten them more.**

Lastly clean your windshield with Windex, then spray some water on windshield, turn on wipers to make sure they function properly and are adjusted. It is now complete:

 

[Svets96]

Went ahead and bought some maintenance items:

-6 quarts of Motorcraft 5W 20 synthetic oil
-Motorcraft Fuel filter part #9155 FG-800-A
-2 gallons of NAPA green coolant for 2000 and earlier Ford Lincoln Mercury vehicles pre-diluted 50/50 mix
-Sure Bilt oil filter cap wrench 93 mm 36 flute 3/8 drive
-Rhino Ramps
-Lisle coolant spill free funnel #24680

I will be changing the oil and coolant in the next couple of weeks, stay tuned.

 

[Svets96]

Went ahead and replaced another worn out part on the car. The old parts were dry rotted and falling apart. The exhaust hanger insulators, are a dealer ordered part. They are located where the tailpipes exit the vehicle, the other insulator is located near the center of the car. (I did not replace mine yet it is still in decent condition did not take any photos yet)

Tailpipe muffler insulators (1 comes in each package) : Part #F6DZ*5F262*DA

Center insulator: Part #F50Y*5F262*A

Packaging:

Old insulator on car very deteriorated: Tip* squirt some WD-40 on the inside of the holes where it hangs to slide off easier*

New insulator out of packaging:

Both of the old insulators:

New installed insulator: *Just a tip put some dawn dish soap inside the holes of the part and it will slide on perfectly*:

 

[1998Conti]

Lol this is great, I was just under my car last week and looking at these and going "uh oh" Need these badly also before my new stainless steel tips hit the ground and drag down the road! Tasca?

 

[1998Conti]

Also your thoughts on soaking them in silicone to delay dry rot?

 

[Svets96]

Lol this is great, I was just under my car last week and looking at these and going "uh oh" Need these badly also before my new stainless steel tips hit the ground and drag down the road! Tasca?

The new ones will help with the drag down look. Mine had lifted up good after the new ones were installed.

Correct Tasca has them: you need 2 of these considering they are 1 in each package. Same part number for both sides here is the link on Tascas website :

http://www.tascaparts.com/oe-ford/f6dz5f262da

 

[Svets96]

Also your thoughts on soaking them in silicone to delay dry rot?

Well......I guess you can do that, or you can wipe them down with WD or something similar. You can do the same for the rear airbags, I know a lot of people on LVC suggest it. So that can be another thought.



***The middle Insulator*** might need to be ordered through the dealership. That is what I had to do.

 

[1998Conti]

Also the part number for the single insulator for the middle section was not found. I copy pasted it from your post.

 

[dfoy50]

hey there, i am so frustrated . i know you gave me a few links to be able to look for the front lower air dam , because i need one , and i can not find that message . could you please repost the places i should look. thanks drew

 

[Svets96]

I went ahead and changed the coolant again, this time I took out the recovery tank and cleaned it. I ran into a problem bleeding the system again, I will make a DIY procedure for this and document the problem I am having. This way you all know what to do, if it happens. I might need some help determining what I did wrong. Thanks!

Coolant recovery tank out of car:

Inside nice and clean!! :

Cleaned and detailed the inner fender and hoses, power steering container, and shock tower:

Replaced the damn spring hose clamp with a screw type. Had a hell of a time getting the snap clamp off. All is good:

All back together:

 

[dfoy50]

I went ahead and changed the coolant again, this time I took out the recovery tank and cleaned it. I ran into a problem bleeding the system again, I will make a DIY procedure for this and document the problem I am having. This way you all know what to do, if it happens. I might need some help determining what I did wrong. Thanks!

Coolant recovery tank out of car:

Inside nice and clean!! :

Cleaned and detailed the inner fender and hoses, power steering container, and shock tower:

Replaced the damn spring hose clamp with a screw type. Had a hell of a time getting the snap clamp off. All is good:

All back together:

when i did the coolant flush and change after changing my water pump . i filled the reservoir tank and filled the system through the fill plug over the alternator once the res . was full i put the cap on and topped off though the plug over the alternator and i ran the engine with the heat on high untill the engine was at operating temp . put the plug in and took the car for a 15 min drive and then let it cool . once cool i removed the plug and made sure the coolant was full in the plug re installed the plug , the checked the reservoir for correct level . after driving the next day and having it cooled down i checked both again for level as well as leaks .but you need to have the heat on to get the air out of the system and the high point plug over the alternator open initially to get the air out i believe .

this is how i did it , im not sure how the manual tells you how to do it . drew

 

[Svets96]

Well I ordered some car care cleaning products from Zaino last week and they had arrived at my door today. I've heard some good things about their products however, I don't have time to do the 12 step process they want you to do to get a "show car shine". A lot of people told me to get their leather care products and also to try their tire shine. So I purchased the Z9 Leather Soft Spray Cleaner (green label), Z10 Leather In A Bottle Treatment and Conditioner (blue label), and finally the Z16 Perfect Tire Gloss. They also included a free applicator pad with my order! That was cool of them. I will show how it cleans up my interior over the winter and provide results of this in my thread. I will also do a DIY for those that want to see results so look for that pretty soon too!

In package:

On the left is the Z9 Leather spray cleaner you use first, Z10 Leather in a bottle in middle, you use this to condition your leather, Bottle on right side is Z16 Tire Gloss:

I can't wait to try this all out!!

 

[Svets96]

Its getting to be that time of year again so I changed the oil in the Lincoln. Looked at the weather forecast said it was going to snow 1.5 inches tomorrow so I ended up parking it for this season.

Pulled it up on the ramps and got to work. I didn't realize how changing the filter on these gets so messy even when I used a plastic bag to catch the filter.

6 Qts of MotorCraft 5W 20 full synthetic and an FL820S filter (pre-filled half way up):

Fresh and clean a very nice site :headbang: :

 

[Svets96]

I got a CarFax report on my car. Its very interesting, I thought it was originally from Florida, cause I found some sand granules in the rear trunk area. Well it came from Rock Ville Center New York, on Long Island. When we bought the car in '01 it was immaculate only with 21K, but no signs of abuse. Well Rock Ville Center NY has $1million dollar plus homes reaching close to $10million. A lot of investment bankers and such live near that city. So that explains the perfection that this vehicle had received and was well cared for.

It had 2 previous owners first from New York. It was a personal car, under 8,000 miles a year. Which was great! Then myself and my family.

-Clean title
-No structural damage
-No airbag deployment
-No odometer roll back
-No accident damage, however the car had a minor rear bumper nudge with very slight scuffs needing to make a claim. This was with my ownership.
-No manufacturer recall

This car was built from the Wixom assembly plant on Oct. 28, 1998.
-Was titled and registered on 12/24/98
-Was sold on 1/1/1999 at Stadium Auto Group
-1/27/1999 Titled and first owner reported
-12/24/1999 Passed NY safety and emissions with 10,574
-12/28/2000 20,410 Passed NY safety and emissions
-4/13/01 Was sold to us, with 21,793 miles
-4/17/01 Titled issued
-5/2/01 Serviced at Stadium Lincoln, Oil and filter changed 21,949 miles
-9/25/2002 Serviced at Stadium Lincoln, Alignment performed, cooling system checked, power steering pump replaced, steering gear replaced 29,310 miles
-5/6/2003 Serviced at Stadium Lincoln, Cooling system serviced, fuel filter replaced 33,122 miles
-11/26/2008 Registration renewed
-12/04/2009 Registration renewed
-12/01/2010 Registration renewed
-4/6/2011 Registration issued (new owner myself, car was passed down to me) 70,800 miles
-4/18/2012 Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Air filter replaced, oil and filter changed 74,363 miles
-8/02/2012 Registration renewed
-8/1/2013 Registration renewed
-8/1/2014 Registration renewed
-10/10/2014 Donnell Ford, Maintenance inspection complete, maintenance complete, Tire and pressure checked 78,836 miles
-7/31/2015 Registration renewed
-10/6/2015 Columbiana Ford Maintenance inspection completed, Oil and filter changed 79,284 miles
-7/25/2016 Registration renewed

 

[Svets96]

Here are the winter plans I have on the Continental:

1. Buff and polish paint with a DA (Probably will have a DIY procedure for a new thread on this)

2. Remove stock air resonator box. (There will be a DIY on this procedure for you to follow)
-Make a custom half way decent ram air intake. (DIY on this if I can assemble the right parts)

3. Take down headliner and get recovered. (I am in the process of doing this and its a pain because I need the special Torq bit/star bit to take out bolt for seat belts. I don't even know where to get this. Plus I have side curtain air bags. I don't want to screw those up....I may just wait until spring and take it to an upholstery shop and have it done. Shouldn't cost that much, considering I took down the over head consolete, and all 3 grab handles.

4. Condition Leather with Zaino Z9 and Z10.

 

[Svets96]

***I started to take down the headliner, the only thing is I can not take out the bolts for the seat belts. I need a star bit "Federal Govt. tool" as I call it to take seat belts off. Well I have passenger side airbags, I do not want to screw those up. I think I will take the car in to the interior place and have them take it down. I already took off the grab handles, overhead console (I might do a DIY on this if you all would like let me know please), and took off the A pillar covers. *** In the Spring this car will have a new headliner. Hopefully it won't cost to much, considering I took off majority of the interior components. I'll be getting a quote for this process. I'll let you all know how much, so you know what to expect if your's needs redone.

Rear part of headliner that needs replaced, Notice how I had tried to glue it back up with fabric adhesive which didn't work:

Headliner with majority of components removed:

 

[Svets96]

Got a quote of $375.00 to take down the headliner and replace the cloth. Don't know if that is high or not, we only have one place that does upholstery work where I live.

 

[Svets96]

Over time I think I will be placing a Battery Tender Plus on my car full time eventually. I need some feedback as to where a good ground would be to hook up the negative ring terminal from the tender? As to not disturb anything and cause a fire or whatever...thinking to much I know. I'll post some pics I have taken, please provide feedback if you can. I'll use the positive ring terminal and connect directly to the battery, unhook from tender and tuck up into bumper for convenience while off the tender. Easier to place the cover on the car too this way, plug in ready to go. What about if I got the cigarette lighter adapter from Battery Tender Plus and kept it plugged in through the cig outlet? Can you see any harm doing it this way?

I am tired of the rear air bags deflating when disconnecting the battery and taking it out of the car, it looks like a low rider and can not be good for the air ride system....wonder if there is a way to keep rear end up when battery is unhooked??

On a side note any of you dudes used a Deltran Battery Tender Plus before on your Lincolns?

Thanks

Here is a picture of drivers side where battery is located:

I've circled where I think would be a potentially good ground location in yellow.....where else do you dudes think?:

 

[FlaOkie]

Over time I think I will be placing a Battery Tender Plus on my car full time eventually. I need some feedback as to where a good ground would be to hook up the negative ring terminal from the tender? .................
On a side note any of you dudes used a Deltran Battery Tender Plus before on your Lincolns?

I have a ’02 Continental that I use sparingly.
I don’t know if a ’99 is the same but it looks like it.
I installed a Battery Tender Jr to keep the battery up.
The Jr. is not for charging low or dead batteries, but it’s great for keeping
them at the correct charging level.
I put the hot lead on the battery terminal and the ground lead on the bolt on the black bracket on the radiator support. The hook up plug sticks out the grill.

 

[Svets96]

I have a ’02 Continental that I use sparingly.
I don’t know if a ’99 is the same but it looks like it.
I installed a Battery Tender Jr to keep the battery up.
The Jr. is not for charging low or dead batteries, but it’s great for keeping
them at the correct charging level.
I put the hot lead on the battery terminal and the ground lead on the bolt on the black bracket on the radiator support. The hook up plug sticks out the grill.

Thank you for the tip. I'll definitely keep this in mind.

 

[dfoy50]

Hi Svets96 , have you ever done a full tuneup on your car ? i have a 2000 conti w/ w4.6 32 v intech engine and have heard horror stories about changing the spark plugs .ive owned the car three years now and am starting to notice i slight miss when idleing , the car has 144000 mileage runs well but i have no clue if the plugs have ever been changed . any suggestions ? thanks drew

 

[lincolnelite]

On a side note any of you dudes used a Deltran Battery Tender Plus before on your Lincolns?

I used the below solar charger for my Navigator (parked outdoors), it's convenient because I just plug it in the cigarette lighter plug and stick the panel inside the windshield. Just unplug prior to starting the car.

Coleman Amorphous Solar Panel Battery Maintainer — 2.5 Watts, Model# 58016 | Amorphous Solar Panels| Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[lincolnelite]

Hi Svets96 , have you ever done a full tuneup on your car ? i have a 2000 conti w/ w4.6 32 v intech engine and have heard horror stories about changing the spark plugs .ive owned the car three years now and am starting to notice i slight miss when idleing , the car has 144000 mileage runs well but i have no clue if the plugs have ever been changed . any suggestions ? thanks drew

it's not that bad, you might probably have a leaking valve cover gasket too if it's soaking in oil. The rear plugs are a challenge because of the tight space but it's doable.


Spark Plug Removal