[Adam]

"If the plastic part breaks, it's easy to tell because the accelerator pedal will suddenly become really easy to push, and the transmission will shift through all the gears by the time you get to 20 MPH. "

It's not doing this at all, so at least I know that cable's fine. A little googling did confirm that it does use a vacuum switch to disengage the parking brake when you shift into drive, so I'm betting that leaking is the source of that awful sound. I'm also hearing something rattling around under the car. It drives fine, so I'm betting it's just a loose exhaust pipe banging against the bottom of the car. I also just noticed there's a sticker on the window saying when the oil was last changed -- in 2012! But it's only been driven about ~2k miles since. I have the week after next off, so I'll have time then to work on this (I'll definitely be changing the oil) - and maybe also figure out why one of the headlight motors quit working in my Firebird.


"The typical failure mode is the motor would run but nothing moved. The clutch mechanism in that motor consists of a 3 nylon "bushings" that will self destruct. "

That's exactly what's happening, but I'm lucky in that the drivers window is one of the ones that are working.


"I agree about the stock Lincoln sound systems , they really do sound great and got better & better as the years went on . While my 89 Firebird is my #1 daily driver , I also have an 03 Towncar Cartier"

I love my 84 Firebird, I'll never sell it, and plan to eventually put a 350 in it ... but I'm so tired of driving a stick in stop and go traffic 5 days a week and having no AC in 100+ degrees . The stereo in the '03 Grand Marquis I had was also very good, but I think the one in this Lincoln sounds better.


"Im fond of any large Ford."

I've always considered myself more of a GM guy, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a great car like this one. Of all the Ford products I've had: 65 Mustang, this 83 Lincoln, 86 T-bird, and the 03 Grand Marquis, this is my favorite by far (the Grand Marquis is the runner-up). It's weird... back in the 90s when I first got into cars I didn't like the digital dashes and only wanted cars with all analog gauges, but now I think the digital dash is really neat. The letters that say "continental" over the glove box even light up in green to match the rest of the dash at night.