All2kool
Senior Member
This is such an easy DIY, there is no reason to not do it before it could be a problem. As you can see, my foam gasket was never installed correctly to begin with.
Should I re-do fresh air intake gasket on 2006 Towncar even if it's not currently leaking?
- Thread starter TcLincoln2007
- Start date
This is such an easy DIY, there is no reason to not do it before it could be a problem. As you can see, my foam gasket was never installed correctly to begin with.
rancourt
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A quick and brief followup epilogue, with updates I promised on small hardware.
Dorman 963-005D plastic retainers seem to fit the lid perfectly, and slot into the metal notches with just enough grip to hold, but pull free with a gentle, focused tug, then lift out with a pry tool. I've had no success with screw-styles not quickly stripping and getting similarly stuck, here.
I have indeed replaced the bolts holding the intake mouth in place (and pressurizing the gasket when installed) with Retro-Motive #1964 M4.2 x 20mm 7mm Hex trim screws. This changed the socket size for these from 8mm to 7mm, but otherwise worked beautifully, and hopefully these won't be as prone to rust as the ones before them.
Finally, I did a little flow testing and have a sense of exactly how the water creep happens. This will surely be elementary for many of you, so apologies for the "grade school science teacher" mini-lecture, but I write this stuff to document it clearly, and if it helps even one person, someday, better it be written than not at all.
So, water hits the windshield, and it's supposed to be blown backward by the slope and the car's forward momentum, gliding backward over the roof. In a perfect world, with the car in motion, this happens. If the car's not in motion, of course, the water will run down the windshield, where it encounters the first rubber weatherstripping water barrier.
This is designed, obviously, to keep water from spilling between the windshield and the upper plastic "lid" of the air intake, and the grooves and slope of the lid are designed, in the case of water accumulation, to route that water over the air intake and down into the front end of the plastic lip, in front of and away from the air intake hole, toward the two drain points at the far corners. When forward momentum and slipstream aren't channeling water "up and over," this is designed to send water "over the lid, down, and out the drains."
And generally speaking, it works. Until it doesn't.
Those drain points are narrow, because they just aren't designed for stopping in a monsoon downpour. They can clog, and it's not even a case of blocking entirely -- in Florida weather, it can simply be a case of being caught stopped in a sudden drench with a partial blockage slowing your drain rate such that the sky's flow rate exceeds it, for the moment. That's the real kicker. You can be successfully draining, still...just not quickly enough. I live in south Florida, so this is an issue I need to think about. Yes, Sebastian's a garage baby, but should I go out for brunch and the skies open up...he's stopped, with water flow down his windshield, while I'm having my coffee and omelette.
Here's where that gasket comes in.
See, Newton's First Law of Town Cars (he drove a Cartier Edition, I'm told) states that a Town Car in motion will probably continue to slough water up-and-over, as long as it stays in motion. Stop that motion, and as the water runs down and accumulates, what happens? Well, ideally, it all pours up and around the guard grooves on the lid, routes to the corners and down the outer edges well away from that cabin air intake, and out one of the two drains at the corners. But there are two ways this can fail. One being if water isn't flowing out of the drains quickly enough to prevent water level from rising...and the other being if that first weatherstrip against the glass is failing. If it is, then water rolling down the windshield isn't flowing over the weatherstripping and reaching the channels to route it to the drain -- it's seeping under that weatherstripping and trickling down against the back of the foam seal around the air intake.
And if it is...that's when you really, truly need that seal to be perfect, because if water breaches it, water enters your cabin air intake and that's just not designed for water to exit, gracefully.
The other "disaster scenario" is if the drain channels clog to the point of standing water in there, which rises up to flood over the air intake. Then you're just...well, in real trouble.
So, owning a Town Car that's had a $650 dealership trip in its past life for this very situation, I wanted to really, deeply understand what causes this, what can be done about it, and where the points of failure are, as well as what conditions cause the problem. In conclusion, here's the tl;dr version of this.
Still, my car saw a $650 repair, and if what I've learned means yours won't need one, I'm delighted I could spare you the headache!
Dorman 963-005D plastic retainers seem to fit the lid perfectly, and slot into the metal notches with just enough grip to hold, but pull free with a gentle, focused tug, then lift out with a pry tool. I've had no success with screw-styles not quickly stripping and getting similarly stuck, here.
I have indeed replaced the bolts holding the intake mouth in place (and pressurizing the gasket when installed) with Retro-Motive #1964 M4.2 x 20mm 7mm Hex trim screws. This changed the socket size for these from 8mm to 7mm, but otherwise worked beautifully, and hopefully these won't be as prone to rust as the ones before them.
Finally, I did a little flow testing and have a sense of exactly how the water creep happens. This will surely be elementary for many of you, so apologies for the "grade school science teacher" mini-lecture, but I write this stuff to document it clearly, and if it helps even one person, someday, better it be written than not at all.
So, water hits the windshield, and it's supposed to be blown backward by the slope and the car's forward momentum, gliding backward over the roof. In a perfect world, with the car in motion, this happens. If the car's not in motion, of course, the water will run down the windshield, where it encounters the first rubber weatherstripping water barrier.
This is designed, obviously, to keep water from spilling between the windshield and the upper plastic "lid" of the air intake, and the grooves and slope of the lid are designed, in the case of water accumulation, to route that water over the air intake and down into the front end of the plastic lip, in front of and away from the air intake hole, toward the two drain points at the far corners. When forward momentum and slipstream aren't channeling water "up and over," this is designed to send water "over the lid, down, and out the drains."
And generally speaking, it works. Until it doesn't.
Those drain points are narrow, because they just aren't designed for stopping in a monsoon downpour. They can clog, and it's not even a case of blocking entirely -- in Florida weather, it can simply be a case of being caught stopped in a sudden drench with a partial blockage slowing your drain rate such that the sky's flow rate exceeds it, for the moment. That's the real kicker. You can be successfully draining, still...just not quickly enough. I live in south Florida, so this is an issue I need to think about. Yes, Sebastian's a garage baby, but should I go out for brunch and the skies open up...he's stopped, with water flow down his windshield, while I'm having my coffee and omelette.
Here's where that gasket comes in.
See, Newton's First Law of Town Cars (he drove a Cartier Edition, I'm told) states that a Town Car in motion will probably continue to slough water up-and-over, as long as it stays in motion. Stop that motion, and as the water runs down and accumulates, what happens? Well, ideally, it all pours up and around the guard grooves on the lid, routes to the corners and down the outer edges well away from that cabin air intake, and out one of the two drains at the corners. But there are two ways this can fail. One being if water isn't flowing out of the drains quickly enough to prevent water level from rising...and the other being if that first weatherstrip against the glass is failing. If it is, then water rolling down the windshield isn't flowing over the weatherstripping and reaching the channels to route it to the drain -- it's seeping under that weatherstripping and trickling down against the back of the foam seal around the air intake.
And if it is...that's when you really, truly need that seal to be perfect, because if water breaches it, water enters your cabin air intake and that's just not designed for water to exit, gracefully.
The other "disaster scenario" is if the drain channels clog to the point of standing water in there, which rises up to flood over the air intake. Then you're just...well, in real trouble.
So, owning a Town Car that's had a $650 dealership trip in its past life for this very situation, I wanted to really, deeply understand what causes this, what can be done about it, and where the points of failure are, as well as what conditions cause the problem. In conclusion, here's the tl;dr version of this.
- It's water rolling down the windshield when the car's not at appreciable speed that seems to be the culprit.
- Keeping your car from being stopped or nearly-stopped in a downpour is a huge help here. Water-resistant car covers may well be a godsend, if you park outside. Garages are even better.
- If your windshield weatherstripping is solid and your two drains are clear, you can probably handle most normal rain while stopped without a problem, even moderate Florida downpours.
- If this weatherstripping fails, water can seep directly in behind the air intake, placing the air intake directly in its natural flow path. Here, you become reliant on the seal formed by the back wall of that gasket/foam.
- Even if both the weatherstripping and the gasket are solid, you may still encounter problems if the drains get clogged. It's a flow rate calculation problem, obviously -- how much water you're taking into the drain, versus how fast the drains are letting water leave the drain pan -- but a single dry, dead leaf can seriously impede flow and cause a surprising number of nightmares here. Check these drains regularly. I'm using a soft pipe cleaner brush every now and then, preemptively. Doesn't take much, just a gentle check for obstruction.
- If your drains are clear, your weatherstripping is good, and your gasket is snug and healthy, you are very, very unlikely to encounter too many problems here, short of parking outside in a hurricane.
- Try to avoid parking outside in a hurricane, if possible.
Still, my car saw a $650 repair, and if what I've learned means yours won't need one, I'm delighted I could spare you the headache!
Action
NOT a Junior Member
And an aid to all of that is a bit of added maintenance. Coatings and treatments help shed water away from areas that you don't want it to areas that you do want it.
Use a surfactant on the glass. (Like Rain X)
Treat rubber and plastic pieces.
Wax painted surfaces
By doing the above, it will aid in shedding water off of your vehicle. Even at a stand still.
It isn't a bullet proof solution, however it put another barrier in the way of water intrusion.
And better preserves the
Combine the layers of protection and now you have a system to keep dry.
Action
Use a surfactant on the glass. (Like Rain X)
Treat rubber and plastic pieces.
Wax painted surfaces
By doing the above, it will aid in shedding water off of your vehicle. Even at a stand still.
It isn't a bullet proof solution, however it put another barrier in the way of water intrusion.
And better preserves the
Combine the layers of protection and now you have a system to keep dry.
Action
rancourt
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Yes. Absolutely, positively this. So much this. I'm deliberately not covering this part because I suspect you understand it so much more thoroughly than I do that most of what I have to say is just "listen to this guy about this." Nothing I'm saying at all can mitigate the need for general care, and while Sebastian's a pretty dirty Town Car -- he's much, much less so than when I acquired him after a year or two in storage. Bit by bit, he's cleaning up. I suspect I'll need to replace, or at least seriously recondition, the weatherstripping on the windshield, and that huge strip of rubberized cushioning/seal that tucks in between the cowl and the hood, too.
Action
NOT a Junior Member
It is always a project to bring back a POs neglect.
Or as Roseanne Roseannadanna would say, "It's always something!
Action
HighwayStar
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Let me add to this thread my vote for the gasket method, did it on my car today and it went on quite easy with no mess.
Norms1stTC
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I have redone mine for the second time in 3 years just yesterday, I used clear silicone the first time but went with Rancourts way of an EPDM replacement gasket and more silicone. I will probably continue to do this every few years also.
Nongmin
Active member
Three absolutes in this world....
1) Death
2) Taxes
3) Renewing the Town Car fresh air intake gasket
Get ahead of the wet floorboard issue and do the reseal.
1) Death
2) Taxes
3) Renewing the Town Car fresh air intake gasket
Get ahead of the wet floorboard issue and do the reseal.
HighwayStar
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I think the gasket I used claimed 10 year lifespan. Now I am sure they have an incentive to be optimistic in advertising the product, but as this gasket is exposed to a decent amount of heat but no direct sunlight, and because the original foam one I tore out was at least still extant, I would figure it is good for 5 years or so. I will probabally check on mine every year or so to see what it looks like.
rancourt and crew have definitely moved the bar forward on what a proper fix is for this issue though.
rancourt and crew have definitely moved the bar forward on what a proper fix is for this issue though.
Col. Donald Vincent
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The black silicone comes apart nicely. Just did mine (new intake repair) this week. I was surprised it came apart so easy.
Norms1stTC
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Totally agree, I did, what I'm dubbing "the Rancourts foam fix" and it has been flawless so far. Not a drop of water on my mats or floorboard.
mikeceli
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That is more like it! Has it been exposed to considerable rain and not leaked? Did it have the correct amout of thickness ("Crush" ) to seal yet not put too much of a strain on the plastic trim piece?
Please click on the current Amazon product in you LINK. It is now white (which is good) and advise if it is the same dimensions as what you purchased. Thank you very much. My 550500 mile , garage kept 2003 Town Car is not leaking now, but I will do a "proactive" repair.
This link? https://amzn.to/3v49MaK still shows black for me, but the color does not matter at all. You want the 19/32" version. The thickness doesn't seem to be an issue but it does need to get squished down when you tighten the fasteners.
I installed mine 1.5 years ago, it has been a permanent fix for me so far, EPDM is the same type of rubber used in automotive weatherstrips, it's very high quality. My floorboards are dry. I still occasionally take leaves out of the little water leak-out flap thing off to the side.
I would recommend everyone do this as a preventative measure. It's like $10 and takes under an hour to prevent possible damage down the road.
Last edited:
mikeceli
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THANKS, 07 Town Car SL, I ordered mine !
G
G-210100
I have seen videos on youtube ware they use RTV to seal that cowl peice
mikeceli
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I used some self adhesive closed cell foam weatherstrip, that someone else recommended. I would not want to glue something in place, that might need to be removed. Like the plastic panel in question. There is another thread on this subject, that provides the source and item number, for said weatherstrip. I do not have the info. off hand/
Col. Donald Vincent
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I own a small fleet of 2003 - 2011 Town Cars. I always fix this issue as soon as I get the car. I wipe the old foam out with alcohol on a rag. I then use two tubes of black RTV to form a thick beed around then re-asemble. Through the years I have had to take a few apart for other repairs and the black RTV comes apart easily. Then I just lay it back in when I put everything back together. Here in Orlando I have never had to redo any of the RTV repairs. God Bless.
Don't do that! Use rubber weatherstrip in case you ever need to take it apart. I used this https://amzn.to/3v49MaK
Col. Donald Vincent
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The weather strip looks nicer. I think I'll order some and just have it around. I always have different types of RTV. Black has the weakest smell was the only thought I gave it. It does not really adhere to either surface so disassembly is not a problem. As long as the floor stays dry I am happy.
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