Steering wheel buttons

[dgattis]

Hello, it's been a while since I posted here. I just got my second Lincoln Town Car and have a few issues that I would like some help or advice with. It's a 2003 model and in got it from the original owner with 57k miles. It drives like a brand new car! There are a few minor issues that I would like to correct before I drive it too much.

Is there a video on how to remove or replace the steering wheel buttons ? Mine are sticky and the writing is illegible.

my radio seems not to be receiving as well. Hitting the seek button - it just scans the whole FM band and never stops. Antenna problem? The CD and tape both work fine. Is there a test for the radio reception?

my car is a Presidential Town Sedan package. I assume the vinyl top is a dealer install? What is the best protection for the vinyl? Armor All? Mineral oil? Other?

any advice is greatly appreciated. My last Lincoln Town Car was a 2000 model and I fell in love with the ride and quality so I really want to keep this newer one in the best shape i can.

 

[dave42]

Howdy dgattis. I have seen mentioned where icky buttons like that cleaned up great with some cleaner, maybe alcohol? As for the radio, that does sound like an antenna issue. Do you have an FM modulator (transmitter) of any sort to see if the radio will pick that up? Also, try AM, and also try hitting the TUNE button over and over to scan the band and see if that picks up anything that is too weak for the SCAN to pick it up.

Yeah, vinyl tops are always dealer install or similar. Not sure how to care for it, so I'll just say keep it in the garage, haha.

 

[Town]

Welcome back to the Forum.

If the cleaning suggested by dave42 is not enough and you need to remove the switches for replacement then I think the 2003 model steering wheel switch replacement is the same as the 2001 model since the location of the switches is the same. Attached is the file for replacing the switches on a 2001 model. Note the removal of the neg battery terminal for 5 mins is required to deplete the air bag capacitors to prevent air bag deployment. This is normally done when removing the air bag or working around the crash sensors. But you can never be too careful.

Good luck.

 

[dgattis]

Welcome back to the Forum.

If the cleaning suggested by dave42 is not enough and you need to remove the switches for replacement then I think the 2003 model steering wheel switch replacement is the same as the 2001 model since the location of the switches is the same. Attached is the file for replacing the switches on a 2001 model. Note the removal of the neg battery terminal for 5 mins is required to deplete the air bag capacitors to prevent air bag deployment. This is normally done when removing the air bag or working around the crash sensors. But you can never be too careful.

Good luck.

Thank you !!

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[Maytag87]

Hi folks,

The writing on my steering wheel buttons on my '03 Cartier have lost some of their writing so you cannot read/know the function that the button should be doing. Looking at the attached 2001 PDF, it looks like you can just pop them out using a straight blade and push the clip. Other than disconnecting the battery ground for 5 minutes before working on it. This is the correct procedure to follow for a 2003 also, right?

Thanks!
Rob