1998 Lincoln Continental from North America - Comments

Amazingly enough I have had lots of problems with my Lincoln so far. Right away the car's battery was toast and had to be replaced. The alternator belt is noisy and needs to be replaced. A speed sensor in the back of the car went out causing the ABS and traction control to fail. A coil on one of the engine's cylinders went bad within 2 months causing the car to shake slightly at idle. The transmission also needs an over-haul after just two months. The sensor in the driver's door is bad causing an annoying chime and warning display (that is impossible to clear while driving) every time it rains or it is especially humid. Needed new ball joint and tire rod.

I fell in love with the continental after test driving three '98's and a '97. I read hundreds of reviews on the car and almost everyone loves it. I bought the car from a southern state to avoid rust and salt damage that is common in Minnesota where I live. I love the way this car looks and drives, but it is going to cost me $4000 to get it back into good running condition. I'm pretty pissed about this. I babied this car compared to my others and it has not been good to me. I've had the car only a few months and it has already had two major problems (engine, transmission). Unfortunately I suspect that the car's problems are my own fault because I lived on a dirt road and did quite a bit of driving on dirt roads in the first couple months I had the car (since then I've moved to a city). The bad roads probably caused the transmission problem and the problem with the tire rod and ball joint. So, if you live on a dirt road, do NOT buy a continental. I suggest you get yourself a truck or an SUV, preferably not one of those wimpy imports.

I'm sorry to hear about the troubles you've had with your Continental. I really don't think driving on the dirt roads caused those problems, but may have accelerated them. The outer tie rods do tend to need replacing on these cars every 75k miles or so. The tie rods on my car were replaced at 60k, and I consider that routine maintenance. Also, the owners manual states that the transmission fluid should be changed every 36k miles along with the coolant (aluminum engine). If the transmission fluid was still the original from the factory, that could explain why the transmission went out. The plug coil could just be a fluke, since there are 8 of them. The plugs are supposed to last until 100k miles, but the problem is they start to corrode into the aluminum heads, and should be replaced every 60k to prevent breaking them off in the head. I hope that your experience gets better. With regular preventative maintenance, the '98 Continental is one of the best used cars you can find.

How much, on average, does it cost to have both front tie rods of a Lincoln continental changed at a shop?

My husband is paying $800 for them, and I have a feeling he's being ripped off.

Dear rod changer, I leave in NYC and it does not cost $800 to change them. I own myself a 98 Cont and I just had that job done with my front brakes installed. I only paid $350. In addition to that, the guy was so kind that he threw in a free alignment for the car. Brooklyn, NYC

I have an issue with my car driver door sensor, it is annoying and it keeps telling me that the car door is open. Can someone help me here? Brooklyn, NY.

My car also keeps telling me that the driver door is open. Can someone help me?

I was told that the door ajar light is the result of a bad switch inside the door, not expensive to replace by yourself, but you have to take the door apart. I question this concept, because with my car it seems to be a different door each time. Very annoying, the lights in the car come on when you stop at every intersection. I use a temporary fix, spray brake cleaner into the hole in the door. That will eliminate the problem for several months.

I had all the coil packs replaced 1 1/2 years ago ($800) and now #3 is a problem again. I also, had the transmission fluid replaced 4 years ago... the beginning of all my trouble. I am getting around 10 miles to a gallon. I know replacing the coil pack will improve mileage, but the mileage has been 12-14 since the transmission fluid was replaced. I welcome any advice. Thanks.

The door switch can be mended without disassembly of the door. Take a can of WD-40 and a can of silicone spray lubricant. Spray the WD-40 on the door latch assembly liberally. Then open and close the door a number of times and the door ajar message should go away. After that, open the door again and take the silicone spray. Coat the whole assembly with the lubricant as this will prevent it from sticking again. This should solve that problem!

My 1998 Lincoln Continental's transmission overheat light comes on after 225 miles into a trip. I must pull off the road and shut off the motor for 15 to 20 min. Then I can go another 100 miles before it comes on again. The fluid is very hot and the code in the motor is transmission overheat. New macron 5 fluid and gasket installed but still overheating. Can anyone help me? I love this car.

Thanks

Ron.

Jeez, that's A LOT of problems to go wrong on any car in just 97k miles. Why haven't American car makers learned yet they can't design a good car that's all gadgets and gizmos? They are always so problematic.

My first thought would be to add a transmission cooler. But it should not overheat in the first place.

Do you have the specified fluid in the tranny? Is the fluid level correct? In case there is already a transmission cooler are the lines open or clogged or kinked? Is there anything obstructing airflow to the cooler/radiator area, such as leaves or plastic bags?

Have an independent mechanic diagnose the problem.

I replaced my inner and outer tie rods myself, and it was no where near $800.00. The big thing was the special tool needed to get the inner tie rods off that cost $60.00; with that it was a piece of cake. Took me just over an hour and a half to do the whole job once I go the tool.

I am having the light problem now and it is great to know what to do and save mega bucks. I was going to replace the light module! Mine is just the driver door as well.

This has been a great car for me. I have over 200K miles on it and it is in very good shape. I have been replacing the coils one at a time as they go. Another very easy job no matter what cylinder. All of 15 minutes.

The people with bad mileage should consider cleaning the throttle body; that can help a lot to increase mileage.

We have a 1998 Lincoln Continental. We replaced the alternator, battery, cables and the ends. After that it will pop the 30 amp fuse for the PCM CAM, which causes the transmission to down shift to second, and the A/C compressor to shut off. I have took it to several places, and no one knows what is wrong.