1970 Mark – New Owner Questions

Hello Bill,
I just found your blog and I am very interested in it. I hope I do not make any faux pas in this first email. My late mother-in-law left a family heirloom to us after she passed. It is her originally owned 1970 Mark III that has been in storage for some time. I am trying to put it back on the road for occasional Sunday drives and have already completed a number of deferred maintenance issues. There are five items that I have not been able to resolve:
1) The hydraulic windshield wipers will not turn off.
2) The engine instruments will work sometimes and other times not. The ignition switch is very sloppy and the outside basil (?) can be pulled off exposing the key slot. It will fit back on and start the engine with no problems.
3) The drivers side window will not work. The motor sounds when the electric button is pushed but does not move. The window can be pulled up and pushed down by hand.
The small rear window on both sides do not work at all when the master control at the drivers station is pushed or when the individual stations are pushed.
4) I just had the A/C system switched over to the current type of coolant and had a new compressor installed and it worked fine the next few time that we drove the car. Yesterday, when activated, the compressor loads the engine but only hot air comes out of the vents, regardless of where the “TEMP” switch on the “AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL” is set. Sometimes the fan will come on when the top lever is moved to LOW and to HIGH but after turning the engine off and then on the fan will not come on unless I move the top lever to DE-FOG or DE-ICE.
5) Do you have any suggestions or guidance on where I may find information on these systems? I realize, now, that it would have been better if I would have sent individual emails for each item. If you like I will break them down in individual emails.
Thank you in advance for any help that you may be able to give to me.
Bill
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Greetings Bill –
Congratulations on your 1970 Mark III purchase. They are great cars and are much admired by car collectors. With the issues that you are describing you have plenty of work and learning ahead. A wiring diagram as well as your Shop Manuals will be needed. Electrical skills etc. and some test equipment are also very necessary. Since you are reporting the problem items with no diagnosis information I can only advise you what usually fails on these items. You or your mechanic will need to do the diagnosis.
The wiper problem could be a maladjusted control cable, the vacuum hose to the wiper motor from the switch is not bleeding off after the windshield washer is activated ( both can be observed at the hydraulic motor by moving the access panel forward at the hydraulic hoses at the engine side of the firewall ) or the motor is internally defective.
The temp., oil and fuel gauges are powered by a single Instrument panel Voltage Regulator (IVR) located behind the clear plastic lens beside the gauges. The shop manual explains the operation and diagnosis very well.
Your description of the non operative drivers door window sounds like the popular window motor gear failure. We always have parts in stock for this problem. The quarter windows issue description indicates that they have been dormant for a long time and are stuck in position from lack of activity. Many times they can be reactivated with the use of a commercial high amp battery charger temporarily on the battery and the switch cycled to the UP and Down position until they start to operate. If this fails and the motor is receiving power, the mechanism inside the quarter panel will need to be partially loosened or disassembled until it moves. Of course there are other possibilities but this is the most common. When the windows are finally repaired, always lower them very very slightly when the car is stored to unload the motors and gears.
The ignition switch part that is sloppy and not attached will need to be disassembled as per the shop manual and observed for broken parts. We should have parts available at Lincoln Land.
Your Automatic Climate Control consists of the refrigeration system and its controls. Lack of cooling indicates the possibility of a leaking refrigerant issue but your report of the many other conditions tells me that there are several other problems that exist. These systems can be extremely complicated for those that have no experience however the shop manual is excellent in all respects with operation explanations and diagnosis procedures. We have parts available as well as professional testing and rebuilding of the ATC box and Servo.
At L.L. we see vehicles that have had many of cobbled up electrical and mechanical parts that can be a nightmare for a new owner. We wish you the best of luck in your diagnosis and timely repairs. We also look forward to supplying you with the needed parts.
Sincerely,
Bill