98 Mark VIII sudden issues to a reliable stallion!!

[1968XL500]

Hello guys, I am here with some issues that I can not figure out. A couple of days ago I tried to start my Mark VIII and all I got was slow cranking from the engine. Battery? Starter? I tried to jump her but I got the same results. I climbed under her and removed the power wire at starter solenoid, cleaned it and put it back on. Same results, slow cranking motor. Just to make sure it was not my battery I took the battery out of my 98 F150 (same size battery) and put it in her. Now here is where everything went south. The ignition key would not turn, steering not locking and the shift lever is not locking either. How the, what the..... Anyone have any ideas where to start looking to resolve this issue? I love this car but if I can not figure this one out she may have to go. Thanks guys!

 

[ntdeac]

Hello guys, I am here with some issues that I can not figure out. A couple of days ago I tried to start my Mark VIII and all I got was slow cranking from the engine. Battery? Starter? I tried to jump her but I got the same results. I climbed under her and removed the power wire at starter solenoid, cleaned it and put it back on. Same results, slow cranking motor. Just to make sure it was not my battery I took the battery out of my 98 F150 (same size battery) and put it in her. Now here is where everything went south. The ignition key would not turn, steering not locking and the shift lever is not locking either. How the, what the..... Anyone have any ideas where to start looking to resolve this issue? I love this car but if I can not figure this one out she may have to go. Thanks guys!

I don't know a whole lot about the second issue you're having which seems like an electrical issue, but slow cranking sounds to me like a dead/dying battery. I would check the voltage of the original battery, but maybe try draining the power from the ECU?

 

[xtriggerman]

One area to look into is the SCIL (Steering/Column/Ignition/Lighting) module. It seems this unit has a lot to do with starting the vehicle and may have been on its way out and swapping in new amps, killed it. There is a post on it a bit further down the column here in VIII. I ordered a spare module from Ebay just in case mine craps out. With a dead SCIL, the car will not recognize the key.