1996 Lincoln Mark VIII Will Not Start!

P

pmd29

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Hey Guys. I'm stumped once again....

I replaced the belt on the lincoln, only to discover the tensioner pulley was shot. Replaced that, and shortly after I discovered there was a crack in the radiator, and the water pump was dumping coolant. Two days ago, I had a mechanic replace the radiator, water pump and thermostat. Yesterday morning the car would not start, just a constant turning and turning of the engine without it starting. SO, now I am stumped. I can't help but think that something was disconnected that is preventing the car from working. I have already replaced the entire air ride last year, and I really love my car. ANY thoughts would be greatly appreciated, and you guys haven't let me down yet!! Help! :)
Thanks,
Paul
 
Get in the car, close the doors, radio and AC off, turn the key to the On position whilst leaning back between the front seats, get your ear close to the passenger backseat and listen for a Hummm when you turn the key... No Humm = no fuel pump



Then Check Crank Position Sensor, Plug, and its wiring harness along the passenger side of oil pan ( peal the loom back to check for exposed wires )
 
"Constant turning and turning of the engine" would suggest Yes
 
Weak.

Well.. My car just clicks when the battery is low, as soon as its got enough juice to roll it over, it fires. So yeah, I'm pretty sure it's not his battery... Yet.. The longer he tries to crank it without it starting, we could probably add that to his equation
 
Battery is now dead from trying to start, and won't charge...I left it overnight on the charger. So, tomorrow I'm getting a new battery and going from there. Check Crank Position Sensor is something I would have never have thought of Sapperfire! How will I know if it is bad? Or am I just checking if it is unplugged? Thanks for the help opalescent 96 and Sapperfire, I'm off tomorrow, so I'll be on it all day, keep you guys posted....
 
my money is on FP, been there, suffered that way...re: battery- take it to local parts store for eval; or use one of them there meter thing-a-ma-jigs to eval alt
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btw, to the o.p.; imo if you're gonna own/maintain your Mark VIII you might wanna get used to doing things like susp, radi and water pump r/r; mech's bills will bury you, especially if you go to a stealer
 
First I'd check Fuel Pressure at the Fuel Rail.. There's a valve, remove cap and depress the shradder valve inside (like on a tire to let the air out) watch your eyes, gas will spray out... Then go turn key to On position and Off, a few times and recheck the valve again. If it doesn't spray...pump is dead.. Or the Relay is bad .. The proper way would be to use a Fuel Pressure Gauge, but not everybody has those laying around. You can pay a deposit and borrow one from most any Parts Store

To check the CPS , you'd need a voltometer that can read Ohms. Can't remember what its Ohms should be at right now.
To replace it, you'll need to back the AC compressor away from the block a bit. Just enough to get the sensor from under it.
But before you remove it, check its plug connection and wiring harness inside the loom

Or if you have a scanner, hook it up, go to DataLog/Crank Position Sensor and while Cranking see if its "In-sink State" or Out of Sink "
 
Okay, here's the update...
Went this morning, got a new battery, not the problem. Got under the car, found the Crank Position Sensor. unplugged, cleaned, plugged back in, not the problem. Checked the fuel pressure valve after checking this post and seeing Sapperfires post, (which I did before, too) and NO FUEL. There was pressure before, it was the first thing I checked. So now I was thinking Fuel Pump, or relay, or something. So I just stopped and thought about it, and I was thinking that maybe the anti-theft had something to do with it, and stopping the delivery of fuel. Tried the key in the door move, and clicked the keyless entry like crazy, did nothing. Then, i punched in my 5 digit code on the door, and what do you know, PROBLEM SOLVED! Started right up, go figure. Thanks everybody, for all the help!! I hope this post helps somebody else!!!!
 
Oh, not for nothing, I completely agree with dnsherrill on doing things myself, this was the only time I used someone to "save time" and look what happened. That was my fault! Oh well, I hope if anything we ALL learned a step that might save some serious time! :) Thanks again guys!
 
Hmm.. Thats new.
So the anti-theft light was flashing while cranking it before, or did you not notice?
 
I did not notice, to be honest...but it happened again tonight! This is crazy, I'm going to start over again tomorrow morning. At least I know it will start, had her running for a good hour. I let her cool off, and was going to check my fluids, coolant and transmission especially, and the car is doing the exact same thing. My neighbor has an ohm reader, gonna grab that and his code reader. We'll see!
 
I didn't thin gen 1s cut fuel cause the absence of pats.
So I still say crank shaft sensor or fuel pump.
 
op, is it possible some wise ass punk just walked by and kicked your car above the rear drivers wheel? :shifty:
 
Sapperfire, dnsherrill thanks again, inertia switch is the red button in the trunk? I'll check it out now. But yes slowmkviii, the fuel is being stopped by the "absence of pats". And now the anti-theft light is definitely blinking when I'm trying to start, and I can't get it off. I disconnected the battery after I had it running, just in case it was getting drained by something (bad move as it turns out), and when I hooked it back up, the anti-theft came back on to stay. This has got to be what the problem is, because there is no fuel pressure in the fuel rail now. I tried the door code, and did everything the same when I got it started yesterday, what in the world is going on!? Thanks again everyone, this is really driving me crazy!
 
driller said:
I'm pretty sure the PATS has nothing to do with the fuel system.
Click to expand...

Just so there's no confusion between gens.

The Lincoln PATS II system is a hard system to break. But, as you say, if they want your car, they WILL get it. But, it will take a truck to at least lift the back end to get it. The PATS II system not only disarms the starter system the same as the Gen 1 cars, it also is connected to the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) or the engine control module to starve the engine of fuel, stop ignition, and literally keep the engine from running, all through the system interlink connections that only the Gen 2 cars have. Around the ignition switch, which is mounted in the dash instead of the steering column, there is an antenna that picks up a signal from the key.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks driller and Lownslowlsc... I do have a gen 1, so maybe the PATS isn't stopping the fuel, amazing coincidence though. The anti-theft light is blinking while I'm cranking. The inertia switch is depressed, just checked.
 
Just unplug the alarm module. It's located behind glove box slightly below and to the right of the blower motor if I remember correctly.
 
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