Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online!
Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! 
-
Latest | 0 Rplys
Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Lincoln > General Discussion
Reply Show Printable Version Show Printable Version | Email this Page Email this Page | Subscription Subscribe to this Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 09-11-2017, 04:30 PM   #1
LarsMac
AF Newbie
 
LarsMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: boonies, Colorado
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Odd problem with starting

I have encountered a rather odd problem with my 2002 Town Car.
Get in car, insert key, and turn to start. Nothing. dash lights all go out, Headlights are on (wife keeps the auto on setting on the headlights)
no other reaction. release key all dash lights come back on.
Car was in garage overnight, and nothing has changed. I tested battery. It is good. connectors are clean. Just to be sure, I attached battery charger and set to boost, and tried again. Same symptoms.
headlights remain fully lit, Dash lights go out. (Which they do any time you turn the key to start position. ) No sound of solenoid clicking or anything.
removed charger, and tried again. Same thing.

Walked away for a while.
When I came back, tried again, car started right up. This is the second time this has happened. Last time was over a year ago.

The garage says that unless they actually see it happening, they can't even begin to troubleshoot.

Sound familiar to anyone? Any suggestions? I am baffled.
LarsMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-11-2017, 09:32 PM   #2
aleekat
AF Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: clarksville, Tennessee
Posts: 1,698
Thanks: 23
Thanked 183 Times in 179 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

Did you check the battery voltage when you turned the key to start?
__________________
Post back, that's what makes Forums Work.
aleekat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2017, 10:29 AM   #3
LarsMac
AF Newbie
Thread starter
 
LarsMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: boonies, Colorado
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

Quote:
Originally Posted by aleekat View Post
Did you check the battery voltage when you turned the key to start?
I did not.
Seeing that the headlights remained fully lit suggests that voltage was unaffected. When the problem re-occurs, that is on my list of items to test.
LarsMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2017, 05:00 PM   #4
LarsMac
AF Newbie
Thread starter
 
LarsMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: boonies, Colorado
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

After it started I took the car to shop where they tested the electrical system, tested cranking, system, tested charging system, load-tested the battery. Nothing showed a problem.
LarsMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2017, 02:53 PM   #5
LarsMac
AF Newbie
Thread starter
 
LarsMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: boonies, Colorado
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

so, a follow up.
I am now able to reproduce this fairly reliably.
If I make sure that the steering wheel locks after turning the key off, It will start, every time. If I do not, there is a good chance that the next day, it will experience the problem. And when it does, I can turn the key back off, lock the steering wheel, remove the key, then insert the key and try again, and it will start.
So, obviously it is something going on in the connectors in the steering column.

Very weird.
LarsMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2017, 08:03 PM   #6
LarsMac
AF Newbie
Thread starter
 
LarsMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: boonies, Colorado
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

The shop replaced the Transmission Position Sensor, and, so far, no repeat of the symptoms.

We'll see.
LarsMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2017, 08:45 PM   #7
aleekat
AF Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: clarksville, Tennessee
Posts: 1,698
Thanks: 23
Thanked 183 Times in 179 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

Quote:
Originally Posted by LarsMac View Post
The shop replaced the Transmission Position Sensor, and, so far, no repeat of the symptoms.

We'll see.
Sounds more like the car thought it was in gear and therefore no crank at all. Getting the steering wheel to lock, tranny in park so it would start.
__________________
Post back, that's what makes Forums Work.
aleekat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2017, 10:23 PM   #8
LarsMac
AF Newbie
Thread starter
 
LarsMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: boonies, Colorado
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

Quote:
Originally Posted by aleekat View Post
Sounds more like the car thought it was in gear and therefore no crank at all. Getting the steering wheel to lock, tranny in park so it would start.
That seems to be what was going on. Was a bit frustrating.
LarsMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-18-2019, 12:50 PM   #9
LarsMac
AF Newbie
Thread starter
 
LarsMac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: boonies, Colorado
Posts: 9
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: Odd problem with starting

Quote:
Originally Posted by aleekat View Post
Sounds more like the car thought it was in gear and therefore no crank at all. Getting the steering wheel to lock, tranny in park so it would start.
Clarification: The Shift was in park and steering wheel locked. All lights on dash were looking normal when activating Key switch to on. Just, when key was turned to start, while dash lights looked normal, the starter was not activated.

There is an indicator at the starter that detects whether Tranny is in park, which was not giving proper signal.
That was replaced, resolving the issue.
LarsMac is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD

Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Lincoln > General Discussion

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:27 AM.

Community Participation Guidelines | How to use your User Control Panel

Powered by: vBulletin | Copyright Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
 
 
no new posts