Help Please, 1988 Lincoln Continental Signature Series V6 3.8L

Hello, I have a 1988 Lincoln Continental Signature Series V6 3.8L that is a little over 135,000 Miles. (I don't know the correct miles because the digital miles display stopped working a few months ago, but I haven't drove much so I know it's under 136,000.) Anyways I was having battery trouble (dying), So I ended up getting a new battery and that fixed that problem. Now a few weeks later after I get that fixed, I come out one morning to start the car up, and it doesn't start. I didn't hear any sort of sounds (Clicks or starting sounds) at first so I put it on the battery charger thinking the battery was dead again. Battery tested good, so I asked a family memeber who previously owned the vehicle, and he told me to clean this wire that is located on the far right side (driverside) of the car, under the hood (if your facing it). He said sometimes the wire got a bad connection and it wouldn't start the car. I tried cleaning it and that still didn't help, but I know it has something to do with this wire. Me and my dad tried messing with it and he finally got it to start. The way he did it was he stuck a metal screw driver in between a couple pieces of metal. The car made a starting sound, but didin't start because no key was in. So I sat inside the car, and held the key to starting position, and he did the screw driver thing again, and the car fired right up. I drove it around for 10 minutes and everything was working fine. Went to park the car again, turned it off, then I tried to fire it back up again, and the same thing as before, it doesn't start. I really don't want to have to do this screw driver thing everytime I want to go somewhere ( I don't even know where to put the screw driver because I wasn't watching where he did it, I was inside the car holding the key over).

Anyways I don't have much knowledge for cars (Cept the basic Oil Change/Coolant Flush/Tires) so I don't know what this wire is called. It looks like it runs from the Positive (+) Battery terminal, to this metal piece located on the driver side of the car (It looks like a bolt could screw onto it, and it hooks onto it. But I could be wrong.

It sort of looks like this Starter Solenoid
STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS Part # SS598T
Fender Mounted Solenoid; OE: STR. E7DF-AA

Located here (1st picture when everything pops up)
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?carcode=1187951&parttype=4188&a=FRc1187951k1005849

The wire hooks onto one of them smaller studs sticking out. I don't know if this is the ACTUAL piece I am talking about, but it looks like this, and this is a part from a 1988 Lincoln Continental.

Hopefully either this wire is bad or this Starter Solenoid (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:YAHOO.widget.TreeView.getNode%28%27livecatalo g%27,274%29.toggle%28%29) is bad, because it looks like it would be pretty cheap to fix. I'm just looking for some people's opinions who know alot about cars. So if anyone can help, it would be greatly appriciated. Thank you
-Joe

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/getimage.php?imageurl=http%3A//www.standardbrand.com/web_app/catalog/images/SS598.jpg
Complements of RockAuto.com

Yep, that's the Starter Solenoid. Your Dad most likely jumped the largest terminals, putting voltage directly to the Starter.

What you need to test is the smaller wire that connects to the "S" terminal while holding the key in the starting position, this wire should have 12V at that time.

BTW, adding 12V to the "S" terminal is what the Ignition Key is doing. That said, you can do that with a jumper wire at the Solenoid too. This was how old school car thieves took your car.... one 12v wire to the Ignition Coil, and a quick jump at that Solenoid.

If your NOT getting 12V at that wire with the key in the cranking position, check the "B" wire just in case someone swapped them by accident... If you don't get 12V at either wire (while cranking w/key), the problem is elsewhere, not the Solenoid.

I don't recall any fuses in that cranking circuit however, checking fuses and relays is always a good place to begin.

Let us know where that leads......

So you're saying he jumped the largest terminals with a screw driver by touching these two together?


http://img217.imageshack.us/my.php?image=getimagesm6.jpg

So you're saying he jumped the largest terminals with a screw driver by touching these two together?

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2461/getimagesm6.th.jpg (http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2461/getimagesm6.jpg)


That's one way, but the terminals (and your screwdriver) take the bulk of the punishment, arching 'n all.

To make the Solenoid do ITS job, and jump those terminals from the inside, use a jumper wire from Battery + to the Solenoid "S" terminal.

Obviously one of those Solenoid terminals IS Battery +... so the jumper can be from that post, to "S"....

Thanks Towncar I'll try some more tricks and I'll get you updated. Keep checking back on this thread. Thanks for your help. I'll reply ASAP