2001 Lincoln Towncar No Crank No Strart

5

Asked by Murat Mar 07, 2015 at 03:11 PM about the 2001 Lincoln Town Car

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

A week ago I smelled what seemed to be electrical wires burning. Couldn't pin point it. Couple days later my heating and cooling went. it just shut off in my dashboard. which led me to think it was a short. There has also been a rattling noise sounds like bad bearing and it was coming from the compressor. Haven't had a chance to replace it due to snow but still needed it for going to work. Well now the car just died on me in the middle of an intersection. LOL  note to self...NEVER IGNORE WARNINGS. Anyway had car towed home. First thing I noticed was continuous clicking from under the dashboard drivers side (thought relay or a dead battery. Had new one in trunk from night before so replaced. Clicking stopped. So I thought it had to be my alternator. (will take to Autozone for bench test) but when I tried to start the car there was just one click. Tried again, just a click. So I thought they gave me low charged battery, checked voltage, it was about 12.1. So I added my jumper box and tried again still same click  I'm like really my starter might be shot? But how would that have made the car to die on me? And a dead battery. ( had bought that new one because old one needed to be jumped in cold weather) So I checked fuses with a multimeter by measuring OHMS but couldn't check relays yet. I'm sure problem lies within the first burned wires I smelled but I'm lost on where to begin looking. I thought the smell might have been near the blower motor which makes sense being as though I've been having problems with my heating/cooling. Air conditioner doesn't work And blows only from defroster. I'm guessing an actuator problem or something and didn't want to try and tackle it yet. Has anyone had similar problems with their car or know where I should start looking? It would be great! I'm comfy changing alternators and what not, but electrical problems are like nemesis. But there is a patch of ice under the car now and I don't want to go poking and prodding everywhere. Beside the fact that it's freezing out. Any bypass to the problem would be great. Meaning I have funds for alternator and starter but if I can do without the compressor for now would be Ideal for the time being. Come Payday I will Make It Rain on it lol. But my funds don't wanna waste water right now. Any advice is helpful.

1 Answer

80

First disconnect the battery then remove the screws retaining the interior under dash fuse block. Turn it upside down to view the back and connections. I suspect a poor or several poor connections that created enough arcing and heat to smell melting insulation. It's probably one or more of the large amperage carrying wires. You made reference to relays, did you mean circuit breakers? You stated a replacement that cured something. The disturbance will often reinstate a faulty connection enough to temporarily work but future and larger failure is eminent! Good luck! BTW: A junk yard harness and panel will be similar or waiting to fail. It's a vulnerable weak spot. Poorly designed for life. Pre-determined failure to ensure new and future vehicle purchases. They call it commercially acceptable if it will go 10 years without failure. If you find black burns and melts, carefully scrape and solder the burnt connections. It's tricky to do without creating more damage. Be prepared with cold water and a rag to cool the bakelite holder and wire insulation. I wouldn't worry about the compressor just yet. It could be dirt or rust chunks in the clutch. Blow it out with air and turn/rotate the front plate full turns back and forward (CCW & CW). Else, it could be the pulley idler bearing on the way out.

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