1960 grand marquis dead!

[txfordguy]

what a way to start my day..was heading out for coffee and the 1960 will not start, did everything i could think of even took battery out of my maverick and nothing. no lights not anything just dead. can anyone offer any help..it was fine last night when i had it out, ran like a charm. times like this i miss my dad and wish i would have spend more time in the garage and learnd engines instead of body and detail.

[BigT]

If you put in a known good battery and still don't have any lights (including the dome light) then start with the battery cables. Look at the ends for corrosion. This includes looking at the ends where it is mounted on the frame (negative side) and the solenoid (positive side). Look at the entire cable for cracks and corrosion. If that is good then look for blown fuses. I can't imagine all the fuses had blown, but you never know.

If you have a light tester that will help you find the break in the system. Good luck!

[t65neon5]

what a way to start my day..was heading out for coffee and the 1960 will not start, did everything i could think of even took battery out of my maverick and nothing. no lights not anything just dead. can anyone offer any help..it was fine last night when i had it out, ran like a charm. times like this i miss my dad and wish i would have spend more time in the garage and learnd engines instead of body and detail.

1960?......if its the car in you have as your avatar(1986?)...and it has the "2g" alternator...take a real close look at the "square" plug at the alternator,if it is "melty"....replace the pigtail,and remove the alternator and go get it checked (if it is "melty" looking at the alternator side of the plugin,replace it,or do a"3g" conversion)...these alternators are well know for melting down ,and cross shorting inside the alternator,or the plug itself,causing a "discharge" issue(I.E.,drianing the battery)...i went thru 2 new batteries before i figured out the problem on my 1990 LTD crown vic....replaced the plug(my alternator was still good,i got lucky)and everything went back to "normal"

[txfordguy]

no it is not the pic in my avatar..that is a car i was going to buy but deal went south. i checked the battery cable and everything i am at the point of it being something major in the electrical, i will have to get a hold of my uncle in new mexico and see if he has any ideas he was here sometimes as dad worked on it. but thank you if you can offer anymore help please do and think of anythink you can if my uncle can help it will not be for a week or two till he can get here.

[sly]

Check the ground cable to the engine block (passenger side) If that's come loose... almost nothing will work.

[t65neon5]

check the ground cable to the engine block (passenger side) if that's come loose... Almost nothing will work.

....x2...also...what kind of car are we talking about?.......mercury didnt start making marquis' until 1968

[jaywish]

Hi,

I am sorry to have to ask, but do you know how to use a 12 volt test light, a multimeter and or continuity checker?
Which one or ones do you have?

Jay

[chitownvic]

Does the car have a fuseable link??

[txfordguy]

ok car up and running..uncle came in to town for holiday and fixed it..by the way it is a 1961 Ford Galaxie Town Victoria...he also gave me a crash course on cars. like i said i don't know anything about them just how to redo bodies and paint..i am looking into a school so i can learn. i should have been there more with dad to learn. hope everyone had a great week-end. and ty again for the help you offer.

[miamibob]

So, what was the issue???? Bobby

[txfordguy]

kinda embarrassed to say but it was electrical dad and uncle installed a kill switch that i did not know about and every time we tried to check the wiring it went off. thank god that uncle was coming into town for the holiday and fixed it,,i feel so dumb.man i need to go to mechanic school bad, and learn to fix these cars. my girl also broke up with me over the time i spend with my cars. oh well i am young and have a life to worry about girls.

[miamibob]

Need to find a girl that likes Fords! As for the "kill switch" I wouldn't beat myself up over it. Not knowing it was there probably most folks would have missed it! Just think - if someone else has one you'l be the only one to find it!! Bobby

[gadget73]

Amusingly, if you go to auto mechanic classes, they probably won't teach you anything about a 61 Galaxie. thats grossly obsolete technology, and *nobody* has such old cars anymore. Except those of us that do. The systems on that will be so stupid simple compared to a modern car that a lot of folks won't be able to figure it out. There is no computer diagnostic port, no check engine light, etc. Ask someone who is used to electronic fuel injection what a dwell meter is or how to set the gap on your breaker points and their head will spin.



by the way, the dwell meter is actually what you use to verify the point gap is proper. It refers to how many degrees of engine rotation the points stay (or dwell) in the open position. Cool distributors have a little opening on the side that you can stick a screwdriver or something to tweak the points while the engine is running so you can get it bang-on. Lesser ones require you to shut the engine off and fiddle with the points each time.



while I do know how to set breaker points, I also know how to install electronic ignition, and I'm a big fan of it. I did that on the Beetle I used to own and never regretted a second of it. I carried that set of points in the glove box for years and never once needed to put them back in.

[BigT]

ok car up and running..uncle came in to town for holiday and fixed it..

So, what was the issue???? Bobby

Ditto! What was the fix?

[miamibob]

A hidden "kill switch"!