Won't start, no idea what i'm doing

[88Vic]

It's been a while since i've had my Lincoln running and i'm paying for it. I didn't start it for probably 6 months or so and I finally tried with a fresh battery (left it hooked up the whole time ) and it won't crank. It has power like normal but when I try to crank it, it just makes this grinding type noise. It always used to start up just fine so I figured maybe something chewed up the battery cables but I followed them and didn't find any eaten wires. I figured maybe the starter itself froze up so I hit it with a hammer and that didn't help, so I figure it could be the starter went bad.

Is it very likely the starter just crapped out from no use for 6 months? Would the interior lights and fuel pump turn on if the cables were indeed the problem? I'm lost, not good at diagnostics. I'm trying to get it running since I need to drive it up on ramps to get the transmission pan off to get it fixed so it's truly driveable again.

On a side note, i'm going to attempt to fix my transmission. Right now it won't shift into 3rd or 4th and at first I thought the transmission was gone. My neighbor who has an 82 Town Car (painted black with black turbines and red interior) said that it sounds like the shift solenoid since 1st/3rd are on one band while 2nd/4th are on another and if I had lost 2nd and 4th, then it might be toast but it may just be a bad solenoid and could be saved. Does that sound right? I'm no expert especially when it comes to transmissions.

[nfldfordltd]

I can't help you with the transmission. But as for the no start condition, it sounds to me like a starter issue.
First thing, check the starter attaching bolts, make sure they are good and tight. If they are loose at all (those Ford 4" starters are famous for coming loose and even falling off sometimes). Sometimes they will come loose and still engage but the drive gear will not engage properly with the ring gear. Other times when they're loose they will not get the proper ground and will not work properly.
If those bolts are nice and tight, but still grinding, try another starter and see if it works. It could be the starter drive not being pushed out far enough to fully engage with the ring gear. The grinding noise could be the gear teeth stripping on each other.
If neither of these work for you, remove the inspection plate on the bottom of the bell housing behind the base pan and look at the ring gear teeth. I doubt this is your problem as it simply won't start after being left for a period of time. However, if the ring gear teeth are worn excessively, damaged or otherwise broken you may have a bigger job on your hands to replace the ring gear.
Hope this helps you.

[jaywish]

Just a thought that has nothing to do with the no start problem. Pull the coil wire from the cap and ground it before you start the car. Crank it over to circulate some oil, then reconnect the wire to run the engine.

[gadget73]

More likely the battery cables are dirty or in bad shape. Clean the terminals, make sure they are tight, and try again. The rapid buzzy noise is probably the relay chattering from lack of voltage.


THere are no shift solenoids in an AOD. When you lose 3 and 4, its almost certainly a dead direct clutch. There is no real fix for that short of a rebuild.

[VicCrownVic]

Yep, along with what gadget said you will very likely find chunks of crap in the trans pan. My 91 wouldn't shift into 3rd or 4th when I got it and that's what I found. 1st and 2nd shifted fine though. I bought the car knowing that I needed to do a trans swap.

[88Vic]

When I test drove the car it shifted fine into all gears and wasn't until a month or so (go figure, my luck) that it started to slip and get worse.

I'll try to see if the starter is bolted on securely, it didn't move at all when I hit it with a hammer. Also i've cleaned the terminals and tightened them as best I could when I put a new battery in, so i'm afraid I might need new cables.