Reviving A Frozen 1999 Lincoln Towncar

[V1]

A friend of mine needs some help bringing a '99 Lincoln Towncar back to life. It has been sitting in his driveway for about 9 months untouched. We tried starting it with a new battery today, but she would not fire up. Since it's so cold here right now, we are going to wait few more days before trying again.

I have a feeling that lack of fuel delivery is the cause of the problem. Either frozen lines and/or bad fuel. However, getting the car into a heated garage is not an option at this point.

Does anyone have suggestions or ideas on how to work around this dilemma?

 

[StevieC]

Talk to OVERK1LL he has experience with "Townies" and would probably be a great resource to you...

The gas wouldn't have gone bad in that time, but you could have some condensation in the fuel lines from sitting that long and now with the cold weather it has frozen...

If the car has a block-heater I would plug it in and see if the warmth from the engine is enough to thaw it out enough to start it...

If not then you will have to push it into a garage where the temperatures are a bit warmer (not necessarily heated) and let it sit there...

You could also try turning the key to the "ON" but not cranking it to let the fuel system prime, then turn it off and repeat this process, could build enough pressure to get some gas up to the engine to start.

You could also try a hand size bottle of propane, and you can turn it on and feed a very small amount into the intake, start the car and let it run off this until the fuel lines un-freeze and then take over...

Good Luck!

 

[Donald]

Spray some starter fluid into the air intake, if it starts and dies in a few seconds its a fuel problem, if it does not start at all then maybe a spark problem. If it starts and runs then you are home free.

 

[OVERKILL]

How much fuel is in the tank?

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
How much fuel is in the tank?


Yeah I would put two fresh gallons of gas in the tank. Try that first. Then try spraying starter fluid down the throttle body to see if it is a spark problem or fuel delivery problem like posted above.

 

[chevrofreak]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Spray some starter fluid into the air intake, if it starts and dies in a few seconds its a fuel problem, if it does not start at all then maybe a spark problem. If it starts and runs then you are home free.


Not necessarily. Some fuel injection systems will shut down the spark when fuel pressure is too low.

I would check to see if the fuel cutoff (should be in the trunk on the left side) has been tripped. Press the button on it to reset it.

I would add some 2 stroke oil to the gas at about a 350:1 ratio to lubricate the fuel system and combustion chambers for the first tank of gas.

 

[V1]

The fuel gauge indicates 1/8 tank. I recommended that he put some HEET in with a few gallons of fresh fuel and let it sit. I will also have him check the fuel switch in the trunk.

I also thought about the starter fluid idea, but was concerned that it might backfire and cause damage to the intake chamber.

If all these efforts fail then we will push it into his garage and heat it up with a kerosene heater for a few hours.

 

[ChiTDI]

You picked the wrong day to do this. We haven't had twenty below in Chicago in a long while. Waiting a couple days for warmth and not doing damage from some of the "methods" may serve you well.

 

[punisher]

Originally Posted By: ChiTDI
You picked the wrong day to do this. We haven't had twenty below in Chicago in a long while. Waiting a couple days for warmth and not doing damage from some of the "methods" may serve you well.


Well said.

First, make sure the "Ck Eng" light is on when the key is in the "run" position. Crank the engine over, if the light goes out when the engine is turning over, you have a crank signal and can start real diagnosing. Pull codes before you spend much time on it. It usually saves a lot of time in the long run.

 

[Donald]

BTW - I doubt a kerosene heater will warm up a 2 ton block of steel very much in a very hours. Is the garage insulated?

 

[mechtech2]

Fuel line condensation is not an issue. How wold water get in the lines or gas tank?
Try plain old spray starting fluid. If that doesn't work to get her to pop, then yank a plug or two and see if you fouled them or they are too wet.

 

[eljefino]

Put a 100 watt light bulb on an extention cord under the hood but not physically contacting anything. (or resting on metal if there's no other choice). Leave it all night. Maybe close a blanket in the hood latch so it covers the grill area.

Look for a schraeder valve near the fuel rail, push the middle down to see if fuel sprays out.

If you're going to add gas, see if you can store the can somewhere warm yet safe away from living quarters so you can add warm gas. If your fuel rail spritzes and you have a return fuel system (not sure) it'll push out the old and bring in the new.

Also check for a wierd security system either stock or aftermarket that may need to relearn your key, GM for example you have to leave the key on for an hour if it gets unlearnt. Unlikely but possible. A security light should be going berzerk on the dash if there's a problem.

 

[artificialist]

The idle air control motor may have failed, causing too little air to enter the engine during startup.

However, I am not familiar with the test procedure on those cars.

 

[V1]

That one night that we tried starting it, I cycled the key to the "ON" position a few times to prime the engine before cranking. I heard what sounded like a small air compressor running in the engine bay, but I don't know what that was.

There may be a problem with the security system as well. There is the sound of an electrical relay throwing back and forth, similar to a turn signal relay, when the key is in. The guy claims it has to do with the aftermarket security system.

 

[StevieC]

That sound is probably your Air Compressor for your air suspension on this car.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
That sound is probably your Air Compressor for your air suspension on this car.


Yup, load levelling.

While the IAC sticking is a known problem on old Fords, they do not normally stick shut. It would still fire or at least attempt to.

Has the shrader been checked for pressure yet?

 

[eljefino]

May want to go find that relay, at least it makes noise. If it was installed by a new car dealer as some bonus theft deterrent they likely did a terrible (rushed) job which is good for finding it... but bad for the low quality relay. May be worth jumpering around it.

Easy test for IAC failure is to touch the accellerator just a little when cranking.

 

[V1]

I have not checked the schraeder valve yet. On Wednesday we will look at that and some of the other things mentioned here.

Eljefino, how can you tell that the IAC has failed?

 

[PT1]

Originally Posted By: V1
A friend of mine needs some help bringing a '99 Lincoln Towncar back to life. It has been sitting in his driveway for about 9 months untouched.


Let's recap....been sitting 9 months and you guys decide to go try to start it at -20F???

Well ok, I'm going to say frozen fuel lines. Go get 5 gallons of 91 octane gas and put a bottle of fueline anti freeze in it. Dump it in the tank. Then get a can of engine starting fluid and spray in intake and crank away. If she kicks over from the starting fluid but won't run than you have to wait until the fluel system thaws. The gas in the tank will NOT work it's way down the fuel lines. Get it in a heated garage overnight. Best of luck

 

[eljefino]

IDK if you can get the MAF sensor and intake tubing off this car easily but there should be a port bypassing the throttle blade(s) about the diameter of a sharpie marker. Cover that with your finger and have someone crank the car, you should feel vacuum. May want to wear a glove as a backfire could singe your fingerprints off.

I don't particularly feel it's an IAC issue as generally the computer is programmed to prep (open) the IAC for starting when the key is turned off... 9 months ago. I've had stick shift cars stall (my fault) and they restart much harder from "on" than if it were a key-used-to-be-off start... I assume partly because the idle speed control motor is in the wrong place.

It's human nature but I'm sure someone tried stepping on the gas while attempting the start... this would have bypassed the IAC and let air in.