2002 Lincoln LS V8 won't start single click

[aemm7293]

hi i have a 2002 Lincoln LS V8 with a brand new battery that won't start after sitting overnight. with the key in the on position everything works normally. when I try to start the engine it clicks once and everything turns off. it did this once before a couple of days ago and I came back inside to try looking up a solution, then went back out and for whatever reason it started. this time it isn't starting at all and after trying to start it a few times I get a faint electrical smell coming through the vents. its currently about 10 degrees outside if that makes a difference, and i did just start driving it again 2 weeks ago after it had sat for about 6 months because of a front end impact. as far as i know the impact did not damage anything electrical. so far I tried messing with the shifter to see if that sensor was failing and I tried using the key to turn the alarm on and off a couple of times to make sure that it was actually disabling the alarm (don't currently have keyless entry remote).

also, I'm not sure if it could be related but it has been missfiring on startups and after high revs from the drivers side bank which I'm pretty sure is from oil leaking out around the base of the oil fill neck and getting into the plugs since the foam insulation around the ignition wires is always soaked in oil when I remove it and the valve cover gasket on the drivers side was replaced last year.

 

[joegr]

You have a bad battery (yes, sometimes batteries are bad out of the box), or a loose electrical connection. Besides the ones in the trunk (power and ground) there is a major connection at the firewall on the passenger side, down at carpet level. Some voltage checks would help to isolate the problem.

Measure the voltage across the battery terminals while turning the key to start. If it goes below 10 volts, battery is bad.
Measure the voltage from bare metal in the trunk to the fuse box in the trunk. Below 10 volts while starting, and you have a bad or loose battery cable (positive or negative).
Measure the voltage from the stud on the passenger firewall to nearby bare metal. Below 10 volts while starting, and you have a bad or loose power cable.
Measure the voltage from the "B" terminal on the starter to bare metal of the engine. Below 10 volts while starting, and you have a bad or loose starter cable.
Measure the voltage from the "S" terminal on the starter to bare metal of the engine. Below 10 volts while starting, and you have a bad starter relay or wiring fault.
Measure the voltage from the "M" terminal on the starter to bare metal of the engine. Below 10 volts while starting, and you have a bad solenoid, replace starter.

You have to do these measurements in the sequence listed above, or your diagnosis may be wrong.

You are playing with fire with those misfires and that oil leak. Replace the valve cover gaskets. (The oil's not coming from the filler, the prior gasket replacement was done wrong.) Then replace all the coils and plugs. Those misfires are ruining your expensive catalytic converters.

 

[aemm7293]

Thanks for the response, I'll check it out and let you know. As far as misfires, I really need to get in there and see which cylinders have oil in them because last time I looked at it you could actually see oil residue from the top of the valve cover leaving a trail down to the cylinders with oil in them, not to mention since I've had the car it's always leaked out from the base of the fill neck and it stopped for a while after i tried removing the neck and putting in a sealant. Unfortunately at the time I was in a rush and didn't do it correctly. Bright side, it's really hard to damage cats when you don't have them.

 

[joegr]

... Bright side, it's really hard to damage cats when you don't have them.

True.
You do still have the unlikely worry that a ring might get washed down by raw gasoline on a cylinder that isn't firing.

Anyway, I wonder if your PCV system has a problem. If you take the oil fill cap off with the engine running, do you feel a slight suction?

 

[aemm7293]

So for some reason it occurred to me to try and start it while it was in neutral instead of park to see what happened, sure enough it fired right up. I took it for a drive to the gas station to fill up a leaking tire and and back home then tried restarting it in park after it was warmed up and it was fine. Do you know if there's a sensor for that or what?

 

[joegr]

There is certainly a neutral/park switch that prevents you from engaging the starter while in gear. I guess I was mislead by "it clicks once and everything turns off." I assumed that you meant everything turned off (power failed). Instead, I guess that you just meant that all the stuff that normally blanks (radio, climate control, ...) while the starter is engaged blanked while the key was held in the start position?

There is a part on the side of the transmission called the DTR. It may be failing, or it may be incorrectly adjusted. Did it say "P" on the gear display when you were trying to start it before?

 

[aemm7293]

Yes, I'm sorry I meant that it went blank while I was trying to start. Usually when I start the car the climate control and radio turn off but everything else stays on which is why I thought it was weird. The front end work I did on the car involved replacing the transmission/PS/hydraulic fan cooler and while I didn't lose very much fluid, I wasn't able to get at the transmission to check the fluid level or refill it. So far it's been shifting fine with the exception of once in a while it may take a fraction of a second longer to shift than it used to until it heats up (but again it was sitting for over 6 months and I've driven it maybe 400 miles since), would slightly low transmission fluid affect any components that could cause this problem? Just thinking that since so far it only seems to do it after it has been sitting overnight and everything is ice cold ...

I'm not sure about whether it said "P" or not, I'll have to check that if it does it again.

 

[joegr]

No, low transmission fluid level would not be a factor in the neutral safety switch's operation.

 

[aemm7293]

Just an update, it did do this once more a couple of days after my last post and this time it wouldn't start even when I was messing with the shifter until I wiggled the key itself while it was in the ignition in the on position. Hasn't had a problem starting since. I'll check out what's going on with oil and the plugs when it gets warmer but just looking at the outside, it does look like there's oil spilling out on top of the valve cover and getting under the coil pack cover. I'll post a picture when I get around to messing with it.