Michael04
LVC Member
Gotcha. What do you think is the most likely case?
2002 Lincoln LS - Won't start
- Thread starter Michael04
- Start date
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Bring your LS to me, and I will tell you. I can't really tell from here. There are diagnostic steps that I could help walk you through, but (and truly no offense is intended here) you don't seem like that much of a DIY type. However, if you are willing to buy several tools and dig in, I'll help as much as I can (from here).
It is likely that you need an alternator. It may not have been the cause of the problem, but it has probably been killed by the overloads by now. The alternator on the V8 is a real bear to replace. It's definitely not something you want to get your first car repair experience on. The V6 probably isn't much easier.
If you have a parasitic drain, then those are a big pain to hunt down and resolve, even with the right tools and a lot of experience.
- Sorry, just a ramble below -
I have a friend who is trying to start this boy scout like thing. Instead of camping though, it's more of a father and son (and/or daughter) car thing. His idea is that the fathers would buy project cars when the kids are 13 or 14. Then father and kid(s) would work on making the car road worthy so that the kid could have it and drive it at 16. They would have group (scout like) meetings where they would cover the various car systems and earn merits. I like this. I learned a lot about cars helping my father when I was a teen, and I taught my son a good bit when he was a teen.
It is likely that you need an alternator. It may not have been the cause of the problem, but it has probably been killed by the overloads by now. The alternator on the V8 is a real bear to replace. It's definitely not something you want to get your first car repair experience on. The V6 probably isn't much easier.
If you have a parasitic drain, then those are a big pain to hunt down and resolve, even with the right tools and a lot of experience.
- Sorry, just a ramble below -
I have a friend who is trying to start this boy scout like thing. Instead of camping though, it's more of a father and son (and/or daughter) car thing. His idea is that the fathers would buy project cars when the kids are 13 or 14. Then father and kid(s) would work on making the car road worthy so that the kid could have it and drive it at 16. They would have group (scout like) meetings where they would cover the various car systems and earn merits. I like this. I learned a lot about cars helping my father when I was a teen, and I taught my son a good bit when he was a teen.
Michael04
LVC Member
The biggest issue for me (which might have led to your assumption above) is that my parents are the ones who would be buying any tools or parts needed to fix this thing, so I'm trying to figure out the most efficient way to go about it. I of course realize that there's no perfect path to go about this since we don't know what the issue is, but I'm just trying my best to save them money. Kinda stupid in a sense because I'm making almost no progress this way, but I don't know how else to do it
Michael04
LVC Member
I believe the previous owner got that battery, so I'm not 100% sure, but it looks very new. There wasn't much dirt, grime, or corrosion
Michael04
LVC Member
I managed to charge the battery yesterday and put it back in the car. All accessories seem to work, but the car can't crank
joegr
Dedicated LVC Member
Can't crank as in the starter won't engage and rotate the crankshaft, or can't crank as in the starter goes, but the engine doesn't fire up and run? If it's the former, then what is your PATS light doing when you turn the key to start? If it is flashing rapidly, then let the key go back to the run position. After a while, the light will calm down and start flashing out a two digit (flashes, pause, more flashes) code. One flash - pause - six flashes would be code 16. Respond with the code if this is what is happening.
1LoudLS
Dedicated LVC Member
keep in mind, when you battery is located in the trunk, it should remain fairly clean. unless your trunk is full of dirt and crap, there should be none to get on the battery.
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
I've seen a battery blow up in a guys face when a wrench was accidentally dropped,,, and made contact with both the positive and negative battery terminals.
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
Sounds EXCELLENT to me. Kids nowadays need to ge their hands dirty,,, and understand how things work... instead of playing "bejeweled" or "candy crush" 24-7.
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
04_Sport_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
Yeah,,, on most batteries... there is a round sticker on the side. It is a date code for when the battery was made. My truck was easier to take a picture of... but I haven't seen a battery without one for a decade or so now,,, unless it was peeled off.