Car starts and dies immediantly! Any Suggestions??

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Hatdaddyin00LS

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I have a 2000 Lincoln Ls and i have owned for about a month. I was coming home from school about 3 weeks ago and the car just shut off. I took it to my local mechanic and he could find nothing wrong with the car so he thought it was maybe a defective key. So i called out a local company to come and make a new key for me and he was unable to saying that the computer in the car was failing to recognize the new keys. He said that the only thing he can think of is that the computer in the car is bad. When i use the key that I have now the car start and then dies; starts and then dies. The security light on the car comes on like usual, when you put key into ignition, and then goes off after about 3 seconds. Does anyone have any idea what the problem is? I am a full time college student and a full time worker and I really need to get the car fixed asap. Any help would be greatly appreciated; and if you guys think it is the computer any estimates as to what it would cost to get the car back up and running would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks folks and any help is greatly appreciated.
 
does it stumbles and stalls or just dies or what describe it a little more please,because it could be a lot of things
 
well when you put the key in the ignition it turns over like its going to run, and it actually does start, but it dies maybe 2-3 seconds later.....basically when you turn the key on it starts and dies right away
 
Sorry to hear that buddy.
I had a 96 merc sable that was doing the same thing.
It would run a few seconds and shut right off then the security light would flash.
Nonetheless, long story short, I towed it down to our ford dealership, they made a new key for the car and programmed it to the car.
It cost me $180.
They told me to throw the old key away so I would try and reuse it cause it would mess it up and we'd have to start all over again.
But I think I would try that first.
 
mine did that exact same thing when the air intake had a hose loose or disconnected.
A vacuum line maybe.
 
Hatdaddyin00LS said:
I have a 2000 Lincoln Ls and i have owned for about a month. I was coming home from school about 3 weeks ago and the car just shut off. I took it to my local mechanic and he could find nothing wrong with the car so he thought it was maybe a defective key. So i called out a local company to come and make a new key for me and he was unable to saying that the computer in the car was failing to recognize the new keys. He said that the only thing he can think of is that the computer in the car is bad. When i use the key that I have now the car start and then dies; starts and then dies. The security light on the car comes on like usual, when you put key into ignition, and then goes off after about 3 seconds. Does anyone have any idea what the problem is? I am a full time college student and a full time worker and I really need to get the car fixed asap. Any help would be greatly appreciated; and if you guys think it is the computer any estimates as to what it would cost to get the car back up and running would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks folks and any help is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

You're chasing the wrong system. It's not the PATS. PATS will not shutdown a running engine.

The two best suspects are:
1. Bad PCM relay. Swap the relay with another one and see if it resolves the problem.
2. Bad (probably dirty) MAF sensor or air leak between the MAF and the engine. Unplug the electrical connection to the MAF. If the engine will stay running then, you've found the problem area.
 
First, how many keys do you have, excluding those that were just made and don't work.
It is my understanding that only ford can program the keys. Unless you have two good keys to program a third. My advice is to get a new key from ford, only ford.
I disagree with PATs not shutting the car down. If it is very soon after start up it could loose the signal and shut down. I have seen this before. Once you have eliminated the key we can continue the diagnosis.
 
I had that problem, but after it would die the alarm would go off. all sorts of crazy electrical things going on. I also thought it was a key. Dealership said a bad key will just go bad it wont mess up here and there intermittently. Found out it just needed a new battery. Mines an 05 though so maybe that is why the symptoms aren't totally alike? Car def does not like weak batteries. Well just an idea, it is an easy fix if it is the issue.
 
trickett90 said:
I had that problem, but after it would die the alarm would go off. all sorts of crazy electrical things going on. I also thought it was a key. Dealership said a bad key will just go bad it wont mess up here and there intermittently. Found out it just needed a new battery. Mines an 05 though so maybe that is why the symptoms aren't totally alike? Car def does not like weak batteries. Well just an idea, it is an easy fix if it is the issue.
Click to expand...

Over the summer my car did the same thing. Jumped the battery and has been fine ever since. Quickest and cheapest way to start off this problem solving.
 
I have to disagree. I have a new battery in mine, it was replaced a few weeks ago. I have a problem that intermittantly the car will not start and the light will flash. I have to try it a few times and then it will start. If I wait for the light to go off it starts more often.
 
SteveSC said:
I have to disagree. I have a new battery in mine, it was replaced a few weeks ago. I have a problem that intermittantly the car will not start and the light will flash. I have to try it a few times and then it will start. If I wait for the light to go off it starts more often.
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Well it depends on if the OP's problem is intermittent or not. IIRC my problem was pretty much every time I tried to start it for 2 days. I would have to just keep trying until it would finally stay running, then it was fine. For the OP's sake I hope this is the problem. It is a simple starting point either way.
 
My advice is still to get a key. If you have two keys you can program more. Besides an extra key is always useful.
 
SteveSC said:
My advice is still to get a key. If you have two keys you can program more. Besides an extra key is always useful.
Click to expand...

Haha yeah very smart. I've been meaning to do that for a year. Can't bring myself to pay the dealership to program the second one, although it will be nice to be able to program my own afterward.
 
SteveSC said:
I have to disagree. I have a new battery in mine, it was replaced a few weeks ago. I have a problem that intermittantly the car will not start and the light will flash. I have to try it a few times and then it will start. If I wait for the light to go off it starts more often.
Click to expand...

You keep throwing stuff out here that suggests you don't know as much about the LS as you would like to. Anyway the OP says his problem started while he was driving down the road. That was not PATS.

As to your possible PATS problem. Wait while the PATS light is flashing rapidly. After a bit it will slow down and flash a two digit code. Post the code here, and we can help. It may not be the key or the transponder, it may be the PCM relay. The code will give a good clue to it.
 
I have 20 years experience as a mechanic. There is never a sure fire fix. My training is always start with the bascis. I have worked on all kinds of vehicles. The shut down during driving may or may not be the same problem. If you only have one key the smart money is to get a new one. What happens if you loose that one? You have to elimante things. I am not there with a scanner to see if the car is recognising the key. The key is probably many years old. With the light flashing it means something is wrong with the security system. This is an intermittant problem. He also states the person who showed up couldn't program the key. My understanding is only the dealer can program keys. There may be someone out there with the equipment to program keys but I don't know of any. Logic leads me to suspect the key. Does your security light stay on for three seconds? That seems long to me.
 
Not only the dealer. I have a scan tool that can put the PATS into secure mode (how you program new keys in). I've used it to do so. Also, many locksmiths have this ability.
He never said the PATS light was flashing. He's describing the normal operation of the PATS light when it is working correctly. Yes, he should have another key, but at this point he'll have to tow it to a dealer to get one. I think it might be wise for him to first check the simple things that are well known to cause his symptoms.
 
I agree that there are a few people that can program keys other than the dealer but he never mentioned that the person that showed up had this equipment. Also Ford wrote the code. The other systems decoded the system somehow. He only says they couldn't program the key. So the best way to program a key is to go to ford and have one programmed.
The light flashing comment was directed to the other poster who did say his light was flashing.
 
Its notthat they couldnt program it, the comp in car would not recognize....and the security light is working as it should....& yes car juss cut off while i was doing 70+mph on highway...he was able to program the key on site just the car wouldnt recognize soo he assumed it wuz acomp problem....so where should i start 1st now you guys have a little bit bettr undrstandance as whats goin on with my lincoln...please help...FT college and wrk i hafta get this diagnosed and fixed rite away....thanks guys and keep w the ideas.....
 
If the computer in the car wouldn't recognise it, that means he couldn't program it. It has to be programmed so the computer will recognise it.
Did the car cut off just once on the highway?
Has it been able to drive since then?
The more details you provide the better we will be able to understand the problem.
What happens when you use this key,does the light flash?
How does the guy who did the key know the car isn't recognising it?
Were there any codes whenyou took it to the meachanic?
Did you start the car back up when it died? Did it start right away?
How did it get to the mechanic?
 
joegr said:
You're chasing the wrong system. It's not the PATS. PATS will not shutdown a running engine.

The two best suspects are:
1. Bad PCM relay. Swap the relay with another one and see if it resolves the problem.
2. Bad (probably dirty) MAF sensor or air leak between the MAF and the engine. Unplug the electrical connection to the MAF. If the engine will stay running then, you've found the problem area.
Click to expand...

Last year I had the dirty MAF sensor. Car would start and die. Start and die. Disconnected the battery, removed the MAF, super carefully cleaned it, reinstalled and it's ran normally ever since.
I'd start there. No tow, no cost.
 
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