AriLin2092
New LVC Member
**Car Troubles! Need Help with My 2002 Lincoln Continental**
Hey everyone! I'm reaching out because once again, I’m having some issues with my oh so “beloved” finicky Lincoln, and I could really use some advice or assistance.
Here’s what’s going on:
Last week, I had just finished replacing the thermostat and finally got her back on the road. Then, she had been unable to hold a charge long after a jump and I ended up having to replace the battery. It was still struggling to stay on, so at first, we thought it was the alternator. After some troubleshooting, we discovered it was a blown mega fuse which we have since replaced. The alternator was also replaced last year. After replacing that mega fuse, everything seemed fine—until I noticed my dual fans weren’t coming on.
Prior to all this, for the last year, only one of the fans would work, which started happening after my radiator was replaced by a local family mechanic about a year ago. Then, After I replaced the thermostat, my fan stopped working altogether. So, my husband decided to get creative and cut the wires that go from the fan motors to the relay, hardwiring them into fuse location 1.1 (which is labeled for emissions/exhaust and automatic transmission. It’s the first 30amp mini fuse under the hood) His plan was to have the fans come on whenever the car was running.
At first, it worked! The car started without any issues, the fans came on, and it idled beautifully without overheating and while holding a charge. However, after about half an hour, I got a warning ding and the the dashboard screen then dinged at me and displayed that it could not read any of the gear data or fuel data. Then it died on me.
I tried to restart her, but now my car will only crank but it won’t start. I can’t read any codes now either with with my OBD II scanner. The scanner gets power but it says it can’t connect to the car as if the power to what ever it connects with has been severed.
I checked the fuse that hubby had the fans hooked into and it was fried and the wire had gotten so hot it changed colors. So I changed it out with a bigger fuse but still nothing.
Also, it seems like the fuel pump isn’t getting power. So I’ve checked the fuel relay and the safety cut out switch which cuts off the fuel pump in an accident, is still depressed meaning that it didn’t cut the supply off. I couldn’t seem to access the wires to check for power on that but I did check the fuel pump driver module in the trunk and the fuel pump module isn’t receiving power at all. I'm at a loss trying to figure out what might have gotten fried or disconnected when the wires overheated and blew the fuse. It’s like it cut power to multiple sources at once.
I’ve been slowly learning how to work on my car, picking up skills from doing oil changes, transmission fluid changes, and replacing water pumps and thermostats, all thanks to YouTube videos and repair manuals. We haven’t been able to afford a mechanic, and since this is one of only two vehicles we have (the other is out of commission due to an accident), I’m doing my best to keep it running. Unfortunately, we can’t afford payments on a new car either.
So This has been our only working vehicle at this point and it’s crucial for us to be able to get to and from the store, doctor’s appointments, and for my husband to get to work. If we don’t have a running vehicle, he will lose his job, and we’d be in a really tough spot.
If you have any ideas about what could be wrong or what I should look for, I would greatly appreciate your input!
Thank you all so much for your kindness and support. I appreciate any help or advice anyone can offer, and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Hey everyone! I'm reaching out because once again, I’m having some issues with my oh so “beloved” finicky Lincoln, and I could really use some advice or assistance.
Here’s what’s going on:
Last week, I had just finished replacing the thermostat and finally got her back on the road. Then, she had been unable to hold a charge long after a jump and I ended up having to replace the battery. It was still struggling to stay on, so at first, we thought it was the alternator. After some troubleshooting, we discovered it was a blown mega fuse which we have since replaced. The alternator was also replaced last year. After replacing that mega fuse, everything seemed fine—until I noticed my dual fans weren’t coming on.
Prior to all this, for the last year, only one of the fans would work, which started happening after my radiator was replaced by a local family mechanic about a year ago. Then, After I replaced the thermostat, my fan stopped working altogether. So, my husband decided to get creative and cut the wires that go from the fan motors to the relay, hardwiring them into fuse location 1.1 (which is labeled for emissions/exhaust and automatic transmission. It’s the first 30amp mini fuse under the hood) His plan was to have the fans come on whenever the car was running.
At first, it worked! The car started without any issues, the fans came on, and it idled beautifully without overheating and while holding a charge. However, after about half an hour, I got a warning ding and the the dashboard screen then dinged at me and displayed that it could not read any of the gear data or fuel data. Then it died on me.
I tried to restart her, but now my car will only crank but it won’t start. I can’t read any codes now either with with my OBD II scanner. The scanner gets power but it says it can’t connect to the car as if the power to what ever it connects with has been severed.
I checked the fuse that hubby had the fans hooked into and it was fried and the wire had gotten so hot it changed colors. So I changed it out with a bigger fuse but still nothing.
Also, it seems like the fuel pump isn’t getting power. So I’ve checked the fuel relay and the safety cut out switch which cuts off the fuel pump in an accident, is still depressed meaning that it didn’t cut the supply off. I couldn’t seem to access the wires to check for power on that but I did check the fuel pump driver module in the trunk and the fuel pump module isn’t receiving power at all. I'm at a loss trying to figure out what might have gotten fried or disconnected when the wires overheated and blew the fuse. It’s like it cut power to multiple sources at once.
I’ve been slowly learning how to work on my car, picking up skills from doing oil changes, transmission fluid changes, and replacing water pumps and thermostats, all thanks to YouTube videos and repair manuals. We haven’t been able to afford a mechanic, and since this is one of only two vehicles we have (the other is out of commission due to an accident), I’m doing my best to keep it running. Unfortunately, we can’t afford payments on a new car either.
So This has been our only working vehicle at this point and it’s crucial for us to be able to get to and from the store, doctor’s appointments, and for my husband to get to work. If we don’t have a running vehicle, he will lose his job, and we’d be in a really tough spot.
If you have any ideas about what could be wrong or what I should look for, I would greatly appreciate your input!
Thank you all so much for your kindness and support. I appreciate any help or advice anyone can offer, and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!