Help....its cranking but it won't start

[maskmarkman]

Hey all, I'm new to the world of Mark VIII ownership and I need some help Plz... A couple of weeks ago I was driving my 97 LSC and it died while at speed. It will crank but it won't start. I have thrown serveral parts at it now but no luck yet. I have replaced the crank and camshaft sensors, the fuel cutoff switch as well as the fuel pump and the filter. I also have used a hand held computer but it didn't throw any codes. I have moved around some of the relays in the fuse box and also metered all of the fuses. On the dash computer its showing eng temp data and gear data and its green alarm light is flashing even while cranking. I took the ECM out and attemped to have it checked out but the local ford dealership and a couple of parts houses can't test it outside the car??? No help with that. I check the shredder valve and nothing is flowing out so I have no fuel pressure at all. :Bang Plz help with any responce. :give Thank you,

Sincerely,

Maskmarkman.

 

[JoeyLincolnMK8]

for starters its good you checked the sensors & relays, but the first thing to troubleshoot something like that,... at least i would is to first buy or if you have a spare battery laying around, see if that works. If not my next step would be check the alternator, then if that is not the cause, i would check out the sensors and relays... but that is just me. i usually buy the optimas and every year before it expires, i trade it in for a new one so i always have a fresh battery. but im sure someone here will chime in that has more insight on this problem, dont worry your in good hands. good luck!

 

[maskmarkman]

First of all I would like to think all of you for your help and your input to may post.

Wahoo, I got it today:

It was short that came from the two wires that is connected to the crankshaft sensor. This short did blow the #11 fuse within the interior side panel fuse box only after I first check the fuse and was installing a new crank sensor. Its only a small 10 amp fuse but it provides the power to the PCM relay which without that we have no PCM or brains...LOL. Without any power to the PCM you won't have anything at all. It would crank but wouldn't fire. I had no fuel pressure or and the fuel pump wasn't pumping. I also didn't have fire at the plugs or coil which is also controled by the PCM.

Within the gen 2 Marks the PCM relay is located within the fuse box under the hood and is the front relay (to the front of the car) or the first one of three black relays that are all alike in parts numbers. The middle being the Starter relay and the relay closer to the driver is for the Horn which are black in color. In my 97 LSC the last three relays are white in color and all are of same part number but are different to the front three relays within the Eng fuse box. The back three white in color relays are for the Hi Beams, Trunk lid, and the relay that is closer the driver is for the Fuel Pump. Within the Eng fuse box I checked the # 1 fuse for the PCM, and then check the 26, 27 Ign fuses. Then I moved some of the relays around that was for the PCM and the Fuel pump thinking that if one was bad it would show its ugly by now. No changes yet so suspected the Computer or the PCM. I took it out and to serveral places including a dealership to get check but everyone was saying that they were unable to check the PCM while it outside of the car. So, I done some more reading and everyone was saying that PCM don't go bad very often. So, I put the PCM or computer back into the car and started throwing parts at it on the fuel side because I had little or no pressure at the shretter check valve.

I replaced the fuel cut off switch, regulator, filter, and then the pump and still wasn't getting any fuel though its lines. I also replaced the cam shaft sensor then the crank sensor when I discovored the wires to the plug of the crank sensor was fryed a bit so I repaired it and put it back together. With no luck I started checking for a ground problem and everthing was checking good. I was looking at diagram given to me by the local Ford store and noticed that the Cam / Crank sensors were connected to the PCM and then it clicked within my hard head that the short on the crank shift sensor could be related. So, I started to look at the ignition system and discovered that the power to the PCM relay is coming from two locations one being #11 10A fuse within the dash and the other was #15 30Amp fuse within the engine compartment. I check the big fuse again and it was alright then I check the little fuse for the second time and guess what??? Opps, there she blows boys.... I would say that wiring problem is a fairly common problem within the Marks. I was about to send off my PCM to have it reprogramed. I was glad its up and running and hope that this post may help others that experanced a simular problems. Thanks again all,

Respectfully,

Maskmarkman.

Note a good referance: www.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com