No pressure in fuel rail

[Lanman11]

I have a 1998 Lincoln Continental that needed a radiator and an alternator. The car was running perfectly fine this past summer when I noticed a slight coolant leak, and by the time I got around to fixing it, the alternator quit working. At that point I figured I would take the car off the road and do them both at the same time. I had a truck to drive so I was in no rush, and since I was working in the driveway and it was summer time, I let it sit for a while. During this time the battery was close to dead. Once I got the parts, I disconnected the battery, and it stayed that way for several weeks, as I worked on it only as time and weather allowed. The alternator was the easy part. Replacing the radiator was a bit tougher as it has to come out the bottom, and has a number of other items attached to it like cooling fans and trans fluid cooler lines. When I got the car back together I refilled it with coolant. I put in just over three gallons to start, as I began the process of burping this thing. I know it is known to be a bit difficult. Once it was filled up as far as it would go, I started it up. It ran kind of rough and once it got hot it stalled out. From that point forward I could only get it to start if I put fuel directly into the throttle body. It would run for a while and inevitably stall. If I tried to rev the motor rpm’s would pick up but it had that weak feeling of a motor not firing on all cylinders. I did not have it on the road. It was jacked up so the engine would be at an angle while I was filling it with coolant. I ran it like that hoping to get the coolant circulating and then open the heater core to fill it the rest of the way. Each time I ran it I got a “Low Coolant” message on the console. The plug was on the sensor on the bottom of the plastic tank so I don’t think that was the issue, but I don’t know if there is another sensor. But that is not my problem at the moment. The problem is I have no fuel being pumped to the engine. I attached a scanner and got codes “P0192 – Fuel rail pressure sensor circuit low input” and “P0113 – Intake air temperature circuit high input.” I checked the fuel rail valve and no fuel came out. It seems to have zero pressure. I’m not sure what is causing the other error code. When I turn on the key I do not hear the fuel pump running, though I think with all the bells and whistles going on and the trunk lining, it might be hard to hear that stuff. I checked the fuel cutoff in the B pillar and it does not appear to be tripped.

I have seen a number of posts where other owners of this car had a similar issue, but I have never seen anyone come back and post what the solution was. I am currently at a loss as to where to go. I do not want to get into dropping the fuel tank, pulling the pump, testing control modules etc only to find out it was a sensor or relay somewhere. I have seen posted some where that there might be a relay up near the radiator that could cause this but I have no idea where it is. I don’t see anything but I’m not sure what I am looking for. I believe if the Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS) is bad, it causes the PCM to signal a module in the trunk to cut off power to the fuel pump?? Maybe it got gunked up with oil and metal shavings while sitting there unused for so long? But if the CPS is bad, wouldn’t I get a code on the scanner? I’d love for it to be as simple as that. I also know that some of the wires on the Throttle Position Sensor wire seem brittle. I’m wondering if perhaps that is a problem. Or maybe while I was under the car removing the radiator I disconnected a sensor wire and forgot to put it back on. I did do some wiping down under there as it appears I have a fair oil leak coming from somewhere near the crankshaft pully or above the AC compressor. I can’t see in there to know for sure. I just see all the sludge that I wiped out of there, and it didn’t take but a day or two for me to see fresh oil dripping from the AC compressor and the bolts on the oil pan. I probably should not have disturbed anything under there. I also should have tested the vehicle thoroughly after replacing the alternator before starting on the radiator, but I just went straight to the radiator since I had to have some of the cooling system removed to do the alternator anyway. I am really hoping I can fix this myself. I’m afraid if I take it to a local shop it may turn into a part swapping festival and a bill that is more than I can sell the car for when it is running. It has 220k miles on it.

So, my questions are:

Is there a relay near the radiator that I may have damaged and if so, where is it and how can I test it?

Should I be getting a code if the Crankshaft Position Sensor is bad? The Check Engine Light goes off during cranking and does not come on after 8-10 seconds, which I hear may indicate a bad Crankshaft Position Sensor.

What fuses and relays apply to the fuel system? How can I test the relays?

What is the best manual for a non-professional to use for this car?

Is there anything else I can check/do to help narrow this down?

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer!

(Sorry about the long post!)

 

[MooJohn]

If it was working, you would hear the fuel pump prime for a few seconds when turning the key to ON but not cranking.

The crank sensor is cheap at AutoZone and takes under 5 mins to swap out once you know where it is. You can do it with the car on ramps; no need to remove the tire.

On my car the fuel pump was dead. It stopped working "sometimes" for a while before it quit completely. I've had the AutoZone pump/basket assembly in for almost a year now with no problems. I paid a shop to install it since dropping the tank in my driveway didn't sound appealing.

The air intake temp sensor plugs into the air intake tube just before the throttle body. It's easy to check / clean / replace if needed but it wouldn't prevent the car from running.

 

[Lanman11]

Thanks for the input. I have to work in the driveway too so I know what you mean. I started this with the idea of saving money. I hate to give it up now, especially since I now may have to invest in a fuel pump. I'm going to check for 12v at the fuel shutoff/inertia switch first to make sure voltage is not being cut off back near the engine somewhere. I may also hammer on the tank a but to see if I can jar the pump loose and get it working. That would at least confirm it is the pump.

The crank shaft position sensor is about $35 at Autozone. If I don't see 12v at the inertia switch I'll try the sensor.

Thanks for the response.

When I have a solution I will remember to post for other to see. I found several people on the net with this problem but none ever came back online to report the solution!

 

[Lanman11]

Sorry about the delay. A lot has been going on here.

The fuse was good. I used a 12v test light and had 12 volts at the Inertia switch (white wire I believe - its been a while), then traced that back to the module in the trunk. I believe it was a black wire with yellow stripe(?) headed down to the fuel pump from the module. It tested positive with the 12v test light but that thing is just an LED. I wanted to be sure it had enough current to run the pump so I used a used headlight bulb and some wiring to make a12v test light that would need a lot more current to make it shine bright. It worked. I made sure to test it not only when I turned the key on (I got the requisite 12v for about a 2 second duration, then nothing), but I also cranked it and it re-lit the bulb as hoped, so I knew the control module was sending the right voltage and current for the right duration's. I then disconnected the fuel line at the filter and cranked the engine just to see if I was getting any fuel at all. Nothing. So I proceeded to drain the tank, raise the car up, and drop the tank. I snapped one of the old brittle plastic clips on the hose near the fuel filter but fortunately the FRAM replacement filter I bought came with a clip. I purchased the Airtex fuel pump for this car without the rest of the module. I pulled out the entire fuel module and replaced just the pump, and put the module back in. I re-used the gasket on the tank because the gasket that came with the pump kit was too small and would not seat correctly. I tried stretching it a bit but no go. The old one was in good shape so I think I'll be fine. I then put the tank back in place, added some gas, and turned the key. I heard the distinct sound of the fuel pump for two seconds, which I had never really took notice of before. I cycled it a few times to build pressure in the fuel rail, and it started right up. So for about $120 I was able to resolve the problem. I got it done just before Thanksgiving and took it on a 1000 mile round trip to visit relatives for the holiday. No problems with the fuel pump, but my new alternator seems flaky. Apparently when the car spends some time idling, the alternator light on the dash eventually comes on. It's almost exclusively at night, or near dusk. I checked and sure enough its not charging. The battery is new. The fins in the rear of the alternator are turning so I thick the pulley clutch is working unless I'm missing something . There is magnetism in the pulley while running so the field control seems to be ok. I tested that by placing a screw driver tip near the pulley while running. The problem has been intermittent. It left me stuck on the side of the road the first night of my trip but was fine the next morning. After that it happened one night on the trip but went away after I let the car sit for a short while. I then drove it 400 miles or more without an issue, and then some local night driving once I got home. It just acted up again tonight. Maybe it just gets warm under the hood while idling and that exposes a contact problem in the alternator. I'm just guessing. I'm going to contact the supplier to see if they will replace it. I also had the Check Transmission warning come on the computer display readout while climbing some mountains on the way home. I took it easy and let it cool off a bit and it stayed off after a reset. If it's not one thing it's another. It's 16 years old and got 220k on it and its been a good car so I can't complain. I just need to squeeze a bit more life out of it.

I wanted to post this so others would know what the solution was. I found so many people with the same problem as mine that posted asking for help but never posted the solution. It was frustrating! Thanks for the help.