replaced dashboard, now nothing works

[go_home_red]

I just finished replacing the dashboard on my 2004 Lincoln LS (V6). I'm encountering a problem.

First off--the car does have an Autopage remote/alarm system. For the sake of simplifying the diagnosis of the problem, I have unplugged everything on the starter system. Wires and everything are unplugged/uninstalled.

When I hook up the battery, the headlights and taillights turn on and stay on. The interior lights come on when any door is opened. However, when I insert and turn the key--whether clockwise or counterclockwise--nothing happens. At all. No lights on the dashboard, no dinging, nothing. The car does not try to turn over--aside from the headlights being on, the car acts as though the battery is not even hooked up.

I have checked and re-checked to make sure that everything is plugged in. The ignition cylinder wiring is hooked up, the car is in park, the instrument panel is plugged in, every single thing is plugged in.

The only changes that I made when replacing the dashboard was 1) I replaced the plastic "skin" of the dashboard, since mine was broken. This allowed me to retain use of the metal skeleton behind the plastic, which is where the dashboard harness is. So I am using the same harness--no changes were made. Second, I replaced the radio/cd player with a used unit from another LS (mine would not play CD's).

I tried plugging my bluetooth diagnostic box into the Data Link Connector (DLC) under the steering wheel, but it is not functioning either. So, right now, I'm pretty stumped.

Anyone have any tips?

 

[joegr]

1. Depending on how your alarm/remote start was wired, there's a good chance that nothing is going to work with it unplugged. After all, if all a thief had to do to get the car to start was to unplug the alarm, it wouldn't be much of an alarm.
2. "when I insert and turn the key--whether clockwise or counterclockwise-" If you can turn your key counter-clockwise just after inserting it, you have some mechanical issue with the lock cylinder and how it is connected.
3. Of course, you should check the fuses in the trunk fuse box and in the cabin fuse box.

 

[1LoudLS]

yep, the key SHOULD only be able to be inserted in the most counter clockwise position, and therefore should only be able to be turned clock wise... the key also should not be able to be removed in any other position other than the most counter clockwise position.


and if your autopage system did have alarm functionality, it should also have a starter kill relay, keeping you from being able to engage the starter while the system is armed. as Joe pointed out, the most common install option would require the system to be hooked up and disarmed before the starter could be engaged.