The problem is that our 1997 Lincoln Town Car stalls and then will sort of act like it wants to start but will repeatedly stall a couple of seconds after starting (each time you can drive about 2 feet before it stalls again) although we have noticed that sometimes if you floor the accelerator pedal right when it’s starting to stall, it will keep running. I’ve taken it to two different dealerships (a Lincoln dealer (who said it was the fuel pump) and a Ford dealer (who said it was the idle air control valve)) and so far I’ve installed a new fuel pump relay, fuel pump, fuel pump inlet screen, inline fuel filter and idle air control valve, it is still stalls. Here is some history on the problem:
Nov. 17
Our car is a 1997 Lincoln Town Car 6 door limo by Federal with about 97,000 miles. We’ve had the car about 2 years and use it as a family car for a family of 8. Four times it has stalled while driving it and could not be started. This happened about 4 months ago, 2 weeks ago, last Saturday, and yesterday. This has happened both when the car is hot and when cold. In each instance, the car has died while being driven and in at least one case, the car seemed to be cutting out or on the verge of shutting off momentarily several times immediately prior to dying. The car then seems to start fine but then shuts off/stalls maybe 2 seconds later (Each time the car started right up and drove fine 10 minutes to several hours later when next checked and in each case the car was driven on many trips without incident between the times the car stalled. The car broke down on Saturday, then on Sunday I drove the car to an Autozone store where they checked the engine error codes and nothing showed up. Also, my Dad told me to check the engine oil pressure sensor since I changed the oil and oil filter a couple weeks back, but the folks at NAPA and Autozone said this car has no such sensor. The problem has occurred with the oil level slightly low, normal and slightly high)
I bought a new fuel pump relay on Sunday and installed it. When the car stopped yesterday, I noticed that when I just turned the key to the on position, I could hear the fuel pump come on for about 2 seconds and then stop (perhaps that is normal since the car wasn’t running and once it builds up pressure, it automatically kicks off?). We coasted the car downhill back home and several hours later it started right up.
Update:
I drove the car to Lincoln dealership about Nov. 18 and on about Nov. 23 they called me to say they did get the car to stall and that the problem was the fuel pump. I declined repair due to their cost. I drove the car home (it drove fine) and on Sat. Nov. 27, I installed a Bosch premium fuel pump (from NAPA) as well as a new inlet screen and new inline fuel filter. We drove the car on about a dozen trips around town over the next week and then on Sat. Dec. 4, the car stalled for my wife and again on Sun. Dec. 5, the car stalled for me. The significant thing about these last two occurances is that each one occurred after driving the car for a very short time (only 2 or 3 minutes, having the car turned off for several minutes) and then when attempting to start the car again, the car would stall after running for just a couple of seconds. My wide discovered that if she stomped on the accelerator right as the car was beginning to stall and then the car kept running and she was able to drive it home. On Saturday, the gas tank was about one quarter full. On Sunday I had gone to the gas station 2 minutes away and filled the tank and I was attempting to pull away from the pumps when it stalled 4 or 5 times. Each time I was able to drive the car several feet. On about the fifth time, I stomped on the gas peddle (this is something we never attempted before) and it ran fine afterwards. This made me wonder if it is some kind of clogged air sensor that gets blown clean by the revving of the engine.
(second update)
On Dec. 8 I drove the car to the local Ford dealer (different place than last time) and they diagnosed it as the engine idle air control valve. They did not even try to get it to misbehave, they just said that that was the problem based on the symptoms and charged me a $100 diagnostic fee. They were going to charge $350 to replace it so I took that car back from them and I installed a idle control valve from NAPA on Dec. 10. I drove it on three trips around town that day and it ran fine. On Dec. 13, it was 15 degrees outside, so I started the car and let it idle in the driveway for 10 minutes. I backed it out of the driveway and it stalled on the street and would not run more than a couple seconds for 3 or 4 attempts over the next 3 minutes. Each time I was able to move the car about 2 feet before it stalled. I finally was able to jump back in and floor the accelerator just as it was starting to stall and pull it all the way back up the driveway and haven’t driven it since. Any help very much appreciated!
Nov. 17
Our car is a 1997 Lincoln Town Car 6 door limo by Federal with about 97,000 miles. We’ve had the car about 2 years and use it as a family car for a family of 8. Four times it has stalled while driving it and could not be started. This happened about 4 months ago, 2 weeks ago, last Saturday, and yesterday. This has happened both when the car is hot and when cold. In each instance, the car has died while being driven and in at least one case, the car seemed to be cutting out or on the verge of shutting off momentarily several times immediately prior to dying. The car then seems to start fine but then shuts off/stalls maybe 2 seconds later (Each time the car started right up and drove fine 10 minutes to several hours later when next checked and in each case the car was driven on many trips without incident between the times the car stalled. The car broke down on Saturday, then on Sunday I drove the car to an Autozone store where they checked the engine error codes and nothing showed up. Also, my Dad told me to check the engine oil pressure sensor since I changed the oil and oil filter a couple weeks back, but the folks at NAPA and Autozone said this car has no such sensor. The problem has occurred with the oil level slightly low, normal and slightly high)
I bought a new fuel pump relay on Sunday and installed it. When the car stopped yesterday, I noticed that when I just turned the key to the on position, I could hear the fuel pump come on for about 2 seconds and then stop (perhaps that is normal since the car wasn’t running and once it builds up pressure, it automatically kicks off?). We coasted the car downhill back home and several hours later it started right up.
Update:
I drove the car to Lincoln dealership about Nov. 18 and on about Nov. 23 they called me to say they did get the car to stall and that the problem was the fuel pump. I declined repair due to their cost. I drove the car home (it drove fine) and on Sat. Nov. 27, I installed a Bosch premium fuel pump (from NAPA) as well as a new inlet screen and new inline fuel filter. We drove the car on about a dozen trips around town over the next week and then on Sat. Dec. 4, the car stalled for my wife and again on Sun. Dec. 5, the car stalled for me. The significant thing about these last two occurances is that each one occurred after driving the car for a very short time (only 2 or 3 minutes, having the car turned off for several minutes) and then when attempting to start the car again, the car would stall after running for just a couple of seconds. My wide discovered that if she stomped on the accelerator right as the car was beginning to stall and then the car kept running and she was able to drive it home. On Saturday, the gas tank was about one quarter full. On Sunday I had gone to the gas station 2 minutes away and filled the tank and I was attempting to pull away from the pumps when it stalled 4 or 5 times. Each time I was able to drive the car several feet. On about the fifth time, I stomped on the gas peddle (this is something we never attempted before) and it ran fine afterwards. This made me wonder if it is some kind of clogged air sensor that gets blown clean by the revving of the engine.
(second update)
On Dec. 8 I drove the car to the local Ford dealer (different place than last time) and they diagnosed it as the engine idle air control valve. They did not even try to get it to misbehave, they just said that that was the problem based on the symptoms and charged me a $100 diagnostic fee. They were going to charge $350 to replace it so I took that car back from them and I installed a idle control valve from NAPA on Dec. 10. I drove it on three trips around town that day and it ran fine. On Dec. 13, it was 15 degrees outside, so I started the car and let it idle in the driveway for 10 minutes. I backed it out of the driveway and it stalled on the street and would not run more than a couple seconds for 3 or 4 attempts over the next 3 minutes. Each time I was able to move the car about 2 feet before it stalled. I finally was able to jump back in and floor the accelerator just as it was starting to stall and pull it all the way back up the driveway and haven’t driven it since. Any help very much appreciated!