Thread: Please Help!! No Lights, Starter, Completely Dead!!

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I have a 79 Lincoln Mark V I just purchased this weekend and i was cleaning out the engine bay using a jug to control the water i needed... but i guess i still screwed up Now the car has absolutely no power what so ever, no underhood light, no interior lights, put the key in it does NOTHING. Lost all power. I know the battery is good, i checked it and even switched batteries out of another working car just to make sure. What would short out from water? I've checked the fusable links off the battery they are all good, checked all the fuses under the dash, also good. Can't figure it out!!

If you could give me any sort of point in the right direction it would be appreciated! This car is immaculate, black with red leather and I want to start driving it!!!! Thanks again guys for all your help!!!

First of all, you need one of those little 12 volt test lights that look like an icepick with a wire coming out of the handle. With it you can check various points to see where you are losing current. Every hardware store and auto parts store carries them.........about $ 5 or so.

Start at the battery. Take the terminals off both pos and neg and clean them shiny with some emery cloth or sandpaper. Also clean up the terminals on the battery and put the cables back on nice and tight.

Then see what happened. If still no power, go to the starter solenoid that is mounted on the passenger side inner fender panel. With your test light lead clamped to a known good ground, put the probe on the terminal where the pos cable comes in from the battery. Do you have juice there? If so, take the nut off of that post on the solenoid and clean up every wire end that is attached there, and reinstall them nice and tight.

If you still have no power, follow the neg battery cable to where it attaches to the engine block and make sure that end is clean and tight.

If you still have nothing take one end of a jumper cable and clamp it to the negative cable at the battery and put the other end to some part of the body, like a hood hinge. ( You are trying to see if the ground between the engine and body is ok)

Try all that and then let us know what happened. BTW, are you sure both batteries are good and fully charged??

Don

try the Starter Selinoid, 19.07 At Pep Boys, Just Bought One Last Week, i had the Same Symptoms.

I'm going at lunch to get a starter silinoide and a test light. Thanks for all the info, I've been posting on other boards and have not got any replies. You guys kick serious ass here and i appreciate your help. Keep it coming if you have anymore ideas and I'll let you know what I find. Again, THANKS GUYS!!!!

Stay with Don's and Agent's lead.....the connection drop will be either corrosion at the batt terminals or fuse link at the solenoid. The solenoid itself will not cause 12v drops through itself but the connections at that same solenoid is where the main power pickup takes place. Stay with the test light attitude and fuse links. If it worked fine before, and now, now nothing, start where you were cleaning. Probably corrosion or hard water build up between contact points at the connection these guys told you about.