Hi, I have owned a 1984 Lincoln Continental since 1996 (it's not the only car I own) and the car has had two problems that I just haven't been able to remedy since the day I got it practically. I'm hoping someone here may be able to provide me with some info on these. I'm not sure if these problems are interconnected or if they are completely independent of one another.
Problem 1: Sometimes, after driving for awhile, I'll park the car for a few minutes and then when I come back out and turn the key nothing happens. The digital dashboard lights up and everything, but the engine will not turn. I'll just get a click or something. The strange thing is that sometimes if I wait maybe two minutes and try again, it'll start right up. Othertimes, I've waited several hours only to have nothing happen when I turn the key. Once I had to have someone come and pick me up late at night because I went to leave and my car wouldn't start. So, my father takes me back to my car the following morning fully expecting to have to jumpstart it or something, I turn the key, and it starts right up.
Problem 2: I put the car in reverse and it stalls. I've never had it stall shifting to any other gear but reverse, and it doesn't do it everytime either. Now, the truly frustrating thing about this problem is that once it stalls, problem #1 happens; i'll turn the key to restart it and nothing happens. I never know how long it will take before I can get it running again. I've had some embarrassing moments occur with my car stalling while backing out of a parking space and blocking traffic. Once I had to push it back into the parking space until I got it started.
Also, on a side note, does anyone have any suggestions for getting more power from the engine in this car? It has approx 100K. The 302 just seems overburdened by the weight of this car. I actually think the fuel economy (about 12-15mpg) would be better with a bigger engine because then it wouldn't have to work so hard. Thank you.