There seems to be some very knowledgeable folks here so I'm hoping that someone may be able to provide me with some insight- the majority of my automotive engine experience relates to normally aspirated motors and is probably 20 years out of date. I'm really not up to speed on computer controled, FI engines and I have not yet been able to locate a service manual for this thing.
Here's the background:
I bought a '91 Lincoln Continental which had been sitting since last August (my brother didn't want to take it for inspection because the rear valve cover gasket was leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold- but this isn't my worry).
I noticed a slight hesitation in the motor while driving so I popped the hood to take a look- there were acorns (whole, and bits and pieces) strewn all over the engine compartment and the intake manifold was covered in squirrel turds. Uh-oh. I took off the cover to the air intake box and pulled out the air filter- the box was 2/3-3/4 full of acorns and bits and pieces thereof, and the filter was thick with acorn dust and pieces. No problem, easy replacement and a shop vac got all the acorns out of the box.
While I was at it I took a closer look at everything else...not too bad, only one slightly gnawed plug wire. So I sez to myself "Don't do it half-assed, if you're going to replace the wires you might as well do the cap, rotor and plugs at the same time."
No problemo, I goes and gets Borg-Warner cap, rotor and SuperMAG wires, and Bosch Platinum +4 sparkplugs. (What nimrod designed this thing so tight? Can't get to the plugs on the rear side of the transverse mounted motor without removing the entire air intake assembly, and even then it's a bitch- and I've got some pretty damned skinny hands and arms.)
Changed out the first plug and ran the new wire, wanted to do them one at a time so I wouldn't accidently get them on in the wrong order. OK, might as well put the new cap and rotor on now...get a philips head screwdriver- oops, cap screw won't budge, head strips out. That's OK, they'll take a socket too. SNAP, SNAP...both broke off in the distributor housing. Wasted a lot of time and effort trying to drill steel screws out of aluminum, the ears broke off when I tried to re-thread them.
Crap, go get another distributor. Make reference marks on the motor, distributors and rotor mounts. Unbolt the alternator and swing it out of the way, remove NFG distributor. Lube up new one, insert oil-pump shaft, account for the twist on the gear and position the rotor mount and stick it in. Tight fit, gently tap with rubber hammer so as not to break *this* one...voila, everything lines up perfectly. Bolt it in, put alternator back, put new plugs, wires, cap and rotor on, and re-assemble air intake. Go inside and wash blood and grease off hands, put band-aids on.
Go back out and turn the key. Crank, crank, crank, crank...finally starts. Runs real rough, for about 30 seconds, then dies. Repeat, then won't start again. Check all wires, look for loose vacuum lines, all looks good. WTF? Try it again- No Go. Disconnect battery to try to clear computer, go have a smoke and a cup of coffee, think about having something stronger than coffee.
10 minutes, maybe 20, re-connect battery and try it again. Finally starts, runs a little longer but now charging system warning light is on. Manage to loosen distributor mounting bolt and get inch-and-a-quarter wrench on hex at top of distributor shaft without removing alternator this time. Get it started again and rotate dist a little bit each way to see if that will smooth it out- no change. Charging system warning still on. Dies, won't start again.Unbolt alternator to get a closer look at base of distributor, looks OK, line up reference marks and tighten mounting bolt. Discovered bottom bolt of alternator bracket had not been tight when I took it out the 2nd time, corrected that and bolted everything back together, adjusting the alternator position slightly. Still won't start. Disconnected battery and gave up for the night.
Re-connect battery this AM and try again. Starts hard, but it starts and stays running but very rough. Good news is charging system warning light doesn't come on now.
How the hell do I get this motor to smooth out and run right? Is there a timing adjustment somewhere (aside from the computer)? It used to be (many years ago) that I could do it perfectly just by ear...I guess those days are gone?
Lacking the service manual (and maybe some specialized tools and electronics?), is there anything I can do besides limping it down to a mechanic who knows more about these motors than I do?
Thanks in advance for any assistance someone may be able to give...