Town
Senior Member
In the 1998 thru 2002 Town Car models a PATS failure to recognize the ign key will cause the PCM to disable the engine and prevent the engine from starting. The common culprit is the transceiver which is located around the ign key lock switch. Usually the wiring is stretched by the steering wheel column tilt adjustment and the stretched wires cause intermittent failure and then the wire breaks and there is complete failure. To fix this problem the transceiver must be replaced with its wiring harness.
The 2003 and up have an additional feature where the PCM prevents the starter engagement, so there is a no crank situation.
The 2003 and up have an additional feature where the PCM prevents the starter engagement, so there is a no crank situation.