Why would a 2002 Lincoln town car engine lock up?

Answer 1

An engine could lock up orseize for many reasons. Most commonly, it will happen due to a lack of proper lubrication. This can happen if too much oil leaks out, is removed, or the oil isn't filled to the proper level. Overfilling the oil can have the same effect. If overfilled, the oil will foam and won't lubricate properly. Another common problem are contaminates that may enter your cylinders. Air filters are used to remove harmful silica and other tiny debris that, if introduced to the valve-train of your vehicle, will cause catastrophic damage. Non-foreign debris, such as spark plug parts, or other pieces of damaged engine components can enter the cylinder and have similar effects. Engines are also susceptible to what's known as hydro-lock. This happens when an engine's cylinders are filled with liquid, such as water if it is submerged, or antifreeze if you encounter a massive head gasket failure. The engine will not be able to rotate freely until the liquid is removed. On some engines, more commonly on imports, the tolerances of the engine are very tight. Because of this, most modern engines are equipped with either a camshaft and/or a crankshaft position sensor. If for some reason your engine were to lose it's timing, these sensors will not allow the engine to operate. This is to avoid catastrophic engine damage. If, however, the sensor goes bad or the wires from it/them to the computer lose signal due to damage or corrosion, it will think your timing is off, and will not allow your engine to operate.