Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

[98ciHemi]

So, I was leaving work tonight and went to start the car and lo and behold, she would not start. So I popped the hood and gave it the usual battery of tests. Had good oil pressure, fuel pump flow, spark. I was starting to get confused so I pulled the plugs and ran a quick compression test on #1, which came up normal. I checked cam timing and ignition timing both of which came out fine. (who carries a compression tester and timing light around, I mean, seriously?!) A further search yielded the problem which I fixed and then drove home. Any guesses as to what was wrong? (And no, it was not an ID10T error)

-Walt

[fahrenschnell]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Bad Ground?

[moparmaniac07]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

wet distributor

[98ciHemi]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Bad Ground?

Right track, but not really.

wet distributor

Nope.

[milner351]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Walt - to help narrow it down....

was this a no crank no start?

or

a crank, no start?

[98ciHemi]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

I hooked it up to my bicycle to do the compression test. ;D ;D ;D

It cranked fine, had a solid 12 volts.

[hoofhearted]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Out of gas?

[milner351]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

reading too fast again - now I see the compression test comment.

I'm guessing ignition related - loose coil wire? Loose ground at the coil?

Ignition switch not sending 12v to the coil while cranking?

[mustang13]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Out of gas?

X2?

Dist. cap/coil wire fell off?

[98ciHemi]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Despite my record of doing so, I did not run out of gas. ;D I will post the answer at 9:30 ish. It's kind of a freak problem, but not that hard to diagnose when you are poking around the engine bay. On a side note, after I had fixed the problem, wrestled the hood back on, and struggled to get the pins on, I restarted the car and revved the engine and promptly realized I left the #1 plug wire unhooked. @$#%!!!

[MadmanMark]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

My guesses would be 1) Loose battery cable and 2) loose connection for the ignition wire to the starter

[Fordplay0621]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Wrong Escort. your swas next to it.

[oldsman71]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

loose connection it the throttle body, loose connection at the
coil?

[min301]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Coil wire pop off?

[98ciHemi]

Re: Test your car diagnosing skills: Escort edition

Broken wire on the fuel shutoff solenoid. It only seems to stop fuel at the primary barrel, and the accelerator pump still sprays fuel.