Fwd: Re: OT T reg Escort will not start

[Invisible Man]

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: OT T reg Escort will not start Date: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:03:44 +0000 From: Invisible Man Reply-To: [e-mail] Organisation: A noiseless patient Spider Newsgroups: uk.d-i-y References:

> Relatives under serviced basic petrol T reg Escort starts sometimes >> but not others. Not seen it yet. Apparently turns over and sometimes >> catches and sometimes not. >> >> I used to do all my car maintenance but a bit rusty now. Plugs and >> leads the first place to start? >> >> Anything else I should be looking for? >> >> It used to run OK and apparently still does on the rare occasion it >> starts. >> TIA for any ideas > > So are we gonna be left in suspense? did it start >

Be patient. All things being equal I will get around there later today.

[Invisible Man]

Spent some time out in cold and wet this afternoon.

Plugs had been changed recently but cleaned and re-gapped them. Furthest offside plug was cleaner than the others. Little or no combustion in cylinder? Car started instantly a couple of times. Other times churned a while before starting. Once had to stop, hold accelerator on floor and clear possible flooding before it started. Idle very lumpy and stalling. Could be anything from injector(s) to sensors. Her husband's, friends, mate has access to diagnostics so that will be next port of call. Car is in fact a P reg 1.6 Escort with vetec engine. I used to spend forever balancing twin carbs, micro-adjusting distributors etc 30 plus years ago. Modern engine management systems are not my speciality (nor is getting cold and wet any more).

[Bob Minchin]

I had a strange problem with an L plate 1.1l fiesta a while back. single point fuel injection, engine managed etc. Engine would sometime start other times not. After towing it home on a few occasions it would then start the next morning when I tried to analyse the fault. I then noticed was grossly underpowered when it did go. I lashed up a lamp to the ecu and tried to read the fault codes - nothing. This was confirmed by the local garage who had proper fault code kit.

That low power was the clue - the cat had collapsed internally blocking most of the exhaust pipe and it was choking on its own exhaust. New cat & exhaust and it ran perfectly.

I'm not say this is your problem but the moral is expect the unexpected! Also just cos the ECU says everything is fine - it does not know everything.

Good Luck

Bob

[The Natural Philosopher]

Buggered air flow meter or water temp sensor in all likelihood.

Or possibly arcing or breakdown in the ignition.

>

[Tinkerer]

Again a much older vehicle than the OPs (pre electronic days) and of no use to him whatever, but some may find it amusing/interesting. My father had a Vauxhall Viva MK ll that suddenly was a so and so to start. The only way to get it going was to tow it and the engine only ran then if you floored it (got very hot very quickly to). He got one of these mobile mechanics in who took the carb off twice to clean it and finally found the problem when he dropped a spanner. Bending to pick it up, his eye came level with the carb mounting on the combined intake/exhaust manifold and he saw a hole that had rusted through thus connecting inlet to exhaust. Later we found out that this was a fairly common problem on that model.