FU: Ford Contour wont start after Overheat

[Microman]

http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1...sg-1598117

Well, I have had a chance to look under the hood.

Oil filler cap doesn't appear to be like coffee, or have water. Just looks like normal..

Dip stick shows oil, and nothing resembling a mixture of water in it.

Car turns over rapidly with the new battery that had just been installed, but not a lick of FIRING.

Took cover off the timing belt, and turned car over, we can see that belt turning as well as the outer belt on the AC, etc.

Tried to add water to the only place that you can. (THE over Flow Tank), but as soon as I poured water into it, I could hear it running on the ground.

Found the leak in a hose where two hoses connect with clamps, Its under neath on the right side of engine. Could possibly be a place that had been splice, seems to have two clamps close to each other, will tell more tomorrow, when it drys off on the ground.

Not sure if this leak happened prior to the overtheat, or was the cause of the overheat, but it should be an easy fix, and then the car will hold water, Or if I get it running 50% water and Ethylene Glycol.

Tried to research other instances of overheating and not starting. WIsh it would be an easy fix like a RELAY or FUSE, that blue in the FUEL pump or something.

I took a look at the FUSE box under the hood, and some of those 60 amp fuses look tough to get out. THey just dont unplug, apparently you need to get at a location under them to unbolt or something.

Well , little by little, we will see if it is something that we can fix, or find out that indeed the rings may have gotten hot, and lost compression, as I have read could have happened.

In which case it will be time to buy another car. But so many Dealers Turning Over auction cars on Craigslist, its time consuming to find a good driver.

Thanks, For listening, and suggesting..

[davester]

You seem to have determined that this is not a broken timing belt issue. That's good, but you need to move on. At this point, troubleshooting comes down to basics. You first need to determine if it has spark, if it has fuel, and if it has compression. Without all of these it has no chance of starting. Only after you figure out what you are missing will you be able to do further troubleshooting. There are simple tests for each of these. If you don't understand how to do these tests or can't figure it out from the abundant internet instructions on how to find out then you need to get a mechanic involved.

[Carm]

Fix your leak.
Then, check for spark - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUOmsGiirTU
Backyard mechanic style. If there is no spark, check your fuses associated with your ignition system. Along with other ignition components.

Then proceed from there.......

[Black]

Sounds like it could be a blown head gasket due to warped head, or even a cracked head or block. Got a chicken/egg thing going on here now between coolant leak and overheating and lack of compression; also a chance the timing belt slipped a little causing the car to run hot, then slipped a little more resulting in loss of compression. Typically when they "go" a whole section of teeth strip off all at once, but it's certainly possible for them to go a little at a time.

[C(-)ris]

Check compression before you bother doing anything else. If it overheated it is a good possiblity it toasted the head gasket. If it turns over very easily that supports the idea that the gasket is leaking and there is no compression.

[RgrF]

I could have been a Falcon

[Thrift Store Scott]

I'd address the water leak issue first, then pull the trouble codes. There is a possibility that an overheating situation may have set a code that disables the ignition to prevent further damage once the car is shut off after having run hot.

If you're not able to pull the trouble codes in the conventional manner, you can always clear them caveman-style by disconnecting the negative cable from the battery and leaving it off for a full minute or more.

[cbelt3]

Lots of opinions here... basically it's a heart attack patient with a possible circulatory issue and perhaps a brain injury.

I'd sequence as follows:

1 - Check compression in each cylinder. Think of it as "The heart is working". If it's bad on one, you've got a problem in that cylinder. If it's bad on ALL, then you either have catastrophic failure or the timing belt slipped, timing is off, and the compression stroke has exhaust valves open on it, which makes the engine 'turn easy'. The nice thing is that THIS problem is fixable... replace the timing belt and make sure the timing is set right. If you still have the timing belt cover off, pull a spark plug and check for the "Top Dead Center" indicator on the pulley, and compare to piston position.

2- If compression is OK, Then check for brain injury. Pull trouble codes from the ECM. Then check for spark using the spark plug method shown above. CAUTION.... gasoline vapor explosions happen, don't end up looking all surprised with burned off eyebrows. Yes, I'm speaking from experience. Ow.

3- If the brain is working and it's sparking, then check for fuel flow.

An engine can run for a while without coolant flow. That will be the last thing you fix.

[Racer X]

Yeah, what he said.

You can double-check the timing belt by rocking the crankshaft forward until the distributor rotor moves, then rock the crankshaft the other way, and figure out the slop. Works on any motor with a distributor, regardless of gear driven, chain or belt. Just because the belt moves doesn't mean it hasn't slipped.

Heck see if the distributor shaft even rotates, for that matter. Could have a sheared off roll pin on the gear drive.

I had a '94 Topaz, same motor. The Contour/Mystique was the replacement for the Tempo/Topaz.

[Thrift Store Scott]

Racer X wrote:
Yeah, what he said.

You can double-check the timing belt by rocking the crankshaft forward until the distributor rotor moves, then rock the crankshaft the other way, and figure out the slop. Works on any motor with a distributor, regardless of gear driven, chain or belt. Just because the belt moves doesn't mean it hasn't slipped.

Heck see if the distributor shaft even rotates, for that matter. Could have a sheared off roll pin on the gear drive.

I had a '94 Topaz, same motor. The Contour/Mystique was the replacement for the Tempo/Topaz.

I thought the Tempo/Topaz four-cylinder versions only came with the 2.3 liter "HSC" OHV engine. The Contour/Mystique has a 2.0 liter "Zetec" OHC engine.